I'm looking for an inexpensive way to protect my Nikon 4100 camera.I found the DiCAPac soft case on Amazon for $30 and wondered how good they are. Good reviews and rated to 5m and suposedly way deeper is possible. Have any of you used them? Any input will be appreciated.
Chris
Looks like you can't edit the subject line. Oh well, it's late and I'm full of prime rib and a few barley pops.
Why not
just insure it. Add it to your home owners policy. Its covered no matter what happens to it. (Even if you drop it in the river and its not retrievable.)
He wants to have it working when he’s
ready to take pictures. If it’s been sloshed, or dropped into the drink, he gets no pictures until he puts in the insurance claim and buys another.
I’m not familiar with that $30 pack, but it sounds like a good deal. I favor Watershed bags, but they are more expensive.
actual shoot through camera case
g2d, you’re right about me not wanting to take any chances of getting my camera wet, but I want an actual shoot through camera case.The DiCAPac case is clear soft plastic with a short zoom relief tube capped with a coated polycarbonate lens.I don’t want to rely upon primary stability alone when I’m panning for a shot of a bald eagle or such.I looked at watershed bags but did not find an underwater camera case. I have actually capsized my kayak,in a moment of innatention, while sitting stock still,with an appreciative audience. In that case, nothing was damaged but my pride.
Chris
Soft cases …
… can be OK if you do not plan to fiddle too much with controls - just can’t fo it. I have one very similar if not the same and it works fine. But, the camera tends to move inside and is not always well aligned with the zoom prtrusion ara. It would be best to cut out a piece of stiff foam or similar material to place the camera in it so that it is better centered at all times. Waterproof just as good as a dry bag and the polycarbonate lens does not seem to cause too much degradation of image quality - my Fuji F30 now takes a photos that are still better than anything I have seen from so called “waterproof” compact cameras (Olympus or Pentax). But at the end, it is a hassle to deal with the case so you will take fewer photos.
I think it is best to either have a dedicated hard camera case with buttons or a waterproof camera with no case…
Cheaper is not always better, but maybe
Dri Paks are great but need to be replaced every year.
Otter Cases hinges tend to break every year.
Pelicans hold up the longest.
(thats for six weeks of tripping a year, so that is cosiderable)
“Protecting” the camera
Do you need a waterproof case *while* shooting? If you are using the camera while in rough water where boat-control is an issue, you probably do. If you are in calm water, or rough water where tipping is not a high risk, why not just keep the camera in a waterproof box, take it out to use, then put it back. I've been doing that for more than 30 years and haven't had an accident yet (fingers crossed). Pelican cases are great for this. On the other hand, "the price is right" for that case you're looking at, so it's certainly worth a try.
Dicapac
Got one last year.
First thing I did was put a block of wood in the bag pack and submerge it in a tub full of water.
Block came up dry :o)
I like the closure setup better than aquapac (which,incidentally,leaked on the first try)
Unsure if yours came with the nylon cord. Mine did and I liked the fact I could use it to clip the camera onto the pfd.
Small cockpits in kayaks result in otter boxes being on deck.I wasn’t comfortable with that setup.
I’m going for it
Thanks to all for the input. there were many good points made,pro and con. I have been paddling for a long time with out a camera along because of the dunk or splash factor, and have missed a lot of shots.For $30,I think I’ll give it a try.
Chris