How to Rainproof your camera?

[Verre Vrai]

I want to take picture in the rain, any ideas how to prevent even a single drop of rain sipping into your lightbox?

 

[Darren]

Take a plastic bag (recommend those ziploc type bags available at most supermarkets), slip it over your camera (opening at the bottom), cut a hole just slightly bigger than your lens hood, push the lens hood out thru the hole and tape the opening with masking tape to the hood.

Should be fairly waterproof. Caveat - I have never tried before, but read about this on the Net, so let me know if it works

Alternatively, buy a Nikonos IV.

edited 08:40pm

 

[ziploc]

/me waves :gbounce:

 

[Jed]

I like the Nikonos idea. Seriously though, Aquatech make, IMHO, the best raincapes in the business. Sad to say, there price is also up there.

 

[jasonpgc]

Buy those dedicated water proof casings that were design for your camera for underwater photography, a lot cheaper than NIKONOs. SLR like rebel and digital camera from sony and minolta has waterproof casing from OEM or a third party. However, they can be quite expensive at $###.## when comparing to a Ziploc bag. On the other hand, you can go snorkeling with these casings too. BTW waterproof means dust, greese and dirt proof too
The "Cheapest Vs Safest" method is to shoot from the inside of your car.

 

[megaweb]

try this

http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/web_site/generic/sport/framesets/sportshield.html

 

[tucker]

mega, we often find these rain coats in mag, but have yet to see any of it here,
do they sell it here then ?

else, anyone keeon on making 1 ?

btw, more often these caps, are good most of the tiem fo AF system, but what bout MF system ? it's not easy to turn andclick whne the cam & lens is covered in that !@#$%.....

& when ya have non-IF lens,,, bang.....

anyway I'm still researching.... DIY....anyone has any good idea that we can work on then ?

 

[Larry]

sulhan has a pretty good idea... he used a ziploc bag and cut a hole like how Darren described. but instead of taping it, he used elastic band to hold the plastic tight to his SLR lens. easier to put on and remove and looks pretty nifty. it might not be waterproof but at least it keeps the rain out.

 

[Dagger]

Originally posted by Larry
sulhan has a pretty good idea... he used a ziploc bag and cut a hole like how Darren described. but instead of taping it, he used elastic band to hold the plastic tight to his SLR lens. easier to put on and remove and looks pretty nifty. it might not be waterproof but at least it keeps the rain out.

Good learning point. Thanks Sulhan and Larry!

 

[Jed]

Like I said, Aquatech make brillaint rain capes. Lots of other people do them as well (Tamrac, Lightware, I'm pretty sure Domke, plus specialist ones as well).

 

[sulhan]

Hi All.....

I created a thread for this...


the raincoat

reards,
me

 

[roygoh]

OK, I would like to contribute an idea also.

First, buy a step up ring for which ever lens you plan to use.

With a thin supermarket type plastic bag, cover your camera from the top down. Attache the step up ring to your lens from outside the plastic bag. With a pen knife, carefully cut away the part of the plastic bag that is covering the lens.

Now you have your camera rain proofed. No rubber bands or scotch tape required.

I have not tried this myself, and I am worried that even the thinnest plastic bags available may still be too thick to be squeezed between the threads of the lens and the step up ring.

Anyway, just an idea.

 

[sulhan]

Hei ....

I think i saw a website by this angmoh....he use a white bag.....right??

 

[JaDe]

I tink gettin the underwater case will be better....though ALOT more costly but more practical n presentable...seems to hav more uses too....but it's more to personal preferences
=)

 

[Jed]

Custom built underwater cases are *stupidly* expensive. The custom built rain capes are *stupidly* expensive, but slightly less stupidly so than the u/w cases. And easier to use if you're not u/w. But obviously you won't be able to use it u/w. Duh.

 

[Jango]

Originally posted by roygoh
OK, I would like to contribute an idea also.

First, buy a step up ring for which ever lens you plan to use.

With a thin supermarket type plastic bag, cover your camera from the top down. Attache the step up ring to your lens from outside the plastic bag. With a pen knife, carefully cut away the part of the plastic bag that is covering the lens.

Now you have your camera rain proofed. No rubber bands or scotch tape required.

I have not tried this myself, and I am worried that even the thinnest plastic bags available may still be too thick to be squeezed between the threads of the lens and the step up ring.

Anyway, just an idea.

Tried this before. Cannot work coz the ring cuts through the bag when u screw the ring on. U won't even need the penknife, the ring will cut for you.

As for Darren's suggestion, won't the focusing and zoom ring be obstructed by the bag? Very hard to grip rite? I'm looking from a SLR POV or those digital cam with manual focusing ring on the lens barrel like F707 or 602.

 

[SNAG]

Hmm..
Actually we can just improvise on Darren's idea...
I gave it some thought.. And here I go...

This design is based on a IF lens (non rotating front element)....

Get some plastic, preferably flexible but relatively sturdy (those ziploc bags are kinda weak and will break easily.... Maybe those raincoat plastic material?

Cut a hole on your bag (diameter must be the same size as your lens) and then get a UV lens of your lens size. Securely tape the UV lens securely onto the hole and weatherproof the joint perhaps? Water will definitely try to seep through the joint...

Allow some plastic slack between the body and the lens to enable the zoom barrel to zoom in/out..

And we can paste some rough material both inside and outside the plastic to have a good grip on the zoom ring perhaps?

By using the UV lens, the lens front element will be protected from the rain as well....

I have drawn a rough sketch (and i mean really rough) of how it will look like...

Anyone could improve on this design though...

 

[darr]

I have used a ziplog bag all this while. But it's more convenient if you use an AF system coz once the bag is on rather difficult to turn the lens. I place the rubber band ( the type we use on the SAF helmets) over the bag and rest on the zooming ring (now understand why I said AF more suitable?) so that the bag is well-secured and I still can zoom easily. Make sure the bag is nicely flatten out at the front element, else no matter how well waterproof also no use...

I had use this method on many occassions, no problem. Even shooting on the powerboats, waterspray also no problem

Remember the ziplog must be heavy duty type, however freezer bag is too thick (blue) for grip and feel so I use the red one (heavy duty).

 

[darr]

Originally posted by darr
I had use this method on many occassions, no problem. Even shooting on the powerboats, waterspray also no problem

Remember the ziplog must be heavy duty type, however freezer bag is too thick (blue) for grip and feel so I use the red one (heavy duty).

BTW I dont cut the bag to slot over the front element....the effectiveness is lost, but maybe if you juz avoiding drizzle then it's probably ok (i'm avoiding hardcore saltspray! . A simple workaround is to tap the area where the bad meet the front element, tap around it using any thin heavy duty tape. Probably a bit of softness will be felt, but Im not that hardcore to see the effect (I have scanned using LS2000 and I hardly see any noticeable difference)

BTW if you are no using inner-zoom, make sure you tap up the bag when the zoom is extended, obvious rite...

 

[JaDe]

Custom built underwater cases are *stupidly* expensive. The custom built rain capes are *stupidly* expensive, but slightly less stupidly so than the u/w cases. And easier to use if you're not u/w. But obviously you won't be able to use it u/w. Duh.

Cause demand is low and they gotta jack up the price...they always does tat...