crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

What tools, processes and tricks do you use to protect your best gear in nasty environments?

Background for question:
I recently took the Fam to Dominican Republic and we all went dirt buggying in the rainforest. I wanted some high end shots and with the variable light from being under the canopy to the beach, I brought 2 pieces of my gear that I could afford to lose (ie I dont ues them for paid work). My Canon70D and the Sigma 50mm1.4Art.

I protected the kit in 2 levels of plastic bags and took the kit out for pics during stops. It rained quite a bit during the photo ops so putting the kit back in the bag was like locking the fox in the chickenhouse.

In the end, I had dirt and moisture in the bag, LCD and top buttons on the 70D quit working (still able to take photos). All features returned to functioning again except cant download from the camera (use SD card reader so no issue).....and I am still digging dirt out of my ears. The excursion was a little like swimming through a mud puddle.

Attached is one of the photos.

Comments related to "tech", "process to protect" and any tricks/tips would be appreciated....

(Download)

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

I probably would not have taken my good camera with me on this trip. I would have bought a p&s Kodak that they use at weddings.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Thanks for the idea. Good low cost solution to catch snaps of the event however
I had my GoPro hero6 for that...
...and a disposable P&S would be a PoS for getting a photo I would ever want to print or put in a photo book :-)

Spent $ 10k+ on the trip. I will risk 1.5k if gear to get the once in a fam lifetime shot that could wind up in the wall :-)

Brokenland

Congratulations of ruining your camera. next time (if there is a next time) rethink about the type of environment you're going to be entering. based on your image, here is a short list of cameras you should have taken instead.

► GoPro can take stills, but with the wide angle 18mm lens one may end up having to crop.
► Fujifilm XP series camera are weather proof and have a wife range of zoom options.
► Nikon Coolpix AW130 is another Proof camera that should have been used in this environment.
► Olympus Tough TG-5 another Proof camera
► Nikon 1 AW1 would be my selection for these types of environmental shots as it does have interchangeable lenses.

Lastly, I would not recommended weather bags as these can/could hinder your ability to access information on the camera. So unless you're a professional that can burn a few thousand dolors on gear each time you subject your camera to these types of environment, Think smarter.

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

Don't do this at home...after a boat ride out Milford Sound to the Tasmanian sea during a terrific rainstorm (think photos of hundreds of fresh waterfalls) in NZ several knobs on my Canon 20D ceased to be operational so I soaked the area around each with a silicone spray (the type normally used on electrical components) and left it sitting a couple weeks. Used it for a couple more years until purchasing a 40D.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I had something similar happen to me with a Canon 60D simply from a light drizzle and I had the camera in a plastic bag shielding it from the rain while shooting, when the repair shop opened the camera there was a lot of rust inside. That is why I stopped buying Canon bodies with articulating LCD screens, they are far from water and moisture proof.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

I would not have gone to the Dominican Republic. Problem solved.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

DR is a beautiful place.... as is most of the Caribbean.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Two words: tough camera.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

I haven’t tried this, but consider an underwater housing that would accommodate the camera/lens combination. Should be less expensive than replacing your gear.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Olympus Tough TG5 is pretty much everything proof. It can be used underwater, in the ice and snow, it survives drops... Unless you toss it off a cliff.

Bill_de Loc: US

Check the price on underwater housings. It could be cheaper to replace the gear.

Personally I would have used whichever camera I owned that had the best weather sealing. Part of the reason they are expensive is so you don't have to worry about them.

I still use a 500mm that was caked in ice from being on an ocean beach during a snow storm that turned into an ice storm. It was over my shoulder on a tripod during the walk back to the car. We were a group of six with good Canon and Nikon gear. We put the stuff in our cars with towels under and over. Not a single piece of gear had any ill effects. This was around 20 years ago. Weather sealing is even better today.

Reminds me of a neighbor who had a nice new Jeep and got stuck in a snow storm. He had decided to take his wife's Hyundai coupe rather than mess up his Jeep. He never lived that one down.


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bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

After watching me fuss over camera care for years, my wife gave me an Olympus TG-5 "tough" camera. She could see that camera care and fussing would get in the way of both of us having fun. My first reaction was that I thought it was a silly little thing. I had to force some excitement over receiving the gift. My thoughts included that the sensor was too small to ever get any quality. It has silly features like 4K video, a compass, GPS track logger, microscope mode and, yes, a flashlight! When you get it dirty you are supposed to give it a bath in the sink. The track logger puts a file on the card usable to put location data into the files from your other "real"cameras.

I resisted using it. Now it is my favorite "fun" camera. Last week I went skiing with my granddaughter. On complete automatic (with fill flash), I got an epic photo of her. It was a bright day at high noon on snow! Mt. Rainier is the background!

I don't know how Olympus does it. The overall picture quality is beyond what a small sensor camera can do.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

For trips like that, I would use a ewa marine bag! They are made for diving, but are just as useful above the ground and will keep the camera dry in all situations, I have used them for many years and can only say good things about them!

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

I could have used my 5dmkiv and an L lens and be weather sealed but didn't want to risk mud, banging around or scratching my glass with tiny mud particles.
I have 2 Gopros, 2 Fuji XPs but they don't take great pics.
Even in linear mode maxed on the GoPro the photos are not great (but they are good :-)
And I bought the GoPro6 over the TG5 after my son pressured me (small regret on this one).

However the photo from the 70D with my Sigma 50mm gave me the IQ I was looking for. And would do it again....just a need a better weather solution.

The tip on the EW bag led me to a dicapac wps10 underwater bag for 70us at BH Photo. Ew bags are ~ 400 !! I wont be using this underwater, just looking for some splash and dirt resistance. I am ok if the seals are imperfect.

Going to Hawaii in March and will be Kayaking to waterfalls and Zodiacing for whales....with the dicapac, I can shoot while the boat is moving. When it stops assuming it's not raining, I may even change a lens OR I could bring the 5Dmkiv with a 70-200 and out it in a drybag to pull out when we stop.

Shooting a breaching humpback on a TG5 or a gopro wont cut it. I will risk the 70D and some good lenses.

Thanks to all for your responses.