Badass Camera Case

Michael Carter

Michael Carter

Veteran
Sticking the Cavision Viewfinder on my Canon SLR is awesome, but breaking it all down is a b*tch!! As is swapping lenses with that Nikon glass adapter...

I wanted a situation where I could just drop the rig, rails and all, into a good protective case and run from setup to setup. this really worked great - slide the hood or matte box off, release the QR from the head, drop it in the case, next setup.

This is a road case sized for DJs to carry a zillion 45's - built like a tank, $40, reasonably light:

case1.jpg


I made dividers from 3/4" plywood and 1/8" luan scraps. I had an unused foam mattress pad and I bought a remnant of leather-look vinyl from the fabric store ($6.00) and broke out the glue gun:

case2.jpg


Works great - even with a long lens, I can go from tripod to case in seconds. The other compartment holds a big hood and 4 or 5 4x4 filter pouches. Lugged this all around the hill country all weekend. Really sped things up.

case3.jpg
 
Very nice.

My only suggestion is to have a piece of foam that you can put in front of a shorter lens like that to keep the camera in place.
 
j said:
I like those hard cases, they remind me of what real rental houses use...
Click to expand...

Yeah, and I made my living playing guitar for a few years in my 20's... they have a rock & roll look (to me).

One of those links looks like the exact case.

mcgeedigital said:
My only suggestion is to have a piece of foam that you can put in front of a shorter lens like that to keep the camera in place.
Click to expand...

Actually, I made sort of a "cube" of vinyl-wrapped foam - but when the baseplate was dropped between the bottom pads, the rig didn't budge - if you look, there's sort of a "shelf" the viewfinder sits on, makes it all very fitted. The vinyl worked great with hot glue, the back side is sort of a heavy weave that holds the glue nicely.

I've been taking my old view camera cloth from my photo days with me outdoors - (the "Ansel Adams" deal, white outside, black inside) and it adds extra padding crammed in there too.

It's so freakishly hot & sunny in TX, that cloth is a godsend. Even if you're not having issues with your viewfinder, it keeps the DSLRs cooler, and it sort of feels like a little haven under there.
 
Michael,
Great suggestion on the LP case. Road Cases, aka "flight cases" or "ata cases" or "anvil cases" are definitely nothing new. There are at least a hundred different case manufacturers in the states that could provide you with a custom solution for your camera or other equipment. Yes, rental houses use them, but pretty much any touring sound, lighting or video company in the world uses this type of case and have been for 50+ years. If you have ever worked on an "OB Truck" (that's outside brodcast truck for those of you that don't know), this is 100% normal for cameras to be in.

But what I do like about your suggestion is that it's from a $40 case. Most custom cases this size will run you $100 - $500. Kudos. You could easily find a case locally too, Guitar Center, Sam Ash, hell, even Best Buy is carrying DJ stuff now. They'll have some cases like this if you would rather not have to order it.

Kit
 
Yeah, like I said... in the 80's musicians used "anvil" as a generic term for flight case - I had my keyboards & rack gear in ATA style cases, which led me to looking at these as a camera solution. A cordura-style case of that size would be hundreds of bucks.

But now there's dozens of mom & pop flight case companies. A lot of the guys who sell on eBay say they'll make custom sizes - I'd prefer a hinged lid that's not as "deep" - same case height, but less lid/more case.

I fear I've already outgrown the big red case... my new matte box is about 1" too wide, and I'd like to leave my FF attached too.

One solution I'm tossing around - an appropriate sized roller-suitcase, kind of "big carry on" range. Build an inner box of plywood, foam, & vinyl - I have the tools to make something that fits flush to the interior and doesn't look like something from a hillbilly's wood shed. I'm sure I'll always have something to put in that red case.

No, I don't want to spend the next few months making cases, but man, the "take it from the case, stick it on the legs and shoot" idea really speeds things up - and when shooting outdoors, I'd like to leave my polarizers & ND on the camera too. Even the 4 minutes it takes to attach a matte box, unsleeve filters & slide them in - I want that time for shooting.
 
By the way - search for "flight case" on the bay, and check "used". Get a cup of coffee. Go through EVERY page. I did that a couple weeks back and found three or four really useful sized cases that were dirt cheap. A good flight case gets scuffed/dirty - but they don't really wear out (and even latches & hinges can be replaced with a drill and a pop riveter). They're also a lot lighter than they look, and their strength to weight ratio is unbeatable.

I didn't end up buying any of 'em, but that was more self-discipline than anything else. I've got a big Leko light with a whole set of frames & gobos, I'd like to find a case for the whole setup next.
 
And if you're serious about buying one, try to get something with at least 3/8" wood, 1/4" tends to not last as long and can crack easier.

You'll find that the good quality cases are a wooden box first, then covered with hardware. A lot of these cheap cases from china are mae by using extruded aluminum edge hardware that the wood fits into. This design is significantly easier and quicker for them to make, albiet a little chaeaper too, but if your camera takes a 6ft dive, the point is to actually protect it.

Over the years, I personally owned 1000+ cases. Lots of different brands and styles, but I always managed to find good deals on Ebay or buying clearance from companies.

If you need a custom case, I always had good luck with a company in Los Angeles called "Pro-Cases". Talk to Shane there. They are great quality and very affordable. He built me about 30 cases over the years.
 
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