Cottage...how to avoid sand?

[Line of Best Fit]

I'm heading up to my best friends cottage for the weekend and I was wondering about how to make sure I don't get any sand messing up my new camera. I've been up to her cottage before, and sand gets everywhere...everywhere.

I do have a camera bag, but I've gotten sand in places I thought were sealed up, like my suitcase.

Any ideas would be great.

 

[chris]

The cheapest solution is to leave the camera at home. Alternatively wrap the body in a plastic bag or get an underwater housing to make certain no sand gets in ( but do remember to put the camera in the housing while in a sand free environment).

 

[tirediron]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Sand is big; it's not going to sneak through your lens mount or anything like that. Just be careful changing lenses and try to avoid doing that out of doors, wipe your camera down with a soft, damp cloth when your done. I spent three months photographing in the middle east, including conditions like this:

and hand no issues. An inexpensive rain-housing certainly isn't a bad idea, but I think the under-water one might be a bit of overkill.

 

[William Petruzzo]

I've been shooting at beaches and such. Sand isn't so much the problem in and of itself. Salt in the air can screw you. And, sand can get into the rings on your lens and be awfully annoying for a few days until it works its way out. Seems to me that the previous advice is good. Especially the one about being super careful when you're changing lenses.

 

[Line of Best Fit]

I just bought this camera, and I've got only one lens. So I guess there's no worries?

 

[tirediron]

Obviously be careful, but no, I wouldn't worry about it. Camera are made a lot tougher than most people think, even the most basic entry-level DSLRs still have to have fairly tight tolerances. As was mentioned, salt water and spray are a lot more of a concern that sand.

 

[Ptyler22]

What about if you leave it in your car or something?

 

[tirediron]

What about if you leave it in your car or something?

What about it?

 

[andrew99]

Put it out of site so it doesn't get stolen..

 

[df3photo]

DONT GO! jk.
sometimes i use LARGE ziplock bags, I always keep one with me if it looks like rain and I leave my camerabag in the car... good luck!

 

[andrew99]

A Ziplock bag is a good idea, also if you're going from any major change of temperature/humidity (like going from A/C to hot and humid outside), the ziplock bag will prevent a lot of condensation while the temperature of the camera/lens adjusts.

 

[Phazan]

I've bought my camera to the beach, and while I got some great pictures, it was a pain. Anytime the wind blew (Salty, Sandy air) I put my camera in my backpack..I never let my backpack touch the sand, and I didn't ever sit in the sand, and I never changed the lens. Basically, I would probably just leave the camera inside the cottage..but that's up for you to decide!