camera armour - worth it?

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idkb

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Iain
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Evening - has anyone either used, or have any opinion, about whether Camera Armour is worth the investment? I am heading off to the jungle later in the year and want to make sure my kit is protected as possible :help:

TIA,

Iain
 
I thought of getting something like that for my camera, years ago, but then discarded the idea when I was told it wasn't much worth the money.

Frankly, I've never been in a situation were the Armour would have come in useful; and while I've never been in a jungle, I have been to some pretty harsh environments.
 
idkb said:
Evening - has anyone either used, or have any opinion, about whether Camera Armour is worth the investment? I am heading off to the jungle later in the year and want to make sure my kit is protected as possible :help:

TIA,

Iain
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which jungle, which continent. I mean what elevation as humidiity is the killer and unless you are doing it the soft touristy way with aircon included in your base camps then leave your kit at home unless you are rich and can comfortably replace your kit, that will intake moisture. Its been 20 years (lampshade swining) since I was jungle training but you were always wet. Clear Plastic bags is your best bet.

Good luck!
 
hiddybiddy said:
which jungle, which continent. I mean what elevation as humidiity is the killer and unless you are doing it the soft touristy way with aircon included in your base camps then leave your kit at home unless you are rich and can comfortably replace your kit, that will intake moisture. Its been 20 years (lampshade swining) since I was jungle training but you were always wet. Clear Plastic bags is your best bet.

Good luck!
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Borneo. Unfortunately no aircon to be had. We start at 4000m and end up at the sea...
 
I had a D80 with the armour and it made it far easier to hold (due to the rubber and increase in size) I never dropped it but it would add protection.

As to trapping water I'd be more worried about moisture entering throught he lens mount :thinking:
 
TBH - no I don't think is will be toomuch of a problem but just bear in mind that Nikon do not weather seal the lens mount, at best there's a little rubber gasket to stop dust.

I assume that your going to have a single zoom lens on the body?
 
jimbo_wa said:
TBH - no I don't think is will be toomuch of a problem but just bear in mind that Nikon do not weather seal the lens mount, at best there's a little rubber gasket to stop dust.

I assume that your going to have a single zoom lens on the body?
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Yep - was planning to get a superzoom (prob. Nikon 18-200) and just leave it on there to reduce exposure to the innards of the D80.
 
If it's high humidity, would it be worth taking some desiccant/moisture absorbing bags sealed in plastic bags (perhaps ziplock) and then popping the camera in there after use?
 
Byker28i said:
If it's high humidity, would it be worth taking some desiccant/moisture absorbing bags sealed in plastic bags (perhaps ziplock) and then popping the camera in there after use?
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I don't know how practical this would be....

how about putting the camera inside a clear bag, with some of the dessiccant crystals. Have the opening of the bag pointed towards the front of the camera, (i.e. over the lens mount), seal with a rubber band, then apply the camera armour?

From the sounds of it, you will not be able to really get somewhere non-humid overnight. So the camera could stay in this bag for a week? (storage card permitting)

The armour would give you something non-slippy to hold, around the waterproof bag.
 
Thanks for the advice on the desiccant. Do you know where I can source a small number of the sachets? A quick look on Google has only yielded suppliers selling them in packs of 100, which seems a little excessive :)
 
Looking at this from a different view point. What about a tough and waterproof camera, instead of getting an 18-200 lens and hoping you can keep everything sealed and protected

Olli Tough range> Olympus tough at Amazon

Or have a play with one in Tescos
 
Byker28i said:
If it's high humidity, would it be worth taking some desiccant/moisture absorbing bags sealed in plastic bags (perhaps ziplock) and then popping the camera in there after use?
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Where I live, in Saudi, humidity is over 100% :eek: .. the best protection you can offer you camera and lens at such humid climates is to carry a few small cotton tea-towels. Keep the camera and lens wrapped with the towel whenever not in use.

Make sure to acclimatise your equipment when moving from one place to another; small change in temperature will cause condensation. The towels come in very handy to absorb as much condensation as possible, and what isn't absorbed you can wipe it off.

M&S tea towels are a major part of my kit bag all the time now.
 
interesting
personally I would take the kit and get all the shots you can
but overnight put it in a bag with the desiccant. or you can use salt..or rice as I recall.
the silica gel would work more efficiently though!
 
idkb said:
Thanks for the advice on the desiccant. Do you know where I can source a small number of the sachets? A quick look on Google has only yielded suppliers selling them in packs of 100, which seems a little excessive :)
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I'll have a scout about at work next week, often we throw thousands out.
If I find any, I can post some on, if you are not already sorted.
 
Just keep it safe in a well protected camera case. Peli cases are water and air-sealed so will keep moisture out. Just be careful when using the camera out of case.

I can jump up and down on my Peli 1500 (I tried it just to see), and I weigh 17st. My case currently holds a 40D, 70-200mm, 24-105mm, 12-24mm, batteries, filters etc. It is also not too big to lug around and you can even add a shoulder strap to the two padlock points if needed.

I got mine by offering this ebayer £80 for a new one.
 
Humidity is the main factor, we spent a good bit of time in the Amazon during the rain season. Now I know fully what they mean by a rain forest :lol:

Keep lens changes to a minimum, when you are not using the camera keep it in a bag, rucksack, something as even carrying it about in your hands can become really tiring and as everything is damp with humidity keeping it in a bag keeps it away from dampness. At night sit your gear in an airtight plastic bag with some silica in it to absorb any moisture but remember to take the camera out about 1 hour before you need it to give it time to aclimatise again.

Most of all, have fun and take loads of pics.

Arron
 
Wail said:
W
Make sure to acclimatise your equipment when moving from one place to another; small change in temperature will cause condensation. The towels come in very handy to absorb as much condensation as possible, and what isn't absorbed you can wipe it off.
Click to expand...

This is a really good tip. I had a few issues when moving from an airconditioned coach to a hot humid spot when in Sri Lanka
 
I'm going to trial the use of some neoprene covers for my longer lenses this time in Afghanistan, as I've suffered a few hard-knocks to my kit in the past - now that we're required to carry rifles at all times, instead of at our discretion, I can forsee more damage occurring...
I think as long as you remove any covers on a daily basis daily and clean under them, then moisture wouldn't be a problem in hot, humid conditions like jungle...

Just be sensible and maintain your kit...
 
Are these neoprene covers the same as the Lenscoat?
 
I lived and worked in HongKong and Brunei (Borneo) for a few years back in the 70s and 80s. At that time I had several film cameras including 645 that I lugged around and took multiple thousands of images in humid conditions and typhoon weather (mostly with canon AE-1).The only protection I used was a billingham bag. The problem I had was with the occasional fungus growing inside the lens. Anything that traps moisture is a bad. In Borneo the jungle is very damp, wet with millions of insects looking for somewhere to hide. They can get into anything (nice black malaysia scorpions for macro, but don't get too close). Large soldier ants that march all over you body, camera and anything else that is in the way. Take into account that the jungle is full of wet leaves, branches, twigs that brush against you as your machette cuts your way through. Protection is vital for camera equipment but also circulating air and dryness is needed to prevent fungal growths. Sillica is used entensively in sealed boxes and containers but readily absorbs water so it is necessary to dry them out again (oven or microwave I used). I personally would not take a very expensive camera / lens into this environment but a cheaper quality one that maybe has good sealing, like recent pentax models. Can't comment on armour or waterproofing as no experience of either. Enjoy your expedition and photographic venture.
 
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