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Shooting in the rain


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I need to be prepared to be shooting in the rain in Northern Alaska.  What can I do to protect the camera and onboard monitor while still having access to the controls and being able to see my image?

I'll be shooting on a C300ii on a shoulder rig with matte box, follow focus, 5" monitor and gold mount batteries on the back.  

Thanks!

 

 

Edited by Kevin Mastman
typo
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Kevin. as mentioned I would buy one designed for the camera or one of the Portabrace storm covers .. they are expensive but will keep the rain out.. I don't think there is any rain cover that isn't a pain by the definition alone.. its covering stuff .. :)..   Ive also found using the French flag on a Mattbox, is great for keeping the rain off the lens .. which is the biggest nuisance really..

The c300 is a bit more of pain as it doesn't have a "real" EVF.. I think your better off having your eye /head up against the camera looking through an actual EVF, than a monitor shooting hand held in the rain.. maybe get a Zacuto EYE or something .. Zacuto also have a very good anti fog filter for EVF,s..

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12 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:

The c300 is a bit more of pain as it doesn't have a "real" EVF.. I think your better off having your eye /head up against the camera looking through an actual EVF, than a monitor shooting hand held in the rain.. maybe get a Zacuto EYE or something .

You can make an excellent Zacuto replacement using one or two close-up filters and something to hold them.

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33 minutes ago, David Mawson said:

You can make an excellent Zacuto replacement using one or two close-up filters and something to hold them.

As an anti fogging filter ..?  or an EVF ..?   sorry but cant visualize that .. 

Edited by Robin R Probyn
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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

use a clear garbage bag for the camera - they are bendable, cuttable, and very easily replaceable. you can still see and push camera buttons through them

use small binder clips to attach the bag to the mattebox

cover the on-boarx monitor with a clear ziploc bag, pull it tight, and wrap elastic bands around the base of the noga arm

be creative - we use food wrap (saran wrap? cling wrap?) if needed, bongo ties, elastic bands, clips of all sorts

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  • 1 month later...
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At the expendables suppliers here in Oz, we have "camera covers" which are just big clear plastic "bags" (essentially), which we just cut holes in, where needed, for monitors, evf etc. 

A bit of tape around the edges of the cuts (to help reinforce them a little) helps a lot. And if you really want to go all out - velcro strips along the bottom to hold the "opening" of the bag together is pretty tidy (most of the time we just use tape or clamps.

 Here's an F35 with the bag treatment:

IMG_1088.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've used a bunch of stuff for camera covers in poor weather. Sometimes I get annoyed by the bulkiness and thickness of visqueen type plastic. It's crinkly and loud and just bunches up and bothers me depending on the situation. I've had a lot of success with very thin trashcan liner type bags. They're clear, which is handy, cheap, and don't make a lot of rustling noise when you're carrying it. I typically cut them to fit the camera I'm using it on, and spend a bit of time early on to put some velcro on the camera/mattebox and the bag to secure it in place. They're typically thin enough that I can fold it up when I'm not using it and keep it in a jacket pocket or AC bag without it taking up a ton of room.  Because they're thin, you'd think they would tear easily, but I've had them withstand 60mph winds without tearing. The only issue I find is that since they're so thin, they can droop down into your focus motors or follow focus if you aren't careful. But I usually take care to make sure that it cannot happen during operation. 

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I mean if you wanna be really crazy; get an under-water housing for the camera. This will be a PAIN IN THE REAR, but will give full control of the camera buttons, and a way to view the image, and the camera will not get wet.

Otherwise, I prefer the rain-covers for the camera specific when one can, else, you're jury rigging something, which is fine, but generally not as good as a proper rain cover which tends to have access points built in so you don't have to un-do your tape situation to change media, for example.

 

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