Rain Protection at DVinfo.net

Joshua Reafsnyder · January 10th, 2008, 01:36 PM

Hey, I live in San Francisco and am looking to buy rain protection for my camera...I was wonder if anyone that has one for their camera can give me some advice, I am trying to figure out what the difference is between like a petrol rain cover or a porta brace rain slicker...bh does not show the rain slicker on a camera so I can not tell how much protection it provides, and it looks smaller than the rain cover...does anyone know if it still provides good rain protection?

Ben Fiedler · January 10th, 2008, 07:21 PM

i have seen quite a few tv crews use plastic bags (from a grocery store) for rain covers. discovery channel had a documentary on a documentary, and that is what they used.

Les Wilson · January 12th, 2008, 08:04 AM

I looked around quite a bit and chose the Porta-Brace. I recommend it highly. I think it's the top model and worth every dollar.

What you get with a cover that you don't get with a plastic bag are the zippered and velcro openings for accessing the various parts of your camera. For instance, changing a tape or adjusting the settings or grabbing the top handle or accessing your wireless receiver or checking if your camera on custom White Balance 1 or 2. You get the idea. Covers are silent. Plastic bags are not.

The PB has a nice stiff lens hood that velcros closed. There's also plenty of double zippers on the bottom to accommodate handlheld and tripod setups. If all that isn't enough, the PB accomodates the MA-100 and MA-200 adapters with velcro flaps.

Ultimately, I think the time it takes to put the cover on is quicker than a custom tape-on-plastic-bag-from-the-grocery-store. Your mileage may vary. My cover folds and stores on the bottom of my PB camera bag so I always have it.

I can't offer and first hand experience with the Petrol or Kata but would guide you to examine their websites to see how custom their cover is for the XL1 series body. My sense with a Petrol I bought for a small camera was that it's little more than a slightly shaped vinyl bag with a couple seams and a such. Perhaps you can judge this by how many cameras a given cover model will fit.

Lastly, the PB is made in the USA if that matters to you while I'm pretty sure the Petrol and Kata are not.

Alan Craig · January 12th, 2008, 08:42 AM

discovery channels deadliest catch series cameramen used plastic carrier bags on their cameras and their filming in realy wild seas. I am not suggesting that you do the same but a simple plastic carrier bag takes up no room has no weight and can be used in an emergency. Ben it might be the same series that you describe.

Alan

Guy Cochran · January 17th, 2008, 05:05 PM

On the cheap http://www.stormjacket.com/
On the pricey side http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pi...d=1&ProdLine=1

Jimmy Tuffrey · April 15th, 2008, 03:46 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if the plastic bag was over a porta-brace. Most people on board sea fairing boats go overboard, (forgive the pun), with water protection.

January 10th, 2008, 01:36 PM	#1
Joshua Reafsnyder Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 49	Rain Protection Hey, I live in San Francisco and am looking to buy rain protection for my camera...I was wonder if anyone that has one for their camera can give me some advice, I am trying to figure out what the difference is between like a petrol rain cover or a porta brace rain slicker...bh does not show the rain slicker on a camera so I can not tell how much protection it provides, and it looks smaller than the rain cover...does anyone know if it still provides good rain protection?

January 17th, 2008, 05:05 PM	#5
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	On the cheap http://www.stormjacket.com/ On the pricey side http://www.kata-bags.com/Item.asp?pi...d=1&ProdLine=1 __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

January 10th, 2008, 07:21 PM	#2
Ben Fiedler New Boot Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cedar Rapids Posts: 6	i have seen quite a few tv crews use plastic bags (from a grocery store) for rain covers. discovery channel had a documentary on a documentary, and that is what they used.

January 12th, 2008, 08:04 AM	#3
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	I looked around quite a bit and chose the Porta-Brace. I recommend it highly. I think it's the top model and worth every dollar. What you get with a cover that you don't get with a plastic bag are the zippered and velcro openings for accessing the various parts of your camera. For instance, changing a tape or adjusting the settings or grabbing the top handle or accessing your wireless receiver or checking if your camera on custom White Balance 1 or 2. You get the idea. Covers are silent. Plastic bags are not. The PB has a nice stiff lens hood that velcros closed. There's also plenty of double zippers on the bottom to accommodate handlheld and tripod setups. If all that isn't enough, the PB accomodates the MA-100 and MA-200 adapters with velcro flaps. Ultimately, I think the time it takes to put the cover on is quicker than a custom tape-on-plastic-bag-from-the-grocery-store. Your mileage may vary. My cover folds and stores on the bottom of my PB camera bag so I always have it. I can't offer and first hand experience with the Petrol or Kata but would guide you to examine their websites to see how custom their cover is for the XL1 series body. My sense with a Petrol I bought for a small camera was that it's little more than a slightly shaped vinyl bag with a couple seams and a such. Perhaps you can judge this by how many cameras a given cover model will fit. Lastly, the PB is made in the USA if that matters to you while I'm pretty sure the Petrol and Kata are not.

January 12th, 2008, 08:42 AM	#4
Alan Craig Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Warrington England Posts: 143	discovery channels deadliest catch series cameramen used plastic carrier bags on their cameras and their filming in realy wild seas. I am not suggesting that you do the same but a simple plastic carrier bag takes up no room has no weight and can be used in an emergency. Ben it might be the same series that you describe. Alan

April 15th, 2008, 03:46 PM	#6
Jimmy Tuffrey Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bristol U.K. Posts: 244	I wouldn't be surprised if the plastic bag was over a porta-brace. Most people on board sea fairing boats go overboard, (forgive the pun), with water protection.