Raincover for AC130/AC160 at DVinfo.net

Mike Beckett · April 5th, 2013, 08:14 AM

I was wondering if anyone has any personal experience of rain covers for these cameras? I raised this on The Other Forum, but I figured I'd ask here as well.

I have a Petrol Deca cover (the sort that mounts to the cold shoe), but it's a nightmare to get it on in a hurry. It won't even mount directly to the cold shoe, I have to use a riser on it, and that makes matters worse and more fiddly. It's supposed to be compatible with the AC130/160, but I think it should read "just about compatible but not really".

I've looked at the Kata (CRC-14 PL), but I'm not sure there's enough room inside to use it easily (i.e. difficult to get to the LCD screen). Anyone got any experience of that one?

I'm not a fan of those Portabrace-style covers that are custom-tailored to the camera, I find them very difficult to work through, I really just want something that I can just slip on quickly when the rains come, but it has to fit the camera and have room for my big hands to work the buttons inside it.

And no, not garbage bags. That's just silly. (And I have tried).

Mike Beckett · April 14th, 2013, 07:12 AM

OK, answering my own post may be the first sign of madness, but that's taken as read anyway.

I did post this elsewhere, but I thought it would be of possible benefit to people here as well.

Encouraged by some other discussions, I decided to go for the Kata CRC-15 PL, the revamp of their old CRC-15. The Kata site recommended the CRC-14 for the AC130/160. A bit of digging made me a bit wary of this; it recommended the larger CRC-15 for the Canon XF300, and it's slightly smaller than the AC130/160! So I went for the CRC-15 anyway.

Here it is: CRC-15 PL | Kata Bags

Result: I'm happy. It took me one minute to put it on the first time (as seen in photos). Not perfect, but I managed. The important thing is that you can quickly throw it over the top and you're rain-proof, if not able to film. I actually start by slipping the mic opening over the softie on my shotgun mic, then pull the cover over the rest of the camera. Then you use the drawstrings around the viewfinder and pull the little hood over it, and then use velcro and a drawstring to secure the front around the lens hood.

Good news - you can reach the focus/zoom/iris rings quite easily, open the LCD screen (and pretty much see it if you're looking down on the camera). You can also quite easily access the zoom rocker at the right hand side.

I discarded the sleeve that goes in the bottom, but that can be used when handheld to give extra protection around the bottom of the camera.

I'm not sure how good the CRC-14 would have been, I would think it would be a bit tight to be comfortable.

(Sorry about the photos... it was pretty hard to get a well-lit shot of all that shiny plastic!)

April 5th, 2013, 08:14 AM	#1
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Raincover for AC130/AC160 I was wondering if anyone has any personal experience of rain covers for these cameras? I raised this on The Other Forum, but I figured I'd ask here as well. I have a Petrol Deca cover (the sort that mounts to the cold shoe), but it's a nightmare to get it on in a hurry. It won't even mount directly to the cold shoe, I have to use a riser on it, and that makes matters worse and more fiddly. It's supposed to be compatible with the AC130/160, but I think it should read "just about compatible but not really". I've looked at the Kata (CRC-14 PL), but I'm not sure there's enough room inside to use it easily (i.e. difficult to get to the LCD screen). Anyone got any experience of that one? I'm not a fan of those Portabrace-style covers that are custom-tailored to the camera, I find them very difficult to work through, I really just want something that I can just slip on quickly when the rains come, but it has to fit the camera and have room for my big hands to work the buttons inside it. And no, not garbage bags. That's just silly. (And I have tried).

April 14th, 2013, 07:12 AM	#2
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Re: Raincover for AC130/AC160 OK, answering my own post may be the first sign of madness, but that's taken as read anyway. I did post this elsewhere, but I thought it would be of possible benefit to people here as well. Encouraged by some other discussions, I decided to go for the Kata CRC-15 PL, the revamp of their old CRC-15. The Kata site recommended the CRC-14 for the AC130/160. A bit of digging made me a bit wary of this; it recommended the larger CRC-15 for the Canon XF300, and it's slightly smaller than the AC130/160! So I went for the CRC-15 anyway. Here it is: CRC-15 PL \| Kata Bags Result: I'm happy. It took me one minute to put it on the first time (as seen in photos). Not perfect, but I managed. The important thing is that you can quickly throw it over the top and you're rain-proof, if not able to film. I actually start by slipping the mic opening over the softie on my shotgun mic, then pull the cover over the rest of the camera. Then you use the drawstrings around the viewfinder and pull the little hood over it, and then use velcro and a drawstring to secure the front around the lens hood. Good news - you can reach the focus/zoom/iris rings quite easily, open the LCD screen (and pretty much see it if you're looking down on the camera). You can also quite easily access the zoom rocker at the right hand side. I discarded the sleeve that goes in the bottom, but that can be used when handheld to give extra protection around the bottom of the camera. I'm not sure how good the CRC-14 would have been, I would think it would be a bit tight to be comfortable. (Sorry about the photos... it was pretty hard to get a well-lit shot of all that shiny plastic!) Attached Thumbnails __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube