How should I seal my Rebel XT

[lonelyjew]

I'm going camping and offroading in sand dunes tomorrow and I was wondering how I should seal my camera. I was just going to duct tape the battery compartment and the camera cord jacks. Will this be enough? I was planning to not change lenses at all or, if I do, only in a tent or other "safe" area.

Any help would be appreciated.

[eddarr]

Blue painters masking tape. Won't leave residue on the camera and can easily be removed. If the wind is blowing put the camera in a sealed bag. No amount of tape will keep out the dirt in a good wind storm.

[lonelyjew]

Thank you for the reply, I head out 6am tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll be able to pick some up but worst case I'll just use duct tape. I don't mind marks so much, I like all the things I buy to be workhorses rather than show ponies.

[eddarr]

Don't use duct tape. If you have nothing else then use scotch tape or clear packing tape. Duct tape has a ton of petroleum products in the glue and it will leave a lot of residue.

[ryant35]

I say it's not worth the trouble, I don't use anything during the dusty conditions. I just use canned air to clean the crevices and inside the battery compartment afterwards. (NOT ON THE SENSOR or inside the chamber at all)

This guy's dust cloud covered us after a few seconds. - One tip, do not use your finger to wipe your LCD if it is dusty, gritty dirt scratched mine.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/ryant35/IMG_4896.jpg

[dave63]

I've had great success with a large Ziploc bag. I bought an adapter ring from Cokin, for their filter system; it has a flange on it that I found helpful in attaching the bag to. Cut a hole in the bag just big enough to get the ring in, and use, of all things, some door edge guard available at your local autoparts store. Line the edge of the hole up along the edge of the flange, and press the guard stuff down around the edge until you've gone all the way around the flange. There's some mild adhesive, inside the fold of the guard, that helps to seal it.

In other situations, if you plan on using any kind of tape, I highly recommend gaffer's tape, available at a local film equipment supply place or online at places like Markertek. It's more expensive, but worth every penny. The adhesive is not destructive at all, and is quite strong in most instances. Plus, the tape is more malleable... you can easily form it around things and get a good seal.