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Sketchbag
location:
North Vancouver
Gender: Male
 |  | Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
< on 5/29/2007 4:49 PM >
|  | | | I'm sure this has been done before, but whatever I couldn't find it. I have some sweet brand spanking new cameras and equipment. I'd like to keep this nice gear in the best condition it can be for as long as I can. Anybody have some tips on keeping your gear safe?
Here are a few things I've been doing, a lot of it is common sense but I figured I might as well put it in.
1. Keep cameras/lenses inside ziplock bags inside camera case (mostly for wet areas like drains)
2. Bought a badass rubber cover for my camera
3. Put a shirt or a small towel at the bottom of my camera bag, to take some shock in case it gets dropped.
4. When walking with my camera strapped around my neck, I hold it so it doesn't swing around.
5. Put the camera in its bag and pass your gear to a buddy when jumping/climbing.
6. I always clean my camera when I get out of site. Don't do it inside unless you really really have to. You'll probably just make it dustier.
7. For god's sake make sure your camera's properly attached to the tripod. I know its obvious but everyone makes dumb mistakes.
8. If there's not a UV filter on the end of your lens, kill yourself now.
"put one up for shackle-me-not clean logic procreation. i did not invent the wheel, i was the crooked spoke adjacent." |
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RM
   
location:
Great Britain
Gender: Male
| |  |  | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 1 on 5/29/2007 5:04 PM >
| | | | Few More:
9) Dont change lens in a dusty enviroment.
10) Insure expensive items,
Ultimately though over the years frequent UE will take its toll, You will break and lose gear, It comes with the territory. which is why its worth thinking about an extended warranty etc.
Now Online: www.industrialbritain.co.uk
www.abandoned-britain.com
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desmet
  
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
| | | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 2 on 5/29/2007 6:00 PM >
| | | | Get homeowners insurance and be careful. Camera armor isn't worth it and you'll get sick of all the plastic bags and garbage soon enough...maybe for draining but other than that...screw that. No point in owning it if you're not gonna use it.
It's the risk of exploring with nice camera gear...you just deal with it, plan accordingly and be careful. People ask me how I can lug around all the shit I do...I do because it allows me to take the kind of pictures I wanna take. My only advice for people is to buy a cheaper camera or find another hobby if you aren't willing to risk your nice stuff. Plenty of cheap film bodies out there.
[last edit 5/29/2007 6:03 PM by desmet - edited 2 times]
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femaledragonx
 
location:
Detroit & Everywhere Else I can dream up to go to
The singularity is near
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 3 on 5/29/2007 6:10 PM >
| | | | ziplock bags are great.
also, try using the sticky velcro tape. you can put velcro on your tripod and your cable release, for example.
i put my cameras inside one padded camera bag/pouch and then inside a bigger padded camera bag. (my bag landed hard once getting into a tough place and needed some repair; i learned my lesson)
more- i use quick releases so that if i have to run, i don't have to run with my camera attached to the tripod.
and filters are a must for nice lenses.
"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~Annie Dillard |
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junquehunter
location:
Columbia SC
Gender: Female
| | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 4 on 5/29/2007 6:27 PM >
| | | | excellent advice, especially making sure the camera is attached to the tripod properly!!! don't forget to make sure the tripod is setup on stable ground too, nothing worse than watching your gear topple over **shudder**
I smoked Marlboro reds for 20 years, I don't need no stinkin respirator! |
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mortimer
location:
teronno
| | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 5 on 5/29/2007 7:28 PM >
| | | | You really do all this for camera gear? The ziplock thing I'll do if I'm going in a drain and I want the ability to be lazy (ie: not careful) on a long walk out, but otherwise, I only really have a few general guidelines:
Cameras are made to be used. They're tools. They'll usually take more of a beating than you think.
Throw away lens caps and invest in uv filters (and keep a backup waiting at home). Use the hood that came with your lens, and if it didn't, go get one.
Don't be a moron pretty much covers everything else.
A small aside on tripods, if you're using an slr/dslr or larger, you should have quick release on your tripod, if not, your tripod's not big enough for your camera.
Insurance is great, but not necessarily worth it for some of us.
Oh yeah, that rubber armour shit is a great way to trap moisture, not what you want to do with a lower-end dslr.
yep. |
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desmet
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
| | | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 6 on 5/29/2007 8:03 PM >
| | | | Posted by femaledragonx
also, try using the sticky velcro tape. you can put velcro on your tripod and your cable release, for example.
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I should do that for my cable release. I'm always sticking it in my pocket which is insanely stupid...killed my thrifty fifty that way. If it's not in my pocket it's knocking around against my tripod legs. Ill have to try some velcro for that...good suggestion.
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desmet
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
| | | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 7 on 5/29/2007 8:10 PM >
| | | | Posted by mortimer
Throw away lens caps and invest in uv filters (and keep a backup waiting at home). Use the hood that came with your lens, and if it didn't, go get one.
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Pretty much agree with everything but this. I lost my lens caps and found myself cleaning the filters a couple times a day. Lens caps are a beautiful thing...now I just blow the dust off with a blower most of the time.
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mortimer
location:
teronno
| | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 8 on 5/29/2007 8:19 PM >
| | | | Posted by desmet
Pretty much agree with everything but this. I lost my lens caps and found myself cleaning the filters a couple times a day. Lens caps are a beautiful thing...now I just blow the dust off with a blower most of the time.
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It's a result of my job. During the day I don't carry my cameras in a bag either, I just carry a small bag with flashes, cf cards, batteries and other odds and ends. If you ever want extra lens caps, somewhere I've got a box full. Probably the wrong logo for your liking though...
yep. |
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Recoil
location:
Halifax, NS
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 9 on 5/30/2007 1:38 AM >
| | | | One thing to consider, though it's high on the price spectrum are pelican cases.
If you KNOW you are going somewhere wet and really want to protect your camera from water, or impact damage these are the ways to go- for lens or body.
The only downside is that it's not really a fast-load sort of case, you have to take it from your bag, open it put lens on, then return it to your bag- best used for just getting to a specific location.
The foam in them can be cut and customized to fit whatever you want to put in it, and you can get them in various sizes- I have a shallow 9" one that I put memory cards in if I am around water.
www.pelican.com
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femaledragonx
location:
Detroit & Everywhere Else I can dream up to go to
The singularity is near
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 10 on 5/30/2007 2:48 AM >
| | | | i had to rig a solution to go into the catacombs last year. never expected the water part.
...you should have seen me at the market asking for "le sac plastique" last minute.
i layered multiple plastic bags, which was a good thing, because by the end of the first 23 hours underneath le surface, i got soaked up to my armpits.
"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~Annie Dillard |
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Greg
location:
Canada
Gender: Male
How is this even 'exploration'? It's a loving house you've already been in you weirdo!
| | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 11 on 5/30/2007 4:47 AM >
| | | | One type of warranty that is slowly becoming more frequent is warranty that will replace your goods no matter what happens to it. It can even be your own fault such as dropping it in water or dropping it on a hard surface and smashing it.
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DrDeke
location:
Michigan
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 12 on 5/31/2007 5:39 PM >
| | | | 11) Do not accidentally throw your camera, best lens, and external flash into the river next to the factory you're trying to get into.
Learned that one personally a couple years ago 
If you don't want it known, don't say it on a phone. |
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DrDeke
location:
Michigan
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 13 on 5/31/2007 5:40 PM >
| | | | Posted by Greg
One type of warranty that is slowly becoming more frequent is warranty that will replace your goods no matter what happens to it. It can even be your own fault such as dropping it in water or dropping it on a hard surface and smashing it.
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I'd call that insurance sooner than I'd call it a warranty, but either way it's not a bad idea if the price is right.
If you don't want it known, don't say it on a phone. |
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Sugar&Spice
 
location:
St. Louis, MO
Gender: Female
Team Asbestos
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 14 on 6/1/2007 7:02 PM >
| | | | I've always taken just my digital point and shoot camera with me the first time I scout a location. That way, I can take some decent shots, and, if I have the luxury of a second visit, I can know exactly what my good camera will be up against when I come back with it. I don't think I've ever used anything more than my normal camera bag and a few plastic bags though. I'm also of the opinion that cameras are meant to be used and that will inevitably lead to damage.
"... It's a well documented fact that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Who would risk getting mud on that?" |
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Sketchbag
location:
North Vancouver
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 15 on 6/2/2007 4:59 PM >
| | | | wooo thanks for all the great input guys! I love the velcro idea. I think I'm gonna pick some up for the damn lens caps I'm always misplacing
"put one up for shackle-me-not clean logic procreation. i did not invent the wheel, i was the crooked spoke adjacent." |
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/-/ooligan
location:
Las Vegas area
Gender: Male
When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 16 on 6/2/2007 10:44 PM >
| | | | 12. When some swarthy mo-fo you bumped into while UE'ing some nasty place starts eyeing your nice, expensive camera, immediately offer to buy your camera back from him/her no-questions-asked for $100 cash, then, as the two of you negotiate the final price, draw your firearm & remember that old saying "Two in the chest, one in the head -- knocks 'em down & kills 'em dead!" Try to confiscate any of their possessions that has enough value to reimburse you for the three spent rounds, and always remember, POLICE YOUR BRASS!
There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. |
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Shawn W.
location:
Niagara Falls, NY
Gender: Male
Optimistic Pessimist
| | | | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 17 on 6/3/2007 7:46 PM >
| | | | Posted by DrDeke
11) Do not accidentally throw your camera, best lens, and external flash into the river next to the factory you're trying to get into.
Learned that one personally a couple years ago |
So, did you dive in after them? 
What is a rebel? A man who says no. - Albert Camus |
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DrDeke
location:
Michigan
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 18 on 6/8/2007 7:10 PM >
| | | | I managed to retrieve them without having to actually enter the river (which was nice, since it was below freezing that day), but they were irreparably damaged.
If you don't want it known, don't say it on a phone. |
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182 lbs of sad
location:
in the gym training my ass off!
Gender: Male
| | Re: Expensive Cameras and Sketchy Situations
<Reply # 19 on 6/13/2007 12:18 PM >
| | | | Posted by Greg
One type of warranty that is slowly becoming more frequent is warranty that will replace your goods no matter what happens to it. It can even be your own fault such as dropping it in water or dropping it on a hard surface and smashing it.
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yea this is what i have for my xt. most camera stores offer this when your buy a camerafrom them, for like $100-150. also they will clean you mirrors if your get dust in them. i would suggest everyone to invest in one.
Fight like a man
Bleed like a man
Die like a man |
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