Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

The OM 100-500 lens is wrather-sealed; would this "ws" hold up with, say, a Lumix G95 that has "ws"? Want to buy an OM1 but have read that OM' PRO lenses "ws" will work, but implications are that other brands of "ws" may not

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If the body is weather-sealed, and the lens is weather-sealed, and it is from OMDS/Olympus, or Panasonic Lumix, or Panasonic Leica, the combination will be weather-sealed.

I have two Panasonic zooms (12-35mm and 35-100mm, both f/2.8) that are weather sealed and I've been caught in downpours more than once. My GH4 and 12-35mm withstood sustained heavy rainfall with no issues whatsoever. However, I did lose a wireless mic receiver to that weather! By that time, it's operating frequency was illegal to use, anyway, so the rain did me a favor.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Bill at Burkphoto is correct. All Olympus/OMDS Pro lenses are weatherproof and some of their middle tier lenses are weatherproof too. All the new Pro lenses are IP53 weatherproof. Only the initial 12-40 f2.8 Pro lens was IPX1 weatherproof. The 12-40 mkII is now IP53. I started in 2011 with the original E-M5 and weatherproof system. I was timid about shooting in the rain at first, but soon (before the end of 2011) I was shooting in dust, salt spray, wind, snow, and of course rain. If the Panasonic or Olympus/OMDS lens or body is listed as weatherproof, it is weatherproof. Just gentle wipe off or rinse off whatever elements and towel dry. Do not change out the battery or lens while wet. And shooting in the rain does present its own problems. You will need a micro fiber towel and cloth. That way you can remove raindrops from the front element. With micro fiber materials, you can wring out enough water to continue to remove water. With cotton material, that does not happen.

mdoing

Just make sure both camera and lens are weather sealed. The otherwise great Panny/Leica 12-60 lens does not have a gasket. I used my G9 in the light rain for a few hours on our exciting first day at Gritviken, South Georgia, by the time we got back on the zodiac, the camera was fritzed. Luckily after a night to dry out, it came back to life! Remember, you need a gasket to be truly weather sealed. Learned my lesson!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yep. I won’t buy that lens. I use the 12-35 and 35-100 GX Vario lenses instead. They have gaskets.

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

There is an opinion out there that the weather sealing is not as effective if you mix/match brands of body and lens. Something about the gaskets being different diameters. I have a Panny 100-400 that has a cracked mount that may have been a result of using it on an Olympus body. Not supposed to be a problem, I know....

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

4/3rds is 4/3rds. If still under warranty, I would send the 100-400 back for repair. Either the lens saw excessive force (all camera equipment can be destroyed) or there was a manufacturing defect with your lens (most likely). Even if beyond warranty, there is still a chance they would repair the lens if their fault. The gasket would probably only be the difference between IPX1 and IP53 weatherproofing

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

Tried repair. they said--after much hassle--send us the lens. With no inducation where to send it to. this in a "Do not reply" email.

There are others on mu4/3 who have had issues with that lens on Oly bodies. I think Panasonic has basically said they can'r repair the lens, or it will cost as much as a new one. It is/was well out of warranty when I tried to fix it. It still works, and I will sell it cheap.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

Somehow, I got the impression ( perhaps erroneously ), that you should stick with mZuiko weather-sealed lenses for OM cameras, and Panasonic weather-sealed lenses for Lumix cameras. Seemed to me that the weather-sealing on an mZuiko lens, for example, would be specifically engineered to match to weather-seeling on an OM camera, etc.

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

Thata's my opinion, fir sure. Plus you give up certain features going cross brand. Only the most basic functions are guaranteed to work. Why spend that much money on an expensive camera/lens, and lose half the functions?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I stick with all Lumix gear. If I used OMDS, I’d do the same.