Street Photography In The Rain With The Fujifilm X-T5
How good is the Weather Sealing on The Fujifilm X-T5?
I recently got my hands on a couple of faster prime lenses from the Fujifilm lens line up, the older 23mm F/1.4 & the XF 56mm f/1.2. What better way to break them in than street photography at night… in the rain?
New York City & the surrounding areas had a rainfall dry spell for a bit - in fact, it was one of the longest droughts in the regions recent history. That said, for the last few weeks, seeing rain on the forecast has been nothing but exciting.
Finally, I’ve had an opportunity to put these new lenses to the test, with some moody, cinematic street photography.
But putting them on the Fuji X-T5 as I got ready to go out, I asked myself - wait, is this camera weather sealed? Can I safely take it out into the rain?
Note - this is not a review of the Fujifilm X-T5… just thoughts on the weather sealing tech only!
Is the Fujifilm X-T5 Weather sealed?
Short answer? Yes… sorta.
Longer answer? Here we go…
Technically, the Fuji X-T5 is not “weather sealed” but it does have 56 weather-sealed points for protection against things like rain drops, sand, etc.
Now, if it has weather sealing technology, how can you say it’s not weather sealed?
A lot of camera companies make cameras that, compared to the cameras of a decade ago, are much more weather resistant. However, a lot of brands avoid actually placing that label of “weather-sealed” on a camera’s spec sheet for one good reason: LIABILITY.
Well, I’ll say, I suspect that is the reason.
Even cameras that have some weather sealing support are not always fully weather sealed, and can in fact get damaged in the rain or other weather.
This is likely true of the X-T5. If you drop it in a puddle, or you let the rain drench it straight on for an hour, I am betting it will have issues.
My EXPERIENCE
Personally, the Fujifilm X-T5 does strongly exhibit signs of being weather resistant, especially given the recent rainy street photography photo walks I’ve taken with it.
I’ve now taken out the X-T5 in the rain 3 times, each of which I was shooting with it for 3-4 hours in constant rainfall (some times lighter, sometimes heavier). Risky I know. Did it for the blog, right?
In my experience so far, even with the camera being visibly wet, I’ve seen no signs of water damage whatsoever. In some cases, if the “Eye Sensor” setting is on, and the electronic viewfinder (EVF) gets drops of water on it, the eye sensor stops working properly, but I can usually fix it by blowing the water off the sensor (located at the bottom of the eyecup/EVF area) or wiping it away.
The other thing I notice is, sometimes when the camera is visibly wet, some of the dials feel sticky - especially the On/Off switch on the top of the camera. Nonetheless, these issues are more of a product of the water causing friction/confusing the camera, than any issue with its weather resistance technology.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CAMERA SAFE IN THE RAIN
I do take some measures while I’m out taking photos/videos to ensure my camera doesn’t get ruined in the elements.
For one, I always wear an outer shell thats rain-proof. When I need to give the camera a break, I’ll tuck it inside the jacket with me, and literally zip the jacket up right over it, hiding the camera inside to protect it from the rain.
This is especially helpful if the rain gets super heavy - its a lot more likely you’ll see damage from heavy rain that light rain, so protecting the camera from direct contact with rain drops in those moments can help it stay safe.
I also bring a bag and in it, I’ll bring a clean hand towel, along with some microfiber cloths. Whenever I have a moment, I’ll duck under an awing or into a building for some cover, take out the towel, and remove any obvious wetness I see on the camera.
Doing this repeatedly throughout the several hours you are shooting is extremely important, and I reckon its the reason I have been able to get away with bringing this camera outside in the rain. The more rain you allow to build up on the camera, the more likely some of it will sneak past the X-T5’s 56 weather-sealed points.
My Conclusion - Is The Fuji X-T5 Weather sealed or weather resistant?
Completely sealed? I’d say, probably not, but the weather resistance provided by the 56 weather-sealed points on the Fujifilm X-T5 definitely provide a lof weather resistance in my experience.
That said, if you plan to bring the camera out, its still a good idea to have a rain cover if you can, or atleast, bring a towel and a weather-proof jacket like I mentioned above, that way you can hide the camera from rain fall when needed.
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