martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Long story short I'm in the process of selling home and down sizing. Along with this is I'm taking a year off work starting in April 2022 and going full on wildlife photography. I'm starting in Costa Rica and other parts of Central America along with Alaska and traveling the states. My biggest concern is the ruggedness of the New Sony equipment. Nikon has been around for a long time and the equipment can be used in all types of weather conditions. I will be spending a lot of time in the wet cloud and rain forrest in Central America. I was set on Sony equipment for so many reasons, like frame rate, lock on eye for animals focusing and lighter weight as I approach 61yrs old. Now Nikon has released the Z9 and having watched all the videos it looks to be comparable to the Sony A1 for frame rate and focusing abilities. It's still heavier, I would still need a converter for all of my Nikon lens including the 600mm f/4 I will purchase. That said the Z9 looks rugged and should hold its ground with the damp and light rain conditions I would use it in. My question Has Anyone used the Sony A1 under the conditions I intend to use my equipment in?? I have reached out to bloggers on the web that use the A1 and 600mm combo, but thought I would try here as well in case some of you have used the Sony equipment mentioned under harsh conditions. I've already watched Steve Perry's video and have reached out to him as well. Hopefully someone here can help and I will relay info as I receive as well.
PS I'm Not looking for what the specs say about equipment.. Only Real Life Experience.. Thank You, Martin..

jaredjacobson

I can’t speak to to A1, but I’ve used my A6500 in the rain and snow with my Tamron 28-75 (also weather sealed) and it’s been fine. Dries off and keeps on going. I would expect the A1 to do at least as well.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Thanks jaredjacobson
I have found video on YouTube water testing and comparing Nikon, Cannon and Sony cameras. For the Sony they used the A7RIII and found that water was leaking down from the top of the camera into the battery compartment. After several test the camera failed and stopped working. I'm still hoping to find real life testing on the A1 as a lot of my images will be taken in damp to wet/light rain conditions. I don't abuse my equipment but I use it to the max. My Nikon D850 has not failed under the conditions mentioned, and if I want to stick with my goal I'll have to be sure the equipment will hold up.

wireloose

I think what you are asking goes beyond the amateur level. I was fine with my a7riii in a dripping ice cave in Iceland, but you are looking for reliability over an extended period and a difficult environment. My suggestion would be to reach out to Sony Ambassadors, https://alphauniverse.com/ambassadors/ like Renan Ozturk or Paul Nicklen. They depend on their gear and spend extensive time in difficult environments, and are more likely to be using the new A1. Good luck, this goes way beyond bucket lists, more like dream fulfillment. Look forward to seeing your posts

wireloose

See https://www.slrlounge.com/lensrentals-does-a-tear-down-finds-the-kink-in-the-sony-a7riii-weather-sealing-armour/ I did follow Roger’s suggestions on sealing the base, and I would be surprised if the A1 wasn’t better. Actually might be worth asking him about the A1. They know what comes back broken.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Thanks wireloose
Yes, I've reached out to several bloggers who live and breathe photography but the ones you mention did not come up on my radar. I will reach out to them. Appreciate the help......
PS Life is short. If I wait until full retirement I may not be able to hike in the mountains of CR or elsewhere like I can now. Not to mention the severe weather changes I have witness in the cloud forrest.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Thanks, Good Info.....

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Answered my own question. I reached out to LensRentals and talked to the technician department. They stated that the Nikon D850 was better weather sealed than the Sony A1. I then reached out to Sony tech and they basically agreed. The only work around is to purchase the extended warranty if I wanted to protect the camera longer than the 1 year warranty that comes with the camera purchase. Basically $200 for 3 yrs extended or $400 for Full coverage if dropped or damaged. Basic warranty covers normal use in rain conditions, but like all manufactures not covered if dropped in the water.
Just a heads up to the folks that are wanting to make the move to Sony, keep warranty up if working under wet conditions. There are time limits on the warranty purchases as well.
Thanks to everyone that responded........

MDI Mainer

I (and several pro I know and have shot with) always use a rain sleeve if conditions are really wet, even on "weather sealed" bodies.

Ltgk20 Loc: Salisbury, NC

I would trust the Lensrentals comparison, but the fact that one is better than the other does not indicate there will be a problem. Additionally, to be technical, one would need to define weather sealing against what. For instance, is it rain, humidity, water from underneath, etc. My hunch would be some are better sealed in some areas but not as well in others. The suggestion to reach out to the two Sony ambassadors as one can't get much more out there than Paul Nicklen. Reaching out to Steve Perry is a good idea and I'd recommend Mark Smith as another reference who I'd trust (search for his bird photography on Youtube).

I guess for me, I'm sure there are better sealed cameras than my Sony A1 (and a9ii, a99ii, a99, a700 and a100 before it), but I haven't had a problem nor have the majority whom I've followed or read. From my perspective it's more of a theoretical problem than a real one. Finally, I have no interest in an extended warranty as I prefer to insure all of my equipment for all damage, loss or theft, including water damage.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Yes, I'm looking into this as well, Thanks

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Have heard back from Mark S. a few hours ago. He used his Sony equipment in CR last year for a few weeks and didn't have any problems. He also shoots a lot locally on the beaches in Florida and so far no problems. Haven't heard back from Steve P. or other bloggers I've contacted yet. Steve just did an extensive review on the A1 but no mention of weather resistance. I did notice paint chipping off of his A1 camera after only a few months use. As far as the techs are concerned they feel Nikon is better weather sealed than Sony models. I will be in Continuously damp, misty and sometimes rainy conditions for several months at a time. As a Nikon user I always felt protected from the weather. Either a camera is weather sealed or not. I have not Viewed the actual warranty and Sony did mention lite rain conditions being covered and that's all that really matters in my case. I'll just keep the equipment covered as needed so I can get the most out of it.......

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The only camera I would trust in truly wet conditions is one designed for going underwater. As far as I'm concerned, "Weather-sealed" doesn't mean a thing. If you return a soaked weather-sealed camera under warranty, they're not going to repair it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Short story short.
First of all the Z9 compares to the Sony a9, NOT the Sony a1, no 30 frames per second RAW on the Nikon, speed defines wildlife photographers and the Z9 does not come close.
Second, the current Nikon 600 4 weighs almost double the new Sony 600 f4, which I own, and shoot hand held, because it is center weighted and has a revolutionary rail focusing system which is far superior to what Nikon currently is using. The Sony professional line of camera's are weather sealed. But as I have stated many times, I do not take my equipment out in the rain. But saying that, I shot my Sony a9 with the Sony 200-600 in Costa Rica and I had no issues at all, that said, I still wrapped a plastic bag several times about the lens and camera to insulate it from the environment. Again, no issues.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

Canisdirus

There is no 'secret weather sealing technique' out there that one brand has and others do not.
Either a body/lens is weather sealed or it isn't.
It's all basically the same...problems are usually...user error.
Sometimes the term used is weather resistant...now it gets murky.

But what does weather sealing actually mean...hard to ever get a company to detail that out.
But common sense says...weather sealing comes down to a very old solution...gaskets.
They all use them...
All of the main stream manufacturers are fine...third party...I'd say do some research first.