How to protect my camera against Dust

[timo01]

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[charlesphoto99]

7 hours ago, Malenn said:

Hello all.
Thanks for your responses. I am indeed going to Burning Man 🙂 and I have decided to bring the camera. I am a professional photographer and I want to take portraits of the people there. That is an essential part of my presence at this festival. Some people have a Leica camera to look at. It is, however, a work tool and I think I should take the risk. I will cover with tape all openings and possible entrances. I already emailed Camera West, the Leica shop in San Francisco. They can clean the camera if needed.
Thanks for your comments and tips.

I would highly encourage you to do some research, both about past experiences of photographers on the playa, not just in regards to the gear, but also in regards to ethics of photographing at BM, and potential commercial use. 

From the sounds of it, whats er goes to the playa never comes back the same. You say $$ don't grow from your back - well then is it worth the $$ for you to potentially/probably destroy or at least render inoperable your M and lens(es)? It may very well be - many pros will sacrifice a piece of gear in order to bring back the shot. Depends on your budget, intention, and just how important those BM shots will be. I would certainly go with backup! I suggest you start doing some googling and check on threads such as this:

 

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[charlesphoto99]

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/09/this-is-your-well-our-camera-at-burning-man/

[Dennis]

On 6/20/2022 at 6:50 AM, Malenn said:

Can someone give me some advice on how best to protect my camera (M10) from dust?

You can't. I use my M10 most of the time in dusty and sandy conditions, also for work, and to date, it has never disappointed me. But I often clean the sensor (once every week approx.) w/ the rocket blower because shooting at f8 is so much work cleaning the dust in PP. It works just fine. But I would never bring the M10 to the extreme conditions of Burning Man. The M is the more enjoyable shooting system for me, but in some cases,  it's also one of the most vulnerable. It's inevitable. And indeed, the slowest and more expensive service to do. I often clean the three M 'windows' (viewfinder front, rear, and focus patch) to ensure a clean view and focus in optimal conditions. And thinking about this for the Burning Man, I would say it would not be possible for me to shoot with so much dust (w/ my M10).
These are the cases where the M yes can do it, but it doesn't worth the risk. I would choose my tank Nikon D5 and send it later to Nikon for deep cleaning. Just saying!
Or a Ricoh GRIIIX 🙂

Edited July 28, 2022 by Dennis

[Helge]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb Malenn:

@Helge 

I think you are offended mainly by my use of the word 'professional'. However, I didn't want to make a value judgment with this. I know my place and I am the last to judge others and tell them what to do and what not to do. With 'professional' I wanted to indicate that I do not only make the photos for myself, but on commission….

I‘m not offended by your way using the word ‚professional‘, not at all😀

I might be offended by those of your statements which implicated, that everyone is a fair-whether photographer who is not putting his/her Leica out in the sand and dust and risking it.

I am definitely questioning your approach not to be a professional one, it is still like trying to cross a river with a Porsche 911 (sealing the doors with duct tape) instead of using a Land Rover (I still love that analogy).

[Helge]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Dennis:

You can't. I use my M10 most of the time in dusty and sandy conditions, also for work, and to date, it has never disappointed me. But I often clean the sensor (once every week approx.) w/ the rocket blower because shooting at f8 is so much work cleaning the dust in PP. It works just fine. But I would never bring the M10 to the extreme conditions of Burning Man. The M is the more enjoyable shooting system for me, but in some cases,  it's also one of the most vulnerable. It's inevitable. And indeed, the slowest and more expensive service to do. I often clean the three M 'windows' (viewfinder front, rear, and focus patch) to ensure a clean view and focus in optimal conditions. And thinking about this for the Burning Man, I would say it would not be possible for me to shoot with so much dust (w/ my M10).
These are the cases where the M yes can do it, but it doesn't worth the risk. I would choose my tank Nikon D5 and send it later to Nikon for deep cleaning. Just saying!
Or a Ricoh GRIIIX 🙂

Thanks! I‘m fully agreeing!

[ravinj]

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I wonder how well this would fare at Burning Man: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1219331-REG/leica_18435_x_u_typ_113_digital.html/overview

I see used ones pop-up now and then.

Edited July 29, 2022 by ravinj

[charlesphoto99]

10 hours ago, ravinj said:

I wonder how well this would fare at Burning Man: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1219331-REG/leica_18435_x_u_typ_113_digital.html/overview

I see used ones pop-up now and then.

May as well just get a Paul Smith edition whatever and use that - Burning Man bright colors and they have zero resale even when mint, LOL. But yeah, the X113 might help, though I guess fine playa dust is different than water when it comes to egress. But they'r still pretty pricey, even when used. I think there's a reason so many shoot film at BM, as a decent old Nikon/Canon/etc film body can be had for pretty cheap (bring two or three) and thrown away afterwards (cheaper than doing a pro cleaning). A used D750 can be had for about $700 if shooting digital - would still be cheaper than any repair I can think of on an M (not to mention loss of resale value). And FTR, I'm somebody who takes their M to the beach and shoots in the surf, mountain skiing, etc etc. But that playa dust I've heard/ seen too much about....

Edited July 29, 2022 by charlesphoto99