Leica Q2 Monochrom and the rain

 

 

Summer in China is crazy hot. I usually wake up around 4 AM from the heat in my apartment and I use this time to go for a long walk and I always take a camera with me. Usually, it is the Ricoh GRiii but now I am taking the Leica Q2 Monochrom out with me. I am still in the honeymoon phase with this camera and I am shooting with it all the time.

 

 

I didn’t see a lot of things that to shoot this morning, but around 30 minutes into my walk, I felt the first few drops of drizzle hit my arms and I had no umbrella with me, so I had no choice but to turn around and walk home. I knew that the Leica Q2 Monochrom has some weather sealing built into it but it is an expensive camera to have out in the rain, especially when you have never tested it before in wet conditions.

 

 

I didn’t pay much attention to my shooting while it was raining. I just took a couple of grab shots on my way home. I was interested in seeing how the monochrome sensor renders rain and water. I still have a long way to go before I really understand this sensor and figuring out the best way to shoot it, but so far I really do enjoy the way it captures light. I walked back to my apartment as fast as I could this morning, but I got completely soaked to the bone. I did try to keep the Leica Q2 Monochrom close to my body and shield it somewhat from the rain but it still got covered in water.

 

 

Once I arrived back home, I quickly changed my clothes and went to take some pictures of the camera before it dried out. From closer inspection, the camera handled the wet weather pretty well. No water in the EVF, the buttons seem nice and clear. The lens is perfect. I shoot in the rain a lot at work, which is another reason why I use Nikon. My Nikons have never failed me in the rain but I have seen many Canons bite the dust at festivals with the same type of rain I was caught in this morning. So far I would say that the weather sealing is really good but I am not sure this is something I really want to test out to much as this is an expensive camera. But today’s little weather accident does provide some peace of mind for the future. If I do get caught in the rain again, I know the camera can handle it.

 

 

One interesting that I did notice was the lens hood. It caught all the raindrops. Not a single drop of water got onto the lens. There were a few drops of water on the inside of the lens hood but the lens was perfectly dry. I was planning to replace the lens hood with a circular lens hood as I think it would look better but I might change my mind now as I think this lens hood will provide lots of protection for the lens, especially in the rain.

Shaun.