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Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
Alright /P/

What camera should I buy? Seriously. Not for me though.

Okay, a friend is going over to serve in Afghanistan for a year... His GF wanted to get him a DSLR.

Now i immediately thought of the D200 because it'll be a little bit cheaper and the Weather seal is going to be fantastic for the desert conditions. I thought maybe the 18-200 VR coupled with that... or something else more durable.

So... Aside from Nikon, what does Canon have to offer in terms of weather seal? or any other brand?

and what about lenses from Canon and non Nikkor in terms of weather sealing?

As you can tell my main priority is to make sure the desert doesn't kill his camera.
>> Anonymous
the 18-200 wouldnt be good in this condition. it has a rubber gasket to help the seal with the camera, but the lens barrel has gaps in it. if you really want something weather proof youre going to need one of the lenses that doesnt physically move when you zoom in/out or just get him a prime.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
The only way to be sure is either weather sealed bodies and lenses or protective covers and cases. It's going to be expensive either way.

For Canon the various 1D cameras are weather sealed and the L lenses are the ones you'd choose to match them for that. That combination would be very rugged and survive most knocks. Very expensive though. I don't think he'd be happy to pay that sort of price.

I believe Pentax have a reasonably priced weather sealed body. That could be a good option.

Either way some filters if he's going to get dust and other muck near the front elements of any lenses he has. I'd suggest he brings back ups of anything he can afford to and might break or fail as well, such as the filters. I doubt he will be able to get replacements easily out there. The filters are sometimes needed to complete weather sealing on some lenses too.
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
The A700 is also weather proofed and sealed, dont know how well as the hand grip for my A100 is starting to come off already (it gets wet a lot) and I've only had it less than six months.

Dont know about any specificaly sealed sonyminolta lenses though.
>> Anonymous
itd probably be better to get him a P&S camera. if it breaks it wont be so expensive to replace. and they can be rugged but light. and not as expensive.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97034

The finer the dust the worse it is for getting in everywhere! You've got it all backwards.

You say price isn't an issue, but does that mean we can suggest $10,000 or more of pro gear to cart off with him? Unless he's an eccentric millionaire I'm guessing we've got to keep this within a reasonable consumer budget for the purpose.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97036

You'll see them mentioning in the blurb that the 40D type bodies have better build and sealing than the budget Rebel type cameras, but it is not weather sealing, won't keep out all the moisture and dust and isn't designed to complete the weather sealing of the L lenses. Normally I'd suggest those cameras for general use, but for specifically keeping the dust out with good weather sealing in harsh conditions it would only be leading you astray.

You'd have to go with one of the other brands for a more reasonably priced solution.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
Here's the thing about camera bodies in extreme desert environments: they all break. What sets them apart is the speed at which they break. A weathersealed camera will last the longest, for sure, but just let him know that it's not immune. Photojournalists working in Iraq and Afghanistan get new bodies every few months because of the high failure rate.

I'd suggest a D200 with a 35mm f/2 as a budget option, with the 17-55 f/2.8 being the extravagant way to go.

If they can't blow that much money on a camera, go for a Canon G9. It produces pretty damn good images, has nice controls, and is cheap enough to be replaceable.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
It might not be a bad idea to get a couple of budget DSLRs rather than one expensive or mid-range one that will eventually break anyway in that case.

A compact or SLR-like bridge camera would also be a good idea if he can be persuaded. Also cheaper and easier to replace and have backups of it.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>97039

he's not a millionaire but his girlfriend and my parents who i sponge off of are.

The problem with expensive gear isn't the price, it's that they're impractical for what he needs.

I'll have a chat with the GF.
>> Anonymous
>>97062
The K10D with the 18-50/2.8, and if he needs/wants it, the 50-135/2.8 sound about perfect. Stabilized for the bumpy roads, weathersealed, nice zoom range.

Throw in a 50/1.8 for the barracks if Pentax 50/1.8s are as cheap as Canon and Nikon, then, and possibly a fast normal prime, again for indoors.
>> angrylittleboy !wrJcGUHncE
>>97047with a 35mm f/2

The prime does make sense; it won't suck dust like zooms do.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
oh i just remember that the 18-200 is a bad choice.

I had it with me when i was in Shanghai in August.

38-41 degress celcius around 87% humidity... it was soo fuckin hot it actually MELTED the rubber grips' glue and they started coming off of the lens.

Nikon charged me a bullshit amount (50 cents) HA! to get them replaced. The 18-200 is definitely out of the question.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97204

Melted the glue? That's not very encouraging.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>97206

or whatever adhesive was used to keep the rubber grip on the focus and focal rings.

yeah, don't take it out on a hot humid day.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97210

Did you leave it out in direct sunlight for long? Maybe the black absorbed the sunlight and started heating up a lot.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>97212

I was walkng around all day. So it did get exposure, but i was also in the shade alot too.

Regardless it happened after only about 3 days... so it was a bit lame i thought.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97219

Three days use is a bit lame. Very poor build quality to blame, I suppose. Normally I'd not worry too much about build quality unless I was likely to get it bashed around during travel or use, but that is unacceptable. Having your lens start to peel apart while on holiday isn't acceptable for any lens price point.

Obviously not going to work well for Afghanistan either.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>97221

I mean the funny thing is i had it with me in Feb-March... and the lens was fine then... i guess it just couldnt stand the harsh conditions, in normal conditions it does really well.

Besides, i think the 18-200 is over priced anyway. I'd rather stick with the 18-70 (which may i add is better in everyway in that range compared to the 18-200) and get an Sb-800 and spend the rest on Cocaine and Hoes.
>> BlackAdder !!bSWRwu/NqzQ
>>97224

Sounds like a good plan to me. I tend to avoid these all-in-one lenses too. They tend not to be very pleasing when it comes to results compared to fixed focal length lenses or smaller range zooms, even if Ken thinks they are all a photographer will ever need.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
>>97227

Yeah i sorta learnt my lesson the hard way.

Should have just stuck with my 17-55 and 70-200 nikkors.
>> Anonymous
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