LF in the WET!

Asha

Asha

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Asha
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Ok before you all bring me down in flames for being "stupid", I'm fully aware that rain and photography don't mix well from a practical pov although the results can sometimes be pretty spectacular.

Going out with an SLR or something else small ish when the weather is unsettled doesn't bother me but as LF kit involves bellows, it kinda puts a diiferent slate on the situation.

Nonetheless atm the weather here is unstable and as such some of the skies are quite impresive with stormy clouds and rays of light streaming through them like what I saw today.

Tomorrows forecast is giving similar so I'd like to see if I can get a frame or two.

Firstly the good news is that my darkcloth is (supposedly) waterproof so theoretically can be thrown over the camera as and when the rain arrives.
Showers here tend to start very suddenly, are often quite violent ( large droplets of water with some wind supported force behind them), and then stop as quick as they started.
Even making a dash for the nearest shelter say 20 or 30 yards away can still leave one sodden.

What I wish to know is just how well will bellows stand up to getting "damp" ( not soaking wet)?

I'm presuming that if allowed to air / dry thoroughly immediatly upon returning home will see them "recover" without any long term issues.

Over the years photographers have obviously shot in much more harsh conditions that what I'm considering ( Arctic etc) so I feel fairly confident.

That said, I would like to hear any advice ( besides "don't do it!) from you guys, both for whilst out shooting and "after care" of the camera.
 
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Umpteen years ago I saw a bloke in Northampton taking LF shots (5x4) in the rain from under a white tent much the same shape and size as a small garden shed. The end he was shooting from was completely open. It looked manufactured rather than home made. The only things I've seen like that are crime scene tents on TV so perhaps that's where it came from. Looked like his camera and other gear was well protected by the tent.
 
Can't help with bellows knowledge, but I'm fairly certain aows did a video on YouTube where he had some sort of umbrella attachment to a tripod. Same for Steve O'Nions. Both like their atmospheric rain.

This would be a useful post if I could link to the videos but my search fu is rubbish at the best of times.
 
I guess it depends what the bellows are made from. My hunch would be that they could be some sort of coated paper and that the coating is likely to crack and/or wear at the corners and that might let water into the paper. Drying will help but the paper might lose it's integrity if it gets too wet or stays wet for too long
 
sirch said:
guess it depends what the bellows are made from
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Mmm donkeys years ago they used leather so doubt it posed a big problem ….I've never seen a cow crack at the corners!:LOL:

It's difficult to tell what the bellows are made of tbh ( Intrepid, Tachihara)

sirch said:
the paper might lose it's integrity if it gets too wet or stays wet for too long
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:(
 
I know that Ansel Adams photographed in the rain (at least one of his photos has "rain" in the title); and he did somewhere remark that on at least one of his photos he used a focusing cloth to keep water droplets off the lens. There's also one story of a camera that went into a river (I think it was a Canham) and the bellows, although somewhat the worse for wear in appearance were still functional after the camera was fixed up by the maker. A lot is going to depend, as said, on what the bellows are made from. I think leather in some form was the normal material until comparatively recently - weren't Ebony cameras fitted with leather bellows?

I'm much less certain about some more recent cameras, but I expect Steve could comment on the water resistance (or otherwise) of Chroma bellows.

And, yes, the Paramo cloth is sold as showerproof, so it should work well as a rain shield, at least in the short term.
 
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Having been on the slightly damp(!) Onich trip, I ended up using an umbrella to try and keep the camera dry. To be fair, you really need an assitant to hold it while you get on with the business of taking photos, or some other method of holding it in place. Here are a couple of previous unseen shots where the brolly just sneaked in. :rolleyes:

2018-10-16-0057.jpg

2018-10-16-0073.jpg
 
Is the synthesis of all the above to have a leather brolly held by an assistant? Bloody hell, boys. No danger of getting kinky, is there?
 
None whatsoever. If the assistant is efficient enough, and the umbrella large enough, I think that the rubber wet suit could be dispensed with...
 
But with any lapse of attention the paper might still disintegrate? I tell you, it's risky out there, whatever.
 
I gave up sailing as it was described as "standing under a cold shower tearing up £20 notes", so have a bit of previous. But never any leather. :eek:
 
It seems to me, @Asha that in the weather conditions you describe neither a tent nor an umbrella would likely be much use in the wind that usually accompanies a sudden squall of rain. My suggestion would be to a waterproof cloth of some kind (an old raincoat or cycling cape, maybe?), cut a piece that will comfortably wrap around the camera and bellows, with a flap at each end to cover the lens and ground glass (optional), and attach some velcro to hold it together. Then you could keep this in your camera bag, and fasten it over the bellows if the conditions look dodgy!
 
Well it might have been wet, but it didn't dampen your ardour :)
 
Thanks to the idea that Chris came up with, I scouted around to see what waterproof material I had knocking about and came up with the ideal product…...A rucksack rain cover.

I tried the smallest one that I have which comes from a LowPro Flipside 200 sac and that just nicely covers the Tachihara when the standards are at each extreme of the baseboard..

A slightly larger cover will prpbably be better to offer more material below the camera which can be tethered somehow ( velcro, cord, etc) to or around the tripod head.

So long as the cover is securely attached then without doubt it will work a treat to protect the camera and lens between showers and / or for getting to a sheltered location where the gear can be packed in a dry environment.

They weigh just a few grams, pack down to next to nothing and cost peanuts!

Excellent idea @ChrisR …...Thank you!(y):)
 
Been meaning to reply and suggest rucksack rain covers. I have a couple of aftermarket Karrimor ones that I got in Sports Direct. A medium-sized one fits over the Shen Hao 5x4 and a small one goes over the Bronica ETRS. I didn't get them for the purpose of shooting in the rain, but as emergency covers that I can quickly put over the cameras if there's a sudden shower, to give me time to decide whether to wait for a bit or move them under cover (like into the car) so that I can pack them away dry. They have drawcords around the edge, so they can be put on and snugged up to keep them in place.

Regarding bellows and water, I don't think they're a good mix. Paper or leather would probably be okay if there were a few biggish raindrops, but getting wet all over would potentially be bad. As mentioned already, paper is likely to loose its structural integrity pretty quickly, and could be damaged quite easily. Leather would be okay for a while, but you'd want to avoid getting it wet through - the stiffener materials inside could still become weakened (cardboard and light cloth), and there's a risk that the leather could become dried out and fragile after a soaking. Leather could be rejuvinated if this happens with suitable leather gloop, but would still need care in case the gloop affected the supporting materials inside.

If I was planning to use a bellows in wet weather without some sort of cover, I think I'd look at treating it with something to make it more resistant. Maybe some sort of paint-on flexible coating for paper, and a wax treatment for leather.
 
Nomad Z said:
They have drawcords around the edge, so they can be put on and snugged up to keep them in place.
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Ah the Lowepro ones have elastic as opposed to a drwcord so no adjustment can be made …..I'll keep a look out specifically for those raincovers with drawcords as it will save faffing with velcro or seperate cord.
 
Nomad Z said:
. I have a couple of aftermarket Karrimor ones that I got in Sports Direct. A medium-sized one fits over the Shen Hao 5x4 and a small one goes over the Bronica ETRS. I didn't get them for the purpose of shooting in the rain, but as emergency covers that I can quickly put over the cameras if there's a sudden shower, .
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Looks like they're selling them at halfprice just now! (y) Other sizes available. https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-rucksack-rain-bag-cover-784048?colcode=78404860
 
Nomad Z said:
The little yellow one for the ETRS, and orange for the Shen Hao
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I think you mean the opposite way round don't you as the smallest one listed is the orange one ( 10-20litres)?
 
Asha said:
I think you mean the opposite way round don't you as the smallest one listed is the orange one ( 10-20litres)?
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Yeah - brain fart, made worse by actually looking at the ETRS one to check it had a drawcord and noting that it's orange...
 
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