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Features

12 Weather Sealed Lenses That Can Take a Beating From Mother Nature

Brett Day
No Comments
04/19/2019
6 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Sigma 28mm f1.4 DG HSM Art weather sealing lede

Last Updated on 04/19/2019 by Mark Beckenbach

Pair these weather sealed lenses with a sealed camera body and you can shoot no matter what the weather is doing.

Being able to shoot outside when the weather isn’t the best can yield some truly spectacular results. From reflections of lights hitting the street, to capturing falling snow, and from the light that appears at the back end of a storm, to capturing menacing clouds or lightning, the weather can help create some truly dynamic images. But you need to have the right gear to go out and play in the elements. We’re going to take a look at some of the best weather sealed lenses across multiple platforms and price points that will help you get the shots you’d otherwise miss with non-sealed lenses.

We of course urge you to practice safety first, and if you do venture off out into the pouring rain, gale force winds, or snow storms, always think about safety. If you head out with one of these lenses, you will be able to capture some truly stunning shots as these lenses will laugh in Mother Nature’s face. All of these weather sealed lenses are tough as nails, they can produce seriously sharp, wonderfully colored images, and they focus like champs too! Check out some of our favorite weather sealed lenses below.

 

Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4 Power OIS (Micro Four Thirds)

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Fast focusing
  • Image stabilization
  • Sharp image quality

Cons

  • I wish it were constant aperture. That would be some really true innovation.

Check out our full review

Buy now ($897.99): Amazon

 

Olympus 14-150mm F4-5.6 II Weather Sealed (Micro Four Thirds)

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Pretty darn sharp
  • Okay bokeh
  • An all-in-one lens for travel and street photography work.
  • Fairly compact size
  • At $599.99 you’re getting a big bargain.

Cons

  • Only f4

Check out our full review

Buy now ($549): Amazon

 

Fujifilm 16-55mm F2.8 LM WR (Fujifilm X Mount)

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Solid image quality
  • Nice bokeh, sharpness, and color rendition
  • Fujifilm’s best general zoom lens yet
  • Fujifilm gave this an actual aperture ring instead of what they did with their previous kit lens zooms that gave the user a switch.

Cons

  • Feels weird in the hand even with the XT1
  • An internal zooming mechanism would have made this feel better in the hand.
  • A steep price

Check out our full review

Buy now ($1,199): Amazon

 

 

Pro Tip: When you’re out shooting in inclement weather your gear is going to get dirty in a hurry. Dirt, dust, rain, and snow are going to be hitting the front element of your weather sealed lenses. Because of this you’re going to want to keep a lens cleaning kit with you at all times so that you can wipe all of the nasty off of your lens and camera. This camera and lens cleaning kit has everything you need to keep your gear nice and clean, and the best part is it’s super affordable.

 

Fujifilm 23mm F2 R WR (Fujifilm X Mount)

 

Pros

  • Good image quality
  • Seriously and surprisingly fast focus. This lens is officially Fujifilm’s fastest.
  • Fast focus on the X Pro 2, X-T2 and even the X Pro 1. The latter completely shocked me.
  • Nice colors
  • Compact size
  • Turning the aperture ring feels nice and smooth until the clicks come in. It’s a tactile experience that’s just lovely.
  • Sharp images
  • Fairly nice bokeh
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Something about this lens just simply doesn’t have the magic that the 23mm f1.4 R does

Check out our full review

Buy now ($449): Amazon

 

Pentax 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR (Pentax K Mount)

 

Pros

  • Smallish size
  • Really good image quality for what’s essentially a glorified kit lens in many aspects
  • Pentax’s rubber grips around the lenses are spectacular.
  • Incredibly affordable!

Cons

  • For some photographers, a variable aperture may not be so appealing.

Check out our full review

Buy now ($496.95): Amazon

 

Pentax 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR (Pentax K Mount)

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Fantastic colors
  • Great image quality overall
  • Feels great in the hand
  • Fairly affordable price point
  • When connected to the camera, it can still fit into most messenger style camera bags.
  • Fast focusing, but it’s also a wide angle lens so you have to expect that

Cons

  • Shows a bit more distortion than we’re used to seeing with wide angle zooms these days (Canon and Sony especially!).
  • Focusing and zoom ring are a bit too small for my liking.

Check out our full review

Buy now ($1,196.95): Amazon

 

 

Pro Tip: Plan on shooting out in the rain or snow, but still want an extra layer of protection for your weather sealed lenses and camera body? If so these weather proof camera and lens rain covers will give you extra piece of mind when you’re out staring Mother Nature in the face. They are easy to use, will provide that extra layer of protection you’re looking for, and they won’t break the bank.

 

Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (Sony FE)

 

Pros

  • Sharp optics
  • Fast focusing in pretty much any situation
  • Nice bokeh
  • Small and lightweight
  • Considerably under $1,000
  • More than good enough for what most photographers will need to do: there is going to be much less measurbation in this review than normal.

Cons

  • Some folks may gawk at the fact that it isn’t a Sony G Master lens and will fetishize the G Master series in the same way Canon shooters put L glass on a pedestal.

Check out our full review

Buy now ($879): Amazon

 

Sigma 40mm F1.4 DG HSM Art

 

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • The colors
  • The bokeh
  • Pretty fast focusing on the Canon EOS R

Cons

  • Did we mention that it’s huge?
  • Heavy

Check out our full review

Buy now Canon ($1,159): Amazon

Buy now Nikon ($1,158.49): Amazon

Buy now Sony ($1,399): Amazon

 

 

 

Pro Tip: If you want to make absolutely sure that all of the gear you have with you is protected from the elements, you’re going to need a bag that naturally repels water too. Everything you have with you is susceptible to damage from the weather, from memory cards, to speedlites, and extra lenses to chargers and batteries, all of these items need protection. The Chronicle from Domke is a canvas camera bag that naturally repels water, but it also has special coatings which will really keep it dry in even the harshest of downpours. It’s also very affordable.

 

Tamron SP 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • Good for skin tones
  • Delivers lens flare nicely
  • Sharp output
  • Fast autofocus capabilities
  • Fairly lightweight
  • Image stabilization built in

Cons

  • While I like the lens flare, others may complain about it.

Check out our full review

Buy now Canon ($1,199): Amazon

Buy now Nikon ($1,199): Amazon

 

Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM (Canon RF)

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Nice image quality
  • Fast focusing abilities
  • Fantastic image stabilization
  • Fairly portable

Cons

  • I really think Canon would have hit this out of the park if they just made it a 24-120mm f4 lens like Nikon has. That also would have made it even more appealing.
  • I’d love to be able to lock the lens at various focal lengths.

Check out our full review

Buy now ($1,099): Amazon

 

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm F4 S (Nikon Z Mount)

 

Pros

  • Compact form factor

Cons

  • F4 aperture will leave you thirsting for light.
  • Pricier than 24-70 f4 lenses from competing brands

Check out our full review

Buy now ($996.95): Amazon

 

Sigma 28mm F1.4 DG HSM Art

 

weather sealed lenses

Pros

  • Image quality
  • Beautiful colors
  • Nice bokeh
  • Great sharpness
  • Pretty lightweight and portable for what it is

Cons

  • Still big. Sony was able to take a 24mm f1.4 lens and make it both smaller and lighter.

Check out our full review

Buy now Canon ($1,399): Amazon

Buy now Nikon ($1,399): Amazon

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