 Sergio Izquierdo |
How Can I Take Questions in the Rain? I have a digital camera (Minolta Dimage 7Hi). I live in Guatemala (Central América) and sometimes it's raining in the jungle. How can I take pictures on the tiny rain without getting my lens wet? I can not clear the lens with some drops because the water will spread on the lens and the picture won't come out as I want. Any ideas?
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Kerry L. Walker |
Carry an umbrella. Keep yourself and the camera under the umbrella, and you will both be happier.
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Bob Cammarata |
A lens hood will work if the wind is not blowing toward you. Try to angle the camera down slightly so the rain will fall on the outside of the hood and not onto the glass. A standard-sized macro lens with a recessed front element can be another alternative. (Ideally, you should try to avoid getting your gear wet to begin with. ... The umbrella sounds like the best idea.)
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Sergio Izquierdo |
thanks to both! :o)
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Bunny Snow |
Before I visited Costa Rica last February, I made a raincoat for my Nikon FM3A camera. Now, I realize this Nikon is not a digital, and because it is not automatic, it's not as fragile as many other cameras. But, both the camera and my macro lens were brand new and I didn't want to injure them. I flattened a heavy gauge plastic bag on the table and placed half of myr lens on the crease. Then, will a fine marking pen, drew a half circle around that lens. NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS Online Magazine explains it better, with pictures and text. Here is a tiny url which will connect you; http://tinyurl.com/623fb I put the finished bag over my camera and secured the bag in place with a lens hood, thereby making a camera raincoat. When the winds drove the rain toward me (and we did have driving rains in the rainforest) I was safe long enough to stash my gear in the bag. And, to be safer, I bought an extra cheap poncho to cover my camera bag and backpack, as I too, wore a poncho. An umbrella is not practical in the rainforest. But rain gear for yourself and your camera and lens is a must! Also, carry a dry towel (in a plastic bag) to dry off your tripod, camera and anything else that gets wet, as soon as shelter is found. Also, always have a dry microfiber lens cloth with you to wipe dry your filters (which should be on your lens to protect it, as well), and lens, itself, if need be. Prepare yourself before your trip, so you can act quickly to protect your gear and yourself from often continuous rain. Then, you can have fun and get great pictures, when the flowers and leaves are wet, the waterfalls flowing, and life is glistening! Have fun shooting!
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Kerry L. Walker |
I think Susan has the right idea. Carry a tank of a camera in the first place, as well as something to protect it. The new digital cameras are not as weather friendly as the Nikon FM3A.
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Sergio Izquierdo |
Hey! Great Idea Susan :o). Thanks
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Bunny Snow |
Kerry, Did you check out the web site for Nature Photographers online magazine? That raincoat worked great! And, if that isn't enough, there are raincoats that you can buy for yourself and your camera. A local camera store was selling large heavy gauge plastic raincoats for the camera, tripod, and myself for $75.00! But there are less expensive ways to go. If your camera is so fragile, perhaps it shouldn't be in a rainforest. However, Greg Basco, at Deepgreen Photography took awesome pictures of the rainforest in Costa Rica. He inspired me to buy Canon EOS and lighting. Basco shoots with a Canon 10D, shoots in the rainforest, has expensive gear, and very likely shoots in the rain. However, I imagine he takes precautions. Wind driven rain turns umbrellas inside out and breaks the spokes. You need something more durable. Perhaps, he'll respond if you write him at: gmbasco@deepgreenphotography.com http://www.deepgreenphotography.com/equipment.htm http://www.deepgreenphotography.com/landscapes.htm
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Kerry L. Walker |
Susan, I have not yet checked out the website but I will. Believe me, my camera is not fragile. I have several cameras but the one I would take to a rainforest is an old Olympus OM-2n (all my cameras are film cameras). It, like the Nikon, is a tank. My comment was more a compliment to your camera. I like the FM3A.
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Bunny Snow |
Just another thought about weather in a rainforest (and I imagine jungles, although I've never been in one) would be similar. When we kayaked Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park on the southwest side of New Zealand's South Island, we camped in the rainforest. It was raining the day we pulled our kayaks onto the beach. It was very windy on the Sound and on the beach and very wet in the rainforest. I kept my covered manual Pentax K-1000 with an 80-200 mm zoom lens (covered with UV filter) and a lens shade (to protect from rain from above), pointed towards the ground. But, the filter still got wet from the moisture in the air. Before I stowed my gear into drier quarters inside our tent (and ultimately in the kayak storage hold), I carefully wiped off the lens, filters, and body with a dry micro fiber lens cloth. This is because there was moisture on all, despite precautions being taken. The moisture just hangs in the air getting everything soggy, whether or not it is actually raining. The same is true in Cloud forests, where moisture just hangs in the air, wetting everything. It's difficult enough to walk over soggy ground and to hold one's own balance, without using an umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and still trying to shoot pictures. One needs better precautionary measures, which is why I suggest a camera poncho that fits over the lens, the camera and over your head when you are shooting, as well as a poncho over your camera gear and yourself (even if that means two more ponchos). The other thing I found in NZ was that my lens kept fogging up from all the moisture, which is why I needed more than one microfiber lens cloths. One for immediately, and one for later. Hope this helps.
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Dan Smith |
if you can afford one and if they are available where you live one of the large under water camera housings will take care of most if not all of these problems but they are bulky and expensive .. hope this helps
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