I've just bought a nice DSLR for taking pics underground. What would be the best sort of case for it - (padded, waterproof, etc)? - Preferably without costing the earth! Ready-made or DIY options & opinions?

An ammo box has always served me well, but then they are a bit out of fashion at the moment. Cheap though.

Walrus said:

I've just bought a nice DSLR for taking pics underground. What would be the best sort of case for it - (padded, waterproof, etc)? - Preferably without costing the earth! Ready-made or DIY options & opinions?

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Best leave it on the surface IMHO and buy a real cheap compact digital (and a remove triggered flash gun)   


Really depends what type of place u/g you plan to use it .... muddy hands ? dust ? dripping water ? 

I started with a a cheap tuppleware type small box with clip on catches on each side for a few quid from a local store, then padded it with cheap sleeping mat material, contact glued together to shape (got my Blue Peter badge), to cut down shock and carried it in a small tackle bag on lots of crawls.  BUT our local mines (technically quarry) are just dusty (needing remote flash of course) and only a little muddy.

Now Ive got the same in a small Peli type fully waterproof box and just take care that my small digital camera avoids mud and water when I open it up in wet caves.  I know dust and water will one day kill it - but Ive been lucky so far      My flash with remove trigger fits in this same small box

Although I have a 30m rated waterproof housing for my camera Ive yet to take this underground as its expensive and much more prown to damage IMHO. My risk is that the camera will die leaving me with a nice but useless waterproof housing as I may have a hard time getting it repaired or replaced with the same model. 

Maybe some one could advise if they have good experience with these cheap plastic sealed bag type covers ?? 
I would be interested as Ive thought about this option but so far avoided the cost and the problem of how to keep it all protected. 

Geoff

Peter Burgess said:

An ammo box has always served me well, but then they are a bit out of fashion at the moment. Cheap though.

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*Makes phone call, sees Peter surrounded by a SWAT team and taken off to solitary at Belmarsh*

The plan is for mostly dry(ish) places until I've got the hang of this UG photography lark. I can get an extended warranty in case I break it (possibly after the event : ) - I could only afford one decent camera - my other cheapo digital is too cheap to take good pictures in the dark. Its mainly an issue for good padding as I expect it to take a bit of a beating (read: clumsy) and ideally to fit in a tackle bag.

peli case
i have several.
one which takes my DSLR (Canon 350D) , two flashes, remote, slave etc
another takes my poweshot A40 (point and click) and 1 flash

I'll second that: Pelicase.

Cant deny that Pelicases are good - if I can afford it I'll be aiming for something like that. But the ammo case idea is good too...

If you go with the ammo box idea, try to get hold of some firm expanded plastic of some kind, that you can easily carve to form a snug pocket for the camera, and cut some slots for any accessories, and which will also fit snugly into the box. I don't suggest expanded polystyrene though, horrible stuff.  :yucky:

Walrus said:

Cant deny that Pelicases are good - if I can afford it I'll be aiming for something like that. But the ammo case idea is good too...

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Ammo boxes do have one disadvantage: more likely to cause damage to the cave.

Also beware that Pelicases are waterproof, so will protect against splashes and accidental immersion for a brief period, but may leak if held under water to any appreciable depth.

Whichever option you go for, pack some clean pieces of tea towel on top of the camera before you close the case, then when you open it up with wet muddy hands the first thing you have is a means of getting clean and dry. The ammo tins are meant to be waterproof, but check the condition of the rubber seals and the strength of the closure before buying. If going this route thin tape can be fed through the metal attachment "eyes" on the lid to make a shoulder strap - dont rely on just the handle and its wire attachments. Happy Snapping!

Ammo tins  :thumbsdown: (for all sorts of reasons, cave damage being one of them).

darren Drum  (for all sorts of reasons, cheap, waterproof, fit well in tacklesacs - the list goes on).

Pelicase  (if you can afford them)

but please dont buy an ammo tin.

Walrus said:

The plan is for mostly dry(ish) places until I've got the hang of this UG photography lark. I can get an extended warranty in case I break it (possibly after the event : ) - I could only afford one decent camera - my other cheapo digital is too cheap to take good pictures in the dark. Its mainly an issue for good padding as I expect it to take a bit of a beating (read: clumsy) and ideally to fit in a tackle bag.

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For dryish places, low cost, and simplicity, suggest you trundle into a local cheap store and see if you can buy a food container with seal and clip down lid (clip down on at least the two long sides but the cheap one I found for a couple of quid had 4 good clips and silicon seal); then get some material such as an old sleeping mat and cut / contact glue it to make nice snug secure camera place in this box. Works real fine and is low weight compared to Peli (which is certainly the best IMHO if you can afford something like this or similar) and low weight, esp compared ammo box AND a solution that easily fits into a tackle bag. 

( If my own experience is anything to go by, the next purchase is quickly a flash gun and to go with it a Firefly, to remote trigger it, so as to remove unwanted "sparkles" in all your photos caused by dust or water reflection from the cameras own flash - see other threads).

A remote operated flash proved the best purchase for me, and worth considering BEFORE before shelling out for a Peli case. 
 
geoff

 

I guess it depends quite a lot on the size of your DSLR and the amount your willing to spend to protect it.

For my old compact i often just ave it in it's normal (above ground) soft case and put it in a suitably sized darren drum. Then the external flashes can be placed around it to hold it all in place, filled out with dry bar towels. If it's a very wet cave i sometimes put it in a 4-clip food container as mentioned above instead of the soft case (incase the drum leaks) but find that it is harder to fit as many flashes into the drum.

Now i've got a Canon G7 with u/w housing, so i'ts basically bomb proof. I just shove it in a daren drum with the other flashes and put the towels in to stop the flashes getting wet. I don't open the u/w housing at all underground. The case does get scratched pretty quickly but it's only a 3rd of the price of the camera and the lens is glass, so that's safe from scratches.

If you look after your gear as well as i do (not amazingly) then you can't beat a hard cased underwater housing. However, they are a bit pricey for SLRs 

ATM I don't have any external flashes as I blew the budget on the camera  :greed: (I'm going to try my hand at light painting!  ) so I'll go for the sealable sandwich tub lined with foam + towels (good idea Brains!  ) then move on from there. I also got a cheap tripod from Argos for £10 but I'm not overly fussed if that gets wrecked!

Pelicase lined with foam and definitely a tea towel. External flashes in a Darren drum - used a transluscent one resulting in temporary blindness as playing ones lights over it would inadvertently set of the flash if still connected to a firefly! Quite funny if the flash has a very fast recharge cycle - not!

SamT said:

Ammo tins  :thumbsdown: (for all sorts of reasons, cave damage being one of them).

darren Drum  (for all sorts of reasons, cheap, waterproof, fit well in tacklesacs - the list goes on).

Pelicase  (if you can afford them)

but please dont buy an ammo tin.

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Why the down on ammo tins Master Sam - don't think they do any more harm to caves than  all the other metal work we drag through 'em. They're very cheap (or free) do the job & lets face it some of the best (IMHO) under ground pics were taken with some very expensive hardware trusted to them!

daren drums lined with a bit of old karrimat and some rags stuffed in, never let me down, including numerous long swimming trips.

shotlighter said:

SamT said:

Ammo tins  :thumbsdown: (for all sorts of reasons, cave damage being one of them).

darren Drum  (for all sorts of reasons, cheap, waterproof, fit well in tacklesacs - the list goes on).

Pelicase  (if you can afford them)

but please dont buy an ammo tin.

Click to expand...

Why the down on ammo tins Master Sam - don't think they do any more harm to caves than  all the other metal work we drag through 'em. They're very cheap (or free) do the job & lets face it some of the best (IMHO) under ground pics were taken with some very expensive hardware trusted to them!

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Yes, ammo boxes used to be ubiquitous underground (I have two mouldering away at home somewhere along with a rocket tube).

But just because other things which may cause damage are still in use, it doesn't mean you may as well continue using something else for which there are more cave-freindly replacements - many of which are just as cheap and also a lot lighter.

This reminds me of waiting at the bottom of the ladder up to the Ladder Dig extensions in GB cave. There was this distant sound of banging and rattling like a washing machine with a terminal condition, getting louder and louder. It turned out to be a small group of cavers. The noise was caused by one of them with an ammo box onto which he had welded a metal ring and attached this to his belt with a long sling. He just dragged it along as he went... 

Surely in most senarios peope would put their camera container into a tackle bag to carry around the cave? I know i do.