Kayaks

[DarkPenguin]

Good information there.  I rolled my kayak in the first 30 seconds last time out.  Drybags are a godsend.

[Hackman]

place camera in ziplock sandwichbag, cut a hole in it for the lens to stick out,  on the top corners to put the straps through and a whole where the viewfinder is. Then tape it off.

I found everything to still be accessible. Works fine.

[elkhornsun]

For photography on the water consider a small inflatable with a trolling motor. Very quiet and the flat floor is great for a tripod. Add a piece of camo netting and you have a portable blind that draws no more than a kayak and can go in very shallow areas.

[gabuja]

Try a pelican case and a dry bag.
I use a pelican case (1600) for big water and when I'm in a "safe area" I put my gear in a dry bag that is between my legs. The one thing I will mention is to look into your dry bag after you have been shooting and verify it is still dry. I was photographing whales last year and wound up with some salt water in the bag that I did not notice till I got back to sore. Stressful time while I assesed potential damage.

[Sherri Meyer]

I have paddled for pics in both sea kayaks and a canoe in flatwater, but I prefer sea kayaks, as they are much more stable than a canoe. Most of my paddling for pics is with my husband and our dog and they are often models for my stock photographs. We use a Wilderness Systems Pungo and a Old Town Loon, both of which will accomodate the dog.

I usally start off with my camera in a large ziplock bag, then I place it in a dry sack. Of course, that doesn't last very long! After a few minutes of paddling, I'm  ready to photograph our adventure as long as the dog is not in MY boat! If you don't have your camera handy, you will miss out on a lot of great photo opportunities!

The biggest challenges for me so far (other than dealing with our dog and her desire to jump from kayak to kayak), have been getting sharp images and keeping the little bit of water that drips down the paddles off of the camera.

Here are my tips:

I recommend using a shutter speed (SS) of 1/500 or faster to insure that your images will be sharp. Set the ISO on your camera (I am assuming you are shooting digital) to a speed that will allow you to shoot this fast.  If you are shooting early or late in the day, you will probably need to use ISO 400 or greater. Don't sacrifice sharpness for a lower ISO!

If you are not able to shoot at a fast enough SS to create sharp images and you are photographing a moving subject, you can experiment with slow SS's to capture motion. Set your SS at about 1/8 - 1/15 and pan your subject.

For dealing with the water, I either put a towel or a plastic bag over the camera when I'm not shooting, or I just wipe off the water with a towel or a Chamois cloth.

Our paddle trips so far have all been very short and on flatwater. If we were to do longer trips, paddle whitewater, or paddle in the ocean, we would invest in a Pelican Case and probably an underwater camera.

You can see samples of our paddling pics at http://www.sherrimeyer.com.

[kayakherb]

So,

Anyone do photography from a kayak?  How does it work?  What do you use to keep your gear from getting soaked?

Thanks!
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When I am shooting from the kayak in absolutely still water, I place my small digital in a plastic sealable sandwich baggie and use the breast pocket on my shirt. If I am going into more risky water, I transfer it to a pelican box for that time.
I have learned the hard way not to take the SLR with me when fishing. Either do fishing, or photography.

[dobson]

How reliable are those dry bags? I ask because there is absolutely no space in my boat for a pelican case that would fit a DSLR. If I empty my Lowepro slingshot 100 of everything but my camera and 17-40 lens, I can barely cram it behind my seat. If a dry-bag is safe I may go that route and put the camera bag inside of it.

I won't take the camera out while on the water, but it would be nice to be able to take photos while on shore; (while I'm portaging around difficult parts).

Phillip

[DarkPenguin]

I haven't gotten a drop of water in mine despite repeatedly rolling my kayak because I suck.  I wouldn't put an SLR in one and strap it to the kayak.  I'd at least make sure it was in one of the bulkheads.  This reminds me.  I need to buy a bunch of drybags.

[skibum187]

I've spent a fair amount of time taking photos on my whitewater kayak trips. There really is no easy way that I've found to take pictures while inside a kayak.
I've used several different methods of protecting my cameras. First was simply placing them in a dry bag, which works, but dry bags do leak sometimes and are also a hassle to roll and unroll all the time. They don't provide much impact protection either, so a softcase for my camera was necessary and also a hassle.
Second, I tried an underwater casing, which worked well for protecting the camera and keeping it dry, however, it's bulky and awkward. However, the biggest problem I had was getting water spots on the lens. Since I whitewater kayak, I'm continuously being splashed or rolling, hence the water spots. This may be less of an issue with recreational touring. This could possibly be alleviated by applying CatCrap or some other optical water shedding agent, but I wasn't sure how that would affect the optics and since the case wasn't mine, I did not try it.
Thirdly, I use pelican cases. They offer great impact protection and are waterproof. I have heard about the gaskets failing and condensation getting inside the case, so sometimes I'll put the camera inside a ziplock inside the Peli case. The main problem I have with this method is I have to wait for my hands to dry off until I can handle the camera which usually isn't long if I have a dry towel in my case, but is still long enough that I might miss the shot. This is the method I use now and am the most happy with. It does have its drawbacks, but seems to work the best.

On a side note, I've all but given up trying to take images while in my kayak. They are simply too unstable and squirly to do so. Once again, this may be easier in a Rec kayak. Even when I had the underwater housing, I couldn't compose an image well enough while in my kayak to make it worth it. All of my successful images have been taken from the shoreline.

[peterpix2005]

I haven't gotten a drop of water in mine despite repeatedly rolling my kayak because I suck.  I wouldn't put an SLR in one and strap it to the kayak.  I'd at least make sure it was in one of the bulkheads.  This reminds me.  I need to buy a bunch of drybags.
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I love it,DP! I can 't roll but love to photo from a kayak. Problem is they are always wet. Salt water is the worse. Olympus makes digital weatherproof point an shoots. I hAve tio try one
Peter

[davidh4976]

Certainly, you have different situation if you are doing 1) white-water, 2) ocean, or 3) lake kayaking.

I have often thought about putting a trolling motor on my kayak (a 2 person sit-in type) and using it on lakes.  I've done a similar thing using a row boat and trolling motor and it is amazing how close you can get to wildlife before they spook.

[bobtowery]

Here's a shot from my kayak:



Birds aren't very afraid of kayakers for some reason. I just paddled up to this guy and waited until he took off.  Note that this was years ago, probably my D60.

I have a recreational, open kayak. There's room for a dry bag or pelican case. I have both. But my boat is hard to flip, so I can just leave my camera sitting there.



It's a great way to see animals/birds in a different way.

Bob.

[franta]

I have no experience with them but ewa-marine produces underwater camera bags and promises that they are waterproof to 20m, they do not cost too much.

http://www.ewa-marine.com/english/index.htm