Water protection

[Nwcid]

I am not sure if this is the right section to put this under, but seemed most appropriate. Please feel free to move if there is a better spot.

How do you protect your camera when shooting in bad weather such as snow or rain? I know most of the pro and "semi-pro" bodies have a certain amount of weather resistance. Even not in bad weather, but just general outdoors where it might get splashed?

One thing I would like to do in the future is be out on the lake in a canoe or kayak and be able to take pictures, but also do not want to destroy a camera. Getting to and from a place, there is always a Pelican case. Setting up to take a great picture of a waterfall or other feature from the lake might be nice.

Currently I have a Nikon D7100 and am looking at purchasing a D850 soon.

 

[weepete]

I use a rain sleive when out and about in rainy conditions, if I was on a kayak though I'd want an under water housing

 

[waday]

If you're planning on the occasional excursion, I'd suggest a waterproof point and shoot instead. If you're planning on extensive kayak/water-related shots, I'd personally look into a weather resistant body/lens combo. You say you're looking at the D850. How soon are you thinking of upgrading?

I'm not sure how Nikon's work, but for my Olympus EM1, I have lenses that are also WR. The combination of sealed body and lens is what makes it WR.

If you upgrade to D850, make sure you have lenses that are also WR, if required.

But, WR is not waterproof. As @weepete points out, underwater housing would be required to keep your camera going in the unfortunate case where your camera takes a dip.

 

[waday]

Speaking of, just saw this article: Water Torture: Nikon D850 vs Sony A7RIII, Canon 5D Mk IV & Olympus E-M1 II

They talk a great deal about Nikon and Sony. Sony did pretty bad in this test, apparently. Nikon was ok, except for a dot of water by the viewfinder, which they were able to clean out and didn't impact images. Sony had water in the battery compartment.

Seems the reason they didn't really talk about Canon and Olympus is that their WR did really well in their test.

ETA: oh, I didn't read the article as well as I thought I did. The reason they focused on Nikon and Sony was that the test was originally for these two cameras specifically, but they chose to also include Canon and Olympus.

 

[ac12]

Raincoat, made with plastic bags.
BUT personally, if it is more than a light shower, I would put my gear away.

If I were kayaking, I would take a fully waterpoof P&S, NOT a dslr.

 

[Dave442]

I have always used just the Rain-Sleeve for shooting in the rain, under waterfalls, sprinklers running, etc. and then use two of the large Ziploc freezer bags to put the camera in (two Ziploc bags instead of just one) with a hand towel inside the inner bag to dry off the camera and to offer some padding.

On a kayak or canoe I skip the Rain-Sleeve and just have the Ziploc bags. Pull out the camera, get the shot, put the camera back in bags.

As soon as your done for the day be sure to get all the camera stuff out of the bags and dry it off. I then put it in a large pelican case and open a new desiccant pack and drop it in (these are also kept in double bagged zip-locks until use - thats how they came from the manufacturer and they recommend to always use the double bag for storage or the packs will absorb moisture and not be able to absorb any more when you go to use them).

 

[Nwcid]

When on the D850 is a combination of when they are available, when I convince my wife I need one, and probably in the next 2-3 months.

Underwater housings are great for underwater, but they are very lacking above water for many reasons. Some include weight (~20lbs), control location, cost (a D850 body is cheeper then a D850 housing, and that is not counting the parts you need to make it work), maintenance, ect.

Looks like keeping a weather cover (plastic) over it is the base protection for use. Keeping it in a dry bag or box is good for transport. Of course not dropping it in the water is also a big help. I just did not know if there were some specialty products out there that would work well and are worth the money.

 

[ac12]

How about a Nikonos

 

[Nwcid]

How about a Nikonos

That is defiantly something, but not quite up to the tasks I want.

Here is my current rig, Nikon D90 in Aquatic housing and YS-250 strobes, weighing in at 22.5 lbs. Image shot with Gopro Hero 2.

Here is a picture of a Blenny, which is about the size of a pencil eraser. Shot with a 60mm Macro in Roatan Honduras a couple of months ago.

 

[rosh4u]

Use rain sleeve to protect your camera from rain as it is easy to get and available in market.

 

[Dave442]

Here is a picture of a Blenny, which is about the size of a pencil eraser. Shot with a 60mm Macro in Roatan Honduras a couple of months ago.
View attachment 152078

Great to see you were in Roatan. That is where I learned to dive years ago.