Rain, Rain Go Away…

The budget-minded who want to keep their gear dry, use gaffer tape to attach a trash bag to their cameras. For hardcore pros who shoot in rain all the time, Aquatech covers are great. They are made of a waterproof material and are designed so that the condensation isn’t an issue on the gear.  They come in all different sizes and have special eye pieces you can buy that fit so you can still see what you are shooting without jeopardizing your camera.  Think about all the switches on the top of your camera and the hotshoe, that is where water can easily slip into your system and wreak havoc.  I would guess snowy areas would have some applications on the wet snowy days too.  Check out a 2003 report on them in PopPhoto.

Since I live in an area that sees no snow and little rain I decided to try something a bit more economical: Storm Jackets camera covers. The Storm Jackets come in different sizes, I have the medium and the large, which are both around $40 each. 
 

They are a bit tricky to work with in a downpour but I developed a system.  Basically the Storm Jackets are a long sleeve of water resistant material with a bungee cord around each opening. Once I got use to working with the storm jacket on my camera I did okay.  I found the larger one fits better on a smaller lens so I had some extra room to work within while operating the camera and keeping the top of the camera dry.  In a torrential storm I was very happy with the storm jacket but I had the smaller one inside the larger one and was very careful to keep my wet fingers and hands from getting the controls inside the cover wet.

If you never see rain but want just a little insurance try the Op Tech rain sleeve, basically a clear plastic cover for your camera for under $10.  I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this but looks like cheap insurance against some unexpected rain.
—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

Comments

[Andrew Ferguson]

I usually just hide indoors. Rain means time to do some post work for me :P