rain covers

amateurphotographer · May 1, 2016

Folks,

I'm not having much luck getting replies on rain coats in the accessories section. So hopefully this forum could help me out.

Recently was shooting at a sports event and it rained cats and dogs. Luckily I was able to use a Nikon rain coat for my 200-400.

Was wondering what people use (don't want to hear the DIY solutions

and if they could share their experiences, in terms of

1) accessing left side of buttons on back of camera, particularly as some rain coats only have right side arm access. Is it fiddly pressing the buttons through the rain coat material if no direct access.

2) Do you get full view of your LCD screen? Does the plastic viewable screen get fogged up with hand inside?

3) Eye cup is extra cost, but do you get fogging of it when air is trapped between the camera eye cup and the attachment? How did you resolve.

4) Want to hear more from those that experienced long duration of heavy rain. Not too interested in snow as it doesn't snow where I live

5) Any leakages?

6) Anything else I should be aware.

The major players seem to be Think Tank hydrophobia and Aquatech, Lenscoat. There are plenty of reviews online, but little in terms of real experiences. I need a cover for two cameras, pro bodies D4s and 70-200 and 200-400 .

Many thanks in advance.

wolfie · May 1, 2016

amateurphotographer said:
Folks,

I'm not having much luck getting replies on rain coats in the accessories section. So hopefully this forum could help me out.

Recently was shooting at a sports event and it rained cats and dogs. Luckily I was able to use a Nikon rain coat for my 200-400.

Was wondering what people use (don't want to hear the DIY solutions and if they could share their experiences, in terms of

1) accessing left side of buttons on back of camera, particularly as some rain coats only have right side arm access. Is it fiddly pressing the buttons through the rain coat material if no direct access.

2) Do you get full view of your LCD screen? Does the plastic viewable screen get fogged up with hand inside?

3) Eye cup is extra cost, but do you get fogging of it when air is trapped between the camera eye cup and the attachment? How did you resolve.

4) Want to hear more from those that experienced long duration of heavy rain. Not too interested in snow as it doesn't snow where I live

5) Any leakages?

6) Anything else I should be aware.

The major players seem to be Think Tank hydrophobia and Aquatech, Lenscoat. There are plenty of reviews online, but little in terms of real experiences. I need a cover for two cameras, pro bodies D4s and 70-200 and 200-400 .

Many thanks in advance.

I've faced the rain and water splash problem with my children's sports photography in winter and fly fishing in summer for last ten years.

Simplest answer is to buy WR rated camera body and lens. May cost a bit more, but generally such gear is better quality optically and build-wise. Then you wont get caught out by leaving rain covers at home when the weather changes. Also it much quicker and easier to handle the camera controls and lens rings than through plastic covers.

I've used such equipment while standing for two hours in continual rain without an issue. The important thing is make sure both your body and lens are a sealed combination or you will have water entry at some point.

amateurphotographer · May 1, 2016

wolfie said:
I've faced the rain and water splash problem with my children's sports photography in winter and fly fishing in summer for last ten years.

Simplest answer is to buy WR rated camera body and lens. May cost a bit more, but generally such gear is better quality optically and build-wise. Then you wont get caught out by leaving rain covers at home when the weather changes. Also it much quicker and easier to handle the camera controls and lens rings than through plastic covers.

I've used such equipment while standing for two hours in continual rain without an issue. The important thing is make sure both your body and lens are a sealed combination or you will have water entry at some point.

schultz · May 1, 2016

Just get the Thinktank cover,i have used one for a few years now without any problems for shooting sports here in the UK where we get plenty of raln.You can get at the cameras controls easily.

wasserball · May 1, 2016

amateurphotographer said:
Folks,

Was wondering what people use (don't want to hear the DIY solutions and if they could share their experiences, in terms of

Many thanks in advance.

What is the problem if it works? You want it to look pretty too?

I think you know the solution already so I won't dwell on it.

wasserball · May 1, 2016

wolfie said:
amateurphotographer said:

Folks,

I'm not having much luck getting replies on rain coats in the accessories section. So hopefully this forum could help me out.

Recently was shooting at a sports event and it rained cats and dogs. Luckily I was able to use a Nikon rain coat for my 200-400.

Was wondering what people use (don't want to hear the DIY solutions and if they could share their experiences, in terms of

1) accessing left side of buttons on back of camera, particularly as some rain coats only have right side arm access. Is it fiddly pressing the buttons through the rain coat material if no direct access.

2) Do you get full view of your LCD screen? Does the plastic viewable screen get fogged up with hand inside?

3) Eye cup is extra cost, but do you get fogging of it when air is trapped between the camera eye cup and the attachment? How did you resolve.

4) Want to hear more from those that experienced long duration of heavy rain. Not too interested in snow as it doesn't snow where I live

5) Any leakages?

6) Anything else I should be aware.

The major players seem to be Think Tank hydrophobia and Aquatech, Lenscoat. There are plenty of reviews online, but little in terms of real experiences. I need a cover for two cameras, pro bodies D4s and 70-200 and 200-400 .

Many thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I've faced the rain and water splash problem with my children's sports photography in winter and fly fishing in summer for last ten years.

Simplest answer is to buy WR rated camera body and lens. May cost a bit more, but generally such gear is better quality optically and build-wise. Then you wont get caught out by leaving rain covers at home when the weather changes. Also it much quicker and easier to handle the camera controls and lens rings than through plastic covers.

I've used such equipment while standing for two hours in continual rain without an issue. The important thing is make sure both your body and lens are a sealed combination or you will have water entry at some point.

--
Shoot the Light fantastic
https://aucklandswoffer.wordpress.com

I keep different types plastic bags in the car. From the vegie bags to those umbrella freebies you see in front of stores come in handy. If all things fail, I got a huge plastic sheet to cover everything including myself.

TGM1234 · May 2, 2016

I have both Thinktank covers and have used them in heavy rain several times...highly recommended.

ZurichPhoto · May 2, 2016

I shoot a lot in the rain and snow. I love it. I have a backpack full of rain/snow gear that is always at the ready.

My first piece of advice is to get a pack of those cheapie see-through plastic covers . Have one stuck in your camera bag, If something comes up unexpectedly, you have one in a pinch just to keep things dry. Weighs about as much as a quarter.

The ThinkTank stuff is great. No question. I had their Hydrophobia cover but I ended up selling it and getting AquaTech products. Because I also shoot in the snow and not always sports, I wanted the modular concept that allows me to cover the body and a small lens as well as a large tele. And frankly I like the build quality just a little better. But it truly is a matter of need/preference You can't go wrong with either great brand.

But my #1 rain suggestion is this bad boy .... https://aquatech.net/product/oli-cape/

Not only is it the best rain poncho I've ever had -- it is so tent-like that you can throw it over your gear in a shower and its dry as a bone. No matter what camera cover you buy, do yourself a favor and get an Oli Cape.

Martinka · May 3, 2016

I've been using Lensprotect. It's a neoprene protection sleeves, made of 3mm or 4mm thick neoprene.

Pros:

+ very little annoying, can be always on
+ protects from rain, dust, snow, mud, heat/cold etc.
+ protect from accidental hits, scratching...
+ easy to switch lenses
+ protects lenses and/or, you can choose what setup you need
+ visible rear LCD thgrough transparent plastic
+ all controls accessible
+ perfect for single focal length lenses, almost perfect for lenses with internal zooming/focusing
+ different designs

Cons:

- definitely not that rain proof as raincovers
- problematic use with lenses that change its length during zooming/focusing
- in humid condition the transparent plastic can steam up

lens-protect

--

Art of Sport

artofsport.cz

Martin Kozak

sport & news photography

www.martinkozak.com

ZurichPhoto · May 4, 2016

Martin, Your last shot of the lens in snow reminded me .... I have these "new" glove/covers in my B&H Photo Wish List. Just read a Moose Peterson review. No sense in buying in May, but they will be part of my winter kit for sure. They look toasty.

Martinka · May 4, 2016

Wow, looks super comfortable!

But I hardly ever stay in one place with tripod/monopod, so no use for me...

WPNL · May 4, 2016

I have used a large (fishing) umbrella several times.. Tied to a post or to my backpack, especially when its raining hard it beats all covers ;-)

Martinka · May 4, 2016

As long as it's not a windy day

Michael Fritzen · May 5, 2016

Martinka said:
As long as it's not a windy day

Well on a windy day with rain what mostly spoils images are drops on the front glass surface of the lens...

WPNL · May 6, 2016

Michael Fritzen said:
Martinka said:

As long as it's not a windy day

Click to expand...

Well on a windy day with rain what mostly spoils images are drops on the front glass surface of the lens...

--
Cheers,
Michael Fritzen

That was what I wanted to reply.

If you're 'open' to the umbrella idea, check out the ones fishermen use, they're storm proof.

Short story:
I was shooting the European Lurecoursing Championship a few years ago and this event was 'claimed' by a local photographer. Me and some other (semi)-pro's were sent of the fields a few times. Which is frustrating because that guy was sitting on a pointless spot and we wanted to get some 'nice' shots from the right spots. But okay, there was nothing we could do about it.
The weather was very strange, we were high up in the mountains so one minute we had sun, the next fog or heavy rain. At one point I got my umbrella out of the car during heavy rain and tied it to the fence for shelter and to keep both my hands free. The umbrella is about 2m diameter so under a minute there were three photographers 'high and dry'. I gave the guy in the field a thumbs up for staying there in his poncho and raincover. There was no response to my sign of good will but we had a good laugh, what comes around goes around

amateurphotographer · May 6, 2016

WPNL said:
Michael Fritzen said:

Martinka said:

As long as it's not a windy day

Click to expand...

Well on a windy day with rain what mostly spoils images are drops on the front glass surface of the lens...

Click to expand...

Martinka · May 6, 2016

I think in case of not so intense showers, Lensprotect can easily outperfect every other system

Paul Lowe · May 8, 2016

Can you post a link to one of these "fisher and umbrellas"?

when I googled it, I was coming up with stuff like this... Might actually work, but not the look I was going for ;-)

WPNL said:
That was what I wanted to reply.

If you're 'open' to the umbrella idea, check out the ones fishermen use, they're storm proof

WPNL · May 9, 2016

Paul Lowe said:
Can you post a link to one of these "fisher and umbrellas"?

when I googled it, I was coming up with stuff like this... Might actually work, but not the look I was going for ;-)

Hahahaha... great find! I hope it's available in aluminum too :-D

The one I'm using is this one: LINK

It's strong enough to handle some wind, if necessary I hold on to it or tie it to something more solid.

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