DIY Rain Sleeve

[JawsofLife252]

I had all my bases covered for my photo documentary that I am starting tomorrow except the weather. I am an idiot and forgot to check the weather until today. It is suppose to pour like crazy tomorrow and I have to be outside shooting. I normally don't really care about rain, but I will not be able to get a loaner camera in time if something happens tomorrow. I also am tapped for money so I can't go out to calumet and buy a new rain sleeve, and nobody near me carries the cheap $2 ones. So I decided to try making a BS one to last me a couple of days. I didn't want to go the trash bag route because I will be taking this on and off throughout the day and I need it to last.

So I went to walmart and picked up an adult sized black Poncho and a few shoe laces:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3377/3498813290_68eaf2d220_o.jpg

After about an hour of deliberation we decided to make our cuts. If you do this you will want to use the edges of the poncho that are there from the manufacturer, this saves you a lot of trouble. You can run the shoe laces through here to tighten the ends.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3498813332_70ff08b222_o.jpg

I enlisted the help of my mom because I'd need a medic if I were to try sewing. :lol: Be sure that you leave the underside towards the rear of the camera open so you can use the zoom ring. I gaffer taped over the area that is left open so the edge would be round.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3497997653_14b091bbd8_o.jpg

And here is the outcome:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3498813438_3d869dbbbb_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3497997777_b8a1e03e2b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/3497997847_ce829dccc4_o.jpg

And one more so you can see the bottom:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3498813682_13b00ff0d7_o.jpg

[c2thew]

nice DIY. but an adidas bag probably would have worked just as well, though not $2. if you have one of these bags lieing around then this should save you loads of time.

http://www.trainerstation.com/images/adidas_blkgymbag2_med.jpg

[fireplug]

Thats awesome! Hope it works out for you!

[JawsofLife252]

Yeah, I thought about a bag similar to the adidas bag but the poncho was a cheaper option and seemed more water resistant than the bag I was looking at.

I made a second one for xxD body + 24-70L. They look good and are pretty durable, I'll post up if they break easy haha.

[ed rader]

a $50 raincoat and eight hours of labor later......hey just kidding ;). i bought some optech rainsleeves...two for 7 bucks :D.

ed rader

[JawsofLife252]

a $50 raincoat and eight hours of labor later......hey just kidding ;). i bought some optech rainsleeves...two for 7 bucks :D.

ed rader

Yeah the optechs were what I was looking for, but at 1pm on a Sunday it wasn't happening. I need them for Monday. Calumet never carries anything you ever need in store, and they are the closest photo store to me.

But hey $5 + a couple hours to figure out how to do it wasn't too bad. They only take about 10-15 minutes to make, plus I can make 3 or 4 more from that one poncho. :p

EDIT

Here's a test shot with me using two bodies:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3499716886_43a5aa7b02_o.jpg

[ed rader]

Yeah the optechs were what I was looking for, but at 1pm on a Sunday it wasn't happening. I need them for Monday. Calumet never carries anything you ever need in store, and they are the closest photo store to me.

But hey $5 + a couple hours to figure out how to do it wasn't too bad. They only take about 10-15 minutes to make, plus I can make 3 or 4 more from that one poncho. :p

EDIT

Here's a test shot with me using two bodies:



naw i was just kidding with you....i think you did a great job. i'm just too lazy i guess ;).

ed rader

[dpds68]

Great DIY , I needed one of these today every time I zoomed I saw more water after getting wet in the rain while shooting today .:o

[diabloroker]

This looks really nice. I should have made something like this before I went to Vietnam, I had to create a quick one with a shower cap. Which surprisingly worked very well.

[sOid]

Good job! Let us know how it worked out.

By the way, I'd change the shoe laces for some bungy cord.

[Mark Vuleta]

Excellent work, well done.

Interested to see the "Kiwi" shoe laces! I wonder if they were made in NZ or elsewhere.

Cheers


Mark

[Wilt]

A bit of cloth tape (gaffer tape if you have it) and a clear plastic tarp from the hardware/paint store, and a thick rubber band to hold it on the lens hood...provides rain protection that you can see thru, for manipulation of your controls.

[_aravena]

Optech's are great and cheap. I used ziplocs that were awesome.

[Eldorf_Dragonsbane]

So how did these DIY Rainsleeves hold up to the elements? Interested in knowing, these seem to be a slightly better solution to the clear plastic Op-Tec Rainsleeves which only seem to last for a couple uses (they seem to rip at the hole for the viewfinder even when i am careful after 4 or 5 uses).

[dan j]

Wow, this is a great idea. I'm going to butter up my wife and see is she'll help me out.

dan

[JawsofLife252]

Glad everyone liked this. It held up well. No rips or or cuts. I used it for a little while Monday shooting a house fire, the only issue I had was making sure it stayed on the camera. Last night I used one because it was raining steadily while I was doing a long exposure. Good thing I did because when I was finishing up it started to downpour. I mean it was raining so hard it soaked me before I could get back inside. The sleeve held up great!

I considered replacing the shoe laces with bungees or elastic, but I realized it wouldn't work. The back really needs to have the flexibility of opening up, and I like being able to cinch the front down tight to the hood so it can't slide off while I'm walking and one cam is shouldered.

Photos! Sorry for the crappy photos, had to use my old siggy and I was having fun with a junk fisheye.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3511219558_46d743f77b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3594/3510410823_56665c1605_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3303/3511219478_9f1f86051e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/3510410795_70ba654e98_o.jpg

[olletsocmit]

cool

[ylimehajile]

Great improvising - Iron on a Canon patch and put them on eBay for $30

[dan j]

Well obviously my wife loves me ;) Here's her hard work.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b173/Dan-imal/video/IMG_0126_resized.jpg

Here's the rear LCD. The rear LCD was washed out by the flash in this picture. In use the LCD is visible, so I'm glad we went with clear material.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b173/Dan-imal/video/IMG_0127_resized.jpg

Thanks again Jaws. I'd been looking for the Optech for months, but Ritz says they're OOS and with the rain I didn't want to risk it.

dan

[JawsofLife252]

Dan that looks great, what kind of material did you use? or where did you get it?

BTW, used mine again the other day, still workin' great.

-Dave

[dan j]

I dunno, the shopping bag is from JoAnn Fabric. It's pretty clear, and was about $2 for it and there's a ton of it left.

dan

[Joshua14321]

Thanks for the great tip!

Im still not brave enough to take my baby in the rain yet :)

~Josh

[dan j]

Eh, I'm not worried with the rain cover and a little common sense.

OP, my wife has no idea what the material is, probably vinyl, but it is from Jo Ann's and it was ~ $7 a yard. Thanks again for the great idea.

dan

[JawsofLife252]

Eh, I'm not worried with the rain cover and a little common sense.

OP, my wife has no idea what the material is, probably vinyl, but it is from Jo Ann's and it was ~ $7 a yard. Thanks again for the great idea.

dan

Cool, I was going to go there, but I didn't because I was lazy I guess. I should have though I may revisit this soon.

[dan j]

I think I'm going to see if my wife wants to make a spare using the sewing machine. At $2 each I might as well have a spare. And, it's only $2 if the sewing machine doesn't work.

dan

[tdodd]

My business advisor, a Mr. Fong, believes there is a market for a rain cover that protects the photographer as well as the camera and, based on my early prototype below, he feels that $300-$400 would not be unreasonable for such a device. With health and safety in mind here is a design to make sure you do not go unnoticed....

(I'm also considering a version in black, for stealthy night photography, for only a little extra money, and a version in green for the wildlife photographer.)

[sOid]

My business advisor, a Mr. Fong, believes there is a market for a rain cover that protects the photographer as well as the camera and, based on my early prototype below, he feels that $300-$400 would not be unreasonable for such a device. With health and safety in mind here is a design to make sure you do not go unnoticed....

(I'm also considering a version in black, for stealthy night photography, for only a little extra money, and a version in green for the wildlife photographer.)
To be honest, I wouldn't want to use this. It limits your ability to move, anticipate on situations etc. I'd rather buy a good hat with a broad brim that keeps my face somewhat dry.

[tdodd]

It also limits your ability to see where you are going, and to breathe. Shall we say $250 then? ;)

[sOid]

It also limits your ability to see where you are going, and to breathe. Shall we say $250 then? ;)

Hm... How about $275? ;)

[Jon]

My business advisor, a Mr. Fong, believes there is a market for a rain cover that protects the photographer as well as the camera and, based on my early prototype below, he feels that $300-$400 would not be unreasonable for such a device. With health and safety in mind here is a design to make sure you do not go unnoticed....

(I'm also considering a version in black, for stealthy night photography, for only a little extra money, and a version in green for the wildlife photographer.)ROFLOL! That'd be Mr. Gary Fong?

[Joshua14321]

Lol the orange one looks like a garbage bag!

[tdodd]

Lol the orange one looks like a garbage bag!
Sh!t, I'd better patent my design before anyone else copies it :idea:

[spkerer]

My business advisor, a Mr. Fong, believes there is a market for a rain cover that protects the photographer as well as the camera and, based on my early prototype below, he feels that $300-$400 would not be unreasonable for such a device. With health and safety in mind here is a design to make sure you do not go unnoticed....

(I'm also considering a version in black, for stealthy night photography, for only a little extra money, and a version in green for the wildlife photographer.)

Don't forget the snorkel attachment so that the photographer's breath doesn't make the bag a sweat box. For the hi-vis version, the snorkel could have a blinking light on the top.

[Pilot Dane]

Great ideas for rain covers and they look like they work well when the camera is tripod mounted. I'm having trouble coming up with something that works when wearing the camera around my neck on a strap. I'm going to be hiking through jungles/rainforest so the back of the camera will be poiting straight up most of the time. I also imagine water will run right down the straps and through whatever cover I make.

[JawsofLife252]

Great ideas for rain covers and they look like they work well when the camera is tripod mounted. I'm having trouble coming up with something that works when wearing the camera around my neck on a strap. I'm going to be hiking through jungles/rainforest so the back of the camera will be poiting straight up most of the time. I also imagine water will run right down the straps and through whatever cover I make.

It's really not so bad. If it's down pouring that's a different story.

[Pilot Dane]

I am sure it will be pouring and I might be in it for a long time. Obviously I will not be doing much photography when it is cats & dogs but it will be raining often enough that puting the camera into a bag and waiting for it to stop is not an option. I have read the blogs of other photographers and 1Ds and L lenses fail if not protected.

[Jon]

Get a bag big enough to slip the whole camera/raincoat in without undoing the strap. If you take teh weight off the camera strap you shouldn't have a problem. Or get something like the Kata E702 and keep your hands in the sleeves. There really isn't a solution for leaving a camera out of use and out of a waterproof (sealed) storage container.

[Pilot Dane]

Basically I'm asking for the impossible. I want to wear the camera on a strap and be ready to take a shot on short notice in some really wet weather.

Protecting a camera on a tripod is easy with some kind of bag over the top. Walking around with it dangling from my neck I am learning is a totally different problem. Water will seep down the straps where they penetrate the cover and the camera will be in one orientation when dangling from the straps and another when shooting. I fear this is a problem best solved with a 1D and a cover. Oh, why won't Canon make a weather resistant crop body for me.

[dan j]

Walking around with the camera isn't a problem, as long as you're holding the camera. If it's hanging from the neckstraps, yes, it'll get wet with the DIY solutions.

If you're going to be out in the rain forests then get the Kata Jon suggested. Or a 1D series.

dan

[JawsofLife252]

Yeah, I think we all need to realize that this was my temporary solution because the documentary that I was doing was date specific and I didn't want to risk having to postpone if a body went down. Since I didn't know about the rain until Sunday the day before, going to the store and picking up a real rain sleeve was not a option. Normally I John Wayne it and shoot in the rain. For those who just had a heart attack, don't worry. I've been in rain, sleet, snow, (I can add hale to my list now) and I have not had a problem with either body. You just have to be cautious of where the water is going on the body. Insurance + CPS helps too if something does go wrong though ;-)

Just remembered. I had a friend that said I was nuts for shooting in the weather conditions I was in this past January. All I can say is that 2 of the photos from the event are up for the cover of a magazine and several of the photos are going in for stories. Hey, I got the shots, he didn't.

[dan j]

I doesn't seem any of the cheap solutions are ideal for walking around. They all have the same flaw if you're using the neckstrap.

dan

[Proacura]

I was wondering if anyone had any shots taken while raining. What do you do about lighting? Also, is there a solution for taking pictures high up without having water touch the lens/hood or blur the image?

[spkerer]

I was wondering if anyone had any shots taken while raining. What do you do about lighting? Also, is there a solution for taking pictures high up without having water touch the lens/hood or blur the image?

Below is a shot I took when I was out in the rain. I took this shot just to capture the rain in the lights from the truck. As far as rain getting on the lens, I generally try to avoid it. It depends upon the size of the hood I'm using, how hard its raining and how much its blowing. But if I get some rain on the front element, its no big deal.

As far as lighting goes, I haven't done anything. Normally if I'm out I have two bodies and if its night, the body with the 24-70 has a flash on it. When its raining, I go down to one body and I haven't worked out yet how to mount a flash for the rain. Just fast glass.

When its raining, I wind up holding the camera the whole time so its not hanging from the straps. That allows the StormJacket to do its job. Someone else on here has suggested (and I've yet to try it) using a poncho. The idea is that when the camera is hanging from the straps it is protected by the poncho. When you take it out from under the poncho to shoot, whatever rain protection you have works cause the straps aren't acting as a rain guide.

http://photos.kusterers.net/img/v6/p751790611-4.jpg

[Wilt]

Basically I'm asking for the impossible. I want to wear the camera on a strap and be ready to take a shot on short notice in some really wet weather.


Rain poncho, camera under the poncho

[Proacura]

Thanks spkerer

[VwFix]

great write up, now I have something to try out the next rainy day.

[TMCCaptured]

Great DIY. love the Laces