Cambodia monsoon season+camera

<p>I am traveling to Cambodia in about three weeks and I will be bringing my Canon Rebel 30D along. I am concerned, because it is monsoon season, so I need to be prepared for random torrentiall downpours.<br>

Do any of you have any advice for this sort of situation? Any equipment you can recommend to protect my camera? Have any of you been to Cambodia during July and had to prepare for a similar situation?</p>

<p>All suggestions are greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Niki</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Niki,<br>

While I haven't been to Cambodia during the monsoons, I've heard it's an excellent time to see Angkor. <br>

<br /> I can recommend an accessory called the "Shutterhat". It's essentially a raincoat for your camera and lens. It's easy to use, well thought out, light, and packable. You should also think about buying rain protection for your camera bag. A trashbag works in a pinch, but you might want something a little more durable if you'll be there for long.</p>

<p>In addition to a rain jacket (there are several makes and models - search the net) you might want to buy some desiccant that can be recharged in an oven. It can be useful if the interior of the camera becomes wet from condensation. Internal condensation can happen easily when going from a colder, drier place (air conditioned room) to a much warmer, more humid place (outdoors on a hot, humid day). Allow the camera to warm up slowly by having it in a camera bag for a while before opening the bag. </p>

<p>Most consumer cameras are fine for a short time in a light rain, but a monsoon downpour will surely wreck it. I was in Cambodia a few years ago, and intentionally scheduled my trip shortly after the monsoons.</p>

<p>To protect your camera in that kind of extreme rain, I recommend a dry bag for general storage and hiking around. A dry bag can be completely submerged and keep the contents totally dry. They are fairly inexpensive. I take one if I'm going white-water rafting or things like that, where the equipment might possibly be totally submerged or get very very wet if not protected.</p>

<p>For shooting in the rain (yes, you can get some fantastic photos in heavy rain), you can buy a rain housing. I use one by Kata. I've shot all day in a downpour with it, and kept the camera dry. They are around $50 or so. They can't be submerged, but will keep the camera dry in even very heavy rain.</p>

<p>I lived through 6 monsoon seasons in Cambodia. Monsoon season is one of the best times to shoot as the light is great for much of the day. (It doesn't rain all day, just 30 mins to an hour of downpour.)<br>

Don't worry about your camera, just get out there and shoot.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/531550847_b46b9c58be.jpg?v=0" alt="" /></p>

<p>Thank you all so much for your help!</p>

<p>Ni Niki, I'm currently in the Indian monsoon season and I prepared by bringing bags of coloured silica gel out with me, and sticking them into the bottom of all my kit bags, to absorb residual moisture. My experience is that humidity is worse than rain. My cameras are gaffer-taped up to repel most rain, but then any extra moisture floating around is eaten by the silica gel (which is reusable by heating it, BTW).<br>

But I agree with Ian, don't worry too much, just get out and shoot :)</p>