camera case/armour help needed!

[nirauan]

Hi

I have a nikon d80 whish i am (very) slowly learning how to use. The camera bag i have now is plain ugly, and so i want a new one, However i was wondering whether getting camera armour would be a decent alternative. For the most part i think i will have my camera around my neck and i doubt i will take out any other lenses? opinions please?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Depends on what elements you want to risk it in.

Having a bag for the camera inside a theme park is always a good idea esp. in tropical Central Florida. Very few people carry rain covers for their camera (they're super expensive) and you do run the risk of people banging into the camera.

Flip side is that if its in the bag, you cant take a picture.

 

[Disney Soldier]

Hi

I have a nikon d80 whish i am (very) slowly learning how to use. The camera bag i have now is plain ugly, and so i want a new one, However i was wondering whether getting camera armour would be a decent alternative. For the most part i think i will have my camera around my neck and i doubt i will take out any other lenses? opinions please?

Camera armour is only good for minor bumps and bangs. I had it on my Canon and took it off, it got in the way with some of the other accesories I like more. If you need it and have no other accesories like a display hood or a button extender it's great for the environment of Disney. They sell them on Ebay for a great price I'm sure.

 

[Disney Soldier]

Depends on what elements you want to risk it in.

Having a bag for the camera inside a theme park is always a good idea esp. in tropical Central Florida. Very few people carry rain covers for their camera (they're super expensive) and you do run the risk of people banging into the camera.

Flip side is that if its in the bag, you cant take a picture.

Most rain covers don't cost more than $20 on Ebay

 

[PhotoDave219]

Most rain covers don't cost more than $20 on Ebay

For the cheap trashbag ones, yes. To cover my cameras? No. In a pinch maybe but not to actually work out in the rain for extended lengths of time.

For real, professional raincovers for some super long glass, There's Think Tank's Hydrophobia 300-600. (Coves a 300-600 mm lens, great for those football field downpours). Thats about 150 plus eyepiece. They're in the process of making one for the 70-200 lengths but its still in R&D, last they told me.

There's also Aquatech which makes raincovers that cover the long glass as well as the 70-200 and the 17-35. But those are all $200 a pop plus eyepiece.

 

[Disney Soldier]

For the cheap trashbag ones, yes. To cover my cameras? No. In a pinch maybe but not to actually work out in the rain for extended lengths of time.

For real, professional raincovers for some super long glass, There's Think Tank's Hydrophobia 300-600. (Coves a 300-600 mm lens, great for those football field downpours). Thats about 150 plus eyepiece. They're in the process of making one for the 70-200 lengths but its still in R&D, last they told me.

There's also Aquatech which makes raincovers that cover the long glass as well as the 70-200 and the 17-35. But those are all $200 a pop plus eyepiece.

That's nice but most of us will not be using that type of equipment so the $20 one will work most of the time in a pinch. Do a search on Ebay for camera rain covers and see what you find. I have a Pelican rain case I paid like $30 for and shot many times with in bad environments and my equipment works fine.
Remember, this is a new user we are talking about.

 

[PhotoDave219]

You're right, most of you wont ever need a professional rain cover.

As for the eBay solution, I tried those Optitech rainsleeves during a golf tournament 2 weeks ago and theyre absolute garbage. Very hard to zoom the lens in and out and keep the camera dry at the same time. Too damm noisy too.

Also, Disney merch bags use water-based inks so they are not a viable solution for protecting camera gear while in the rain. Unless you want ink on a camera.

(Oh and about your flickr stream..... less on camera flash. Side light that or use the ambient.)

So back to the OP, yes i would recommend a small camera bag you can go in and out of.

 

[KeithVH]

I think this is an 'it depends' answer. I had looked at armour one time. One thing I found was that, in some cases, temperature differentials between the silicon and body materials could result in condensation between the two. YMMV. But here's a couple more thoughts.

Think long and hard about hanging 2 pounds around your neck all day, especially in the hot Florida sun. I've tried this once or twice and, even with a Zing or OpTech strap, it can be a big pain after a few hours.

What I currently use is a Hoodman screen cover. It actually fits on the body as a part of it and provides a hard plastic protection to the back side. And doubles as a shade when flipped up in bright sunlight. Unless you chimp a lot, these things are great.

In tandem, I've got a Zing foam cover. Same as the old everyready-type leather cases they used to make just for the camera. For short jaunts and no lens changes, this is a great combo - as long as you have a decent neoprene strap. That material evenly distributes weight much better than the average strap.

But a bag, even a small one, can be nice. For what you're talking, I'd suggest either a small toploader or small beltpack from LowePro. Can be worn from the shoulder or around the waist. Definitely find one with 'AW' on the end. Those come with a very thing but effective all-weather waterproof wrap tucked inside the bag that folds out and covers the whole case in 5 seconds.

 

[nirauan]

hi

thanks for all your replies, i guess this is going to take a bit more research and trailing round some more camera shops, the lowepro toploaders seem like a fairly good option for me though, in your experience would i have room in there for my car keys, mobile phone and purse? (sorry i'm in the uk, by purse i mean wallet!) While i love my camera and taking photos, i am on holiday and i dont really want to be carrying two bags

 

[RiversideBunny]

Bags tend to be personal preference items and it seems like there's always the search for the perfect bag.

Take a look at the Tamrac Velocity 7.
It's small, can protect your camera, and provides easy access by swinging it around front.

Good luck.

 

[PhotoDave219]

That was my last Disney Touring bag and it worked very well for me.

Camera w/ lens, extra lens, flash, super clamp & ball head.

 

[DebS]

Definately bring a camera bag. There are many times when you need to put it down or put it away. I also carry a few small plastic waste bags for extra rain protection. I put my camera bag in one with a knot at the top. If it's a monsoon like downpour I wrap another around both. They're inexpensive and disposable.
In a pinch ask your hotel for a few before you head out for the day.

 

[Disney Soldier]

Bags tend to be personal preference items and it seems like there's always the search for the perfect bag.

Take a look at the Tamrac Velocity 7.
It's small, can protect your camera, and provides easy access by swinging it around front.

Good luck.

Looks like a great case. How much camera does it hold? I usually carry a Lowepro Dryzone 200 but it is large and bulky for carying around in the parks.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Well Like i said, I fit a D700 w/24-85, 50mm, SB800 flash and ball head and super clamp in one, including the front pocket. Great daytrip touring bag but not the bag you want to put in the overhead compartment; thats your dryzone backpack there.

In the drop in part itself i managed just camera w/ lens and extra lens.

I used that Dryzone while Kayaking several years ago. Works great at keeping everything dry... just as so the camera is in the bag at the time you get wet.

At the end of the day bags come down to personal preferences and your individual needs.