Just wondering how it holds up to bad weather?

I have a Indian wedding to shoot this bank holiday weekend and I know i'll have to video the bride coming out of the car into the venue. The weather forcast is showing heavy rain. I'm a solo shooter so an umbrella is out of the question, I have a waterproof cover (for a camera bag, rather than the camera) to temporarily cover most of the camera, but the lens / LCD screen will be exposed to the elements.

Just wondering whether or not any ones exposed their EA50 to bad weather yet?

Or does any one have a cheap, working solution to cover the whole camera properly?

Hi James

I did a shoot in February and it basically rained the whole time ..but quite lightly only ..the cams got a bit wet and the only thing that happened was the loupe kept fogging up I kept wiping them down so they didn't get too soggy

If it's heavy rain then get a proper rain cover for the camera ... I have often thought about making myself one of those umbrellas that fasten to your head with an elastic head strap .. I reckon that would work far neater than a rain cover and you are less likely to get condensation issues too.

Chris

To this day I keep a plastic garbage bag in my camera bag. I cut it open down one of the side seams, and since I keep a small role of gaff tape in my bag if I need to, I can at least throw the plastic cover over the majority of the cam and use tape to hold it in place by taping it together under the camera. Is it as good as a proper rain jacket? No, but it does keep the majority of the rain off the camera body and lens.
It works better on the small form factor camera than the full size or almost full size cams I'm now using again, but something is better than nothing.

To this day I keep a plastic garbage bag in my camera bag. I cut it open down one of the side seams, and since I keep a small role of gaff tape in my bag if I need to, I can at least throw the plastic cover over the majority of the cam and use tape to hold it in place by taping it together under the camera. Is it as good as a proper rain jacket? No, but it does keep the majority of the rain off the camera body and lens.
It works better on the small form factor camera than the full size or almost full size cams I'm now using again, but something is better than nothing.

I like the idea of the bin bag but I guess it will basically do what this waterproof camera bag cover I already have will do, which is cover as much of the camcorder as possible.

Hi James

I did a shoot in February and it basically rained the whole time ..but quite lightly only ..the cams got a bit wet and the only thing that happened was the loupe kept fogging up I kept wiping them down so they didn't get too soggy

If it's heavy rain then get a proper rain cover for the camera ... I have often thought about making myself one of those umbrellas that fasten to your head with an elastic head strap .. I reckon that would work far neater than a rain cover and you are less likely to get condensation issues too.

Chris

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I would expect a bit of condensation to be honest, but i'm reluctant to go out spending £100+ on a rain cover. Just not a justifiable purchase in my eyes.

I recently filmed in the rain with mine. I crafted a makeshift raincover from a poncho. The opening for the person's head was used for the lens. I took waterproof electrician's tape and sealed that around the lens hood. Also made a slit for the eye piece on the loupe, then took an elastic "shoestring??" and tied that around the loupe. Then I just cut the remaining excess off. It worked rather well. Aside from being a bright yellow (only one available besides pink at Wal-Mart on my way to the gig) it didn't look too redneck.

I took this pic to show my wife what I ended up doing. Sorry I don't have one from the front.

Would I do this again??? Sure! But I've decided to definitely buy a rain slicker/wetsuit/rain jacket for this camera. I had a PortaBrace for my A1 and it worked well and was worth every cent.

I recently filmed in the rain with mine. I crafted a makeshift raincover from a poncho. The opening for the person's head was used for the lens. I took waterproof electrician's tape and sealed that around the lens hood. Also made a slit for the eye piece on the loupe, then took an elastic "shoestring??" and tied that around the loupe. Then I just cut the remaining excess off. It worked rather well. Aside from being a bright yellow (only one available besides pink at Wal-Mart on my way to the gig) it didn't look too redneck.

I took this pic to show my wife what I ended up doing. Sorry I don't have one from the front.

Would I do this again??? Sure! But I've decided to definitely buy a rain slicker/wetsuit/rain jacket for this camera. I had a PortaBrace for my A1 and it worked well and was worth every cent.

Awesome.

My cover is basically the same material as a poncho. It covers the majority of the camera, just not the LCD or the massive Canon zoom lens i'll have on it !

I"m pretty sure the camera is not designed to use in the rain so you either can use a selfmade solution like Jerome did or spend money on a cover that was designed for the ea50. If I would be shooting more then once in the rain I would spend the money to protect the camera in any way I could, if it was just one time I"d custommake a bag to fit, waterdamage is not covered by the warranty, you could also get one of these and keep the camera and yourself dry at the same time.

http://savasplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/weird-japanese-invention-7.jpg

Hi Noa

As already mentioned above in my post but you would have to make sure the umbrella does clear the camera that's on your shoulder .... This doesn't really help the tripod mounted camera of course but before now (When I still had my Panasonic DVC20's) I did use a brolly and fastened it to the actual tripod just using a G-Clamp ... I'm not sure how waterproof the normal bounce brollys are but those just have a shaft so it would be simple to make up a fitting so it went on the tripod and then shake it off and use it with your lighting kit at the reception.

I'm a lot in favour of keeping off the rain rather than wrapping the camera in plastic ..I know it's a bit bulky but at least the cam is less likely to sweat under an umbrella coming up from the tripod than inside a plastic bag!! Next time it rains here (we are coming up to our wet Winters) I'll take one of my white bounce umbrellas outside and see how much rain stays away! Surely a really heavy downpour would cause the wedding to be moved indoors??? I can't see much more tolerance than a light drizzle as all the guests would get soaked, even if the bride was under shelter

Chris

The camera may just pick up a little bit of noise from the rain rattling off the umbrella. And in this country anyway, rain tends not to fall neatly in a vertical direction, it has been known to be diagonal, or even horizontal!

I've done the garbage bag thing, I've hated it. The noise, the ergonomics, everything. The plastic used in proper raincovers is "quieter" I find, and when the rain gets heavy you don't find pools and puddles forming in the same way as on that thin garbage bag plastic. A good Kata, Portabrace, Petrol etc. is much less likely to tear than a proper raincover.

Of course, living where I do, rain is a certainty on every shoot and a raincover is a worthwhile investment! It all depends on your location and what you do.

I found one made by "camrade" that they can a wetsuit, and has a cotton liner to reduce rain sound they say. It fits with zippers, I'd prefer Velcro, but in thinking about this one or the portabrace.

The camera may just pick up a little bit of noise from the rain rattling off the umbrella.

I was joking with the umbrella link :) but should have added a smiley. I wouldn't see myself walking around like that, but I guess it would be somewhat effective.

Don't laugh... I tried to find a mini umbrella with a hotshoe mount once, until I realised it may be a bad idea! Which is probably why B&H and CVP didn't have any on their websites!

Just wondering how it holds up to bad weather?


The answer is IT DOES NOT HOLD UP. All video cameras hate water. The Porta Brace rain slicker I bought for my Canon XL series cameras fits the EA50 well enough to be safe to use.

It may be "hard" to spend $200.00 for something you may only use occasionally but it is a cheap investment to protect a $3,500.00 camera. I have seen Kata rain covers for much less than Porta Brace but either one is cheap insurance in my opinion. And I live in Phoenix, Arizona, it rains here about once every ten years. No need for me to walk around with a Bennie Boy umbrella on my head with a propeller on top :)

Rain covers are also good in dusty, dirty environments. I have used mine for NASCAR auto racing because of the dirt coming off the track and the champagne, or Gatorade these days in victory lane. When a race track gets wet they dry it off by dragging a jet engine around behind a truck. It is like the worlds biggest blow dryer. It throws rocks and rubber balls at you. No fun at all, and the uninitiated can soon find them selves with a damaged camera, bad stuff in their eyes, and ears that hurt because they took their protection off once the cars parked. Rookies only make that mistake once. Rain covers serve more than one purpose.

Steve

Rain covers are also good in dusty, dirty environments. I have used mine for NASCAR auto racing because of the dirt coming off the track and the champagne, or Gatorade these days in victory lane.

Steve
This is also my next exact reason for getting one and the dirt bike stuff that it appears I'll be filming more of soon.

Jerome,

For credentialed motor sports you can get "almost into the action". I make an exception for lens filters and buy cheap ones for that. I keep a spare in my kit. I have taken hits and gone through more than one at a race.

Steve

Too close to the action more like it, BUT it was fun especially for my first time. Can't wait for August!

Here's a true story for ya! When I was shooting NASCAR (Robotic cams on the walls-no flycam that was someone else) we would cover our very expensive cameras with...wait for it, a $.25 garbage bag held together very tightly by...yep wire ties. Since there were no mics or viewfinder on the camera it was really a very good solution especially since we would have up to 10 cameras placed around the track AND there might be 3 different races at 3 different tracks on the same weekend. Trucks, Nationwide and Sprint Cup! they don't always run at the same track on the same weekend. Before leaving the track at night we would cover the entire assembly, camera, lens and robo head with another garbage bag just in case it rained overnight. Keep in mind we might be at the track for 4 or 5 days. Now the best part. We covered the glass of the very expensive lenses with.......a piece of window pane glass from the hardware store and would use electrical tape to secure it to the lens hood. Believe it or not, even with these great Sony or Ikegi cams and beautiful Canon or Fuji lenses we used there was no noticeable diffraction or distortion seen in the video truck. The thought was this. Better to break a $.30 piece of glass then destroy a very expensive lens and frankly even clear filters were quite costly, so their solution was window glass. I can't tell you how many of those I had to change during a race. the crap that gets thrown up in the air at a race is incredible. If I was teching (sitting trackside in a comfy golf cart wating to get called on the radio to do something to one of the cameras) I obeyed 3 rules. 1) Eye protection-darks or clears depending on time of day 2) Hearing protection at all times and 3) NEVER turn your back to a hot track. You can't duck what you don't see coming!
Anyway garbage bags and hardware store glass....shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone, it's a trade secret! ;-)

Are you serious? Interesting! Luckily, I only have to film bits and pieces. I spent a limited time in the pits and "hot track" time. But definitely have to be on guard! Even in the pits! Victory lane was a mad house. I learned quick to not worry as much about blocking other peeps, but only worry about getting in the network's shots. I didn't block shots, but it's a free for all there and one photog Todd me everyone else will adjust except for network. I caught his drift quick. LOL. He could tell I was a rookie for the races, but not just an amateur (he was very interested in the EA50)

Anyways, I may definitely do the window glass at the motocross....

Tracks be it the pits or the midway can be dangerous places. The midway is where a bunch of people are walking around looking everywhere but where they are going and you're driving in a golf cart carrying a bunch of gear and there's only one way to get where you need to be and that's the midway. We carried an air horn for those occasions. Sooooo, you're the guy that got in my shot that time!!!!! ;-) lol
Yeah if your vest says ESPN or FOX or Speed Channel or TnT you're kinda like "Da Man" at least some of them think so. Most of the guys I met were good guys just doing their job like the rest of us.
It's a hell of a life style, though and the money can be really good.
I knew some guys that traveled 30 to 34 weeks a year. While the money is really good, the grind would get me. Good for some, not so much for others.

I do a lot of outside broadcasting, and the company I freelance for has a lot of excellent equipment including raincovers.. however on handheld camera's they mostly prefer to use a garbage bag, because you can have it fit so much better than even the best built factory cover.. and at the end of the production you just rip it off and throw it away instead of having it get dried.

Jerome,

Don said the window glass was on the robotic cams. They are mounted to the barrier wall and no ones face is behind it. Please do NOT put the window glass on your shoulder cam. You can't imagine what comes flying off that track and hits you in the face when you are poking your head into one of the holes in the fence cut for photographers. The window glass could severely injure you. I don't think he was recommending it for your EA50.

Steve

I have avoided posting this shot and others because it could be seen a brag shot. I'm not boasting, this shoot was a blast. Since we are so far off topic I can say I know a little about staying safe doing our job and working in foul weather:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3577/3543901412_996eab0179.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/3543901412/)
SteveShooting (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/3543901412/) by PHXPHOTOGRAPHER (http://www.flickr.com/people/phxphotog/), on Flickr


Jerome, I know you are getting into NASCAR at Bristol. You can see some of my NASCAR stills and other stuff on my Flickr link:

Me - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/sets/72157618429968472/)

The best seat in the house is in the flag stand!

Steve

Jerome, I know you are getting into NASCAR at Bristol. You can see some of my NASCAR stills and other stuff on my Flickr link:

Me - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/sets/72157618429968472/)

The best seat in the house is in the flag stand!

Steve
Steve that's awesome! I'll have to give you a ring sometime!!!

EDIT: actually the best seat in the house that I found was in the most elaborate suite box snack dab on the start/finish line! My marketing contract guy was very jealous as he never once stepped foot in there ;-)

There are no tracks that will allow still photogs to stick their heads thru a hole in the fence for the robo cams. First they can interfere with the cams, 2nd it is extremely and I underscore that word, dangerous to stick your head out there and can actually cause a crash. AAMOF if the glass had to be cleaned or changed the camera would be turned away from the track towards the grandstands so the tech could work on it safely, then the tech gives a thumbs up and the operator tests, left, right, up down. If all was good, the operator would have the camera shake tilt up and down as in "yes". The folks in the grandstand that saw that would all laugh. It was better than using a radio cause you can't hear diddly anyway.
Now most tracks require a safety cage around the camera position so civilians and still photogs can't get in there.
And no I am not recommending using plain old glass to protect your lens. The reason we did was simple. Money. It could get really costly really fast to keep buying clear filters for all of the lenses we had. Remember we're talking about a lot of cameras. Oh yeah, I forgot, they also covered the IRL including Indy and did the Direct TV Hot Pass so you're talking about a whole lot of cameras! Lots of filters, lots of money. The glass worked great for the robos on the wall!

Steve, I see you were just kinda hangin' around there. Nice! ;-)

Don,

I did not suggest anyone ever should stick their head through the hole for the robo cam. You and I both know that is off limits. In fact, keeping still photogs (the stupid ones) from getting into those cages was a big problem for my track. They are not secured, there is a hole in the bottom of the cage. You simply bend over and stand up and there is nothing between you and the cars and you are in a cage of death if something bad happens because you have no where to go, you are in the cage.

The allowable place for credentialed still guys is a hole in the catch fence. Those holes are about six feet long and three feet high, just above the barrier wall. Cut in places with no fans behind them. So yes, there the cars were unobstructed with nothing between you and them. The difference between our spots and the robo cam cages was the cage. We could duck or run if need be. I did, but by the time I figured out I should it was usually to late :) As the old saying goes, you could reach out and touch them, if you wanted to loose your arm! The rule was you were not supposed to break the vertical plane of where the fence was if the hole was not there. In other words, don't be an idiot and poke your head out over the wall! Coming out of turn two the cars are literally up against the wall with inches to spare. It IS dangerous and scary, a lot of guys would not shoot at that hole. It was my favorite. If you look at the photos on my old flickr page you can see exactly what I'm talking about. Many of those shots came from my 16-35mm lens.

From about 1999 to 2005 I worked for ISC as the track photographer at PIR. My access to everything I wanted was amazing. When I started there was eight on track events a year. Now they only run NASCAR at that track and it is only twice a year. The Flickr photos are a very small sampling of what I shot there.

This shot shows what I am talking about. You can see the top of the wall, the cut fence, and the unobstructed race car. If you look at the other shots you will see cars almost touching the wall. It was a great ride while it lasted!

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3600/3544951370_12c1246bdc.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/3544951370/)
HS8S2561 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phxphotog/3544951370/) by PHXPHOTOGRAPHER (http://www.flickr.com/people/phxphotog/), on Flickr

The last time I did the Milwaukee race we had to chase off 2 or 3 photogs who crawled into the cages to use the openings in the fence we had cams in. Needless to say they weren't happy but then neither were we. Most tracks have a couple of designated places for the still guys to shoot from and while they seem to be safer than other areas they're still not safe enough to stick your head out there but I've saw that as well. Track officals chased them off.
Again I refer to the Milwaukee Mile track, I was there teching the cams one time, was facing the track and BAM! Car hit the wall in turn 4 about 100 feet in front of the cam position where I was getting ready to change an ND filter setting (had to do it manually-4 position wheel) All I can say is thank goodness I had my safety glasses on or I doubt I'd still be shooting. A small stone rocketed by and hit me in the face luckily hitting the glasses and not my face. Best part was the glasses not only worked but didn't crack although there was a mark on them.
The shots one can get be it video or stills from the holes in the fence are amazing no doubt just have to be careful, use common sense and be aware of what's going on around you. After all that it was some of the most fun working I've ever had. Off course I've never been hanging off a mountain to shoot climbers so.... :-)

I use a 10mil rain poncho , clear : by far the best solution when you need to get it on fast. All the "dedicated" covers can take 10-20 minutes to put them on and if you do it in a hurry then you risk to let something open or not sealed well and the rain will have no mercy. The 10mil vinyl is a little ticker than the cheaper ones @walmart or similar and offer a much better protection. Use the head aperture to tape it on the base of the hood and cover the camera sealing with electric tape. It's clear so you can see everything. Put silica gels (taped inside right on the camera) to reduce the condensation and of course a filter to protect the lens. One more thing: when you are done shooting (with any rain slicker) don't put the camera in a warm room right away (the condensation can harm the electrical parts): instead put the camera in the bag and let it settle for an hour at the outdoor temperature. I do this as a habit now after a friend told me about the risk of a massive condensation due to a sudden change of temperature.