Western Railroad Discussion > Speaking of Weather, How Do You Protect....

I've been curious about this in the past, but with the current contest going, I will ask now: How do you guys go about protecting your camera when you're out railfanning in the elements, especially in the rain? Do you use a lens shade and put a towel over the camera? Are there any products made for this purpose? Seems like even just a little bit of moisture could have a field day with a camera, digital especially. Have any of you actually damaged or ruined a camera because of weather-related reasons?
I'd love to hear some stories, as well as tips and recommendations. I know a lot of you probably have over a grand invested in your cameras, so you must do something to protect them--or are most of us just fair-weather railfans?!
-Wes

Most of us don't use our cameras in the rain. Just like cloudy weather it's usually avoided except for special effects.

When it's raining out side I get under an umbrella, although you are left with only one hand to use. But it works.

I rarely shoot in the rain. However in the snow I carry gallon sized sealable plastic bags to cover the body and lens. These work pretty good if you have the time to set up for the shot in advance. The hard part comes when the train arrives and you have to remove the bags to shoot and avoid getting snow on the body. I burned out a circuit board on my old Canon 630 before I starting using bags.

I borrow a towel from the motel I'm staying at and drape it over the camera when I'm outside. If I'm just standing out there waiting for the next train (presuming a second one is following immediately), I'll put the camera inside my coat temporarily.

Kennedy

One tactic is to set up with a tripod that has a quick-release mount, keep the camera safe until that few moments that it takes to put it together. An umbrella or whatever helps a great deal but the condensation needs to be accounted for. Wipe the camera down before stowing it, don't leave it on the wet towel. It seems to be prudent to take really good care of the camera even when it's not being used.
Most outdoor photographers use lens hoods to reduce damage as well as all those other reasons, same for a 'UV' filter. The magazine 'Outdoor Photographer' has some good ideas and examples of what's on the market as well as why some people take photos in bad weather.
One of the neighbors has always stuffed his medium format cameras into his jacket and pops it out right at train time, no tripod. Worked pretty well for the past 45 years from Bolivia to the Canadian Rockies. Buys a new camera and lenses every 10 or 15 years just in case.

If it's a very light rain or misting and I "just have to be" out railfanning, I'll take a small plastic bag (of the "I just bought two Snickers bars at 7-Eleven and they put 'em in this little plastic bag" variety) and cut a hole in the bottom that will more or less fit around the lens shade of my camera. The camera stays covered then, save for part of the lens shade, and perhaps the very back (which would be up against my face anyway if I'm looking through the viewfinder).

If it's pouring rain, I'll stay inside or shoot from the car window. I'm not out railfanning in that stuff very often anyway.

You know those plastic shower caps with elastic bands on the bottom that you get for free at many hotels?
They make great camera covers that you can keep over your tripoded camera until just before the shot.

Another goodie is those clear plastic wastecan liners, like the kind they have at work. Remove your skylight filter from the lens.
Put your camera on the tripod, and a clear bag over the camera. Screw your skylight filter onto the camera from outside the bag (yes, sandwiching the bag between the lens and filter.
The act of screwing on the filter will cut a clean hole in the bag, exactly lens size. Remove the filter, discard the plastic hole cutout, and replace the filter on the lens.
This way, your camera is covered, and you can either just wipe your lens with a dry cloth from your dry pants pocket just before the shot, or you can just remove the filter and shoot through the bag's "lens hole".
Additionally, these bags are large enough so you can get your arms up under the bag and hold the camera...a really big bag and you can get yourself in underneath for the shot as well.

Or just keep your camera inside your raincoat until just before the shot, whip it out, shoot and stow again...all these methods have worked for me.

Have fun!

--Sasquatch

And when shooting in winter, make sure to bring plenty of spare batteries no matter what kind of camera. Cold loves to consume batteries and freeze shutters!

Sasquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> You know those plastic shower caps with elastic
> bands on the bottom that you get for free at many
> hotels?
> They make great camera covers that you can keep
> over your tripoded camera until just before the
> shot.

Man, when we're out railfanning, we don't stay in them kinds of high-class places!

:D

KEnnedy

Me neither...I "borrow" my wife's!

8^D