Rain and a 20D

Richard

How worried do you have to be about shooting in the rain? I have always packed my 20D away at the first drop, but right now I'm trying to do a pic that requires shooting on a rainy day. I have a somewhat sheltered spot to shoot from, but I know that a few drops are going to hit the camera. I'll be using a 70-200 f/4L. So is this a bad idea?

Thanks,

pyry

Richard wrote:

How worried do you have to be about shooting in the rain? I have always packed my 20D away at the first drop, but right now I'm trying to do a pic that requires shooting on a rainy day. I have a somewhat sheltered spot to shoot from, but I know that a few drops are going to hit the camera. I'll be using a 70-200 f/4L. So is this a bad idea?

Thanks,

Light to moderate rain is no problem at all - it's wind you have to look out for in a rain, because that will push water against the seams. My 20D has been through sea spray and a shallow puddle and keeps on truckin'.

gus

If it rains ...my cameras/lenses get wet until i decide its too much. Ive had both the 20& 30D with water dripping off them. I do try & rest my hand over the right top side or shelter them with my body.

I dont think they are as fragile as many imagine...not that there is anything wrong with that but for me hey, its there to be used.

Zanotti

I put a hole in a plastic bag for the lens. The L lenses tend to be pretty sealed, then put your hands through the back of the bag. Its not totally waterproof, but keeps 90% of the rain out.

I have shot football in a driving rain this way with a 30D without problem. When I come home, I do take everything apart and let it sit until fully dry.

Z

ziggy53

Zanotti wrote:

I put a hole in a plastic bag for the lens. The L lenses tend to be pretty sealed, then put my hands through the back of the bag. Its not totally waterproof, but keeps 90% of the rain out.

I have shot football in a driving rain this way with a 30D without problem. When I come home, I do thake everything apart and let it sit until fully dry.

Z

I've done similar with video cameras and it works great.

Scott_Quier

If you look around here, Andy has posted a picture of how he handles this situation. In short, use a gallon sized zip lock bag. Cut the two bottom corners off the bag. Run the camera strap through these holes and reconnect it to the camera. Now, when the camera is hanging from your neck, the bottom of the bag is up and the open end is down. Rain runs right off. When you want to shoot, slide the bag up the strap as much as you need to, and take the shot.

Richard

Thanks a lot, guys. Good advice.

ryant35

Zanotti wrote:

I put a hole in a plastic bag for the lens. The L lenses tend to be pretty sealed, then put your hands through the back of the bag. Its not totally waterproof, but keeps 90% of the rain out.

I have shot football in a driving rain this way with a 30D without problem. When I come home, I do take everything apart and let it sit until fully dry.

Z

I tried to put a plastic bag over a 1D MKIIn & 70-200 f/2.8 IS and it worked great until the wind picked up to 40 mph. Then every other shot had orange or yellow plastic in the framed.

Scott_Quier

Something else that just occurred to me. Do you remember the "Proposal in the Park" thread started by Shay Stephens (link)? He shot that, I believe, with a Canon 20D.

Mr. 2H2O

I just shot two events in rain/hail/wind/sun/clouds...all within the same couple hours.

I used a plastic bag from my newspaper, cut the end out, used a rubber band to attach it against the hood, and everything was nice and dry. The bag is clear so I also used a rubber band to attach it over the viewfinder and I use a baseball cap that works well in the rain. No problems and my camera is not weather-sealed. I use both hands on the inside of the bag.

I don't shoot into the wind so I avoid getting raindrops on the lens. I also used a monopod which helped keep the gear stable in the wind gusts.

I use a UV filter just for spray protection and let the kit dry out overnight.

- Mike