LensCoat for 500 F4 - First Impressions

[NikonUser]

Hi there everyone,

I got home from work today and found that I'd recieved the package I'd been waiting for.... A lenscoat for my 500mm F4. Apparently I was their first customer from Australia. YAY

WHAT IS A LENSCOAT?

A lens coat is what it sounds like... a coat for your lens It's a tight fitting skin made from neoprene (??....Feels like a wetsuit...??) that is designed to protect your bigger lenses from bumps and scratches. Also it's camouflaged so it might help me hide better

PUTTING THE BAST**D ON

OUCH... Give yourself a little while . The rubber on the underside of the coat is textured so it sticks to the lens quite well. Let me just say that you need to line up the seam how you want it BEFORE you put it on.

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

Feels nice. It makes the lens quite nice to touch actually. Soft but not squishy.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Here it is on my lens:



NEED MORE INFO?

Feel free to ask me any questions or you can go to the lenscoat site (http://www.lenscoat.com) and the friendly people there will help you

Paul

[wendellt]

that's some seriously sexy rubber latex on a massive cannon of a lens
nice one
I am actully more impressed with the lens

I think kipper has somethign like this on his big momma but it looks painted on

does this seal protect the lens from water seaping in?

[PiroStitch]

Like a doggy coat Hrmmm...can you get it in different designs, etc?

[NikonUser]

There isn't any seal no. There are 4 seperate bits that cover the whole lens. There is also an optional bit that I can stick onto the tripod collor to cover it that little bit more.

It looks a lot better now that all the scratches on the lens hood are covered up!!

On the LensCoat site I've seen this design, black and also a snow camo design. This was the only one listed under my lens though... it's the one I wanted anyway

[birddog114]

No, I don't like it!
Seen here in Sydney few times and it's not the first time it's in Australia, perhaps first time in Victoria.
Problems with humidity or wet or damp.

[NikonUser]

Yeah I thought about what happens if it gets wet.

I don't go out in the rain all that often but if I do then I'd either take it off before going out or make sure I take it off and dry it completely before putting it back on.

I'm sure that it's not the first of it's kind in Australia, or Vic for that matter... but the guy said I was this company's first Australian customer.

Paul

[birddog114]

NikonUser,
We already been hit with wet, humidity and early fog with this coat.
Make sure you take it off prior you step out your door and only put it back on when you're inside the house.
What's the point to have it when you can't use it under those conditions?

[NikonUser]

It seems pretty resistant to water ATM (just put a little bit on the hood and it doesn't seem to soak in at all).

Time will tell I guess how it goes out in the field... If it doesn't work out then it's no biggie.

What do you mean by:

We already been hit with wet, humidity and early fog with this coat.

[kipper]

NikonUser,
We already been hit with wet, humidity and early fog with this coat.
Make sure you take it off prior you step out your door and only put it back on when you're inside the house.
What's the point to have it when you can't use it under those conditions?

With this coat or all coats Birddog? Because pretty much everyone on NSN uses these coats or similar noth on Canon and Nikon lenses and they have no such problems.

I don't currently have a coat on my lens, just camo tape on the hood to protect it from scratches/dings. I'm planning on getting a coat at some stage though. It'd be nice to have something that has full lens coverage though with access panels for AF limit, AF lock and Focus Adjustment. The last time I went to Edwards Point my lens body and D70 was covered in sand

As for the Lenscoat for 500 AFSII, I thought it was a pretty new lineup to their products as I spoke to Greg Downing the editor of NSN about 3months ago about getting a Lenscoat for the 500 AFSII and he said they don't make them as yet but they were working on getting them to make them.

[birddog114]

Yes, this coat and other coats with same material.
Problems with wet and humidity, the lens won't get wet outside but created condensation + wet inside the lens, if you're not careful with it then your lens will get damp internally.

Same thing as you wear a raincoat under the rain with high humidity, you'll get wet by your sweat, not the rain water.

[NikonUser]

Thanks for the tip birdy...

Will keep my eye out for that.

[birddog114]

Kipper,
I'm not in the bird shooting game, but I have seen and talk to many PPs who has the big lenses, they prefer to leave it as it for air circulation when the lens or its AF-S motor working.
They do have some special carry bag or coat for it but use it for transit only.
They are careful with their investments but they never get away with all the ding, dang and scratches.
They do buy camouflage tape and tape up some areas of the lens but not covered all, main reason is for: air breathing.

[kipper]

Isn't the reason they're made from closed-cell neoprene to allow for the lens to breath in varying conditions?

I mean if you were in Costa Rica or Trinidad you'd probably err on not using it but I would have thought for places like Australia (except for Qld) you'd be right as it's not overly humid.

[kipper]

Yeah that's fair enough, the tape is doing me fine for the moment and was the suggestion of DaveB. I'll ask around on NSN and see if any of the birders there have had any problems. Maybe they only use them in extreme cold conditions? Apparently the coat makes the lens nice to handle in cold conditions

[birddog114]

Isn't the reason they're made from closed-cell neoprene to allow for the lens to breath in varying conditions?

I mean if you were in Costa Rica or Trinidad you'd probably err on not using it but I would have thought for places like Australia (except for Qld) you'd be right as it's not overly humid.

No, the Neoprene does not have full air breathing as many people thought and it depends on what they use it for?

Sydney or NSW does have lot of humidity days and not only humidity days will affect, the early fog in the morning or cold days when you step out your car and venture into the bush, the field, also it will affect to Neoprene as you can feel it wet if you expose it long enough in the field.

And I've been told Melbourne/ Vic is the wetest States in Australia.

[birddog114]

Maybe they only use them in boring cold conditions? Apparently the coat makes the lens nice to handle in cold conditions

That what my thoughts also.

[kipper]

Shrug, I just find it bizarre that nobody on NSN has complained of it as they certainly do have cold days in the states.

[NikonUser]

I will post back here if I ever have any trouble.

[Glen]

Paul, sure looks sexy though.


No where is the number for suspect terrorist activities? 1800 123 400

" Dear Sir, I saw a bloke carrying a thing which looked like an army surface to air missile...."

[birddog114]

Shrug, I just find it bizarre that nobody on NSN has complained of it as they certainly do have cold days in the states.

Cold days are most OK, and not with humidity.
But we use it here in Australia, especially in Vic with the wetest States in this continent and high humidity in northern side of NSW.

[birddog114]

I will post back here if I ever have any trouble.

You won't find any problems instantly.
But better care of your main & major investment.

[birddog114]

Kipper,
You're heading to Europe, I'm sure you'll be safe with it but make sure you be careful when you carry it thru the subway and train station

[DaveB]

And I've been told Melbourne/ Vic is the wetest States in Australia.

But Sydney has more rainy days than Melbourne does!
Sydney is very humid in comparison to Melbourne: you don't need to head to Queensland to find humidity.

You won't have seen this coat in Australia before, the guys at LensCoat have a fairly new business. You may have seen the JRF neoprene covers though (for mainly Canon lenses I think) which are quite similar.

[birddog114]

You won't have seen this coat in Australia before, the guys at LensCoat have a fairly new business. You may have seen the JRF neoprene covers though (for mainly Canon lenses I think) which are quite similar.

3 of them are here in Sydney on the Nikkor 600 + 500, and one belonged to one of my closed friends who's living in Gosford, they have them for couple months now. They bought the lenses from me all.

Don't know where did they buy them but I played with those lenses and were covered with this coat.

[birddog114]

But Sydney has more rainy days than Melbourne does!

It's contradiction with my knowleges, everytime I met a melbournian, they wish to have Sydney weather, I asked why: they said Melbourne is wet!
Ask GregB, he knows about it

[kipper]

DaveB, they had products for Canon Lenses and Nikon 600 before Christmas but I was led to believe that the 500 was fairly new addition.

[birddog114]

DaveB, they had products for Canon Lenses and Nikon 600 before Christmas but I was led to believe that the 500 was fairly new addition.

Friend of mine in Gosford bought it for his 500 AF-S II at the end of January, just called him up and he bought direct from the same website.

As their website states:

It's designed mainly for the cold weather apart from keeping the lens out of ding, scratches etc...:

LensCoat™ Lens Covers are manufactured from 100% closed-cell neoprene, offering protection from bumps, jars and nicks, with a camouflage-pattern fabric cover. LensCoat™ Lens Covers also provide a thermal barrier, protecting your hands from cold lenses in lower temperatures. They are easy to install and remove, leaving no residue on the lens. And LensCoat™ lens covers are waterproof, providing protection in harsh conditions.

[DaveB]

But Sydney has more rainy days than Melbourne does!

It's contradiction with my knowleges

Ok, I stuffed up the details a bit:

Mean number of "rain days"/year (average over 1858-2002): 138.2 for Sydney, 147 for Melbourne.
Mind you, the mean numbers across Dec-May (6 months) over the same period: 73.3 for Sydney, 61 for Melbourne. Summer has more rainy days in Sydney than in Melbourne, but winter makes up for it...

And that's not talking about the _amount_ of rain, just the days with rain. As it turns out, the annual rainfall in Sydney is twice that in Melbourne!
Just ask the Bureau of Meteorology if you don't believe me.

More rain, warmer: higher humidity... more possible issues with gear like this.
Are the Nikon 500mm lenses weathersealed like the Canon 500mm/4?

[moggy]

With the exception of Darwin, Sydney had the second highest rainfall in Australia. Melbourne is like the UK, it drizzles for days on end while Sydney dumps it all at once.

Bob.

.

[Michael]

Jesus christ the lens hood for that is like a bucket!

[kipper]

Well Paul and I have just had a discussion with Scott Elowitz, the rep/owner of Lenscoat and he believes that there shouldn't be an issue using these coats. As I thought most of the high grade lenses like the 500MM F4 are fairly weather sealed anyway so they shouldn't get moisture/liquid on the outside of the lens transfering to the inside. Condensation formed internally would be a problem regardless of the lenscoat being on the lens going from one climate to another. We also asked if anybody has experienced any problems aswell, which pretty much everyone that responded said no. A few have also claimed that these coats have saved their lens on a few occasions.

[birddog114]

Well Paul and I have just had a discussion with Scott Elowitz, the rep/owner of Lenscoat and he believes that there shouldn't be an issue using these coats. As I thought most of the high grade lenses like the 500MM F4 are fairly weather sealed anyway so they shouldn't get moisture/liquid on the outside of the lens transfering to the inside. Condensation formed internally would be a problem regardless of the lenscoat being on the lens going from one climate to another. We also asked if anybody has experienced any problems aswell, which pretty much everyone that responded said no. A few have also claimed that these coats have saved their lens on a few occasions.

Good luck!!!!

So far we have found: if we use the Lenscoat in humidity rainy days, the lens barrel had some kind of wet (moisture) on its surface, which we didn't want and we didn't buy the Lenscoat for that purpose.

It's some kind of waterproof at certain level but still wet the inner after long day use outdoor under bad weather.

The first time we used, we had to take it off once we backed to base and left the lens outside the case without the Lenscoat for drying after we used chamois to dry it. Rain water, moisture may not get inside the lens instantly but after you have the lens for few years, how do you know its weathershield is still perfect.

How often did you send your lens back to Nikon to replace or check its weathershield?

I knew all the 500/600 are weathersealed, and they're, wondering why do you use the lenscoat for? maybe avoiding the scratches and ding, Are that all worry you?

If you happen get sand and other foreign objects/ stuff in between the Lenscoat and the lens, it'll getting worse.

Their products are so new and mainly users are in the North America and Europe, so it's suitable with the cold weather, no doubt about it! I don't know how they cope with humidity and hot in SEA or Down Under.

You're heading to Europe and I don't see problems there for you, it helps you to using the lens more easier in the cold weather.

None product is perfect and only under its limitation of use.

[kipper]

Actually one of the photographers uses them in Florida, and we all know how humid it is there.

[birddog114]

Actually one of the photographers uses them in Florida, and we all know how humid it is there.

Yes, Florida is humidity but did he expose his lens all full day under the humidity rain? in the rain forest?
We did overhere.

[birddog114]

And the use of the Lenscoat for what kind of protection?
Your finger will feel funny when you want to touch the lens barrel while creeping or wandering inside the bush.

[kipper]

Then if you did that there is a good chance the lens would of got condensation buildup regardless of lenscoat.

[birddog114]

Then if you did that there is a good chance the lens would of got condensation buildup regardless of lenscoat.

You can't avoid it, same story of Wendell asked before Xmas about the lens/ shield whichever way to keep the camera and lens out of condensation.

And you need Nikon Service after all to maintain your investments in the good shape and condition.

The only answer is:
Only buy a lens or camera which is specially produced for the purpose to use in that region

Look at the remark at the product before buying: This product is only for Europe or North America.


In the military, we had flight suit and jacket to use in winter/ summer, and they all are difference materials.