I bought a pack of these wondering if in fact they would work.
I can honestly say the product worked perfectly well.
Make sure you line up the hole for the view finder before slipping over the camera, It's a lot quicker. I used this with a Nikon D300 which is weather sealed according to the manufacture but in the manual said will work in conditions up to 85% humidity) so as a better part of caution I thought something like this would be a good Idea. The only problem is it's best to use with a hand strap rather than a neck strap. My concern of water getting in around the view finder was unfounded and pulling the lens cord and gently securing it behind the lens hood gave good protection with the rest of the controls easily used through the clear plastic. The rain was quite heavy and as other people ducked for shelter I stayed out and continued to shoot. Absolutely no trouble with moisture ingress but do remove as soon after as possible especially on hot days as humidity inside as the temperature rises increases rapidly.
In all I would buy them again simply because they are small, pack easily, easy and quick to put on. Usable with care and with care removing re-usable. Do remember they are really disposable products but as such reasonably robust.
I have now had the chance to use this item a second time during a very hard downpour while photographing the Edinburgh military tattoo. The rain was so hard I got soaked and couldn't actually see what I was shooting through the view finder. I kept one hand inside the cover at all times to use the camera so it wouldn't get wet. At the end I waited for shelter before taking the bag off and putting it away in my camera bag inside a freezer bag because the camera bag was wet inside.I had put more than one silica pack in the camera bag to remove any excess moisture. When back at the holiday let I took the camera out, took the card out and removed the battery. The camera bag was so damp I put it in the tumble dryer. I left the camera out over night with compartment doors left open.
In the morning I hung the rain sleeve up to dry out and its still usable. The camera worked fine and is still working well four months on.
This product is not for everyone and if you are worried about the moisture proofing of your camera I would say don't use it. For those of you with pro or semi pro bodies it is an extra level of protection. One thing if you are worried about water creeping between the lens body and the cover. What I did was to wrap a couple of thick elastic bands on the barrel just behind the lens hood. Then tightened the rain sleeves lens opening just in front trapping it between the bands and the lip of the lens hood. This gave a reasonable 'step' barrier between the rain cover and lens body.( I was using the Nikkor 70-300mm.) Also I would suggest a long flower pot style lens hood to stop rain hitting the front element. In all I am pleased as it gives me loads of confidence to continue shooting in adverse weather conditions.
| Package Dimensions L x W x H | 14.5 x 14.2 x 1.5 centimetres |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.05 Kilograms |
| Product Dimensions L x W x H | 32 x 32 x 102 millimetres |
| Item Weight | 1 Grams |
| Brand | OP/TECH USA |
| Colour | Clear |
| Included components | OP/TECH Rainsleeve x2 |
| Model year | 2013 |
| Part number | 9001132 |
| Size | Original 18-Inch |
| Style | Single |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
