Keeping Your Digital Camera Dry

Writen by Gary Bunn

How to Keep your Digital Camera dry when it's raining!

Today's digital cameras are packed full of electronics and sensitive pieces of hardware, essential for their functioning, so the last thing you want is to have your very expensive digital camera exposed to water, possibly causing it to brake down! Of course, there is an aspect of risk involved in digital photography as invariably and ironically most dramatic and effective photo opportunities arise during or just after bad weather – such as sunlight breaking through storm clouds, or a rainbow appearing during a downfall. To this end there are a few precautions to take, and a few methods you can adopt to limit the risk to your camera from rainfall.

Lens hoods:

It's impossible to take photographs without leaving the front of your lens uncovered, but it's important to keep the rain off the lens to avoid poor image quality. Purchasing a UV filter will protect your lens while a lens hood will help to shield the front end from falling rain. UV filters are a great idea as they simply screw onto the end of your lens, allow regular wiping without fear of damaging the expensive lens and best of all they cost very little at all. Should they become scratched you can simply throw them away!

Carry a cloth:

Micro-Fiber lens cloth can be purchased from cameras shops but chamois leather is very absorbent and ideal for mopping up raindrops on cameras and lens barrels without scratching the lens or filter. Also carry a second cloth to keep your hands dry or wipe away any dirt.

Umbrellas:

Big golfing umbrellas are ideal for keeping you and your camera dry, though you'll need at least one free hand to hold it, so the camera must be mounted on a tripod. Umbrellas prove useful for shielding your cameras from strong wind also to prevent shake. However, it can often be unpractical to carry a large umbrella around depending on your shooting location.

Waterproof camera covers

Purpose made protectors such as the Elements all-weather cover are available, but to be honest, a decent polythene bag will do unless you intend shooting for long spells in torrential rain (which is unlikely) Just place the bag over the camera and lens, cut a hole for the lens to poke through and secure it with elastic bands!

Change lenses under cover

The one thing worse than rain on your camera is rain IN your camera! The last thing you want is rain on your sensor, so to prevent this always change lenses under cover, either by getting out of the rain completely or using some kind of improvised cover. Just be careful when opening your camera up outdoors.

However….

As mentioned earlier, today's digital cameras rely completely on electronics, and so water is a big worry. So while bad weather can produce great results, it's most certainly not worth the risk of ruining your camera in the hope of getting lucky in the rain! If your protective measures aren't enough, head for cover.

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