[wulinka]

I was very stupid and took the 24/70L out in rain. somehow I thought, a little splash water should not be a huge problem.....

the next morning as I went out with a group of friends to shoot, I noticed my AF did not work properly and then my pics became very blury. I checked the lense and there was a LOT of condensed water in there :o :o :o

After I left it out to breath for a while, the precipitation disappeared and I was able to shoot again.

do I have to have the lense serviced now? potentially there is some humidity remaining and I would not
want it to damage the lense, mold building up or heaven knows what....

Any experience?

Uli

[matthew]

Uli, I'm sorry to hear that - and I'm really surprised, because that is supposed to be a weather sealed lens. (Mentioned at lensplay and buyer's guide.) I've heard that the front element remains unsealed, meaning that a clear filter still needs to be put on the front, but the hood still should have protected it. (In my opinion, anyway. :/) A professional lens like a 2.8L should be able to take more than a little water.

A long time ago I waterlogged my week-old Sony F828, which was a major purchase with a very high Spousal Unhappiness Factor. The camera recovered after a week of drying time (the spouse never knew about it), but it did leave water marks in the viewfinder. The lens itself was fine, and I never noticed any AF issues, flare, or lack of contrast - beyond what the camera was already famous for - but if you think your image quality has dropped, I wouldn't hesitate to have it serviced.

[wulinka]

hmmm, weird, it had both a filter and a hood on it...
so you think I just have to watch the quality for any visible marks?
has anyone ever had a lense serviced? I hear mixed opinions about doing that,
someone even said she found her lense was never the same again after servicing....:o

uli

[shuttertalk]

I feel for you Uli, sorry to hear that. I would have thought too that a little rain wouldn't be a problem. I've done it too with my 18-70 without any problems (albeit very sparingly, and with a jacket or poncho over the camera most of the time)... but maybe I should be a bit more careful now.

Not sure how to fix the condensation - maybe if you have a few silica gel packs lying around, you could put the in a box or something to help draw the moisture out. Also, perhaps putting it somewhere with warm dry air (near a heater?) but not too hot...

Perhaps check the image quality and lens mechanisms over the next few days - if you feel something is still not right, take it in for servicing immediately. Or maybe it's better just to do it to be sure...?

[Kombisaurus]

Doh! That really sucks Uli!

The 24-70 is indeed supposed to be weathersealed (but technically only when using it with a weathersealed body which the 5D is not). It looks to me completely sealed at the front, and while it has weather sealing at the back too, if water came into it from inside the camera then it would be quite vulnerable. Still, even on a non-weathersealed camera I'd expect it to be pretty good! I've used my 70-200 f/4L on a 30D numerous times in the rain (both are non-weathersealed).

I've shot with my 24-70 a number of times in the rain and in situations like this below where it cops a fair amount of direct water contact. Never had a problem.


The one thing that does concern me however is that it changes length when you zoom. While you zoom out and it gets longer, it must be sucking air in from somewhere. It would be a lot more vulnerable at this time to sucking in water (or steam which later condenses). Also check the condition of the weather seal at the back of the lens - it is the rubber ring that seals between the lens and the camera. It is subject to friction every time you take the lens on or off, and it could perish or split.

I'd advise zooming it out to 24mm and then sitting it on a warm dry window-sill in the sun for a day or two, maybe pumping the zoom a few times towards the end of that time while it is still warm.
I would advise not using the lens while there is obviously water inside it. If the water touches some of the electronics within the lens while there is power running through it then it could fry something.

But if you aren't happy with the drying-out results, taking it to a service centre might be your best bet. If you take it to an authorised Canon service centre then you'd hope they would know what they were doing.

[Irma]

I have been two times in the rain taking pictures with my 24-105L and I never had a problem. First time in Hamburg at night and my problem was that the droplets were in the glass and my pictures had a funny bokeh...:/ which made me very angry btw. I just dried the glass with a tissue and went on shooting. The second time was in the forest raining harder and no problem there because I was careful not to have droplets in the glass. At the moment my lens is behaving right.

In the butterfly garden my macro (canon 180mm) got steamed up too, it was too warm and outside was snowing. I had problems at the time I was taking my pictures because when I triggered the shutter the lens lost the focus and all my picture was blurred. It did like this several times along the shooting and I was worried, but continued taking my pictures, I let it rest for few days and I have never had the problem again.

As it was already advice Uli. Let it rest for few days and see.

[Wedding Shooter]

Hi Uli,

I notice you mentioned it had problems with the AF. I shot with my 24-70 under a waterfall with a 5D body. The spray and mist from the waterfall was covering me and the camera and everything was fine until so much water got on the front of the lens that it could not AF anymore. I took it inside the boat and dried it off - went out and started shooting happily again.

Condensation can appear in the lens from changes in humidity and it is recommended to allow the lens to adjust to the ambient temperature before taking it out of a bag, etc...

Were you going from an air-conditioned environment into a humid environment that morning? I feel confident it will be ok - especially considering the amount of water I subjected mine to.

[Zig]

+1 for all comments re:
Sealed lens with "unsealed" body...and that AF issue too: my tuppenceworth is that this one has somehow sneaked thru quality control(it should take at least a bit of hefty use).
I was going to just stick with the idea of popping it in an airtight container with a few packets of silica gel(cf Jules et al above) and leave it a few days.
Aha...something else has come to mind: I reckon you might have 2 issues here: both fixable or normal:
1. The condensation one: leave+silica gel, bear in mind Chris's advice re ambient temps;
2. That particularly lens CAN appear to have AF issues at the wide end at full aperture(or rather, most noticeable at): it seems to have a wide "AF circle" that can appear to back- or front-focus...though this is generally not the case...it just has a wide AF area(for want of better vocab).
Am replying in haste, sorry if I'm not making much sense:
I'd suggest a pm to Rufus(if he's still treading these boards he has recently acquired this lens and had all sorts of mares until he recognised its quirks).
I'm sure you'll be smiling again soon, Uli!
blesings, S.

[Kombisaurus]

The Silica gel is a great idea Zig!
I usually keep a few stray packs in the bottom of my camera bag to soak up any moisture, although I don't know how effective it is any more (its been there for aaaages). Apparently silica gel can be "recharged" by drying it out in the oven (on a very low temp).

[Zig]

Yes indeedy it can Ade...(nice to see you about again mate btw)...just don't put it in the same drawer as the amphetamine.....er...what am I saying?:o

[matthew]

The one thing that does concern me however is that it changes length when you zoom. While you zoom out and it gets longer, it must be sucking air in from somewhere.

I'm not sure how it works, but there's got to be some way to protect against this. Most Olympus lenses are sealed, and I've never had or heard of a problem with any of theirs, including ones that extend a great deal. I'll hook my 50-200, which extends about 70mm, to my E-3 -- all sealed -- and I can actually hear the air blowing through a vent in the CF card area. I don't know how things stay dry, but somehow it does.

[wulinka]

thanks guys for all tips!!
Meanwhile I have had it sitting out several times and also found - if only one - silica bag to put in the bag with it.
I have cleaned it from outside and right now it does not seem to have any issues.
The AF problems only occured when there was actual condensation in the lense, seem to be alright now.

My only concern is that at the edges of the lenses inside, where space is tight, residual humidity might be
ground for mold .....

I do have a feeling like the water got in while zooming, I cannot imagine it getting in through the cam.
the wheather seal looks fine to me. judging by the view through the viewfinder, the cam did not seem to have water inside.

I might inquire about servicing, haven't 100% decided yet whether I think it will be necessary or not.

Thanks again!

Uli