Kayak + 100-400L

[StapledPhoto]

Thanks for all the kind words guys! I really appreciate the comments.

Great shots and thank you for
including the exposure information. I've been using my 100-400 stepped
down a few. Maybe it's time I gave f5.6 another try.

Maybe I got lucky with my copy or I'm just not as picky as some, but I think it's totally acceptable wide open, especially for a zoom, and I've never noticed all that much of a sharpness benefit from stopping down. Vignetting on the other hand is pretty bad on full frame wide open.

I think Lowepro makes a waterproof backpack style camera bag that has
built in floatation. If your waters get rough, that might be something
to consider.

I actually need a small bag, it's very awkward to wear a backpack in the kayak and a backpack wouldn't fit at my legs very well. I have a rover already (not the dryzone one) and it wouldn't work at all. Ideally it'd be a waterproof top loader that's deep enough to fit the 100-400L mounted and maybe one extra lens. I don't think that such a bag exists unfortunately. For these photos I took the camera out in a tied heavy duty garbage bag inside my slingshot 200 :/ not exactly a perfect solution. The slingshot was just small enough to fit at my legs but wasn't great. Maybe a garbage bag or proper drybag inside a standard toploader would be alright.


I'm not concerned about choppy waters because I'll only be taking the camera out if the wind is dead. I'm more worried about rolling the kayak accidentally and watching $2K+ in gear die. Realistically I'm most likely to roll the kayak while taking a shot and not paying enough attention to something, so no bag will help me with that, but I might as well try to minimize any risk I can.

[neuroanatomist]

Great pics, Yoni!

I actually need a small bag, it's very awkward to wear a backpack in the kayak and a backpack wouldn't fit at my legs very well. I have a rover already (not the dryzone one) and it wouldn't work at all. Ideally it'd be a waterproof top loader that's deep enough to fit the 100-400L mounted and maybe one extra lens. I don't think that such a bag exists unfortunately. For these photos I took the camera out in a tied heavy duty garbage bag inside my slingshot 200 :/ not exactly a perfect solution. The slingshot was just small enough to fit at my legs but wasn't great. Maybe a garbage bag or proper drybag inside a standard toploader would be alright.

I haven't run across a waterproof toploader, either. I can tell you that theToploader Pro 75 AW is a perfect fit for my gripped 7D + 100-400mm w/ hood reversed. If you have a non-gripped body,the older Topload Zoom AW (not Topload<span>er, no Pro in the name - here's theAmazon link) might be a better fit. Because of the shape, either would fit between your legs tucked into the cockpit much better than a backpack. I think you're right that a proper dry bag inside a toploader would be the most effective solution.

[StapledPhoto]

I haven't run across a waterproof toploader, either. I can tell you that theToploader Pro 75 AW is a perfect fit for my gripped 7D + 100-400mm w/ hood reversed. If you have a non-gripped body,the older Topload Zoom AW (not Topload<span>er, no Pro in the name - here's the[url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009R8B9]Amazon link[/url]) might be a better fit. Because of the shape, either would fit between your legs tucked into the cockpit much better than a backpack. I think you're right that a proper dry bag inside a toploader would be the most effective solution.
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Thanks Neuro! I really appreciated your advice in the birding thread too.


As for the bag, I'll try to find a brick and mortar that stocks both of those topload(er)s and see if the smaller option will work with the extra bulk of a roll-top drybag. It'd be the 5DII without a grip so we'll see which bag I like better. Having a bag just for walking around with my 100-400L mounted would be great anyway. I find that it moves around a lot hanging by the neck strap and I worry about all that stress on the mount so I end up holding it in my arms.


I'll take the camera out in the kayak a couple more times before I have a chance to check out some bags and that'll probably be it for kayak photography this season.