Allen Loc: Plainfield, IN

I have a Canon T1i, and use it for travel and home photography. I do not do a lot of sporting events, but want to try to get into more video to share vacation places and download to DVDs. My 99% lens is the Canon EF 15-85mm, which I love as a great all around camera lens. What irks me, and this is when some of you might have suggestions, is that twice, my camera has taken on so much moisture that my camera quits working. Each time, I used a rain sleeve to protect the camera and lens. In Costa Rica, my camera went on the blink and I could only view my pictures after downloading as the view screen did not work. Had to send it back to Canon for new electronics. This past September in Germany, my camera again went on the blink for several hours, but as soon as I got back to the boat, I used a hair drier to blow the insides that were accessible, and replaced the battery and card, and then it worked, but really scared me. Both times, I took protection and used the rain sleeve.

I have decided to upgrade to something newer and would like suggestions in the Canon line, since my three lenses are all Canon, EF 15-85mm IS, 70-200MM f3.5-5.6 IS, and 50mm f1.8. I dislike having these issues with moisture, so my first question, is the rain sleeve causing problems of trapping in moisture?

What would be a good upgrade for a Canon 'body only' without breaking the bank? Have looked at the T6i, and the T6s, but want to know if there might be another I should consider? Thanks for any input as many of you have probably gone through similar issues.

Kuzano

Quit buying entry level camea's... no weatherproofing....

Camera's come in levels of weather protection. None. Canon Rebels and t series. Nikon 3xxx and 5xxx, various entry level Oly, Pentax, Sony.

Weather resistant. Some weather protections, Usually second level models.... Canon D series, Nikon Dxxx series starting at 7xxx.

Weather tight, water proof, etc all high end bodies.

It does not sound like you are paying attention to weather ratings. I doubt if the T6 is any more resistant to wetness than your T1. Perhaps a little.

I also doubt that your kit (early) lens for the T1i has any weather resistant characteristics. It certainly sounds like your moisture problems are the result of the disregard paid to attention of the variious weather ratings that all mfrs align to their various feature ratings on cameras in their stables.

It sounds like you are buying too low in the model ranges to be subjecting your equipment to such intense moisture environments. The rain sleave is counter productive. It's also possible you are creating a moisture problem where there is little possibility. Have you just ignored the moisture for the heck of it to see if you need to be buying UP the scale.

I had, in 2003, the Olympus E-1 Professional. When Olympus went weather resistant...... THEY WENT ..... water proof. You could take your E-1 in the shower when you bathed. Furthermore, you could dip it under running water in the sink.

From that point, in digital, various ratings have ensued, No W-sealing.W-sealed,
W-resistant, W-proof, and Water-Tight.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

What is your budget?

If up to $500 you can get the T6i with 18-55 & 55-250 lens for $509.99 refurbished direct from Canon - it is slightly "weather resistant"
If up to $1000/1200 Your have lots of choices:
T6s w/18-135 & 55-250 $809.99 refurbished direct from Canon - a bit more weather resistant and more advanced features
70D w/18-55 & 70-300 $849 and this is even more weather resistant, but an older sensor & AF than the T6i & T6s
80D with or without 18-55 lens-same price refurbished $849.20, might as well get the lens too very weather resistant
80D with 18-135 $1199.20 refurbished
Canon refurbished from their store have the same warranty as new.
All these cameras have built in WiFi so you can use the app to control them from android or apple phone/tablets

Beyond that is the semi-pro 7DII for $1499 and of course the 5 & 1 series for serious money. It does not have WiFi, adapter that goes in one of the memory card slots is aprx $50. This camera is extremely weather resistant. I use one and I have been in light rain and just ducked it under my jacket and dried it off with a cloth every so often.

However if you use a weather resistant body but a lens that is not weather sealed you pretty much just defeated the body's sealing.

My personal opinion, if it is in your budget, get the 80D with the 18-135 or 18-55. It is Canon's latest APS-C sensor, good weather sealing and has a great AF system. Tilt screen and very good video if you want to do video. If you want the most bang for your buck than the $509.99 refurbished T6i with 2 lenses bundle.

rtb220 Loc: O'Fallon, MO

I upgraded about six months ago from a Canon T1i to the EOS 80D and couldn't be happier. It has all of the features I want; good video of the grandsons' soccer, baseball, and basketball games is just one of many features I like. I keep the 18-135mm lens on it about 95% of the time. Photographed in several national parks in Utah and Arizona in Sep/Oct of this year and got great results. I purchased only the body because I have the lenses that I need. I'm trying to decide to sell the T1i, keep it as a backup, or give it to my grandson in a year or two.

J2e Loc: Canandaigua, NY

Thank you for the excellent response.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

All of the high end canons are advertised as water resistant or sealed. NOT water proof. There is a big difference. AS above if the lens is not "sealed" the system is vulnerable to wetness. So unless you want to spend mucho money, dont shoot in the rain.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

My Canon 7DII survived a dunking into the Little River in Tennessee over a year ago.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I'm going to put aside the moisture issue to the end of my response...

The T6s is the most direct upgrade from your T1i... and it has some video-related enhancements, compared to the T6i. Look into those, if you consider it. It's usually sold in kit with EF-S 18-55mm STM or 18-135mm STM lens.

80D would be the next step up... It also is sold in kit with the new EF-S 18-135mm IS "Nano" USM lens... which is faster focusing than the STM model (2X to 4X faster, according to Canon). And, Canon offers a power zoom module exclusively for this lens (will not work on any other Canon lens, at present)... that might be of interest for video work.

7D Mark II is yet another step up as far as still photography is concerned and would be the best sealed of the bunch for moisture resistance. But it's far from "water proof", so reasonable precautions still need to be taken.

7DII is a kick-a**, pro-oriented sports/action camera.... with high performance auto focus, fast frame rate, high durability (double the shutter life, tho using it at 10 frames per second might use that up 2X faster!). However, 7DII is sort of a step backward for video. Yes, it can shoot vids, but it doesn't have an articulated LCD screen, doesn't have Touch Screen control, and is 20MP (rather than 24MP, 1-year newer sensor)... all of which are found on T6i/T6s/80D.

Your EF-S 15-85mm IS USM (great lens!) will be usable on any of them. USM lenses typically aren't ideal for video, though, unless manually focused. (The new "Nano" USM 18-135, 24-105, 70-300mm are exceptions... they are optimized both for still photography and for video.)

You should definitely continue using a rain sleeve with any of these. They all might be a little better than your current camera for moisture resistance... probably T6i/T6s not very much, 80D a bit better and 7DII the best of all... But no Canon DSLR is fully waterproof. At best they're moisture resistant, a little more or less depending upon model.

You might consider getting a more fully sealed underwater bag for the camera, if situations are as severe as they sound in your description. Since you aren't actually diving with it, a shallow water type "bag" such as https://www.amazon.com/Univeral-Waterproof-Underwater-Housing-Transparent/dp/B00Y9WTORA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482692611&sr=8-2 would probably work and won't break the bank. My biggest concern with those would be the quality of the glass "lens port" ruining image quality, the way a cheap junk glass filter would.

But, the true, deep water dive cases for DSLRs, good to around 130 feet deep, from Sea & Sea, Ikelite, etc., with high quality lens ports (interchangeable for different lenses) are much, much, much more expensive. They're model specific and many of them cost more than the camera body (example https://www.amazon.com/Ikelite-6871-08-Underwater-Housing-Digital/dp/B00QLI6CPW/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1482692803&sr=1-4).

You also might consider getting a sealed storage case (Pelican, etc., such as https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1510-Camera-Equipment-Multi-Purpose/dp/B0014D685I/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1482693473&sr=1-3) for your camera gear.

And be sure to use some dessicant packets in it (reusable type, such as https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1500-500-000-1500D-DESICCANT-CASES/dp/B0090Y0XCM/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1482693171&sr=1-4). Put those inside both the storage case and your carry back when out shooting.... maybe even inside the rain sleeve on "muggy & sticky " days. It might be high humidity and condensation inside that's damaging your gear, as much as actual rain. Dessicant such as this removes moisture from the air. The reusable packets in metal cases have an indicator that tells you when the silica is saturated. Then you simply pop them in the oven on low heat for a while to dry them out. That can be done over and over.

Minimize lens, battery and memory card changes out in nasty weather. All those give opportunity for moisture to get inside.

If a camera gets really soaked, turn off the power and remove the batteries immediately. Let it dry out completely prior to putting batteries back in and powering it back up. It's usually the combination of electricity and moisture that "fries" the camera's electronics by shorting them out... not just water alone (though salt water, in particular, can also be quite corrosive).

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Actually, T6i & T6s autofocus appears to be identical to the 70D's (which in turn got a slightly dumbed down version of the original 7D's 19-point AF). The only significant difference in their AF systems is that the 70D has Micro Focus Adjustment feature and the T6i & T6s do not.

80D sees a big step up in it's autofocus... 45-point, -3EV capable system with up to 27 "f/8" points. T6i, T6s, 70D and original 7D are all 19-point, -1EV and "f/5.6 limited". 7D Mark II has 65-point, -3EV, with one "f/8 capable" point at the center.

Other differences: T6i/T6s use a penta-mirror, like all Rebel series models. Those typically aren't quite as big and bright as the pentaprisms on xxD models including 70D and 80D, and on 7D-series. The 80D and 7D-series also have 100% viewfinders... Rebel series are around 95%. I think 70D was about 98%.

All these newer models use what Canon calls an "Intellegent" viewfinder. This uses a transmissive LCD focus screen that reconfigures itself to display different focus point selections, etc. It's not a "fixed" focus screen, like in the T1i. Some models also have optional grid pattern display and/or can superimpose other info on the screen (in particular, 7D Mark II screen is customizable, allowing a number of different items to be displayed, if the user wishes).

70D's 20MP sensor seems very similar to what's used in 7D Mark II now. The latter seems a little higher ISO capable, though... so sensor might have been changed a bit or, I suspect, software and/or hardware changes were made downstream from the sensor. Perhaps different image processing algorithms are what give the newer camera the slightly higher ISO edge.

If budget is tight, refurbished bodies or kits from the Canon Store online are a great idea. Often "good as new" and they carry the same warranty as new, they can be an attractive value. Especially a recently superseded, but still quite capable model (such as 70D) are usually significantly discounted. Don't overlook the bundled "kits" either. Even if you don't want or need the lenses, you can probably turn around and sell them easily to end up with a lower net cost. Check prices the specific models are bringing on eBay, Craigslist, etc.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I need to find a tech geek who likes to modify things, and knows what he is doing. The last year I taught I had one in class. He was a full time computer science major at night with a phony ID, he and one of his professors modified and built custom computers and other electronics as a business.
I wonder if one of the new 24mp sensors could be put into my 7DII, and work properly? Sort of a 7DIIx+!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Interesting thought... But, sorry, you can't have either of my 7DIIs to experiment upon!

Seems the more pro-oriented Canon models stick with proven sensors, even if a little lower resolution. The original 7D remained 18MP, even after the 20MP 70D came out a couple years later. The original 1DX was "only" 18MP and this year's 1DXII is still just 20MP, both full frame. Heck, the now-rather-old 6D has same size sensor as the 1DXII! 5DIII (2012, 22MP) and even 5DII (2008, 21MP) both offer slightly higher resolution than either 1DX model!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

You mean I would have to use mine!!!!!!!! You are no fun.

Are you calling my 6D old? I took my first picture with it 3 years and 4 days ago. Hmmm, electronics, guess you are right, I think the UPS guy that delivered it was riding a wooly mammoth.

Bob Boner

I have the 7DII and really like it. Your current lenses would work on it. It has a very good focus system and good frame rate for wildlife. I don't think your wide-angle would work on the 5DIII or any other full frame camera. Not sure which camera your 70-200 mm would be compatible with. I don't recognize the f/stop range you give with that lens. The 50mm lens would work with any upgrade. A refurbished 7DII or 5DIII would be an excellent camera, but the 5DIII may not be compatible with 2 of your lenses.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Huh???

With the exception of the K-S1, all recent Pentax cameras and all recent Pentax lenses are Weather Resistant.

In practice, that means I can take the K-30 that cost me under $300 in snow, rain, mist, etc with absolutely no concern of causing damage to my equipment or losing my images.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Allen, sounds like you and moisture don't get along very well!
I know this is not new but I'm gonna suggest you get a used 7dmkl. It's in your ballpark and you don't need the cheap kit lenses.
The 6s might have more bells and whistles but the 7 has semi-pro weather sealing that might go a long way with the moisture problem. That's my suggestion. Good luck
SS