Jim,

Re: Shooting in the rain - I have a photo vest made by The Vested Interest, called the Magnum, that has a loop on the back designed to carry a monopod. The loop of cloth, about 8 inches long sits vertically between your shoulder blades. While I have never used it to carry a monopod, I have modified it slightly by closing the bottom end so that it will hold an opened umbrella overhead. I am sure that it looks very dorky, but it does work if the wind isn't bad and you don't try to move around too fast.

If you look close, This picture shows the monopod loop with black monopod.

Re: Polarizer + lens hood - I am not aware of any solution for using both, but I haven't found that it matters a great deal. Since a polarizer is most effective when the sun is at a 90 degree angle, the effect of lens hood is diminished. If you really need both, I don't know of any solution other than removing the hood to adjust the polarizer, but I would certainly be interested if someone has found or invented a workaround.

In my college days, while suffering through shooting away football games in the rain, I learned that a disposable shower cap is the perfect size to cover an SLR. And to this day I carry a couple shower caps in my camera bag. And the bonus is that they're free at hotels across America.

As for the polarizer, I just stick my finger inside and rotate it. But that gets tricky with big hood, like on an 80-200mm. Then I just take the hood off.

--Chris Nicholson,
NicholsonPrints.com

It really depends on the type of photography your are shooting. Most cameras will not suffer from some exposure to rain but don't rely on the camera if it gets too wet! If you are shooting anything moving, sports, news even a wedding you need to protect the camera, not just from the rain but also from your wet hands and the wind blowing the water into the camera, lens and the nightmare water in the film chamber.

If you are photographing action like sports etc, get a coat with hood or hat with a wide brim/peak to keep the rain off the viewfinder / top plate. Make sure you can get the camera into the coat out of the elements, and that it is a breathable material so minimizing condensation.

Next is keeping the glass dry, this is not simple. First always have a 1a filter, second you need to have a dry lens cloth and dry hands to achieve this. Also rain is not just water, here in Vancouver it is clean. But in London as many big cities there is all sorts to grime in the rain so some soft paper to take the excess off first works well, but be gentle. It is also good to carry a small towel.

For the rest of your kit and film / batteries etc. Make sure the bag is water proof, from the rain and the floor where you put it down.  In my experience metal cases are not as good as a ]Tenba or Lowepro the canvas bags work like a sponge! My last bag I pushed 2 inches it into a sink of water and pored a bucket of water over it – not a drop inside.

A good quality camera and lenses will be reasonably sealed against a rain shower, but as soon as you are in a clean dry place give the kit the time to air off and extend all the lenses to minimum focus so the barrel is fully extended. Don't force it to dry, I have hung a Nikon in a negative dryer cupboard after i was attacked with water and it still worked!

So IMHO buy mountaineering/sailing quality gear, keep your self dry so you can focus on taking great pictures with dry cameras – and two shots Taxi in London, Run it is raining, to show it can be done. enjoy

Don't doubt the power of a plastic bag.  A plastic bag is your friend - from the snack-sized Ziploc, perfect for a packet of string, earplugs, paper clips, band-aids, and tissues, to the all-purpose garbage bag - for litter, for sitting on, for wrapping your camera bag in during a storm, and for a rain poncho - they'll serve you well and cheaply.

For rain, I made up a thing I call a Rain Bag - basically it's a large sandwich bag that has a circle cut in the center on one side and a small rectangle cut near the top edge of the other side.  When it rains (or snows, or on a windy beach), I simply pull it over my camera, pushing the lens through the hole and the viewfinder through the small rectangle.  It'll take three or so tries till you get the measurements just right, and when you do, just lay the bag flat, put a piece of cardboard in it, and trace out where the holes are - now you have a form that you can simply slip into any new bag and use an exacto knife to cut out the holes.

As for the polarizer and lens shade, that, too, can be a bugger.  I actually left my lens shades at home for years 'cause of it.  But this year I finally saw just how much of a difference it makes to have a lens shade on.

I was going to cut a small hole in the side of each shade (especially the telephoto zoom), figuring that a small hole is better than no shade at all (I also thought of putting black cloth over the hole, to flip back in place), but I've actually found that I can use my left index or middle finger if I reach across the lens and push up on the right edge of the polarizer.

Remember to always push up - if you turn it to the left too many times, you could well unscrew it, and then you'll have a very expensive piece of glass bouncing off a pier.

Good luck,
Steve

Do you all have any suggestions as to how to keep cameras dry during say, a hail or thunderstorm? I've seen waterproof camera/lens covers, but those were expensive. I've been thinking about just using a plastic bag, but wanted to check with more knowledgeable people before something bad might happen. Also....how do people here go about using a circular polarizer and a lens hood at the same time? Thanks a lot.

Wimberley makes a device called the Plamp and there is the Flair Buster.  The Plamp is multi purpose and can hold a card to shield the sunlight.  Flair Buster is single purpose.

Joe, I had to laugh because I've done something even more ghetto in a pinch. I once had to cover a sports event and had a big golf umbrella with me. Couldn't hold my camera and the umbrella at the same time, so I put the post down the back of my coat and hooked the end on my belt and walked around from one end of the field to the other no problem. Unless you looked close, you couldn't tell how the umbrella was situated and it wasn't uncomfortable in the least. I was more worried about ambient moisture or humidity at that point.  

Yes,..here in the Uk you can get the complete range of weather with their attendant emotions in 20 minutes!!.....For landscapes,..an army poncho,...throw it over the tripod/camera and shoot/view thru the hood.    a piece of chamois leather is a VERY useful accessory.   Use a good military quality rucksack, put the gear in plastic snap-top boxes inside,..keep waterproofs in separate compartment.  Those expensive and smart photo backpacks just don't hack it out on the hills!