Waterproofing an HF-10, or at least protecting it from the elements at DVinfo.net

Kevin Zibart · July 22nd, 2009, 08:45 AM

Does anyone have any advice on keeping my HF-10 safe at the beach or during water-based shore excursions for a cruise? One excursion that has me particularly worried is cave tubing. It's basically a lazy river type setup, where you just relax in an innertube and float down a river through caves. I can't imagine trying to hold my HF-10 up out of the water the entire time, but I really want to video the experience.

I was considering using ziploc bags (2 for safety), with rubber bands or something keeping the plastic flat and tight around the lens. Although, since I wouldn't be able to hold it correctly, I was also thinking about mounting it to a window-mount pan/tilt head that I have as something to hold onto. I guess I'd punch a small hole through the bags at the mount point and get it as tight as possible to the mount plate.

Has anyone tried anything like this or have any other advice for protecting these cameras? And to avoid multiple threads, any advice on filming during a cruise in general is also welcome.

Kevin Zibart · July 23rd, 2009, 08:30 PM

The camera is just barely too large for a sandwich bag. The next larger size is a quart, and most of those seem to be freezer bags, which are less transparent than standard storage bags. I went ahead and bought a small box of quart freezer bags just to see how it would fit. Here are some pictures:

I put a ponytail holder around the lens barrel to try to keep the plastic flat against the front, and I used a straw to suck out as much air as possible before sealing the bag. In general, it seems to work fairly well. But I have yet to actually look at the test footage I took to see how cloudy it appears.

I tried the built in light, which was still somewhat effective even though it didn't cast an even illumination. But it should be better than nothing when shooting in the caves. I'm not sure how well the microphones will pick up though. I have a lapel mic that I could run out the top of the bag, but that would reduce the effectiveness of the seal.

Hopefully I can find some more transparent bags before my trip. I have no intention of letting the camera get submerged, but now hopefully it will survive if it does take an accidental quick dip in the river, and splashing shouldn't be a concern at all.

So there's my poor man's budget waterproof case!

July 22nd, 2009, 08:45 AM	#1
Kevin Zibart Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 30	Waterproofing an HF-10, or at least protecting it from the elements Does anyone have any advice on keeping my HF-10 safe at the beach or during water-based shore excursions for a cruise? One excursion that has me particularly worried is cave tubing. It's basically a lazy river type setup, where you just relax in an innertube and float down a river through caves. I can't imagine trying to hold my HF-10 up out of the water the entire time, but I really want to video the experience. I was considering using ziploc bags (2 for safety), with rubber bands or something keeping the plastic flat and tight around the lens. Although, since I wouldn't be able to hold it correctly, I was also thinking about mounting it to a window-mount pan/tilt head that I have as something to hold onto. I guess I'd punch a small hole through the bags at the mount point and get it as tight as possible to the mount plate. Has anyone tried anything like this or have any other advice for protecting these cameras? And to avoid multiple threads, any advice on filming during a cruise in general is also welcome.

July 23rd, 2009, 08:30 PM	#2
Kevin Zibart Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 30	The camera is just barely too large for a sandwich bag. The next larger size is a quart, and most of those seem to be freezer bags, which are less transparent than standard storage bags. I went ahead and bought a small box of quart freezer bags just to see how it would fit. Here are some pictures: I put a ponytail holder around the lens barrel to try to keep the plastic flat against the front, and I used a straw to suck out as much air as possible before sealing the bag. In general, it seems to work fairly well. But I have yet to actually look at the test footage I took to see how cloudy it appears. I tried the built in light, which was still somewhat effective even though it didn't cast an even illumination. But it should be better than nothing when shooting in the caves. I'm not sure how well the microphones will pick up though. I have a lapel mic that I could run out the top of the bag, but that would reduce the effectiveness of the seal. Hopefully I can find some more transparent bags before my trip. I have no intention of letting the camera get submerged, but now hopefully it will survive if it does take an accidental quick dip in the river, and splashing shouldn't be a concern at all. So there's my poor man's budget waterproof case!