Was just reading Risk Takers thread and it reminded me of an equipment question I've had. I have nervously ventured forth with my dslr in kayaks and canoes, but less often than I'd like. Not a brilliant kayaker by any means and the canoe trips usually end in tipping or splashing fights. Has anyone used a water-proof bag that they're confident will keep the water out of and off a camera even if it plunges into the depths with me?
@lesphoto - that was the short answer Leslie. The long answer is I spent a fair amount of time in Papua New Guinea in a canoe, and I carry a fair amount of gear, so I purchased a Lowepro Dryzone 200, totally submersible, and a reasonably comfy pack to carry. I once carried it for a week in a tropical torrential rainforest and found no real discomfort. It looks like a big yellow turtle, but can handle a shedload of gear.
The other option which I have used in the past, is to purchase a diving housing for your camera, now this adds a lot of bulk, but it works really well if you are canoeing out to a reef and going to snorkel around for a while after you tie up your canoe to a buoy or float. I also dropped a camera whilst in its dive camera and it rolled several metres down an embankment and survived oky doky.
Another option is to leave the DSLR in the Dryzone 200 and use a waterproof point and shoot. If you check out my latest contribution to The Seven project, then you will see a shot I took with my waterproof camera when it was absolutely teeming down!
@jtrudell - I also have a Slingshot 300 which has a weather resistant cover, which I have worn in the rain, not torrential, but heavy tropical rain and the camera survived okay. Had to put it under the aircon and it was stored in a sealed container to dry the moisture off. But I always carry drybags for emergencies, they roll up tiny and fit into your camera bag easily.
Another good option is a BDH bottle, they are cheap, tough and waterproof. You can line them with foam, put you camera gear in the bottle and use a piece of toweling to stop them rattling about and give you something to dry or clean your hands on when your getting the gear out. I have successfully used these in very wet and dirty conditions including canoe and caving trips.
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Another option is to leave the DSLR in the Dryzone 200 and use a waterproof point and shoot. If you check out my latest contribution to The Seven project, then you will see a shot I took with my waterproof camera when it was absolutely teeming down!