Matthew S. Smith
Member
I'm wondering if anyone has good suggestions for a rain cover for these cameras. Hopefully ones with proven use on these cameras.
Thanks
Thanks
Xf300/305 rain covers
- Thread starter Matthew S. Smith
- Start date
C. Keiser
Active member
I ordered the PortaBrace, should have it in just a few days.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=RS-EXRXF+RAIN+SLICKER&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
Will let you know how well it fits and how easy it is to put on. Hopefully I won't need to use it for rain anytime soon. If you're like me, you will carry it always and dread whenever you need it.
If anyone else has the body armor, I would appreciate feedback on that product too.
http://www.portabrace.com/productA-CBA-XF305
Will get back to you Matthew.
CK
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=RS-EXRXF+RAIN+SLICKER&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
Will let you know how well it fits and how easy it is to put on. Hopefully I won't need to use it for rain anytime soon. If you're like me, you will carry it always and dread whenever you need it.
If anyone else has the body armor, I would appreciate feedback on that product too.
http://www.portabrace.com/productA-CBA-XF305
Will get back to you Matthew.
CK
cowpunk52
Veteran
I'm curious about that portabrace as well, but I haven't generally liked body armor for my cameras. Petrol makes a rain cover that should work well for XF300/5 cams, but it looks a little unwieldy. It might be great, though - haven't tried it out yet: http://www.petrolbags.com/PR410
I'd like to see something from Kata - I've always been happy with their covers.
I'd like to see something from Kata - I've always been happy with their covers.
Matthew S. Smith
Member
Thanks for all the advice. I see that Kata recommends their CRC-15 for the FX300/305 to which I'm leaning pretty heavily.
C. Keiser
Active member
Matthew,
The Kata just looks baggy to me. To be honest so does the PortaBrace, but a little less so.
I've had so many PB products, that I went with what I sorta know... Regardless, I'm gonna hate using it no matter what. It's like choosing how you wanna be tortured.
Let us know how the Kata works out for you.
CK
The Kata just looks baggy to me. To be honest so does the PortaBrace, but a little less so.
I've had so many PB products, that I went with what I sorta know... Regardless, I'm gonna hate using it no matter what. It's like choosing how you wanna be tortured.
Let us know how the Kata works out for you.
CK
ZanucK
Active member
I would really like to know if the Kata CRC-15 fits the XF300… I am about to travel and this would help me tremendously.
Best,
Marco
http://www.marcoaslan.com
Best,
Marco
http://www.marcoaslan.com
cowpunk52
Veteran
That's the truth!
Matthew S. Smith
Member
Yes. The CRC-15 fits the xf300/305 just fine,
CK, it is a bit baggy but for shooters with larger hands, it is a welcome feature. Access to all the buttons, except the top handle set, is pretty easy.
The only difficulty would be with the swing out monitor. Chances are, using the viewfinder will be the best recourse for shooting in the rain.
Switching from tripod to hand held causes no problems and there is extra protection for the hand held mode to keep ones upper wrists protected.
I can't see the lens hood being 100% protected from the elements do to their cinching system in the front. It tends to slide down the hood when tightening.
These are my preliminary findings and I'll be putting to test next week, according to the weather forecast. I'll comment on the field workings of the Kata then.
CK, it is a bit baggy but for shooters with larger hands, it is a welcome feature. Access to all the buttons, except the top handle set, is pretty easy.
The only difficulty would be with the swing out monitor. Chances are, using the viewfinder will be the best recourse for shooting in the rain.
Switching from tripod to hand held causes no problems and there is extra protection for the hand held mode to keep ones upper wrists protected.
I can't see the lens hood being 100% protected from the elements do to their cinching system in the front. It tends to slide down the hood when tightening.
These are my preliminary findings and I'll be putting to test next week, according to the weather forecast. I'll comment on the field workings of the Kata then.
Matthew S. Smith
Member
As mentioned in my previous post, here are my comments on the field use of the CRC-15.
16 1/2 hours of shooting , day exterior, 60 degrees with an accumulated total of 2" of rain. The CRC-15 performed extremely well considering the conditions. After about 8 hrs, I modified it by removing the microphone sleeve and the rear accessory sleeve allowing the case to become even tighter, repelling the elements. (hind sight, I should have done this from the beginning.) Removing the camera on and off of the tripod was a frequent task and having the bag fully open on the bottom aided in this process. Through the constant movement and non-stop rain, there was no way to keep the camera 100% free of moisture and humidity. Often, it was necessary to rotate the viewfinder up for some shooting conditions. This in turn would cause some moisture to build up about the eye cup. The camera was taken back to the vehicle to remove rain droplets from the lens, which caused fogging to the lens, viewfinder and the clear sections of the bag. the camera was conditioned to clear the fogging from the front lens and bag yet, it would take overnight for the viewfinder to fully clear. This bag is not the best solution if you need to have the LCD open for shooting which necessitated the sole use of the viewfinder. (side note: for those who swear never to use auto focus, sometimes it is a necessary evil, like when viewfinders fog).
Shooting the next day, the bag worked flawlessly. It rained , yet it wasn't the driving, forceful rain that was experienced the day before. The CRC-15 works well for wet shooting conditions. Access to all camera's buttons was easy, including the top handle set. Major drawback: using the LCD monitor.
The camera worked very well in those conditions also. At times i was concerned about moisture and humidity buildup, but the camera body stayed dry and it never experienced a camera shutdown due to elements. I do however have a "CF A ERROR" and will probably have to have the camera checked out. The CF slots were fully protected from the rain, so i cant point to moisture as the culprit. I have reviewed all footage and everything recorded splendidly.
Those are my two cents for what its worth.
16 1/2 hours of shooting , day exterior, 60 degrees with an accumulated total of 2" of rain. The CRC-15 performed extremely well considering the conditions. After about 8 hrs, I modified it by removing the microphone sleeve and the rear accessory sleeve allowing the case to become even tighter, repelling the elements. (hind sight, I should have done this from the beginning.) Removing the camera on and off of the tripod was a frequent task and having the bag fully open on the bottom aided in this process. Through the constant movement and non-stop rain, there was no way to keep the camera 100% free of moisture and humidity. Often, it was necessary to rotate the viewfinder up for some shooting conditions. This in turn would cause some moisture to build up about the eye cup. The camera was taken back to the vehicle to remove rain droplets from the lens, which caused fogging to the lens, viewfinder and the clear sections of the bag. the camera was conditioned to clear the fogging from the front lens and bag yet, it would take overnight for the viewfinder to fully clear. This bag is not the best solution if you need to have the LCD open for shooting which necessitated the sole use of the viewfinder. (side note: for those who swear never to use auto focus, sometimes it is a necessary evil, like when viewfinders fog).
Shooting the next day, the bag worked flawlessly. It rained , yet it wasn't the driving, forceful rain that was experienced the day before. The CRC-15 works well for wet shooting conditions. Access to all camera's buttons was easy, including the top handle set. Major drawback: using the LCD monitor.
The camera worked very well in those conditions also. At times i was concerned about moisture and humidity buildup, but the camera body stayed dry and it never experienced a camera shutdown due to elements. I do however have a "CF A ERROR" and will probably have to have the camera checked out. The CF slots were fully protected from the rain, so i cant point to moisture as the culprit. I have reviewed all footage and everything recorded splendidly.
Those are my two cents for what its worth.