swamp_rattler
Well-known member
Just curious if anybody has made their own lenscoat, and if so, what they used to make it and how it was made. I don't feel like dishing out $90 for one when I know I can make one for less!
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DIY lenscoat? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter swamp_rattler
- Start date
Camo Neoprene's what you need but just try finding it for sale! very difficult to source, good luck with your searching
Brian
Diy Lenscoat
I bought a sheet of 2mm Funky Foam from an Art/Craft shop.There is a web site on the label www.craft-planet.com An A3 sheet cost £1.59 it comes in variouse colours. I cut strips and glued the edges together with super glue. It stretches a little when fitting onto lens but shrinks back overnight.
One sheet was more than enough for a 400mm/5.6. The 2mm is adequate for my needs however I am sure you could double up for more protection.
Regards Den
I bought a sheet of 2mm Funky Foam from an Art/Craft shop.There is a web site on the label www.craft-planet.com An A3 sheet cost £1.59 it comes in variouse colours. I cut strips and glued the edges together with super glue. It stretches a little when fitting onto lens but shrinks back overnight.
One sheet was more than enough for a 400mm/5.6. The 2mm is adequate for my needs however I am sure you could double up for more protection.
Regards Den
great idea Den! bet you watched Blue Peter as a lad? LoL personally I prefered Jenny Hanley on Magpie! suppose that was my first introduction to Birds? LoL
Brian
Perv LoL Michaela Strachen mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............Valerie Singleton, happy days
Just made one for my 300/2.8. Piece of cake.
For somebody in NA camo neoprene can be easily found from a number of online stores in the US. For me as a Canadian rockywoods.com offered the best deal as shipping across the border jacks up the price quite a bit. Google will tell you who else sells neoprene, I found this way 4 supplies without trying hard.
I used 2mm Neoprene (gray digital camo) and neoprene cement (not aquaseal stuff, real neoprene cement). Total cost ~30$ with material for another 2 or 3 left over. Guess I will dress up other lenses as well.
Job is straight forward. I measured the lens segments and took 1cm off the circumfence. After glueing the tubes the tension in the neoprene made for a snug non-slip fit. The only difference is that my version has no clear plastic window to see the distance scale (I focus by eye, not with a measuring tape).
Go for it!
Ulli
Wonder if this is going to work and the photo is visible!
Attached is a photo of the neoprene lens cover I made for my 300mm 2.8 lens.
I used 2mm neoprene (paid US$20 at rockywoods.com) and neoprene cement (US$5 for the can at local outdoors store), justed glued it and taped the seam with some extra nylon fabric. The pattern is called digital gray camo, and I picked it over other patterns available because it seemd the best for the kind of environment I am in most of the time (beach and salt marsh).
The lens hood was easy, just a plain neoprene square glued to a tube with a diameter a bit narrower tah the hood (hood circumfence less ~ 1.5 cm). The neoprene stetches a fair bit for a snug fit.
I made two versions for the lens barrel. The one shown covers everything up to the tripod collar. I am not using manual focus and the rational for covering the focus ring is to keep it covered up. I am spending a lot of time crawling over the sand beach to shoot shorebirds, so sand getting into the focus mechanism is a bit less of a concern.
The other one -not shown- covers just the front part of the tube and leaves the focus ring uncovered. This one I assembeld as well as a straight tube from a square piece of neoprene.
For the larger one I had to use a piece of neoprene with a trapezoid shape to get a tube to fit the wider diameter of the front barrel and the narrower diameter of the rear barrel with a snug fit over the entire barrel.
Both versions work as intended. :t:
Total cost for this cover: ~US$ 10 and approx. 1 hour time (plus overnight glue setting)
The remaining $15 of my investment are in left over material sufficient to make at least two more outfits like the one shown or a rain cover for lens and camera body.
Ulli
Attached is a photo of the neoprene lens cover I made for my 300mm 2.8 lens.
I used 2mm neoprene (paid US$20 at rockywoods.com) and neoprene cement (US$5 for the can at local outdoors store), justed glued it and taped the seam with some extra nylon fabric. The pattern is called digital gray camo, and I picked it over other patterns available because it seemd the best for the kind of environment I am in most of the time (beach and salt marsh).
The lens hood was easy, just a plain neoprene square glued to a tube with a diameter a bit narrower tah the hood (hood circumfence less ~ 1.5 cm). The neoprene stetches a fair bit for a snug fit.
I made two versions for the lens barrel. The one shown covers everything up to the tripod collar. I am not using manual focus and the rational for covering the focus ring is to keep it covered up. I am spending a lot of time crawling over the sand beach to shoot shorebirds, so sand getting into the focus mechanism is a bit less of a concern.
The other one -not shown- covers just the front part of the tube and leaves the focus ring uncovered. This one I assembeld as well as a straight tube from a square piece of neoprene.
For the larger one I had to use a piece of neoprene with a trapezoid shape to get a tube to fit the wider diameter of the front barrel and the narrower diameter of the rear barrel with a snug fit over the entire barrel.
Both versions work as intended. :t:
Total cost for this cover: ~US$ 10 and approx. 1 hour time (plus overnight glue setting)
The remaining $15 of my investment are in left over material sufficient to make at least two more outfits like the one shown or a rain cover for lens and camera body.
Ulli
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RJM
Don't Worry, Be Happy!
You could have used Mcnett Camo Form Wrap like I did here with my fieldscopes. Even cheaper/easier to do.
cheers,
Rick
cheers,
Rick
Always more then one solution to a problem.
However, most modern scopes are waterproof, camera lenses not.
Here the neoprene version has two benefits:
1) Its waterproof and protects the lens not only mechnically
2) It goes on and off in a blink of an eye to give equipment a change to breath when stored. Some folks blame fungus on interior lens surfaces on permantly dressed up lenses.
I will look for the tape as it could be useful for other things (tripod, head ....)
Ulli
Chris Galvin
Well-known member
Ulli,
That is very interesting. As someone who uses a 500/4 and has it covered with a LensCoat which is permanently dressed I'd be interested if you could share with the rest of the forum any anecdotes or references of folks who blame fungus on lens coverings.
Here in the UK most of the Canon 500 f4 lenses that I see in the field are covered with a lenscoat. So I'm sure your quote above will cause some concern.
I read this in several threats on nature photography forums. Like I said some folks blame fungus on neoprene lens covers that stay permanently on the lens. Nothing scientifically proven here. Google may turn up the quotes in question.
Common sense dictates that if I inhibit air flow and create and maintain a humid environment in an enclosed space I ask for trouble.
If we go out with our long lenses it is a good idea to over them with a coat for various reason. Proven standard procedure! However, if I get back home I unpack my bag after giving it some time to aclimatize to allow moisture and condensation to disperse. And I undress my long lens for the same reason. I think this is a good idea and standard procedure as well.
Ulli
Common sense dictates that if I inhibit air flow and create and maintain a humid environment in an enclosed space I ask for trouble.
If we go out with our long lenses it is a good idea to over them with a coat for various reason. Proven standard procedure! However, if I get back home I unpack my bag after giving it some time to aclimatize to allow moisture and condensation to disperse. And I undress my long lens for the same reason. I think this is a good idea and standard procedure as well.
Ulli
Chris Galvin
Well-known member
Was bored last night and had a not too exhaustive search of the web for the problems that you mention with permanently dressed lenses. Strangely found absolutely zero, nowt, nada, zilch anywhere. Still very interested to hear if anyone has experiences these problems though. Perhaps seaspirit can show where he seen/heard/read/dreamt these problems.
Mike , if you have a look on the Lenscoat website there's a picture of a Bigma with its coat on
Cheers
Brian
mikfoz
It's not a competition. Watch the birdy!
Yeah I searched that, but I don't see how it's much protection if it rains as it doesn't cover the whole lens. Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I might still get/make one to protect the thing from knocks and dirt anyway.
Won't protect from rain (hence reason Ruth makes the camo rain covers) but it will stop odd knocks and looks pretty cool too LoL
I tried a small piece of Neoprene and it wasn't waterproof? is it supposed to be?
Brian
Stephen Fletcher
Yes, i did take the photo of the Eagle
I tried looking too, to no avail. I have had a lenscoat on permanently on a 500/f4 for 5 years, and no signs of anything at all. Not even dirt under it when i took it off tonight to check, i still have a pristine lens under it...........................im intrigued.
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