"Waterproofing" camera for Songkran

Silkroader · Mar 4, 2018

Brilliant thread! Thank you all so much for the ideas. We are heading off for a wet, but less extreme, trip in a few months - India during the monsoon.

I have only travelled in conditions like this previously with a fully manual camera (or a point and shoot that I didn't care about so much) so these suggestions will come in very handy for the a6000.

dquangt · Mar 4, 2018

TJ61 said:
Kharan said:

trenzterra said:

dquangt said:

I used a clear filter so when cleaning the water I was wiping the filter and not the element all the time.

Click to expand...

Thanks! From experience, is there the possibility of water ingress through the front filter? E.g. between the gaps from the filter housing and the filter glass?

Click to expand...

Absolutely! If people will direct water with pressure at you (i.e. hoses or bucketfuls of water), there's an important risk of ingress from the threads or the makeup rings that usually hold said threads in place. For rain and spray a filter would be fine, however.

Click to expand...

I’m curious what kind of IQ is anyone expecting through a water-drenched front element OR filter? Why would anyone use a “good” camera?

I will post photos when I get home

dquangt · Mar 4, 2018

Kharan said:
trenzterra said:

dquangt said:

I used a clear filter so when cleaning the water I was wiping the filter and not the element all the time.

Click to expand...

Thanks! From experience, is there the possibility of water ingress through the front filter? E.g. between the gaps from the filter housing and the filter glass?

Click to expand...

Absolutely! If people will direct water with pressure at you (i.e. hoses or bucketfuls of water), there's an important risk of ingress from the threads or the makeup rings that usually hold said threads in place. For rain and spray a filter would be fine, however.

So, with that in mind, I'd definitely go with a housing. It's much cheaper to spend $200 and protect a camera and lens that cost over $1300, in my opinion.

dquangt · Mar 4, 2018

trenzterra said:
dquangt said:

trenzterra said:

TJ61 said:

dquangt said:

I shot Songkran a couple years ago with the a6000. Here's a link to what I did: http://www.instructables.com/id/Camera-Zip-lock/

Only difference is I taped to the lens hood, not a filter. Used it for kayaking Phang Na also. Just bring a few bags and a roll of tape with you

Click to expand...

Same here, taped to lens hood. I used a lighter weight plastic bag and cut off the other end. The bag was long enough, and narrow, so it was more like a tube, allowing me to put my hand inside with a lot of overlap. I was preparing for a lot of drizzle and/or rain in Scotland, but happily never got a chance to use it.

Click to expand...

By taping to the lens hood, does it mean that water can still get in via the front element? Or you have another filter placed atop?

Click to expand...

I used a clear filter so when cleaning the water I was wiping the filter and not the element all the time.

Click to expand...

Thanks! From experience, is there the possibility of water ingress through the front filter? E.g. between the gaps from the filter housing and the filter glass?

I had no issues. Again, I also took it kayaking for 3 days, got rain dumped on us during that time, and no issue.

aarif · Mar 4, 2018

trenzterra said:
I'm going to Bangkok next month for the Songkran festival. I understand that it involves lots of water and my A6500 won't survive it--not without some sort of protection.

Has anyone shot under such conditions before and what's the best way to get around it without having to spend over $1,000 on a waterproof housing?

Thank you.

I have shot Songkrans many times. what I do is find a good transparent plastic bag. not too big or small. put the camera inside and tape it firmly around the lens edge. of course you will not be able to change the lens so choose the one you really prefer. I used 70-200s. make sure the plastic bag is slightly thick not the ones that tear easily.

--

A A

Explore A A’s 933 photos on Flickr!

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dquangt · Mar 4, 2018

i think these were all taken with the 16-70 zeiss. once again i just used a good quality ziplock back taped to the lens hood. i used the lens hood method so that i could take the camera in and out of the bag as needed instead of having to retape it each time. i put 2 silica packets in the bag for moisture because thailand is so humid.

you can see from the last shot that after we had enough of the water fight and went sightseeing we were caught in some torrential rain. camera is as good as new.

just use a decent thickness bag that won't rip easy and some good tape that won't come off at the first sign of water.

dquangt · Mar 4, 2018

looks like the 2 people that actually shot songkran with their nice cameras both agree that the plastic bag method works. i understand the concern, but a housing will just be bulky and expensive. to the OP, if you chose to use one though i would understand.

Barmaglot_07 · Mar 5, 2018

Kharan said:
Kharan said:

I'm not certain, however, that either of these would be a good solution for Songkran - they're quite heavy (over a kilogram empty, so with a camera inside you'd be pushing 2kg), and since the controls are built to resist up to 6 kg/cm2 of water pressure, they're quite stiff on land.

Click to expand...

I don't believe they'd be stiffer than those on my housing, and I find them good, actually - there're just no accidental presses with it

You have the older, black or clear RX100 series housing, right? That one is rated to 40 meters of depth - the newer SeaFrogs branded housings are rated to 60 meters, which includes stronger springs behind all the buttons to resist 50% more water pressure, so in air, the controls end up plenty stiff. My biggest gripe with my housing is that the four-way buttons are not only hard to push, but they also frequently end up pushing the wrong part of the rear dial - I push the right button and it scrolls down, I push up and it goes left, this kind of thing. Makes operating the controls on land very annoying. Mind you, it never happens underwater, only in air, but still.

Kharan said:
Kharan said:

A dedicated surf housing such as a Liquid Eye C6500S is probably the best option (just 280g empty weight, and the buttons are built for surface rather than underwater use), but it's a deal more expensive than Meikon. Still, if you're not diving, I think a soft bag such as a Dicapac or Ewa-Marine is a lot less cumbersome.

Click to expand...

Ugh, but that's $600, and for that money I'd get an RX100M3 and a cheap housing. I mean, the Liquid Eye is obviously of very high quality, and comparatively quite light, but that kind of money is getting into Ikelite territory, and for a less versatile product.

As a matter of fact, I'm going to Thailand myself in three weeks, and I'm taking my housing because I'm primarily going diving, and I may even take it out into the streets to shoot some Songkran photos if I get the opportunity, but if diving wasn't my primary intent, I'd probably get a Dicapac bag.

trenzterra · Mar 5, 2018

Wow! Love those photos. So you left the front element exposed without any issues?

aarif · Mar 5, 2018

yes just keep a good quality cotton hand-towel with you to dry it from time to time

Kharan · Mar 5, 2018

dquangt said:
i think these were all taken with the 16-70 zeiss. once again i just used a good quality ziplock back taped to the lens hood. i used the lens hood method so that i could take the camera in and out of the bag as needed instead of having to retape it each time. i put 2 silica packets in the bag for moisture because thailand is so humid.

you can see from the last shot that after we had enough of the water fight and went sightseeing we were caught in some torrential rain. camera is as good as new.

just use a decent thickness bag that won't rip easy and some good tape that won't come off at the first sign of water.

Great photos! However, I wouldn't risk so many dollars of (unsealed) equipment with such poor protection.

Remember - it looks fine now, but a tiny bit of moisture is enough to kill electronics over time. I've had bad experiences with water and cameras before, so I'm very careful now.

trenzterra · Mar 5, 2018

Thank you guys. I'm inclined, but still a little apprehensive with the plastic bag method. With the plastic bag method, there seems to be no way to add a sling, right? I'm afraid clumsy me may end up dropping the slippery camera, rendering all attempts at waterproofing moot... Or perhaps I'll just seal up my old Canon Powershot S95 and write it off after Songkran.;..

Barmaglot_07 · Mar 5, 2018

trenzterra said:
Thank you guys. I'm inclined, but still a little apprehensive with the plastic bag method. With the plastic bag method, there seems to be no way to add a sling, right? I'm afraid clumsy me may end up dropping the slippery camera, rendering all attempts at waterproofing moot... Or perhaps I'll just seal up my old Canon Powershot S95 and write it off after Songkran.;..

https://www.dicapacusa.com/product-page/wp-s3 comes with a sling.

dquangt · Mar 5, 2018

Well, my a6000 is still working perfectly so many years later soooooo....

We all have our comfort levels, but for me the bag method was reasonable enough precaution for me to feel comfortable using it for the festival. It worked great.

Kharan said:
dquangt said:

i think these were all taken with the 16-70 zeiss. once again i just used a good quality ziplock back taped to the lens hood. i used the lens hood method so that i could take the camera in and out of the bag as needed instead of having to retape it each time. i put 2 silica packets in the bag for moisture because thailand is so humid.

you can see from the last shot that after we had enough of the water fight and went sightseeing we were caught in some torrential rain. camera is as good as new.

just use a decent thickness bag that won't rip easy and some good tape that won't come off at the first sign of water.

Click to expand...

Great photos! However, I wouldn't risk so many dollars of (unsealed) equipment with such poor protection.

Remember - it looks fine now, but a tiny bit of moisture is enough to kill electronics over time. I've had bad experiences with water and cameras before, so I'm very careful now.

--
"Chase the light around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light" - Rush, 'Available Light'

trenzterra · Mar 5, 2018

Barmaglot_07 said:
trenzterra said:

Thank you guys. I'm inclined, but still a little apprehensive with the plastic bag method. With the plastic bag method, there seems to be no way to add a sling, right? I'm afraid clumsy me may end up dropping the slippery camera, rendering all attempts at waterproofing moot... Or perhaps I'll just seal up my old Canon Powershot S95 and write it off after Songkran.;..

Click to expand...

https://www.dicapacusa.com/product-page/wp-s3 comes with a sling.

Thanks. I am a little more inclined towards this method... From reviews it seems to do fine for my needs. Any idea what size i should choose to mount a sigma 16mm? Also, is the iq affected by the front plastic? Just wondering if it is the same as placing the whole camera in a normal ziplock bag without cutting any holes out for the lens... Then again, I wouldn't be able to attach a sling in the latter case

trenzterra · Mar 5, 2018

Hi all,

I think I will be settling for this: https://www.lazada.sg/products/tteo...canon-nikon-dslr-slr-i7948485-s10006028.html?

I am able to find it for about ten bucks over here and will test it to see how effective it is. Seems like a good midway point between the dicapac and a ziplock bag.

GodSpeaks · Mar 5, 2018

Only 2 real options:

1: Buy a compact waterproof/rugged camera. No worries at all, except for batteries, which may need to be changed periodically.

2: Buy a rain cape and make sure it is securely attached to the camera and lens. Hold the camera with lens always pointing down, bring up only to take the shot. This works well, but is not 100% foolproof.

I have lived in Bangkok over 15 years. Many years ago I used to attend Songkran (in Bangkok, the best places I found were Sanam Luang, near the palace, and Khao San Road.

As the years passed, Songkran became more outlandish and much less fun, so I stopped going. Now I just stock up food and alcohol, batten down the hatches and stay indoors for the full 3 days.

I would also not travel anywhere (in Thailand) during Songkran due to absolutely atrocious traffic.

Songkran in Pattaya, by the way, is 1000 times worse than Bangkok due to the hoards of overly aggressive drunken farang (foreigners) wandering the streets soaking anyone who dares to go outside.

Oft time the water used is not very clean and as such, has the potential to make you very sick. I am not young anymore, so I put my health at a very high priority.

In moderation, Songkran can be great fun. Carried to excess, it is not.

bardick · Mar 6, 2018

I live in Bangkok and for several years have left Thailand at Songkran because of the chaos this festival involves. Years ago it involved sprinkling a small amount of water on revelers and passers by. Now you may well get full buckets of water (gallons) dumped on you, water from hoses attached to stirrup pumps aimed at you (the pressure alone could easily knock a camera from your hands). The worst offenders are frequently Western tourists who seem to have little respect for others as long as they get their jollies. I would never expose (pun intended) any camera to that kind of risk unless you are prepared to dump it when it fails completely, or can shoot from somewhere where you cannot be got at. If you think revelers will be careful and not dump gallons of water on you because you are carrying a camera, think again. There have been many calls over recent years for the government to regulate the excesses that occur, but the tourist dollar is more important than the inconvenience of many Thai citizens and residents.

If you still insist on trying to shoot and are prepared to take the risks, then enjoy the mayhem. Thailand is a wonderful country with the best food on the planet and, mostly, friendly, smiling, people. Good luck.

bardick · Mar 6, 2018

GodSpeaks, agree 100%, Songkran has gotten out of control in recent years.

trenzterra · Mar 6, 2018

trenzterra said:
Hi all,

I think I will be settling for this: https://www.lazada.sg/products/tteo...canon-nikon-dslr-slr-i7948485-s10006028.html?

I am able to find it for about ten bucks over here and will test it to see how effective it is. Seems like a good midway point between the dicapac and a ziplock bag.

Got this today and... it's a little too unwieldy for my liking even if it doesn't leak. I guess I'm just going to rely on my S7 edge (which is IP68 rated by the way) to take photos

"Waterproofing" camera for Songkran

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