Rain Covers...

[rpcrowe]

While we only occasionally get rain or snow (snow only in the higher elevations) in Southern California, I have been informed by reliable sources that there are other areas of this planet such as our Pacific Northwest and the United Kingdom which can occasionally experience precipitation

Although some cameras (especially the Canon 1D series) are touted as being fairly weather resistant and other cameras (such as the Canon 7D) have precipitation protection to a lesser degree, I would recommend a rain cover for any camera you have; especially if you are going to brave elements like I encountered on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Here is a shot I took of a friend with his salmon catch to give you an idea of the weather I encountered...



I used a Kata E-702 Raincover in Alaska which did a darn good job of protecting my camera/lens in the constant rain.

There are copies of the Kata available and I got one for $10 (USD) from eBay and it works fine. I normally use a pair of cameras when shooting so I wanted a second Kata type cover to have when I expect to encounter wet conditions. I don't carry the Kata Raincovers except for times when wet conditions are inevitable.

Whenever I am shooting in drier climes, I always carry an OPTECH Rainsleeve for each camera - even when I can pretty well guarantee it will not rain. I have used the OPTECH Rainsleeve when my camera would be exposed to mist, spray from a waterfall or ocean or in areas with blowing dust. Although the Rainsleeve is not as sturdy as the Kata or even the copy of the Kata I purchased on eBay... it does a great job for occasional protection, it is extremely light weight (I keep them in the back pocket of my photo vest along with a couple of rubber bands) and at about two for $7 (USD) they are cheap enough to be considered expendable.

Here is a link to Amazon's selection of rain covers for cameras.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...a+rain+covers#

I really consider a purposefully made rain cover better than jury rigging a plastic trash bag to protect your camera/lens combination.

[Evn1ngStar]

I got a pair of the Optech rainsleeves just a few weeks ago, and it's been pretty dry since then. I suppose I'll have to go out and wash my car Saturday so I'll have some gaurunteed rain to test them out in....

[keith201]

You can use a big plastic bag to keep your camera dry in the rain. Just cut a hole for the lens to poke through. It's inclined to get a bit damp here in New Zealand from time to time and that's what I use.

[Bobobird]

If you are not into plastic bag cut-a-hole rain sleeves, there is also the Stormjacket - about the same price as the Katas

http://www.stormjacket.com/ORDER.html