How to protect your camera from the elements?

[thefocusedlens]

Some of the best shots can be when the weather changes. What do you use to protect your camera in the rain/snow? How about temperature changes (to prevent fogging)? Thanks!

[k8et]

I've seen the repeated advice here is when going from cold to warm (outside in winter to inside) - leave the camera sit until it's adjusted. Some people say put it in ziploc bag before coming in, some add desiccants.... I don't do much cold weather shooting but just leave it in the camera bag for an hour.

Rain? no clue. Would love to take more photos in the rain but need to pay someone to stand with an umbrella over it :P I don't know how sensitive my camera is to dampness, only took a few in misty conditions since I got it.

[k8et]

also - Photography in cold weather. What extra care should I be taking?

[Swisstony10]

For the whole hot-to-cold and cold-to-hot thing, I leave the camera in a padded bag so it changes temperature gently, and I keep several sachets of silica-gel in the bag too.

For using the camera in the rain and snow, I use this Kata rain-cover - Video bags camera bags Kata - Manufacturer of camera bags and you can get an extender piece for the front if you use particularly huge lenses..

Russ.

[dcclark]

As I mentioned in the other thread -- cameras are a lot more resistent to the elements than you think. I use mine in rain and snow (IN the snow -- like, buried in it) all the time. I take it inside and outside with no plastic baggie. It works like a charm. Also, it's a Nikon D40 -- the lowest end Nikon DSLR that there is.

I would worry only if you plan on working in serious rain for a long time. Snow is barely any problem. Sand or dust, if you're in that kind of climate, would scare me -- but I have no experience with it, so I won't comment.

[jli]

I understand the cold-to-hot condensation effect, but there's no hot-to-cold, is there? Unless the humidity... in(?) the camera condenses when the camera gets cold?

Now, how bad is the effect? I suppose you'll get water droplets on the glass, but can it be enough to damage the electronics? Or does it just prevent you from shooting clearly until it goes away?

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by jli

I understand the cold-to-hot condensation effect, but there's no hot-to-cold, is there? Unless the humidity... in(?) the camera condenses when the camera gets cold?

Now, how bad is the effect? I suppose you'll get water droplets on the glass, but can it be enough to damage the electronics? Or does it just prevent you from shooting clearly until it goes away?

Correct, I've never found any hot-to-cold problem. In the cold-to-hot direction, you just get a "fogging" effect which dissipates in a few minutes. I've never had electronics trouble.