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Raincover for 645DF+ and lenses

satybhat

Member
Hi Folks,
I trawled through the forums but there doesn't seem to be any information on this issue. I plan to do a shoot in NZ forests and would love to have some degree of protection from showers. Now normally, I don't shoot when its not fun anymore, but the project does happen to be for a subject involving forest conservation, soil erosion from rains and such like. Almost all shots will be in the rain and an umbrella is not practical in windy conditions.

Any experience with products like the Thinktank hydrophobia (300-600) ?
I plan to take the 55 LS, 120 Macro and the 75-150LS on a IQ280 back. If not, I'll have to look at renting the Pentax 645D or something, but the IQ280 would be my first choice.

Many thanks
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Hi Folks,
I trawled through the forums but there doesn't seem to be any information on this issue. I plan to do a shoot in NZ forests and would love to have some degree of protection from showers. Now normally, I don't shoot when its not fun anymore, but the project does happen to be for a subject involving forest conservation, soil erosion from rains and such like. Almost all shots will be in the rain and an umbrella is not practical in windy conditions.

Any experience with products like the Thinktank hydrophobia (300-600) ?
I plan to take the 55 LS, 120 Macro and the 75-150LS on a IQ280 back. If not, I'll have to look at renting the Pentax 645D or something, but the IQ280 would be my first choice.

Many thanks
Guy Mancuso's suggestion is the one I'd make every time: Don't overthink - pack a garbage bag and a rubber band.

The gear you're referencing is not "water proof" in the "bucket of water poured over system as a fun demonstration" sense but it's robust and I've only had two customers I can think of in 6 years who had water damage. One of them dropped their system into several feet of salt water. I strongly suggest against doing that :facesmack:. The other was working near a water fall and I was a bit surprised that his body developed issues, since I've since had others working in similar situations without any other failures. Don't give your system a bath, and put a bag over it in moderate/heavy rain and you should be perfectly fine.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I've shot many times in snow, sleet and rain and have never had any problems. I always carry shower cap from a hotel that I've used in the rare times I felt the need. Likewise I also have a small towel that I've used placed over the lens and camera and have got it wet enough that I had to wring it out. Never a big problem and never felt a concern over the need to protect the camera. I once shot at the base of a waterfall were the mist was so heavy I felt I was standing near a running shower; the main problem was keeping the front element dry and not water spotted.

Agree with Guy - not over think it...

Don
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I also shot using a 2 gallon zip lock bag in a 50 year storm and cut out a lens opening and taped it to the hood. It's worked great although little tough to see through the finder but it can be done.
 

GregMO

Member
Op/Tech USA makes a rain sleeve. It's a large clear bag with draw string at the end to tighten around the lens. I bought a pack of 2 for like $10 or so from Calumet Camera a few years back when they were still in business. Works great.
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I also shot using a 2 gallon zip lock bag in a 50 year storm and cut out a lens opening and taped it to the hood. It's worked great although little tough to see through the finder but it can be done.
Doh! Sorry Guy - 2 gallon ziplock, not trash bag... I screwed up on passing on your suggestion!
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Well the garbage bag is for when you want to run to your car in a downpour but leave the camera on the tripod. The real bottom line is i would just keep it simple and you can carry these things right in your bag since they are so small and fold up nicely in a pocket of a bag. But I would not be buying a camera simply because its weather proof. I don't care how weather proof anyone says a camera is , i am not leaving a 40k camera to sit there in the rain unprotected. I don't trust the weather proof marketing sorry.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Shortly after I made the switch to shooting a tech camera I was shooting on a beach with the tripod in the surf as well as light rain. Never had a problem until I started walking back to the parking lot. The head fell off the tripod along with the camera. Everything landed on a very damp sandy beach. Picked everything up checked it over and went back to the car. I changed my underwear and began cleaning the camera, lens and head. That was in January 2007 and I still have the same head (Cube), camera and lens and use them all the time. Earlier that same morning I was shooting at a different beach with a Mamiya AFD, P45+ again standing in the surf (ankle deep) with waves coming in and moderato rain. I was getting drenched while the camera and lens was getting wet as well however I took a towel and covered everything which worked out well.

I've found these cameras (Phase One, the backs, Cambo and all the lenses) can take a small amount of punishment whether it's rain, sleet, blowing snow, sand or any combination. I also found out a long time ago is that I wear out much sooner than the equipment.

I've shot in the Hoh Rainforest for several days and never had a problem. Best advise is don't over think it. Bring some sort of protection however if I had ended up worrying too much about protection I'd never have done half the things I've done.

Don
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Portrait shooters steal bed sheets from hotels. Landscape /environmental shooters 'borrow' the small hand towels...

Two or three small towels to mop up the moisture plus the zip lock/shower cap will keep you shooting. Don't overlook the versatility of a golf umbrella too.

Courtesy of a friend living in the pacific northwet :D
 

goesbang

Member
I can pretty much back up all that has been said here. I am an architectural/industrial pro working anywhere a client will pay me to go. My Phase One DF kit, P45+ and IQ180, Alpa STC etc have been in action in Tropical cyclones in Indonesia and India, in rainstorms on the streets of Kuala Lumpur and in the muddy jungles of Borneo. I live in Switzerland and we have lots of rain and snow to deal with here too.
Whilst the gear is not up to a complete drenching, I've gotten mine pretty wet without drama on many, many occasions. Mostly I just use a golf umbrella, and if its windy, a plastic bag secured with whatever is handy. I usually have a little Gaffer tape, a little bricklayers twine and some rubber bands in my bag, so I improvise a rain cover with these. I always have a means of wiping droplets off the front element. This is the real problem. If a piece of gear gets more than just a couple of drops on it then I might hit it with a hairdryer at the end of the day. If you do this, be careful not to get the gear too hot and not to heat just one side.
To be honest, I'm more wary of condensation inside a lens barrel than anything else. This can be a pain when travelling in air-conditioned cars in the tropics. Internal lens elements can take a while to equalise with external temps.
Bottom line is, the gear is pretty robust. Be sensible and take basic precautions and you will be fine.
 

satybhat

Member
Many thanks for the valuable replies.
Have bought the optech rain covers. will try these out at some point.
LOL... have been guilty of borrowing a hand towel myself last month in Tasmania !!
 

GregMO

Member
Many thanks for the valuable replies.
Have bought the optech rain covers. will try these out at some point.
LOL... have been guilty of borrowing a hand towel myself last month in Tasmania !!

Just dry off the cover after each use & put it back in your bag. Unless you get a whole in the cover they will last many years. I've never used the 2nd cover that came in the pack.
 
By googling "gregory crewdson: field notes 6", there are apparently other solutions to protecting high-end digital cameras from rain ..... on well-staffed assignments at least.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
It's sorta like Murphy's Law. If you pack along the rain gear, you get the added weight, lose that valuable packing space-----and it never rains. Never. I have that fancy rain gear too, with added lens extension covers. It sits in the back shelf. Never use the stuff. But it does make me feel better that I have it there. :loco:

So accordingly, if you don't have any rain gear----you know the maxim dictates you will encounter some weather at some point in your photography career. The best *ahem* prophylactic protection that I have found is a hotel shower cap. Don and I gave out special unauthorized CI in Carmel prophylactic protection one year during the annual "Pigs." :D. What you want is the hotel shower caps that are packaged in a thin, flat, small index card sized envelope. These pack flat and are unnoticeable in your pack/bag. The elastic on the shower cap is ideal to help secure the cap on the camera body and over the MFDB. Minimal protection, but frankly imho, if it gets too blustery wet outside, it just ain't fun anymore and it's time to pack it in.

I wouldn't worry too much. Take a peek at this old blog article of mine photographing waterfalls in Oregon with my Cambo WRS, HR40 t/s, and IQ180. Go down to the second photo (camera) and click on the image for a closer look. You'd be surprised how much weather your gear can comfortably withstand.

See, Photographing Oregon with the Cambo WRS1050 and Phase IQ180 | Kendoophotography's Blog

:) Ken
 
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goesbang

Member
It's sorta like Murphy's Law. If you pack along the rain gear, you get the added weight, lose that valuable packing space-----and it never rains. Never. I have that fancy rain gear too, with added lens extension covers. It sits in the back shelf. Never use the stuff. But it does make me feel better that I have it there. :loco:

So accordingly, if you don't have any rain gear----you know the maxim dictates you will encounter some weather at some point in your photography career. The best *ahem* prophylactic protection that I have found is a hotel shower cap. Don and I gave out special unauthorized CI in Carmel prophylactic protection one year during the annual "Pigs." :D. What you want is the hotel shower caps that are packaged in a thin, flat, small index card sized envelope. These pack flat and are unnoticeable in your pack/bag. The elastic on the shower cap is ideal to help secure the cap on the camera body and over the MFDB. Minimal protection, but frankly imho, if it gets too blustery wet outside, it just ain't fun anymore and it's time to pack it in.

I wouldn't worry too much. Take a peek at this old blog article of mine photographing waterfalls in Oregon with my Cambo WRS, HR40 t/s, and IQ180. Go down to the second photo (camera) and click on the image for a closer look. You'd be surprised how much weather your gear can comfortably withstand.

See, Photographing Oregon with the Cambo WRS1050 and Phase IQ180 | Kendoophotography's Blog

:) Ken
Funny you should mention prophylactics, Ken. I once found myself shooting an offshore oil installation some in the Indian Ocean from a rigid-inflatable-boat that was bobbing around in 3m swells and 20+knot winds. Whilst I am a little blasé about fresh water on my gear, I treat salt water like the Devils-spray that it is. Pulling a condom over the lens and camera body and cutting the end off worked just fine. True story.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Now I know why there's a run on the XXXL Magnum. Has to be large enough to cover your equipment.... :facesmack:
 
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