REC: Beach protection for 7D?

[authoritee]

<p>So, I'll be shooting an ad this weekend with my 7D in the beach. I've done some other recording at the beach already, but this time i'll actually place the tripod IN the seashore and be shooting from above the water, and perhaps sinking the lens midway water-level. What kind of protection would you recommend me for this application? I do not have a water-casing for my camera, nor do I have the time to buy/order one. Renting in my country is not available either.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

[bueh]

<p>You want to dunk the camera into the water without a case? What advise can we give you besides "Don't do it!" and "Buy a water-proof case!"?</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>If the shoot pays you twice as much as the lens and camera then you broke even.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<blockquote>

<p>and perhaps sinking the lens midway water-level.</p>

</blockquote>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I do not have a water-casing for my camera, nor do I have the time to buy/order one.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would bet you're going to lose your camera. However, I'll suggest one possible solution:</p>

<p>Buy a Pelican case, and use silicone caulk to mount a glass window in its side. Seal up the air vent, and trigger the camera with a radio remote.</p>

<p>If you don't have access to Pelican cases, try doing it with a plastic paint bucket with a snap lid. DON'T SUBMERGE THE LID. I've done canoeing with camera gear in a plastic paint bucket. It looks pretty humble, but it works.</p>

<p>Obviously forget the tripod if you're able. That's only another point for water entry. That, and you're likely to ruin your tripod. Besides that, a tripod is unlikely to stabilize a half-submerged camera.</p>

<p>If you do use a tripod for pics ABOVE the water, <strong>don't let sand get inside!</strong> You'll never get it back out. Completely disassemble and wash after use. I mean disassemble <strong>everything</strong>.</p>

<p>Sincerest advice: Use an old film camera and relatively inexpensive lens for this job. I can't think of a better use for film!</p>

[alex_dannenbaum]

<p>While shooting kiteboarders in a local bay, I am usually about waist deep in water. I once tried putting an old monopod wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap in the salt water to support the camera. (I thought the plastic would protect it from the water. The monopod worked fine for the shoot, but when I removed the plastic wrap, the monopod was very wet. I tried drying every element of the monopod, but within 24 hours it froze up and became useless. Assuming you are using an aluminum based tripod, it would likely suffer a similar fate. <br>

As for the camera, I shoot without waterproofing, but use a raincover. This protects against errant splashes, but I bear no illusion that if I were to lose my balance and submerge the camera, even for a moment, it would be lost forever. <br>

Best of luck. </p>

[dcstep]

<p>You need an underwater housing for what you propose. The tripod might survive IF you take it about completely and wash and dry the insides ASAP after the shoot.</p>

[ilya_e]

<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Underwater-Waterproof-Housing-Case-Canon-1D-Mark-II-5D_W0QQitemZ140414719967QQcategoryZ50506QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4864211277144293924#ht_3745wt_950">Here</a> is something I found on eBay as a cheap substitute for underwater housing. But I don't know how good this is.</p>

[markonestudios]

I would not risk such a shoot (without proper water protection) ...unless of course I was getting paid well enough to replace the 7D and whatever lens will be mounted on it. Even then I would think twice. Sea water is not only water, it contains various types of salts which are corrosive compounds. It may survive the part-dunking in the short run but the exposure to corrosion is quite another matter. See if you can avoid the submersion if at all possible. If not, Sarah's idea might help.

[paddler4]

<p>you might want to consider a waterproof P&S, which is what I take kayaking, etc. It is a big step down as a camera, but you can get decent shots, and it is very nice to have a camera that you can simply wash off under the kitchen tap if it gets covered with salt or sand. They gotten better since I got mine years ago, but here is a shot I took with my first-generation Pentax optio:</p>

<p><img src="http://dkoretz.smugmug.com/Other/iceland-2009/IMGP0051ed/571812576_j7Pz5-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="488" /></p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>Getting the camera and lens that close to the sea is a recipe for disaster. Salt water is really bad and the camera and lens will not survive a dunking. The other problem with the sea is that the waves cause spray and change water height. As other have said - a casing or a waterproof camera. I personally use a Nikonos V film camera - so long as the seals are good these cameras will survive anything and are fairly cheap used. Although you can get a digital compact that is waterproof for about the same price as a Nikonos the Nikonos will survive much better - the compacts are not really sealed to the same level. I suspect that this is also not as solution given your time constraint.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>So Erwin, how'd it go? Did you make an enclosure of some sort, find an underwater camera, pass on the gig, or what? I'm curious.</p>

[authoritee]

<p>Thanks to all!</p>

<p>In the end, Sarah, we placed the tripod in the ocean and took shots from above it. Also, we did some handheld shots using my redrock micro gear, but the underwater shots weren't possible (weather was terrible and I wasn't able to get any gear for the camera). We're going back this weekend, and this time I bought a DiCAPac. Hopefully, that'll work!</p>

<p>I'll report the results later on.</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>Cool! Remember what I said, though: Remove every little screw from that tripod, and wash thoroughly! Also don't forget to wash out all the old grease with some solvent like mineral spirits. Water will mix with the grease (in tiny pockets) and will plague you later. The only solution is to replace all the grease.</p>

<p>Good luck next weekend! :-)</p>

[authoritee]

<p>Feedback's a bit late, but here it is.</p>

<p>In order to achieve the water scene I was requested for, I bought a DiCAPac waterproof case for my Canon 7D (which only set me back USD$97.67).</p>

<p>Out of the box, it looks pretty cool, although it might seem a bit scary to trust your camera inside the case, underwater. However, I threw it into an 8ft-deep pool for about an hour to see if it leaked, with rocks and papers in it. It succesfully passed the test, and so I introduced the camera into the case and tested it out. <em>It worked.</em></p>

<p>Now, on to the quality and maneuverability of the case. It feels sturdy enough, and the lens's image is not affected at all by the case's front glass cover. Although image quality is preserved, you better watch out when using super-wide angles (Tokina 11-16 in my case) because water will distort the image a lot. On the other hand, long lenses are rendered useless, too, unless the water is crystal clean and transparent (Canon 24-70 in my case, from 35mm to 70mm on a cropped sensor). <em>The ideal range for this case is a Canon 17-40, or anything similar from competing brands.</em></p>

<p>Even though it might sound like the best solution right now, the case does present two downsides. When you seal the case, a lot of air remains inside, making it float due to the water body's buoyancy force. <em>It becomes really difficult to go completely underwater because of the air inside the case.</em> And, when you try your best to expel as much air as possible from inside the case (before submerging it), the camera is left with very little air for it to run smoothly for a decent period of time. <em>In other words, the camera overheats after 10 minutes or so.</em><br>

<em><br /></em><br>

My conclusion: <strong>if the take you're looking for is in shallow, clean water, lasts for just a couple of seconds (or maybe a couple of minutes at most), the focal length to be used is between 17mm to 40mm, and you're not willing to pay more than USD$100.00 bucks on a solution, the DiCAPac is your answer</strong>. The next best thing would be around USD$1,600, which is just too much for myself.</p>