Only 1 of these cameras is fully weather-sealed!
My personal rule? If a camera costs over $1,000, it better have some kind of weather resistance. Totally made-up number, but it weirdly feels right. I mean, I’ll happily risk my beat-up little Sony a5100 in the rain, no problem. But walking around with a $5,100 Sony RX1R III ? Yeah... I’m not exactly comfortable about that.
Of course, everyone shoots in different conditions and has their own comfort level when it comes to risk. Still, I thought it’d be useful (and maybe mildly entertaining) to round up the current high-priced cameras that either skipped weather sealing entirely or only offer the bare minimum.
CAMERAS with No/Partial Weather-Resistance
Partial Weather Resistance
Two of the cameras on this list - the Fujifilm GFX 100RF and the Fujifilm X100V - are only partially weather-sealed. The bodies are sealed, but the lenses aren’t. To actually get full weather resistance, you’ll need to screw a filter onto the front using adapter rings. So… kind of sealed, kind of not. To be fair to these two cameras, it's worth pointing out that every other camera on the list - except for the Leica D-Lux 8 - is an interchangeable lens camera. So even if the body is weather-sealed, you still need to pair it with a weather-sealed lens to get full protection from the elements.
Fujifilm X-E5 is the latest X-mount mirrorless camera with no Weather Sealing despite its 1699 USD Price
What's wrong with Fujifilm?
We’ve gotta call out one brand in particular here: Fujifilm. We get it, their cameras are super popular and they’ve built up a lot of hype. Pretty much anything they release seems to fly off the shelves. But let’s be real, they’re not exactly budget-friendly, so there’s really no good excuse for skipping weather sealing at this price point.
Leica Q3 and Q3 43 have IP52 weather sealing rating
Kudos to these manufacturers!
While Fujifilm might be slacking in this area, some other brands actually deserve a shoutout. OM System (with all their new cameras) and even Leica (on select models such as Leica Q3 ) are doing it right by including official IP ratings. That means their weather sealing isn’t just marketing talk, it’s been tested and rated for real protection against dust and water.
Conclusion
What do you think about this list? Would you risk taking an expensive non-sealed camera out in rough weather, or would it stay safely tucked away in your bag (or at home)? And did we miss any cameras that definitely belong here? Please share with us in the comments section.
