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Rain/weather protection while shooting

destrekor

destrekor

Lifer
So, I've seen a few varied products:

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/hydrophobia-70-200-rain-cover.aspx
http://www.lenscoat.com/raincoats-c-34.html

and others
http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=3346261

The ThinkTank Hydrophobia seems like it could stand up to whatever (as long as you are careful - it's not perfect, but without going as far as using a true underwater camera rig, there are certain compromises.
But, it's $140 to start, and then another $35 for the required viewfinder eyepiece. And I guess with Nikon, there's a loss of a glass element (in removing the original Nikon eyepiece and replacing it with the glass-less thinktank eyepiece)... shouldn't be a big deal but it's something.

As with most photography equipment, if you don't pay for the premium products you are sacrificing something.
Is that still going to be the case with these rain covers? Can you get a pretty good and solid cover for much less?
 
I used to shoot outside in terrible weather a bunch. I always used a huge golf umbrella to keep me and the equipment dry. Sometimes I would duck tape it to my monopod if I was shooting sports with a long lens.
 
If you are already considering dropping around $200 maybe getting a true underwater rig isn't a bad idea. Even if you found a used one it should do a good job of keeping the wet out.
 
Are your camera and lens not already weather-sealed? The weather sealing is really quite solid in the cameras/lenses they put it in. The DigitalRev videos on youtube have convinced me that rain isn't a big deal considering the things they do to them.
 
Syborg1211 said:
Are your camera and lens not already weather-sealed? The weather sealing is really quite solid in the cameras/lenses they put it in. The DigitalRev videos on youtube have convinced me that rain isn't a big deal considering the things they do to them.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of trust.

Here's an expensive piece of technology, and too much water can render it a very experience brick of a paperweight.

How protective is weather sealing? Obviously it's not going to stand up to being dunked in a tank of water, so it's not perfect.
So can it stand up to a good ol' fashioned downpour, possibly of hurricane proportions? Not that I have expectations of taking photographs during a hurricane, but I'd like to if I found myself stuck in one - or a big storm with tornadoes. I have promised myself I will absolutely chase a tornado for photography purposes if one ever drops remotely near me and seems like it could be long-lived. 🙂

I guess I need to research just how much a camera like the D600 could actually handle in the elements - but I'd hate to trust that kind of thing, especially if it's only really good for a rainshower but not a downpour; if that's the case, I'd rather have something in my bag that will render things safe if it's ever needed.
But yeah, it's not just the camera, it's the lenses. And flash heads too. Odds of wanting to have a flash attached when caught in a downpour... slim. But it's always possible.

It's obviously super easy to go dirt cheap: a trash bag or other sheet of plastic has done many pros just fine in a pinch - they may even rely on such cheap tricks. But there's some peace of mind when something is fitted just right, and is easy to get secured quickly as opposed to a bag, which may shift or flap around when fitting it onto your kit.
 
I've used DiCaPac for my P&S down to a few feet underwater. Kept the camera dry, but they suck to actually use through the bag. Those rain covers all look like they'd basically work. I'd probably just use a clear trash bag duct taped to my lens hood or something; seems to be about the same thing.

One reason I like weathersealed bodies/lenses. I've taken my K7 out in some horrendous weather with nary an issue.
 
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