Last Updated on 11/26/2019 by Chris Gampat
Photographers who need the most rugged cameras and lenses made; we’ve found them.
Whether or not you realize it, your camera takes wear and tear every day. Even if you treat it like a precious egg, it’s going to take a beating of some sort. Luckily, there are cameras and lenses that handle human stupidity better than others. So we’ve gone through our reviews index and selected some of the best you can get.
Cameras
Leica Q2
In our review, we state:
“The Leica Q2 is rated to IP52 when it comes to weather sealing. This isn’t as robust as the Olympus OMD EM1X, but it is still very durable. Photographers who take it to shoot in the rain shouldn’t have any fear as you’ll be able to combine the lens’s great quality with the camera’s overall durability. Throughout our tests in the rain here in NYC, the Leica Q2 performed very admirably–in a way I’d say all cameras should these days.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Panasonic S1R
In our review, we state:
“The Panasonic S1R and the 24-105mm f4 (available as a bundle option with the camera) are both very weather sealed. We took them out into the rain and they continued to function and shoot without any problems. For a camera this big and beefy, I’d expect it to be very weather sealed. Indeed, with the Panasonic S1R being targeted at professional photographers, we were able to prove it can keep up with the demands of a photographer who needs to keep working and may sometimes be rough with their gear.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Canon EOS R
In our review, we state:
“Look at this: would you let your Sony, Nikon, or Fujifilm camera do this? If you’re absolutely intimidated by this image or think I’m crazy, you’d be shocked at how resilient these cameras are. While I’d say without a doubt that Sony has the most weaknesses when it comes to build quality, their cameras are still very weather sealed. The Canon EOS R, in this case with a native lens, was able to survive quite the rainstorm in Astoria, Queens. It continued to work and the only problem I had was that the EVF sometimes thought my eye was there due to water droplets. But to be fair, the entire industry has this problem and I doubt there is a single engineer who would say otherwise.”
“But look at how exposed the hot shoe is; despite this it kept clicking and functioning. Major props are given to the Canon EOS R for that.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Nikon Z7
In our review, we state:
“Our real test came when we put it into the heavy rain here in NYC. We used the Nikon z 7 with the 35mm f1.8 lens and both of them stood up to the rain really well. Not only did we use the camera in the rain, but we also placed on a surface that was wet. The camera continued to function flawlessly. As far as I know, the Nikon couldn’t even tell it was raining. For photojournalists, street photographers who like to do the photo wait, portrait shooters, landscape, or cityscape shooters that love the rain, the Nikon z 7 can very much hold its own.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Olympus OMD EM1X
In our review, we state:
“The Olympus OMD EM1X is rated to IPX1 in terms of weather sealing. For a point of reference, your modern smartphone is perhaps more weather sealed and waterproof. But when it came to seeing just how resistant this camera is, we wanted to personally show it to you. When I asked Olympus engineers to give me a dust-proof rating, they told me that they didn’t test for that.”
“As you can tell, the Olympus OMD EM1X is super well sealed with an accordingly sealed lens. This solid build quality also translates well into the hand when the camera is held. The grip conforms to your hands and the Olympus OMD EM1X feels like the best of Canon and Nikon in a single camera.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Fujifilm GFX 50R
In our review, we state:
“As we reported previously, the Fujifilm GFX 50R can resist quite a bit of abuse. We took it into the rain for a long time and it was just fine. Despite lots of moisture and rain getting around the camera and the lens, they combo kept working. On our Instagram, we shared photos and more results. We’re very convinced that the Fujifilm GFX 50R is capable of doing pretty much everything you need within reason. It isn’t submersible, but it can take some of the worst weather you may throw its way.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Lenses
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM
In our review, we state:
“You can tell for yourself from the image above that the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM is fully and thoroughly weather sealed. We took it out in NYC’s rain, Hawaii’s rain, and through the rainforest, and it survived everything we threw at it. While Sony gear is built well, I’d question whether or not it could stand up to what I threw at the Canon gear because of experience. Sony gear started to misbehave after some rain, and my Canon 5D Mk II survived Hurricane Sandy and kept clicking for years afterward.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Nikon 50mm F1.8 S
In our review, we state:
“As Nikon’s marketing copy puts it, the Nikon 50mm f1.8 Z S is ‘extensively sealed against dust and moisture.’ Naturally, we had to put that claim to the test. We subjected the lens to a slew of inclement weather conditions in and around New York City, as well as the inland shores of Cape Cod during late Fall/early Winter, and the lens never let us down. Even with gloves on, we were able to operate the Customizable Control Ring as well as toggle the Autofocus/Manual Focus switch. All things considered, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f1.8 S is a workhorse lens that can handle quite a bit of abuse, just don’t go taking it for a swim.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Sigma 28mm F1.8 DG Art
In our review, we state:
“The weather sealing is made thanks in part to the rubber gasket around the lens mount. But the Sigma 28mm f1.4 DG HSM Art also has lots of internal seals to ensure that moisture and dust don’t end up messing with your experience.”
“Earlier on, I mentioned that the Sigma 28mm f1.4 DG HSM Art is everything that the 35mm f1.4 should have been. I stand strongly by that statement. The 35mm f1.4 should have had weather sealing built into it from the start and it baffles me why Sigma never did it. Behind closed doors, what I’m often told is that there was concern over a patent issue. But Tamron, Zeiss, and the like have all done it.”
Buy Now: Adorama
Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
In our review, we state:
“If the product shoot for this lens isn’t enough to assure you that the lens is very durable and extremely weather sealed, then we’re not sure what is. Beyond leaving it in the rain and shooting with the lens in inclement weather, the lens was also put in camera bags with thin padding that were bumped by all sorts of nonsense on the NYC subway during busy commutes. The 40-150mm f2.8 PRO took all the bumps and hits like, well, a pro!”
Buy Now: Adorama
Fujifilm 8-16mm F2.8 R WR
In our review, we state:
“During our testing, we took the Fujifilm 8-16mm f2.8 R LM WR out into some really heavy downpours and shared the video on our Instagram. As you can tell, it stood up to a heck of a lot of abuse. How often would someone actually go out and shoot in the rain like this? Here in NYC, I’ve been seeing more and more folks come out in the rain because of how beautiful the city becomes when it’s dark; all the neon signs are glowing are there are reflections galore.”
“We knew that the Fujifilm X-T3 was well sealed, but so too is the Fujifilm 8-16mm f2.8 R LM WR. This helps justify the price tag. You can see more of what we did to this lens in the lead image of this story.”
Buy Now: Adorama