Rebel xt and bad weather

[ron_howden]

If anyone can help me with this I would be most appreciative, I have

purchaed a xt and used it extensively over our incredibley beautiful

summer. Now up here in Canada the weather is getting a bit wet and I

don't know what percautions I need to take for shooting outside with

the Rebel xt. Should I stick it in a bag? Can it take the rain? or

should I go buy a more apporpriate body?

 

The application is sports photography, and yes I am on a budget still

saving for my 300mm 2.8 IS lens.

 

Thanks,

 

Ron

[denisgermain]

Be careful, and it should be OK

don't leave it in the rain if possible get someone to hold an umbrella for you...

and be careful when you bring it back inside - take the same steps you would in the winter.... place the entire gear in a blanket, then in a large bag before going back inside and let it get back to a normal temperature.... overnight.

 

the next step is rather steep.... as the 20D doesn't have a "all weather" body either... I am not even sure about the new 5D....

 

This would mean a 1D markII....

[john_stark]

Ron,

 

Not much you can do other than get a box made for underwater or using a large plastic bag. There are some places like AuquaTech I believe that make rain gear for cameras, but nothing cheap. Even the underwater boxes are real expensive. Thats one of the problems of not having a pro body such as the 1D series. Even the 5D is not up to bad weather use as expensive as it is. You'd probably be better of getting a 1D MKII N before a different lens if your outside in bad weather, but you also need to make sure the lens you have is water proof. Even the best camera raingear can spring a leak and then with an unsealed lens/camera you just lost some gear.

 

JS

[bobatkins]

The XT is not intented for outdoor use in the rain. It is not sealed. It might stand up OK to a few drops of light rain, but I'd bet it will fail in any type of serious downpour. The cheapest Canon DSLR with weather sealing is the 1D MkII N at close to $4000.

[les_gyug1]

Ron,

I have been using one since last spring, both in my work as a biologist, and in casual hiking. I wondered the same thing about durability and weatherproofing. I generally just stick it in an outside pocket (a big pocket) on my cruiser's vest. The pocket now has an extra velcro strap to stop it from falling out--which it did once right onto a rock, cracking the LCD protective cover. It still works fine even with the big star crack in the cover.

 

Anyway, a week of field work in Manning Park this fall when the weather was anything but nice (in fact it was really wet), and the camera still works just fine. I was using it daily even in the rain. On the final day of work there was continuous heavy rain, and I was crawling up avalanche slopes and gullies through brush, but the camera kept on working even though covered in raindrops. Eventually I stopped using it and put it away in my pack because the front of the lens kept fogging up in the ugly conditions, and I did not want to stoop to continually using the sleeve of my raincoat to keep it fogfree.

 

I kept using it for the next 3 weeks for at least 1-hour a day for stream documentary photos where the weather was often rotten and the camera got wet on the outside, but at least I managed never to dump it into any of the streams.

 

As they say, results are not guaranteed, but the camera has worked just fine for the typical abuse I put it through. I used point and shoots for a year (Olympus Stylus weatherproof) which also did fine, but was not good for the murky conditions that I usually find myself taking pictures in that usually require ISO settings of 800+ and IS just to take decent shake-free documentary photos (since I am not usually going to drag a tripod anywhere).

 

Before that I used an ElanII which did fine for 5 years, and before that a succession of the cheaper Yashicas and Contaxes for 20 years, about 3 of which simply disintegrated in the kind of use I give them.

 

Cheers,

Les Gyug

[john_stark]

Actually you can get a used 1D (original) for aunder $1600 and it is sealed.

 

JS

[danny lee]

I know you will not be happy with camera performance but if dont have 4000 dollars, many of the small digital point and shoots has underwater housings for the hundred dollar range, I use a nikon coolpix with housing for underwater photog while scuba diving, coolpix is cheap, and I got the housing at www.leisurepro.com for 99 bucks. leisurepro is the B&H of the scuba world, right down to the jewish staff ! ( they on top of adorama )

[bob_chapman]

Olumpus makes a waterproof point and shoot for under $250 nowadays. I use the XT outdoors. I carry it in my backpack, and I've had it out in the wilderness on 14 day trips. I use three batteries. I shoot about 3.5 GB.

 

I store the camera in a Sea Line bag, (http://www.thewaterproofstore.com/

 

The bag is about 13 inches long when I roll it up. I make a foam insert for the camera and two lenses. I carry the "film" and filters in this bag. It fits in my pack horizontally, and spacewise its about the size of a 2 lb tent. There are umbrellas available which actually mount to the camera body, though I haven't bothered.

 

I like the bag for the humidity control, and since its airtight, I use air as a cushion as well as the foam. When it rains, I toss the camera in the bag, and I can leave it in a downpour.

 

I would be wary of the XT if you use it in extremes of humidity and temperature, for you might get condensation issues. I use this rig in Colorado, NM, Wyo, and Utah.

 

IF you want to really hang the camera out in the rain, you'd better save up for a watertight system. But you can buy 7-10 XT's for the price of the high end digital camera, so why worry?

 

I have no fear using this system with steady rain, as long as I'm under a cover, and its not windy. It is humid up nord, tho, eh?

[lancemcvay]

Les, you can get a replacement for that LCD cover by calling the Canon Parts center at 732-521-7230. Mine ran less than $20 with shipping to Alaska.

[pierre_bize]

When I have to shoot in heavy rainpour I make a rain cover out of a garbage bag: Just put your camera in the bag, lens first. Make a hole in the bottom of the bag just smaller than the lens your using, force the lens WITH A LENS HOOD through the hole. fasten the plastic of the bag to the lens hood with duct tape. When you have to shoot, put your head and hand in the bag and look through the view finder... that's it!

Another way is to roll the camera and lens WITH LENSHOOD in plastic film (same used to preserve food). Once it is fully covered, make a hole to let the lens hood through and fasten with duct tape. You should be able to use your camera's control through the plastic film without any problem. Just make sure not to roll the plastic film around the focussing/zooming ring of your lens, but rather leave some space between the plastic and lens by stretching the plastic film from the camera to the lens hood.

I have been taking pictures in the worst condition with these cheapo tricks without any problem.

[alexdi]

It's more resilient than you think. I used my Rebel in moderate rain with no shielding for two hours to photograph a marching competition.

 

If it really started to pour, I'd probably just use a plastic bag to cover the body and most of the lens. Make a lens hole in the bag and use a rubberband to hold it to the lens. Works fine.

 

DI

[ron_howden]

Thank you all for the great responses, I think that with this advice I will save my $$ and make a plastic rain cover for the really bad days and just be contentious as to how much exposure it gets.

 

I guess this begs the question, how good is a EF 75-300 F4-5.6 lens in bad weather?

 

 

Ron