How to Not Murder an Amazing Camera

[Slot Machine]

The following is a hypothetical question about canyoneering with camera equipment:

One day Gigantor was sitting around the office drinking coffee. He was in a bad mood. His coffee seemed especially bitter for some reason.

[SIZE=2]Last weekend he successfully soloed Keeper Pothole Canyon. Upon returning to the office, everything appeared somewhat bleak, like he was watching a TV with the color saturation turned down. How could such an awesome adventure leave him so unfulfilled? The Bogleyites were fawning over his Trip Report. GoPro had even contacted him with a sponsorship offer. Yet, the video he posted to the timeless track ‘Thunderstruck’ left his artistic side feeling empty, like some sort of cheap cookie-cutter clich

[Iceaxe]

Reminds me of this.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODlBOP5gZpE

[spinesnaper]

[QUOTE=Slot Machine;490075]The following is a hypothetical question about canyoneering with camera equipment:

One day Gigantor was sitting around the office drinking coffee. He was in a bad mood. His coffee seemed especially bitter for some reason.

[SIZE=2]Last weekend he successfully soloed Keeper Pothole Canyon. Upon returning to the office, everything appeared somewhat bleak, like he was watching a TV with the color saturation turned down. How could such an awesome adventure leave him so unfulfilled? The Bogleyites were fawning over his Trip Report. GoPro had even contacted him with a sponsorship offer. Yet, the video he posted to the timeless track

[dougr]

In all seriousness, I would strongly urge you to forgo carrying such equipment in a technical canyon.

A small waterproof p&s in a soft case slung close to the chest is leagues better. I've carried a dslr, a g10, and several p&s'es. My best shots have been from the p&s'es over the years. The others are too hard to tote, too cumbersome to pull out, and too delicate with wet and sandy hands around. You end up not pulling the fine cameras out, plain and simple.

In something like Coyote Gulch, by all means. But otherwise I just wouldn't.

Sent from my ICS'd Vibrant

[DesertDuke]

I so know how it goes.

51901

[Dan-wild]

If you really feel like taking some top-notch pictures then why not bring a nice camera? These people are just haters! If you don't mind the hassle of getting it out when you want to snap a shot then: stick it in a case, some foam, a dry-bag, a keg, a nice sturdy backpack, and then put it in a portable nuclear silo...wait. ..maybe you shouldn't. :haha:

[DesertDuke]

I have been considering adding a Canon G-12 (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-G12-Digital-Stabilized-Vari-Angle/dp/B0041RSPRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330872063&sr=8-1)point-n-shoot (PNS) for just such reasons. It has the digic IV processor and though I don't have one have seen spectacular photos. i think I do take canyon/climbing trips where the SLR is just too bulky. I take it, but it doesn't come out much unless I stop for a bit. I could use a quality, PNS for some trips. However, all my money went to replace the SLR in the picture in by previous post. Maybe a future purchase.

[spinesnaper]

DesertDuke

G-12 is a very good camera but a bit bulky. Take a look at its sister camera the s100. I believe they have similar sensors but the s100 is a smaller package. I love that the lens goes to 24 mm for wide views. It has a reasonable high res video. Canon makes a practical underwater case for these cameras that will protect the camera from the canyon environment yet allow you to take great photos. Yes its bulky but not too bad.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/wcsstore/eStore/images/wp-dc38_1_l.jpg

Here's a photo for the case for s95, the prior model:



Ken

[IntrepidXJ]

Insurance :)

[Slot Machine]

I so know how it goes. 51901

Duke... you can't post a picture like that without a story. :nono: :mrgreen:


Canon makes a practical underwater case for these cameras that will protect the camera from the canyon environment yet allow you to take great photos. Yes its bulky but not too bad.

Another option is the Canon PowerShot D10 (what I use). It is very durable, I've taken it snorkeling, snowboarding and canyoneering many times. I even sanded off part of the lens housing while sliding through Middle Leprechaun and it still works great. I highly recommend it for canyoneering, although I would like to take some better pictures than it is capable of.

I think the PNS with the underwater case is a good compromise between my D20 and your high end camera.

But lets say I'm hell bent on taking an epic photo like Dan Ransom's 'Escaping the Pit of Despair'. http://500px.com/photo/833594
What kind of cases would you use when venturing out with a $12,000 camera? Do you do anything special to clean it when you return?

And a question that is slightly off topic, but still canyoneering specific: how do you keep the lens from fogging up in a cold damp canyon?


Insurance :)

Do you have any experience with this? Does insurance cover smashing a camera in a canyon? Are you talking about an extended warranty or is there a separate company that insures such things?

[spinesnaper]

Good questions:popcorn:

For the fogging question, the camera case I showed has room for a desiccant. I use Pioneer's Moisture muncher. For small electronics that have done more swimming than they were designed for, I throw them into a Bheestie bag(bheestie dot com) when I get back to the car. REI has this in stock in Los Vegas and Scottsdale. If your item has a pulse there is hope but it doesn't work miracles. For example I had a swim watch that I did not correctly screw down the crown. It filled with water. A day in the Bheestie bag and 24 hours in the oven on low; well let's just say that it is taking an extended vacation in Switzerland with the watchmaker for the next 6 months.:cry1: Transitions from a warm to a cold environment can be an issue for internal fogging but so far, I have not had this issue.

Ken

[Iceaxe]

To paraphrase one of my favorite saying…..

There are two types of canyoneers in the world.... Those that have trashed a camera in a slot canyon and those that are going to trash a camera in a slot canyon.

:cool2:

[IntrepidXJ]

Do you have any experience with this? Does insurance cover smashing a camera in a canyon? Are you talking about an extended warranty or is there a separate company that insures such things?

I have a separate policy for my camera gear through the insurance company that I have my homeowners and car insurance with.

Though I have not had to make a claim yet, I sat down with my agent and made sure my gear would be covered if it was lost, stolen or damaged. I asked what would happen if I dropped it in a river or off a cliff....I was told it would be covered, I just have to pay the deductible.

[Audilard]

[QUOTE=Iceaxe;490157]To paraphrase one of my favorite saying

[DesertDuke]

Duke... you can't post a picture like that without a story. :nono: :mrgreen:

I WISH that one came with an epic story. "Yah......there I was, 10 thousand feet in the air, hair on fire, parts flapping in the wind......" Something starting like that.......but actually.....upon arrival in Southern Utah headed for some canyons, Mrs DesertDuke knocked it out on the ground while closing the door of the Suburban. "Hmmmm...I felt a bump, better see if I ran over anything". This was, of course, right at the beginning of the weekend canyon trip so I went the entire weekend sans camera. We are from Idaho so returning for a camera or anything else is/was out of the question. Perfect light the entire weekend? Of course there was!! I think missing the photos was more lost value than the camera itself. I did keep it and plan on pranking her later with a fake drop of the new one.

[Exergy]

I usually put the SLR inside a 2-gallon ziplock freezer bag and then put that in a lightweight dry sac. I use a new freezer bag each trip. It's much cheaper than a dedicated case and it works. I usually only do this if the canyon is limited to a few swims. A lot of water in the canyon makes it not worth the effort.

And while you're being ever so careful with the multi-thousand dollar SLR, don't forget about the cell phone in your pocket before swimming. :cry1:

BTW - I've had great success using the dash of the car in the summer time to bake out SLRs and cell phones. Usually just need to replace the batteries.

[Slot Machine]

I usually put the SLR inside a 2-gallon ziplock freezer bag and then put that in a lightweight dry sac. I use a new freezer bag each trip. It's much cheaper than a dedicated case and it works. I usually only do this if the canyon is limited to a few swims. A lot of water in the canyon makes it not worth the effort.

Around my house, this very system is know to fail. Don't ask me how I know. :ne_nau:

(Edit: I used a ziplock that had seen better days, and a camera sized drybag hung on the outside of my pack. I soon discovered this setup was worthless.)

Luckily my mistake only cost a nominal amount of money and a few picutures of The Subway. I'm wondering what people use when they take a pricey camera down a narrow physical canyon? A canyon where the zip-lock system would spell certain doom for your gear. Let's mix in a couple of swims just for fun. Has anyone tried an Otterbox for their SLR?



Bob

[spinesnaper]

Bob

I use two roll top dry bags when I bring my leica or my SLR 5D: one inside another. The whole package stays inside a third larger roll top dry bag that lines my pack unless I am taking a photo. It is a pain but so far no harm to a lot of price camera gear. Great images, I love wide but it's a big effort. I'll attach a couple of images taken with these cameras. The canon S90 in the submersible case is a dream by comparison. Even this spends a lot of time in the pack. Once home every thing gets blown out with dry compressed air to remove the fine Colorado Plateau red dust.

The Subway images are shot with the Canon 5D with a 14-40mm lens. The Golden Cathedral shots are take with a Leica M9 using an Elmarit 2.8/21 mm asph and an external view finder. Nice glass is good.:nod:

Ken

[remoteman45]

Semi hard case, double dry bags and buried in the pack. I don't get it out unless I'm inspired. Oh, and a tripod is essential too. But that's just me.......

[spinesnaper]

Love that image!:2thumbs: High dynamic range? I may have to break down and use my tripod more.

Ken

[ilipichicuma]

Semi hard case, double dry bags and buried in the pack. I don't get it out unless I'm inspired. Oh, and a tripod is essential too. But that's just me.......

Where was that picture taken? Like, seriously. That is awesome! :2thumbs:

[ghawk]

Where was that picture taken? Like, seriously. That is awesome! :2thumbs:

Looks kind of like boundary...

[remoteman45]

Yup, second to last waterfall in Boundary

[Exergy]

Around my house, this very system is know to fail. Don't ask me how I know. :ne_nau:

(Edit: I used a ziplock that had seen better days, and a camera sized drybag hung on the outside of my pack. I soon discovered this setup was worthless.)

Bob

Must be "user error" :haha: I've only had water problems TWICE. First was when it got left hanging it on a fence post before a surprize summer:gloom:and the second was when my wife needed a couple extra inches of 'lean' to get the right perspective at the community pool. Everyone else thought it was great watching "the lady in a white shirt and skirt climbing out of the pool holding a camera above her head." :clap: :clap::clap: That D70 was awesome - it lived through both events after drying on the dash for a few days.

I've never had a problem in dozens of canyons with the D700. Judging by all the holes in my pack, hanging a drysack on the outside of my pack is the last place I'd put anything of value unless I wanted to convert the drysack to a wetsack! A couple bumps against the sandstone and the camera is going swimming too. Maybe try the setup again with something less valuable but bury it deep in the pack under something like rope. Then carry the PS for the quick shots. Also, when packing the bag within a bag, I always have the "opening" ends on opposite ends. Not sure if that does anything, but I've convinced myself that if water were to get in one end, gravity will keep it away from the other end. YMMV If money was no object I'd buy a dedicated case.

[shagdeuce]

It has been mentioned before, but I use a Pelican case (http://pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1120) (either the 1120 or the 1200...not sure) for my XSi. I have taken it through numerous canyons including wet canyons (Boundary for example) without any problems. The only issue is it is a bit bulky and its edges are a little hard on the pack it is riding in (assuming the pack is stuffed full). It is also a process to get the camera in/out (open the pack, get out the case, open the case)...but probably easier than the double dry bag technique. An added benefit is that the case protects the camera from the canyon walls. There are definitely some cons, but it is the best solution I have found for an SLR.

[Iceaxe]

FWIW: I carry my camera in a small drybag in the top of my pack. I place a bandana in the drybag and it will soak up any minor leakage. I've been carrying my camera this way for more than 20 years and never ruined one from water..... I have destroyed around a half dozen camera's in the slots in other ways.... dirt, dropping, smashing, yada, yada... but never from water.

I have witnessed every type of system mentioned so far fail. Drybags normally fail because someone did a crappy job of folding and sealing them. I'm watched several keg's fail, mostly from the lids cracking. And I wouldn't trust anything to a Pelican as I've seen them fill with water dozens of time for a multiple of reasons.

All the systems mentioned work better if carried in the top of your pack. As many of you have probably noticed the top pocket of you pack has a tendency to stay pretty dry most of the time. The bandana trick works with all the systems mentioned and I highly advise adopting it.

If you do dunk an electrical devise do not turn it on. Instead take out the batteries, and allow it to dry thoroughly for a couple of days. Then put it back together at which time it may or may not work. But if you turn on an electrical devise with water inside you will fry the circuits for sure.

Hope that helps someone.... :cool2:

[CarpeyBiggs]

Protecting a camera is always tough. I used lots of different options. I have a canon s95 in a housing. I also use GoPro's, but my main go to body is a panasonic GH2, and I carry it in a chest harness in an ortlieb dry camera bag. As long as you are careful, it won't fail. It's about as good as it gets in my experience.

That said, I've lost my fair share of cameras. Thousands of dollars worth. It's part of the gamble.

[CarpeyBiggs]

This is the ortlieb case I use.

http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/ortlieb_aqua_zoom_camera_bag/?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=directory&utm_content=USA&currency=USD&country=USA&SelectedBundle=130846