well this will sound cheesy but it's really practical for local easy access photography
I have a VW Westfalia with a nice cargo door and when I can line up a scenic from the cargo door I have essentially a small well protected living room complete with fridge and stove to work from. The wind may be howling and it may be raining buckets outside but everything is dry inside.
I have the focusing hood, I just turn it inside out over the camera and wroks well. As to the Ebony clip, you might want to visit these guys http://www.tripodhead.com/products/plamp-main.cfm
Much cheaper than the Ebony, no need for a flash shoe and they work great....
Thanks for all the great information and ideas, I like the look of the Plamp, can see one or two of those being very useful and I can get them OK in UK. Wonder if you could use one with a small (child's?) umbrella?
I've also got a VW camper jetcode, I love the idea of setting up next to the kettle but I can rarely find the perfect spot where I can just open the door and set up.
There is an accessory manufacturer that makes a small umbrella very similar to a golf-bag unbrella for tripods, but I am personally hesitant to attach anything to my tripod that would catch the wind, as I've had two tripods blow over without any extras attached.
BTW David, nice image of El Capitan. I particularly like the way the cloud splay echoes the branches of the snowy branches of the tree.
Beauty! If it rains I'm usually hiding inside.Originally Posted by David_Senesac
I don't let minor precip keep me from working in the field. I have some thick 4 mil polyethelene bags I used to store medium sized prints in that works well with my camera atop the big Gitzo. Lightweight plastic bags tend to be awkward, especially in the wind while 4 mil behaves and is durable. In the above pic taken at El Capitan Meadow last year, one will note a thin red something hanging down below that bag. Its one of those mini-bunji cords with a piece of duct tape in the middle taping it to the bottom edge of that bag. Thus I can easily wrap it around a tripod leg to keep the wind from moving it about. When I take it off after say it has gotten wet, it goes into an open bag externally attached to my big camera daypack. Thus is ready at hand to put on and store while not getting the rest of my gear wet. I also have some compact sheets of synthetic chamois useful for drying things off. One of the 4x5 pics I nailed last winter while playing this game taking the bag on and off as snow showers came and went was this pic below of El Capitan:
That really is a stunning photo isn't it?
Thanks for the recommendation for the tripod umbrella Keith, I did a search and found one on Ebay so ordered that, you've saved me from having to get a child's umbrella with random cartoon characters on it – like I don't look odd enough when out with a sheet over my head in the middle of the moors as it is!
S'pose I'll only use it when it's not too windy.
I never could cope with an umbrella plus 5x4, usually because its windy whilst its raining. My alternative works very well unless it's very heavy rain. I always carry a small towel (approx 15"x30") in my bag which I drape over the camera. It's easy to extend just a little over the lens and over the screen to keep the rain off them both. This doesn't stop the towel from getting wet but it does stop running water getting into/onto most of the camera. The towel soaks it up. And even when the towel is very wet the method still works as you just wring out the excess water and drape the towel again for the next image. It's not perfect but it works well enough and encourages me to photograph in the wet more that I would otherwise do.
Thanks for that suggestions Steve, sounds like a good idea, guess you could also use a Plamp to hold the towel away from the lens.
Just looking at your work on your website – very stunning.
David,
Those 4 mil bags look great.
I've always just used one big hand held umbrella for both me and the camera but this is much more flexible.
Means the camera stays really dry in light showers with an umbrella (over the camera) keeping me dry, and it looks pretty quick to take off and shoot once the shot has previousely been set up.
Now to find one that does not come with 499 others!
The positive of the ebony cloth is it allows framing and focussing in the rain if need be. Just how much rain can it stand and still keep what's underneath it dry?
Jorge, does the Plamp have to be attached to the tripod as intended or can it attach to the front standard as its hard to see wether when attached to the tripod it would reach enough around the field of view to allow the shade/gg protector etc to be held high enough to use with the ebony cloth?
Marc
Marc, I wouldn't attach the plamp to the front standard, but to the the base of a folding camera or the rail of a monorail. It's a pretty strong clamp, and I'd be afraid of damaging bellows.
I know it looks silly, but I use one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Flyer-UA.../dp/B00002MZ8A
It's no Yosemite, but it let me take this image of a Saguaro and passing storm cell:
Laurent
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