Canon advertises that my main camera bodies and lenses are "weather resistant" with special seals and channels for water to flow, but they won't tell you what that really means. How much "weather" can your gear safely resist? Some photographers brag about shooting in pouring rain, but many more will tell you about damage to their gear during rain. The common advice is that, unless you have the highest end gear, your camera can tolerate a sprinkle, but don't expect it to survive much more than that. So, what do you do if it is raining or threatening to rain?
Well, you could of course not shoot outdoors, but that isn't a great answer. For me, the answer is to keep an Op/Tech Rainsleeve in my camera bag, ready for any threat of rain. Below is an image from my favorite supplier B & H and a link to the Rainsleeve on their site.
The Rainsleeve is cheap ($6.50 for a set of two) and doesn't require a special eyepiece (you take yours off, fit your camera into the Rainsleeve, and reattach the eyepiece). The plastic is thin enough that you can still zoom without too much trouble. Even though the plastic is thin, it can be difficult to see through when it is soaked, so you won't get very good feedback about the quality of the photos you are taking, and you do need to know your camera well enough to make necessary changes by touch. There are other, more expensive photographic accessories you can buy to protect your camera from the rain, but this solution has worked great for me.
My clothes and hair may be cold and dripping, but my camera can keep safely clicking away!
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