Camera protection in hot wet climates

[pbsaxman]

Hi All. Not been here for a while as no broadband , but now back in this century and have a question for the great and good.

Going to Borneo next April and am very concerned about protecting my Nikon D80 from the weather out there. Is there anything I can do to protect it from wet heat/humidity and sudden downpours of tropical rain !!!???

Fine while its in the bag as I have weather protection (not sure if its tropical downpour protection but hey) but as soon as I have it out its no drier than me.

Any advice would be welcome.

Also, can I ask a two in one , I am saving for a new lens as my old 70-300 is totally rubbish when focusing in anything but bright light. Don't have a fortune to spend but again any words of wisdom would be great.

May speak to Steve C closer to the time, as Ted and I visited India in 2008 and maybe he's strayed into Borneo, so Mrs T might look there.

Hope someone can help

[Simpo Two]

I've been to Brunei which is next door to Borneo.

When it rains it's like being in a warm power shower, so forget it.

The main problem you have is humidity, which manifests itself as instant fogging of lens and VF the moment you take the camera out. All you can do is wait until it warms up. But once the camera is acclimatised, carry on as normal.

[rottie102]

This :
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.p...
this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-OPTECH-RAINSLEEVE-Rain-C...
or this:

[VxDuncan]

Had a few trips in the more humid parts of the world, some of which were with a D80.

As said, condensation is more of an issue than rain - you can counter that... Biggest problem is when you leave your kit in an air-conditioned room or vehicle for a while and take it outside. It will literally be seconds before it's dripping in water. The best way round this is to avoid it all together - in many Asian hotel rooms the bathrooms aren't A/C'd (when the rooms are)- so I'll often leave kit in there, the plus side is there are big bits of plumbing etc to pacsafe the bag too for security. The alternative is to warm the kit before leaving the A/C - I'll usually be sat on a bus or car with a camera between me legs and a lens under each armpit!

Rain wise, decent camera bag with water proof cover helps (Lowe-pro stuff is good, but do proof the rain cover, they aren't 100%). The waterproof cover is useful in public to make the bag more grotty looking and less obvious what it is, along with being an extra layer of security. I also keep a rain bag, lens cloth to wipe off the lens and big bag of silca gel to keep things dry BUT make sure the gel is dry as otherwise it will just be a source of moisture in your bag!

The other thing is to do what I did before venturing off into the rainforests of Papua New Guniea and get a pro/semipro body that's weather sealed. I upgraded the D80 to a D300 and don't regret it one bit. It got a soaking several times in Zimbabwe (literally soaked once!) and didn't miss a beat.

[pbsaxman]

Thanks guys. Some great advice. Many of the areas I'll be in don't have the luxury of A/C so at least the camera will acclimatise, probably better than me

I'd love to be able to afford the upgrade to a D300 but with the trip AND a new lens I think that might be a purchase too far!

Good tip to waterproof the rain cover on the bag. Its a Lowepro so has a good rain coat but the added proofing is easy and should help. Thanks for that. I'll also take a supply of bin liners cos crazy though it may seem they could be useful!!

Thanks again and any more wisdom always welcome.

Peter