Which Pelican case? at DVinfo.net

Andrew Khalil · March 7th, 2006, 12:13 AM

I'm trying to decide on which case to buy for my (future) XL2 and I'm thinking a hard case is the way to go. The XL2s I use at work are in Portabrace cases, but I think my shooting locations require more protection on the way.
So now I'm looking at the Pelican 1610 case. I know there are a few posts discussing cases, but is this case adequete for the XL2 and a few accessories - by any chance does anyone have a picture of the case with the camera in it just so I can get some perspective?

thanks

edit - after doing a bit more searching around, I found a lot more information in regards to what I was looking for, so if anyone wants to delete this, feel free.

Matthew Nayman · March 7th, 2006, 06:54 AM

1610 is great. I have tons of stuff packed away in mine (xl2, 7inch lcd, two 945's Ch 910, 3 X lens, 20X lens, Cavision rails and Matte box

Andrew Khalil · March 7th, 2006, 02:40 PM

that's what I like to hear - I plan to fill it with a lot of stuff. Did you go with the foam or with the padded dividers?

Matthew Nayman · March 7th, 2006, 02:57 PM

I went with the pick n' pluck foam. Lay your equip out on top, and trace the outline with toothpicks sticking out of the foam... then start picking and plucking!

Brian J. Harris · March 7th, 2006, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Nayman

1610 is great. I have tons of stuff packed away in mine (xl2, 7inch lcd, two 945's Ch 910, 3 X lens, 20X lens, Cavision rails and Matte box

Hello Matthew,
Did you purchase your case from an online store; if so, do you mind stating which one?

Any info. will be greatly appreciated.

Matthew Nayman · March 7th, 2006, 04:31 PM

I got my Case fro Custom Case Co. It operates out of Ottawa Ontario.

Quite good service,

Richard Alvarez · March 7th, 2006, 04:52 PM

1610 with foam for a GREAT price
http://pelican-case.com/1610.html

I have the 1610, but I prefer the padded dividers. I can rearrange the padding depending on what I'm carrying. Extra audio gear, lenses, or small light set. You'd be surprised how much I can get into the box with the camera, and its all nicely padded and 'secured' with velcro.

Andrew Khalil · March 8th, 2006, 03:40 PM

okay, one more quick question - these Pelican cases can be used both horizontally on wheels or carried like a suitcase, so will it hold the camera standing up normally, or do I have to put the camera on its side in order to use the 1610?

Richard Alvarez · March 8th, 2006, 04:34 PM

The idea of the packing is to cradle the camera no matter what position the case is in. In other words, once the lid is closed, whatever is in there is surrounded by foam padding. Up, down, sideways... it's resting on foam.

As it happens, the way I pack my camera, when I open the lid, I lower the camera body into it's section by the handle. So as you look down on the camera, you see the top of the handle. The lens and both viewfinders are removed, and packed seperately in THEIR compartments. I don't worry about anything in the case, regardless of the orientation to gravity.

And I put a LOT of stuff in my case. Again, I use the dividers. Not only are the dividers themselves padded, but they come with other dividers and 'straps' that I use to velcroe the articles down into place.

Andrew Khalil · March 8th, 2006, 04:53 PM

The only reason I was wondering about the orientation of the camera is because I'm just concerned about the viewfinder being stressed by the weight of the camera if I carry it on its side, but I see that this isn't an issue if the camera is diassembled. If I put the camera in the case on its side, with the handgrip side down, will there be enough room on top of the lid so the vf isn't pushed down? What about putting it in the case in its normal orientation? At this point, I don't know if I'll be getting dividers - still thinking about it, but I'm assuming that there is foam on the bottom of the case under the dividers, correct?
Lastly, is there anything I should avoid in terms of how I place the camera in the case? I'd rather not disasseble it each time I need to pack it, simply because I like to be able to pull it out and shoot whenever I need to, and removing the lens often will get dust on the sensor (my DSLR is horrible in that regard).
thanks

Richard Alvarez · March 8th, 2006, 06:04 PM

My partner kept his xl1 in a foam case. As I recall, he plucked the foam so that the entire camera, with viewfinder and lens attached, would rest on it's bottom in the case.

In other words, when you opened the case, you would be looking down on the top of the camera handle and viewfinder. It was very stable, and never had any problems.

DO a search on the case discussion threads. Some people dissassemble when travelling some don't. I'm of the dissassemble school of thought. There was a recent post by a guy who had his 16x manual lens SPLIT because he apparently had the camera assemebled, and the case was dropped, and the lens wasn't properly supported, and so it broke.

I understand wanting the camer to be 'ready to go' right out of the case. I have a large canvas bag I use for 'toting' the camera, as opposed to shipping/traveling with it. The canvas bag is great for putting the camera on the back seat, with some tapes and extra batts, and driving around for a shoot.

Regarding the dividers. Think of a foam 'box' that is lined with ripstop and nestled inside the case. Frankly, I wanted some extra padding, so I lifted the divider box out, slipped an extra 1/4 inch of foam on the bottom, and then put the liner back in. The advantage of the liner is that the foam won't tear, or shred over time. (And yeah, the pick and pluck eventually starts to come loose) With the tray/liner combo, I put some extra padding between the liner and the wall of the case, no worries. I also have velcroe straps that I use inside the liner to secure things extra tight.

YOu might also want to look into STORM cases. Lots of folks like them better than Pelicans, and they are a bit cheaper. I believe. Charles Papert swears by them.

Matthew Nayman · March 8th, 2006, 06:06 PM

I packed mine sideways, so when opening you look at the camera in profile. It rests on the tape door, VTR hand grip and Microphone. I left some foam strategically placed under the lens and body to support it, and this way when I stand up my case, it rests on it's bottom...

John L Scott · March 8th, 2006, 06:56 PM

I really wish I would have bought the 1610 instead of the 1550 now!! Here's why....

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b347/oldrocker/a.jpg

and

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b347/oldrocker/b.jpg

I just ran out of room way too fast...

Andrew Khalil · March 8th, 2006, 07:10 PM

very good points from everyone. I did read the thread about the lens breaking in half, and it is a concern, which is why I'm thinking of not going with dividers and going with the plucking foam in order to fit the camera more precisly.
The sideways orientation you mentioned is what I have in mind.
thanks for all your help

March 7th, 2006, 12:13 AM	#1
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	Which Pelican case? I'm trying to decide on which case to buy for my (future) XL2 and I'm thinking a hard case is the way to go. The XL2s I use at work are in Portabrace cases, but I think my shooting locations require more protection on the way. So now I'm looking at the Pelican 1610 case. I know there are a few posts discussing cases, but is this case adequete for the XL2 and a few accessories - by any chance does anyone have a picture of the case with the camera in it just so I can get some perspective? thanks edit - after doing a bit more searching around, I found a lot more information in regards to what I was looking for, so if anyone wants to delete this, feel free.

March 8th, 2006, 06:56 PM	#13
John L Scott Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 86	I really wish I would have bought the 1610 instead of the 1550 now!! Here's why.... http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b347/oldrocker/a.jpg and http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b347/oldrocker/b.jpg I just ran out of room way too fast... __________________ "Finding Gold In Tailings" www.dredgingworld.com

March 7th, 2006, 06:54 AM	#2
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	1610 is great. I have tons of stuff packed away in mine (xl2, 7inch lcd, two 945's Ch 910, 3 X lens, 20X lens, Cavision rails and Matte box

March 7th, 2006, 02:40 PM	#3
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	that's what I like to hear - I plan to fill it with a lot of stuff. Did you go with the foam or with the padded dividers?

March 7th, 2006, 02:57 PM	#4
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	I went with the pick n' pluck foam. Lay your equip out on top, and trace the outline with toothpicks sticking out of the foam... then start picking and plucking!

March 7th, 2006, 04:31 PM	#6
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	I got my Case fro Custom Case Co. It operates out of Ottawa Ontario. Quite good service,

March 7th, 2006, 04:52 PM	#7
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	1610 with foam for a GREAT price http://pelican-case.com/1610.html I have the 1610, but I prefer the padded dividers. I can rearrange the padding depending on what I'm carrying. Extra audio gear, lenses, or small light set. You'd be surprised how much I can get into the box with the camera, and its all nicely padded and 'secured' with velcro.

March 8th, 2006, 03:40 PM	#8
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	okay, one more quick question - these Pelican cases can be used both horizontally on wheels or carried like a suitcase, so will it hold the camera standing up normally, or do I have to put the camera on its side in order to use the 1610?

March 8th, 2006, 04:34 PM	#9
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	The idea of the packing is to cradle the camera no matter what position the case is in. In other words, once the lid is closed, whatever is in there is surrounded by foam padding. Up, down, sideways... it's resting on foam. As it happens, the way I pack my camera, when I open the lid, I lower the camera body into it's section by the handle. So as you look down on the camera, you see the top of the handle. The lens and both viewfinders are removed, and packed seperately in THEIR compartments. I don't worry about anything in the case, regardless of the orientation to gravity. And I put a LOT of stuff in my case. Again, I use the dividers. Not only are the dividers themselves padded, but they come with other dividers and 'straps' that I use to velcroe the articles down into place.

March 8th, 2006, 04:53 PM	#10
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	The only reason I was wondering about the orientation of the camera is because I'm just concerned about the viewfinder being stressed by the weight of the camera if I carry it on its side, but I see that this isn't an issue if the camera is diassembled. If I put the camera in the case on its side, with the handgrip side down, will there be enough room on top of the lid so the vf isn't pushed down? What about putting it in the case in its normal orientation? At this point, I don't know if I'll be getting dividers - still thinking about it, but I'm assuming that there is foam on the bottom of the case under the dividers, correct? Lastly, is there anything I should avoid in terms of how I place the camera in the case? I'd rather not disasseble it each time I need to pack it, simply because I like to be able to pull it out and shoot whenever I need to, and removing the lens often will get dust on the sensor (my DSLR is horrible in that regard). thanks

March 8th, 2006, 06:04 PM	#11
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	My partner kept his xl1 in a foam case. As I recall, he plucked the foam so that the entire camera, with viewfinder and lens attached, would rest on it's bottom in the case. In other words, when you opened the case, you would be looking down on the top of the camera handle and viewfinder. It was very stable, and never had any problems. DO a search on the case discussion threads. Some people dissassemble when travelling some don't. I'm of the dissassemble school of thought. There was a recent post by a guy who had his 16x manual lens SPLIT because he apparently had the camera assemebled, and the case was dropped, and the lens wasn't properly supported, and so it broke. I understand wanting the camer to be 'ready to go' right out of the case. I have a large canvas bag I use for 'toting' the camera, as opposed to shipping/traveling with it. The canvas bag is great for putting the camera on the back seat, with some tapes and extra batts, and driving around for a shoot. Regarding the dividers. Think of a foam 'box' that is lined with ripstop and nestled inside the case. Frankly, I wanted some extra padding, so I lifted the divider box out, slipped an extra 1/4 inch of foam on the bottom, and then put the liner back in. The advantage of the liner is that the foam won't tear, or shred over time. (And yeah, the pick and pluck eventually starts to come loose) With the tray/liner combo, I put some extra padding between the liner and the wall of the case, no worries. I also have velcroe straps that I use inside the liner to secure things extra tight. YOu might also want to look into STORM cases. Lots of folks like them better than Pelicans, and they are a bit cheaper. I believe. Charles Papert swears by them.

March 8th, 2006, 06:06 PM	#12
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	I packed mine sideways, so when opening you look at the camera in profile. It rests on the tape door, VTR hand grip and Microphone. I left some foam strategically placed under the lens and body to support it, and this way when I stand up my case, it rests on it's bottom...

March 8th, 2006, 07:10 PM	#14
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	very good points from everyone. I did read the thread about the lens breaking in half, and it is a concern, which is why I'm thinking of not going with dividers and going with the plucking foam in order to fit the camera more precisly. The sideways orientation you mentioned is what I have in mind. thanks for all your help