apart from an umbrella, are there any other ways to protect the xl2 without a proper cover? how 'resistant' are they. i have to shoot outdoors in a british summer. any tips welcome. (apart from those involving moving)

thanks

Hi Ray,
As a wildlife photographer I do most of my filming outdoors in Scotland.

I do not have a rain cover but I always carry a plastic dustbin liner for
emergency use if caught out in the rain.

Cut a hole for the lens and viewfinder and using PVC insulating tape
fix the bag to the lens hood and viewfinder.

If you use a transparent and very thin dustbin liner you can still see
and operate the controls through the bag.

I carry several as you can cut a hole for your head and use it as a
raincoat or as a mat to sit on wet ground.

Bin liner for a raincoat? Luxury. Down our way we're lucky to find an old bread bag to use as a hat . . .

Seriously Henry, when you're shooting in damp conditions, do you ever get camera warnings, like 'remove cassette'. This was something that plagued my outdoor use of the XM2. Like you, I used a makeshift raincover (mine was a rain cape from an old visit to Seaworld, I think) but I still got the problems. Now that I have a shiny new XL2 I'm terrified about this happening again.

Ian . . .

Hi Ian

I do not normally go out and film in the rain as the wildlife does not like
the rain any more than I do.

As I said I only use this as an emergency cover if caught out in rain.

I have not had any problems with warnings which are probably due to
condensation within a close fitting bag. I always use a tripod and if the
bag is pulled down over the legs it allows the air into the bag and helps
prevent condensation.

The bags I use are 20 inches wide and 36inches long and are made from
very thin clear plastic (Recycling Bags) supplied by our local council.

Ah, there's the thing - emergency use only. Great advice about the bag being pulled down over the tripod legs to allow air in.

Cheers Henry.

Ian . . .

I was recently in Northern India shooting for 6 weeks... Being the beginning of monsoon season, I was very concerned about this topic. However, my budget was very tight and I decided to 'wing it'...

What I did, and would recommend for you as well, is buy 'moisture munchers'...you can find them on B+H, really cheap. Keep these in your case and wherever you store your lens... These are good for basic condensation issues (I put my camera on the top luggage of an AC'd bus and the camera fogged up, but when I opened the moisture absorber and put it in there it was a lot better...)

I think it really boils down to common sense... I was lucky and found a nylon-ish bag there that fit the camera perfectly- i used it as a carrying case and it protected the camera from any unexpected downpours...

You can also buy a waterproofing spray from most outdoor/hiking retailers-- find a semi-water resistant bag and spray it up on the outside and modify/D.I.Y. for much cheaper than buying one...

Bring an umbrella or poncho and try not to purposely stand out in the rain if possible ;) I got by fine and the camera survived with no problems whatsoever...

Just some comments from my experience-- I would never imply you shouldn't invest in proper protection (umm... for your camera), but sometimes you have to weigh your options...

If you want some links to custom cam-coats, hit me up- I found one or two independant companies... not sure if the coats are any good- but they looked good for the gig...