Moisture-proofing LF camera?

[eosslr]

Hi folks,
I'm totally new to LF cameras, so please bear with me. I'm considering purchasing my first 4x5 field view (narrowed down the choice to toyo 45cf and horseman 45fa, because weight and durability are quite important for me). However, I hit a wall trying to figure out how to make either of these waterproof, well, ok not waterproof since I'm not gonna be diving with the camera, but moistureproof. I'll be traveling to Peru in December and will hit the Amazon and Andes areas for a few days. Well, it's wet season there and I do expect that I might end up shooting under light rain. Plus the area by itself is quite humid. Is is possible to seal a LF camera, film etc? Or should I stick to my weatherproof D3+14-24/2.8? Side note - I'm not a pro, it's just a hobby, so I can't really justify spending too much money here... Thanks for your advice in advance...

[Joanna Carter]

I'm totally new to LF cameras, so please bear with me. I'm considering purchasing my first 4x5 field view (narrowed down the choice to toyo 45cf and horseman 45fa, because weight and durability are quite important for me). However, I hit a wall trying to figure out how to make either of these waterproof, well, ok not waterproof since I'm not gonna be diving with the camera, but moistureproof. I'll be traveling to Peru in December and will hit the Amazon and Andes areas for a few days.
Well, I would recommend a Walker camera http://www.walkercameras.com/cameras.html; it is made from an engineering grade of ABS and the mouldings can withstand being immersed in boiling wter with no detriment. So you shouldn't get any warping or other distortion in the frame, the only thing that may need care is the bellows which may require the odd wipe with a dry cloth.

[Warren Clark]

Hi eos,

Another vote for the Walker 4x5 (other formats available). I bought mine
specifically for shooting in adverse environments, especially coastal salt
spray-- it seems impervious to the elements and is an excellent all purpose
camera. Nothing else like it as far as I have seen.

Good shooting,

Warren Clark
Ft.Collins, Colo.

[Bruce Watson]

Is is possible to seal a LF camera, film etc?

Not really. To use the camera you have to insert a film holder. This requires swinging the ground glass out of the way a bit and inserting the film holder where the ground glass used to be. The reason for this is to get the film in the exact plane of the ground glass, so the image that was in focus on the ground glass will be focused on your film. Exactly.

Doing this means you open the rear of the bellows to the atmosphere, if briefly, every time you insert and withdraw a film holder.

On the other end you expose the interior of the bellows to the atmosphere every time you attach a lens or remove one. There's no other way. So sealing the camera is impossible.

And you can't seal the film either. When you pull the darkslide out of the film holder you expose the film to the atmosphere inside the bellows. You have to -- the light from the lens has to hit the film to make an exposure.

All that said I've shot in light rain a bunch of times, and snow and fog, etc. It's not really a big deal -- no electronics to short out! :D

What many people do is use waterproof focusing cloths. While they are waiting for the right moment to make the exposure, the cloth is over the camera protecting it from rain. While you are doing your initial setup it's nice if you can get someone else to hold an umbrella over you and the camera also.

At the end of the day, dry everything off as best you can and let it air out overnight. That's usually sufficient. One of the joys of a view cameras is that they are pretty robust beasties.

[Hiro]

If you stay at air-conditioned lodging, you may want to acclimate the gear before going outside. A wise friend of mine who went to Cambodia saw other people's cameras/lenses rendered useless, at least for a time, due to heavy condensation. You definitely don't want water drops and streaks on your film.

There are quite a few informative past threads re. coping with rain and post-rain maintenance. The most worrisome to me is the shutter. A drop of water left inside could cause rust and ruin it.

[Bosaiya]

There have been a few cameras specially designed for use in the topics with exotic wood and bellows material. Very pricey, though. I tend to just use an inexpensive Crown Graphic and try to shake out or wipe off as much of the crud as possible at the end of the day.

[BradS]

wow, where to start....

first, if you are all new to Large Format, I would very strongly advise against taking a LF camera to Peru....unless you are very familiar with Peru and are able to learn all that is strange and wonderful about shooting LF very, very quickly. The reasons are many....I don't even know where to begin. Suffice to say, that I would strongly recommend taking gear that has little value and that you are very familiar with.

Second, nothing you do photographically should in any way detract from your experience. One of the most important implications of this is that you should not bring anything with you that is of such value to you that loosing it or breaking it would detract from your experience in the country (again, I am kinda assuming that you are visiting Peru for the first time and as a tourist). I say this because, it is very likely that your gear will get lost, stolen, will fail or you will break it....and when that happens it will be nearly impossible to replace it in country.

I have been twice to Peru and twice to Ecuador. I did bring a large format camera with me the first time....and an old Pentax Spotmatic as a backup. The second time, I left that at home and carried an newish Yashica FX-3 (fully manual, cheap, plastic and light weight 35mm SLR). Large format is heavy and slows you down. On my last two two trips, I carried two Nikons - neither of which survived my last trip. In retrospect, the Crown Graphic was a superb choice but, it severely limited the number and type of photos I could make - which was OK with me. The little plastic bodied Yashica was also a good choice and I made many excellent photos with it. I definitely would NOT take an expensice digital camera - unless, of course, I had so much money that it wouldn't bother me when it got broken, it failed or it was stolen or lost....and again, all that money would not replace it while in country.

The biggest problem you will have with large format has not to do with keeping the camera dry but with film management. It is near impossible to keep anything dry on the river. No modern camera that depends heavily on electronics has much chance of surviving that environment. I saw just about every single D-SLR in the group die on the second trip. this is nothing compared to dealing with sheet film in hot, humid and down right wet conditions. From what I saw, there is no such thing as a little light rain in the amazon..either it is hot and humid or it is cold, blowing and raining like hell.

Of course, those willing to make the effort and with the means and time, are occasionally richly rewarded.

[eosslr]

Truly appreciate all the great advice given so far. Yes, this is going to be my first trip to peru and I am going as a tourist. While I am new to LF, my trip is in December, so I am hoping that 4 months would be enough to pick up the basics of the LF. All the cons mentioned by BradS are obviously valid, but my current setup is exclusively digital - D3, 1DsMk3 and M8 and considering that digital does not do well in Peru's (harsher) conditions, the only other alternative besides LF is a 35mm or MF film. Between these three, I'd rather go with LF, even though it would cost me more then a 35mm film body. I am though hoping that it will not be too expensive - I've seen used Toyos go for ~$600, plus another $600-$800 for a wide angle Caltar, lens board etc (I already have good tripods/monopods and heads). Still comes out cheaper then a D3+14-24/2.8, which is the setup I'd consider taking to Peru. And I am perfectly Ok taking fewer, but hopefully better quality pictures.
Now, with regards to film management in rain. I'm assuming that the biggest issue is inserting the film holder as Warren mentioned. I think I can keep the film preloaded and dry in large ziplocks, but the moment I open the bellows and get the film in, that's when the 'oops' is going to happen. Also, I don't think I will be changing lenses during the trip. Actually, I think I am going to just keep a 110mm all the time and just shoot with one lens. Obviously a limitation, but I can live with that too...

[eosslr]

I just realized that I actually will end up taking the lens board on and off all the time, since a field camera is unlikely to fold with the lens attached. Ok, so there goes my theory... Bummer...

[Drew Wiley]

I use a lenshade which covers the lens area from falling rain, plus a Goretex darkcloth.
Nowadays some exposed truck shipments are covered with a kind of Tyvek which is
black on one side and white on the other, and would be a very effective, cheap, and
lightweight waterproof darkcloth material, and free from a recycling bin. I treat silk
bellows with Scotchgard (outside only). Wooden cameras should be properly sealed,
especially older ones that are very dry, to avoid dimensional swelling. I also keep a tight Tupperware box filled with blue indicator silica gel, just in case I have to dessicate a fogged lens (just saved the life of my light meter that way). Pack lots of
extra Ziploc bags.