Protection

Getting caught out in the rain is not uncommon. The simplest and cheapest way to prepare for this is to carry a heavy-duty bin-liner and throw it over the camera, lens and tripod when it rains.

When at the coast I would frequently get home to find sand in every nook and cranny in the camera, so I decided to get some protection other than a bin-liner that could be left in place during use. I first tried the C40 and C40.5 loose fitting camera and lens covers from wildlife watching supplies, but I found these awkward to use; the covers are not designed to fit tightly and would often slip off and/or get in the way when using the camera.

I then purchased a C5 Dust Bag, also from wildlife watching supplies and modified it. The dust bag is designed to completely enclose the camera and lens and to protect them from dust, dirt and moisture. The camera and lens have to be removed from the bag completely before use; a drawstring is used to open and close the bag.

I asked a friend to modify the dust bag so that it could be left on the camera and lens during use. She cut a hole in the end and sewed a strip of elastic into the opening. This elastic is wrapped around the lens hood. Another small hole was cut underneath the bag and strengthened with stitching to allow the quick-release plate to be attached to the lens when the bag is in place. On my last visit to the wildlife watching supplies website, I noticed that they now offer this product!

The bag can still completely enclose the camera if required, and only the end of the lens hood is exposed. When the camera is in use, the bag is positioned such that it protects the majority of the camera from dust, sand, etc, but exposes the important camera controls. The bag has to be undone only when changing the camera position to portrait or when access to the lens switches (focus mode and distance range) is required.

A useful side-effect of this dust bag is that it hides the white lens and may make a difference when approaching birds.