DVX at the beach...?

Benny1414

Benny1414

Member
Hey, all. I am going to the beach next week and I would like to take my DVX and get some footage, but I am wondering if this is a bad idea.

I realize that sand would be the biggest concern, so I suppose I should try to get shots when it's not windy and blowing sand around.

But would the humidity harm the camera? I've heard it is bad for shotguns, and I usually have a Sanken CS-1 mounted on my camera.

I know alot of you live near a coast. Would you bring your DVX/and/or a shotgun out on the beach, or is it too big a risk of damaging the camera or mic.

Any thoughts/experiences would be greatly appreciated.


~Ben
 
I've shot on a beach several times with my DVX and encountered no camera problems. If you're worried about dust, sand, and or water contaminating the camera, you could cover it with a Portabrace or other camera cover.

If you plan on using sticks on the beach, however, plan on spending a lot of time cleaning sand off your tripod afterwards. It's a real pain.
 
If bringing any camera or camcorder outside of any environment beyond the studio was not a good idea then we would have very little outdoor footage wouldn't we? Just take good precautions, keep it inside the case when not it in use and try not to open the tape compartment out in the open. Change tapes inside the case, a tent or a car. Also don't drop it in the ocean as my brother did with his Canon Elura several years ago. The chances of recovery are very slim.
 
Be careful about pointing either end into the sun . Sun can fry the viewfinder just as easily as the lens. And make sure you have a filter on it to protect lens.
 
Shooting on the beach is not so different from shooting at other outdoor locations. If you use some common sense, you'll be okay. You will get sand on your tripod and your bags, so bring a towel. If there's blowing sand, then you don't want to be out there any way (unless you're trying to shoot a hurricane). You might get some salt sprays on your equipment, so just wipe it clean when you get home. A filter is a good idea to protect the lens from the salt spray.
 
A polarizing filter will come in handy on the beach......

Stas_Tagios said:
If you plan on using sticks on the beach, however, plan on spending a lot of time cleaning sand off your tripod afterwards. It's a real pain.
Click to expand...

I had to shoot on the beach once and didn't look forward to the sand in my tripod legs for months to follow so I took three small plastic bags and rubber banded them to the bottom 5-6" of the tripod legs for the shoot. Afterwards, just removed the bags and never saw a grain of sand again. You just have to be careful about kicking it up with your feet.
 
A portabrace is good, but if you don't want to buy it, you can use a regular plastic bag, just be careful with the condensation that may build up. Salt and sand can do damage (look at beach houses and you will see). Be careful with the Sun. The Sanken CS-1 is sweet, I would put a fluffy on it to be on the safe side and it will also cut the wind noise.
 
Thanks, all for the reassurance and advice. I like the idea of bagging my tripod legs. Definately will avoid a hassle later.
 
Benny1414 said:
Hey, all. I am going to the beach next week and I would like to take my DVX and get some footage, but I am wondering if this is a bad idea.

I realize that sand would be the biggest concern, so I suppose I should try to get shots when it's not windy and blowing sand around.

But would the humidity harm the camera? I've heard it is bad for shotguns, and I usually have a Sanken CS-1 mounted on my camera.

I know alot of you live near a coast. Would you bring your DVX/and/or a shotgun out on the beach, or is it too big a risk of damaging the camera or mic.

Any thoughts/experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

It's certainly not a *good* idea, but necessary. I've shot on the beach camera-only and never had a problem. The dunes are pretty windy yet the sand didn't ruin my camera. Humidity really only has a negative on one microphone brand: Schoeps. They sound wonderful when they work, but keep them away from humidity!! Your Sanken will be fine. The camera would merely give an in-viewfinder warning if it's a real problem, but in my experience the "dew" sensor has never gone off. I would be concerned about your tripod, though. I inherited a K-Tek boom pole that was once used on the beach and it never did feel right to me. You can try cleaning them up, but they never feel the same as they did before. Take a disposable tripod if you can--or otherwise, don't count on it being "just right" when you return. Hope this makes sense. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top