Tired of LensCoat

I have been looking at the LensCoat website, frustrated that they price their gear so expensively for what their LensCoats and LensHoods really are. So I decided to make my own. Saving a grand total of $87. Total time (lens coat and lens cap): 2 hours (can be done quicker, had to figure out how they sewed the soft cap, can be tricky.)
The Neoprene looks grainy but its just the light, quite smooth.

If you have any questions, go ahead and ask!

Materials:
3mm black Neoprene (didn't want camo)
Sewing machine (makes it look better and much quicker, can be hand stitched)
3mm black strap (for soft lens cap stitch stopper)

I made mine for the 400 5.6L, but I didn't like the design that they currently have (covers focus ring). So I changed the design up a bit.

Soft lens cap. Normally goes over the lens coat hood piece, but I removed it for the photo to show how far back the soft cap goes.

where do you find the neoprene from? looks good!

Does it stick alot on the body after a long-outdoor shoot?

Didn"t like the price eather but liked the camo color. I found some duck tape camo an that did the trick. Cost 5$. Pricless

minh2pac wrote in post #13546678
where do you find the neoprene from? looks good!

I got it at my local fabric store, however, there are numerous online sources.

This is a good site here.

tomcat7886 wrote in post #13546689
Does it stick alot on the body after a long-outdoor shoot?

Nope! I decided not to add a sticky/grippy backing to it (like LensCoat does for their pieces on the hood). Instead I just subtracted a 1/2 inch from the required length (when in a rectangle) so that when I stretch it over the lens, it is very tight and does not slip.

BirdBoy wrote in post #13546451
I have been looking at the LensCoat website, frustrated that they price their gear so expensively for what their LensCoats and LensHoods really are. So I decided to make my own. Saving a grand total of $87. Total time (lens coat and lens cap): 2 hours (can be done quicker, had to figure out how they sewed the soft cap, can be tricky.)

If you put a conservative value of $40/hour for your rate as a photographer, plus the cost of the neoprene, I'd say you probably broke even.
If the cost of the neoprene was more than $7 and your hourly rate is more than $40 then you lost money in real terms.
Sometimes, for the hassle and effort, it's better to just shell out the cash.

I also stated that because it was my first time making it, it took awhile to figure out (mainly with the cap). I made a backup set tonight and it took me 15 minutes for the lens covers, and 10 minutes for the cap. This wasn't in assembly line fashion either. If I was to cut 10 of each piece and then sew in assembly fashion, then it would shorten the time even further. In me counting the hours, I counted studying the images on LensCoat.com, not just labor.

EDIT: I also only used 1/4th of a yard, and at $8 a yard, it only cost me about a $2 for materials.
LensCoat costs about $80 for a 400 5.6L. just to put it into perspective. They make bank

yaterman96 wrote in post #13546729
Didn"t like the price eather but liked the camo color. I found some duck tape camo an that did the trick. Cost 5$. Pricless

i want to see pics of that

o.p. nice job

philwillmedia wrote in post #13547185
If you put a conservative value of $40/hour for your rate as a photographer, plus the cost of the neoprene, I'd say you probably broke even.
If the cost of the neoprene was more than $7 and your hourly rate is more than $40 then you lost money in real terms.
Sometimes, for the hassle and effort, it's better to just shell out the cash.

You can never price your own labor at market rate, that would imply that in all endeavors you should somehow achieve some mythical value beyond what your customer pays you or you should just pay someone else. This premise requires the assumption that you can potentially be performing work for hire at any time day or night were you not engaged at the time in a non paying endeavor. To carry your logic a little farther, I should just pay someone to come to my house and do my dishes after dinner because technically I would make more money engaged in my chosen profession for the same amount of time. Should I pay someone to come and hang my curtains? Maybe cut my grass or cook my dinner? I'd quickly go broke following that logic.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #13547271
You can never price your own labor at market rate, that would imply that in all endeavors you should somehow achieve some mythical value beyond what your customer pays you or you should just pay someone else. This premise requires the assumption that you can potentially be performing work for hire at any time day or night were you not engaged at the time in a non paying endeavor. To carry your logic a little farther, I should just pay someone to come to my house and do my dishes after dinner because technically I would make more money engaged in my chosen profession for the same amount of time. Should I pay someone to come and hang my curtains? Maybe cut my grass or cook my dinner? I'd quickly go broke following that logic.

Don't forget the fun factor

BirdBoy wrote in post #13547281
Don't forget the fun factor

Very true, considering what people pay to be entertained. . . . . .

Was it easy to sew circular patches like that? I imagine you cut and started with rectangles, overlapped, placed a board (or hard surface) between, sewed a straight line, and cut off the excess?

Ah hah, I see now that the first shot showing the cap is actually a Lenscoat hoodie, which usualy costs $15:
http://www.lenscoat.co​m/hoodie-lens-caps-c-5.html
I thought that had been custom stitched--thought the OP had amazing sewing skills

BirdBoy wrote in post #13547225
I also stated that because it was my first time making it, it took awhile to figure out (mainly with the cap). I made a backup set tonight and it took me 15 minutes for the lens covers, and 10 minutes for the cap. This wasn't in assembly line fashion either. If I was to cut 10 of each piece and then sew in assembly fashion, then it would shorten the time even further. In me counting the hours, I counted studying the images on LensCoat.com, not just labor.

EDIT: I also only used 1/4th of a yard, and at $8 a yard, it only cost me about a $2 for materials.
LensCoat costs about $80 for a 400 5.6L. just to put it into perspective. They make bank

Nice job, you should market these things.

What is forgotten is that in addition to sewing time was the research and design time to do the project. For a one off this is cost prohibitive even if the labor cost is cut in half. I'll buy mine too.

There is a reason seemingly simple stuff can cost a lot.

PS. I do pay to have someone cut my grass and hang curtains. Dishes, cooking? That is why I got married.

mrmarklin wrote in post #13548468
What is forgotten is that in addition to sewing time was the research and design time to do the project. For a one off this is cost prohibitive even if the labor cost is cut in half. I'll buy mine too.

There is a reason seemingly simple stuff can cost a lot.

PS. I do pay to have someone cut my grass and hang curtains. Dishes, cooking? That is why I got married.

No one has forgotten anything. So what are you doing while you sit on the internet participating in forums that is making you money? Do you work 24hrs a day? Do you ever do anything for yourself simply to do it? Why not put your wife to work at night and pay someone to cook and do the dishes? Surely she can make more than the minimum wage, so in that same time frame it would be wasteful to have her cooking and cleaning when she could be earning. The concept that no endeavor should be undertaken where you could make the same or more money by engaging in your profession and paying someone else to complete your task is nonsense. As I said before, it rests on the faulty assumption that at any time you will be able and willing to ply your trade to earn that predetermined amount of money.
Why bother taking your kids to the park when you can just hire a babysitter and go back to work? Why bother doing anything? Just work all day.
I find it hard to believe you'd be willing to work 120+ hours a week just so you can pay others to undertake the chores and endeavors that you would otherwise need or want to do. I engage in a lot of various renovations around my house. If I followed your logic I'd be broke right now and half of the things I have done would still need to be done. I have an old car I'm restoring, but I guess since the average hourly rate for that kind of work is less than I make I should just pay someone else to do it huh?
However, if you choose not to do something do to a lack of skill, talent, or desire/motivation, then by all means feel free to pay someone else. Sometimes I choose to pay someone else to cook dinner for me and my family. I make this choice by going out to eat. Despite knowing that it will cost more than staying home and will likely not be as good, sometimes I just want the convenience. I do not, however, try to justify it with some sophist economic argument.