Water Spots On lens

[Stephen Frizza]

Ok has anyone been at an outdoor even with a camera desperately wanted to shoot it but its been drizzling and small water spots are landing on your lens surface, inevitably effecting the image you will record?

Who here has some tips and tricks for how best to work in these conditions and avoid the issue with the darn droplets?

[Curt]

I use a filter, uv, skylight etc., a full lens hood and keep it capped until needed and keep the lens pointed down. There are plastic camera covers out there, someone probably knows what they are called. If the filter gets wet I can wipe it off without being afraid of scratches as opposed to wiping the lens element. It's not much fun but for the determined it's often the only way to get the picture. It's like wind and other forces of nature you just have to make the best of it. Watch for times when it lets up and keep your back to the wind.

[Ross Chambers]

This won't really help, but I found myself in a drizzle at Leura on Friday with a RB67. Fortunately I had my 3 dollar umbrella with me -- the camera was, as always, on a tripod. Worth it for the soft light, and clumsy to handle, probably impossible for action shots. Perhaps a small boy could be useful to hold the brolly?

I've always had a filter on the front of the lens too.

Last time I tried this everything was unprotected and rain got into the ground glass assembly and took some doing to dry out later.

[vdoak]

Same as Curt I keep a filter on the lens and a hood. In addition I keep a back pack rain fly with me incase I get caught out in a heavy rain. I use it draped over the camere in light rain or drizzel to keep the worst off between shots.

[Christopher Walrath]

I always carry a micro absorbant fiber cloth on me when I venture out in dank conditions. Suckers can absorb a litre of water and keep on going.

[pgomena]

I, too, put a filter on the lens so that no water gets on the actual lens surface, both in rain and when photographing around salt water spray. I also always carry a new, clean "kitchen size" plastic garbage bag in my camera bag. Fits right over the whole camera setup. I lift the edge over the lens when it's time to click the shutter, put it back down afterward. An umbrella setup would be nice in many circumstances. I envision a rig such as a clamping arm that attaches to a tripod leg. Bogen makes an adjustable one.

Peter Gomena