Walking in the woods with DSLR, is it safe?

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Hey guys. I always think about taking my canon 80D on a walk with my rambunctious puppy through the woods with my 55-250 but I chicken out. How durable is the plastic on these bodies? Do cameras take clanking around well if it were to bounce around on my hip? How about brushing through branches? Should I get a silicone cover (although I don't know if it would work with my battery grip, the ones I've seen). Any thoughts?
 
Take my cameras out almost every day. Rain, shine, cold. They've performed well in all sorts of cold, heat, running through brush, even a couple drops from knee to waist high.
 
I take my camera out in the woods all the time. The camera bouncing around against the body is not a problem, but a sharp knock against a tree or swinging into a rock is not good for you or the camera.
 
No worries, I've packed cameras thru the woods and along the beaches and through the city....,again....no worries!
 
The plastic parts are the most durable of all. I'd worry more about the lens mount.
 
I'd be more concerned about ticks.
 
If your camera can't take the environment in which you want to use it, you need a different camera. The only place I don't take my cameras is out in the rain and I've gotten caught a few times and it held up fine. I would think that the woods should be just fine for any dSLR.
 
Experiment taking it out and see how it goes!

Depending how you walk and what paths you take you might find different solutions toward holding your gear sensibly; esp when you've got a dog on one arm (assuming its on a leash). You might find that all you need is a shoulder/neck strap; or you might want one of those quick-access backpacks that has a slot on the side which is ideal for slipping the camera in and out of (note if you DO get a backpack get one with two straps - not a single sling-type one).

Or a shoulderbag might work.


A lot really depends on your terrain and its not abnormal for photographers to have a few different bags/slings/straps/harnesses/vests to suit different situations and different gear setups.
 
Be very careful and aware of monkey's stealing cameras for selfies.

Also be aware of keeping it away from tree trunks, etc. And keeping safe footing so as not to slip and fall down.
 
Hey guys. I always think about taking my canon 80D on a walk with my rambunctious puppy through the woods with my 55-250 but I chicken out. How durable is the plastic on these bodies? Do cameras take clanking around well if it were to bounce around on my hip? How about brushing through branches? Should I get a silicone cover (although I don't know if it would work with my battery grip, the ones I've seen). Any thoughts?

I believe you will be safe from environmental concerns
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless
 
There may be some hazards taking a camera into the woods, but in general I think my camera is much safer in the woods with me than it would be in town.

The ground is softer if you drop your camera (& trees are softer than walls too)
There's less chance of it being stolen...

I'm unlikely to take a trek into the woods without the camera, but I don't climb/clamber over everything the way I did as a kid...
 
Hey guys. I always think about taking my canon 80D on a walk with my rambunctious puppy through the woods with my 55-250 but I chicken out. How durable is the plastic on these bodies? Do cameras take clanking around well if it were to bounce around on my hip? How about brushing through branches? Should I get a silicone cover (although I don't know if it would work with my battery grip, the ones I've seen). Any thoughts?
I would be FAR more concerned about having somebody try to TAKE my camera in downtown Chicago than I'd EVER be about having damage through normal usage on a short hike in the woods. A "walk" through the Amazon jungle, the Central Highlands of Vietnam or the Namib Desert would be a different story.

Decent quality cameras are made to be used, and mere walking around and capturing images hardly counts as abuse or unusual usage. Most camera damage I hear of involves the body being dropped. Make sure that you have a decent camera strap, properly attached and you should have no problems at all.
 
Hey guys. I always think about taking my canon 80D on a walk with my rambunctious puppy through the woods with my 55-250 but I chicken out. How durable is the plastic on these bodies? Do cameras take clanking around well if it were to bounce around on my hip? How about brushing through branches? Should I get a silicone cover (although I don't know if it would work with my battery grip, the ones I've seen). Any thoughts?
I would be FAR more concerned about having somebody try to TAKE my camera in downtown Chicago than I'd EVER be about having damage through normal usage on a short hike in the woods. A "walk" through the Amazon jungle, the Central Highlands of Vietnam or the Namib Desert would be a different story.

Decent quality cameras are made to be used, and mere walking around and capturing images hardly counts as abuse or unusual usage. Most camera damage I hear of involves the body being dropped. Make sure that you have a decent camera strap, properly attached and you should have no problems at all.

I agree...its never a good idea to go photographing in a area that's not known to be the safest unless you have a group of friends or photographers then you are probably pretty safe. It's sad that we have to think about these things.
 

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