My 50D and I are going to Egypt next week and I'm concerned about how to best protect it while in dessert areas we'll be visiting. The lenses I'm taking include a Tameron 17-50 2.8; Canon 28-135 IS; and the Cannon 100-300. None are L lenses, so the lack of the dust seal is of concern. I have UV filters over each lens. How can I best protect them and still have the camera out of my backpack and ready to use. I'd appreciate any help with this.
My daughter visited Egypt a year ago. They have a real pollution problem in the cities and of course lots of sand. She kept her 30D in a zip lock bag inside another zip lock bag when not used. No matter what she did, she still had to have the camera and lens cleaned at her next stop which was Turkey. She didn't even change lenses in Egypt but that didn't help. She used a Sigma 18-200 OS if I remember correctly.
Now, the photo opps are out of this world so enjoy the trip!
On a more serious note what I'd suggest is taking along a water resistant P&S camera for really dusty conditions. They are environmentally sealed and can be rinsed off under a tap. I went that route with film back in the late 90's for an overseas trip with a Pentax WR90 and much to my surprise 90% of my photos where as good or better than I would have gotten with all my SLR gear. I think Pentax makes digital version.
Another option would be a bag-type shallow water enclosure for 50D.
