These 4 Weather Sealed Lenses Won’t Fail a Demanding Photojournalist
There are stories about how these lenses have survived incredible odds.
The worst feeling is that of a lens or camera suddenly not working anymore. You don’t think you need weather-sealed lenses until you do. That’s why photojournalists always reach for them. They never know when they’ll be in the rain or the desert. But they’ll know that their sensors will be clean, their lenses will focus, and the quality will be great. So we dove into our Reviews Index and found some of the best. These weather-sealed lenses are all for full frame cameras. And you’ll be happy to know that they’ll always work no matter what!
Editor’s Note: This blog post is presented in partnership with Leica.
Leica 24-90mm f2.8-4 SL
Why is it Special?: The standard for most photographers is the 24-70mm lens. But Leica decided to give you even more focal range. And indeed, it becomes handy.
Pro Tip: This lens is really designed to cover all your bases. And for the most part, it does just that. Try it with Leica’s Interval Shooting mode and slow the shutter speed down a bit. You’ll be able to document scenes in a totally different way.
In our review, we state:
“One of the reasons you pay for a Leica is that they don’t play around with build quality. Leica went ahead and IP rated their cameras, but not their lenses. However, the Leica SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 is very weather sealed. We’ve taken it out into the rain, snow, and other conditions. The lens kept working: this is a very reliable lens.”
Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,495
Leica 75mm f2 SL
Why is it Special?: The Leica 75mm f2 SL is an incredibly special lens for the focal length and image quality. It’s amazingly sharp across the board. And it’s an enjoyable focal length to use for portraits and documentary-style work. Photojournalists will love it!
Pro Tip: This lens has very muted colors vs. the company’s 50mm f1.4. If you really care about portraits, this is probably the one to reach for over the company’s shorter option.
In our review, we state:
“Better yet, it’s a prime. And it’s got a nice balance of being lightweight while solidly built. Personally speaking, this is the most pleasingly built lens for the SL system I’ve used.”
Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,295
Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux SL
Why is it Special?: This 50mm lens is one of the highest pinnacle lenses I’ve tested in terms of image quality. The colors and sharpness combine to create a look you can’t get from other cameras. Check out this article we did about Jarle Hagan and his work with the lens years ago. It’s why we fell for it in the first place.
Pro Tip: Slow down with this lens and do something more documentary-based with it. Use it like you were using a large-format camera. You’ll be rewarded with similar results!
In our review, we state:
“We took the Leica SL 50mm f1.4 Summilux out into the rain several times in both Germany and in the US. It survived and kept working without any issues. The professional photographers this lens is designed for will be delighted to know that the lens will hold up to pretty much anything.”
Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,895
Leica 35mm f2 APO-Summicron SL ASPH
Why is it Special?: The Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO has an APO design–which stands for apochromatic. This means that it’s designed to correct aberrations in all three categories. That’s incredibly difficult to do. Plus, there’s a ton of aspherical surfaces in this lens. And they do this while keeping it well built.
Pro Tip: Turn on Face Detection and set the camera to continuous autofocus for the most accurate results. Photojournalism is demanding. If you’re doing something at a slower pace, then use the single autofocus.
In our review, we state:
“…it’s very well built. The Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO is also weather sealed. So you don’t have to worry about it in the rain or most other situations.”
Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,095
Editor’s Note: This blog post is presented in partnership with Leica.