First off you will want to understand how much protection your camera body and lenses have from the elements. Generally speaking the more money you have spent on a camera body and lenses the more weather sealed both will be. There are lots of buttons, flaps, doors and even the eye piece on the camera are areas where water can enter. Electronics and water do not mix very well. Best thing to do is actually read your owners manual and see what the manufacturer states. The internet is not always the best place for this information, especially when it comes to your own investment. In the past you may have gotten lucky a few times where you were surprised by a down poor and your camera kept on working. But why risk it the next time you are out shooting.
Preparation starts at home
After weighing the pros and cons of heading into the rain here some tips on getting your gear back safe and working.
Many newer camera bag models come with included rain covers such as bags from Think Tank Photo. Carrying you camera gear around in bags the keeps water off and out is the first line of defense agains shorting out your camera. If your camera bag does not come with one, you can purchase aftermarket cover that range from $5-$20.
If you plan on staging or walking awhile in rain you might also want to wrap your camera gear and accessories in plastic zip bags just in case your bag becomes soaked and no longer can keep the water off. Having a few towels in your car and in your camera bag is also a good thing to have for quick pat dryings.
If you are already on the move and did not have time to prep you gear, some quick measures are to enter a grocery store and grab some plastic bags. The work alright as a temporary rain cover but because they are very thin plastic grocery bags can tear easily and most are pigmented with the store colors ie white, brown, beige or blue. So being able to see your viewfinder or your LCS screen is not possible.
Shielding your camera under an umbrella protect it from the vertical rain but rain also comes from al sorts of angles when wind is involved. I have found that shooting with an umbrella is fairly tricky. You are trying to stay dry and keep your camera under the umbrella but meanwhile you have to fight the wind trying to carry away your umbrella. If you have a zoom lens and are trying to focus and take pictures what is holding your umbrella in position??
Hiding your camera under your jacket.
Seems like a good idea. But the cold temperatures and your body heat will only expedite condensation within the camera and fog the lens, leaving you with out a clear shot for a few minutes.
A better way is to at least have some sort of protection kept in your camera bag before leaving the house.
You can make your own DIY rain cover from a 3 gallon plastic ziplock bag and 8x 6"inch strips of Ducktape. I find that reinforcing the plastic bag with ducktap near the cut out for your lens makes the rain cover more sturdy, prevents the plastic from tearing and helps attach the rain cover to your lens just with friction.
You can purchase camera rain cover online and from your local camera shop for around $10 a pair. T
If you shoot often in a sandy, wet and rainy area in makes sense to upgrade and purchase a more robost rain cover such as these from ThinkTankPhoto and . They offer good build quality, access to your settings and lenses and will last much longer than the plastic based ones.
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| Do It Yourself Raincover |
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| Plastic Shopping Bag |
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| Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia |
Camera Rain Covers you can buy right now
The Op/Tech 18" SLR Raine Sleeve Product Features Compact design fits easily in a bag or pocket. Designed for handheld use or tripod application. Unique eyepiece opening adapts to most viewfinders for viewing through the lens - not plastic! Drawstring lens opening offers easy access and a snug fit. RAINSLEEVE fits Lenses up to 18" L X 7" Diameter (45.7cm L X 17.8cm Diameter).
Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia rain cover
Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia 70-200 mm
Think Tank Photo Hydrophobia 300-600mm
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