kbarrera wrote:
Or you can do what I do. Make your own.
Al
Exactly what I did, made my own, but not out of neoprene. Like one of the posts said, a couple of years in the sun and it breaks down. I made mine from camo material. I was unable to get past the wall that separates my "wants" from my wallet. I just wasn't willing to spend $100 for $5 worth of neoprene rings. I posted an article on my site with some "how to" in case someone cares to try their own version. (http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/supertele_lens_jacket.htm). Turns out it was an easier project than I expected.
Finally got around to making a lens coat for my 200-400. Got the digital camo fabric from Rockywoods and some seal cement. Total investment: $30 including shipping and taxes. I also made a lens coat for my 70-200, and have enough fabric left for another long lens and my teleconverters. Thanks to all who contributed with tips and photos.
One of the things I did differently is that I used pieces of fabric to create small flaps that can be tucked in to cover the various switches, while still keeping access to the switches silent and quick. Overall, while not being the prettiest lens coat ever made, it does cover almost all of the lens and should do its job of preventing small nicks and scratches. Here are a few quick snaps of mine:
my 300mm 500mm and 600mm all have advantage max4 HD lenscoats on them.. i have a couple of gitzo tripods that i may be interested in making a set of leg warmers for.. anyone know of a site where i could get neoprene in the max4 or something similar?
I've searched all over for Real Tree, Max 4 etc. The suppliers all told me the same thing; There are licensing issues withe the major brands of Camo such as Real Tree. The best you can do is New Tree camo. even that could be a tough one.
I've searched all over for Real Tree, Max 4 etc. The suppliers all told me the same thing; There are licensing issues withe the major brands of Camo such as Real Tree. The best you can do is New Tree camo. even that could be a tough one.
kmunroe wrote:
my 300mm 500mm and 600mm all have advantage max4 HD lenscoats on them.. i have a couple of gitzo tripods that i may be interested in making a set of leg warmers for.. anyone know of a site where i could get neoprene in the max4 or something similar?
I just received the "flooded timber" from rocky woods but it does not look like the sample on the website. Its similar to the "Real Tree" design on lenscoat website but with colors from the flooded timber. I even called rocky woods and they said the neoprene looks just like the sample. WRONG... it does not.
I had a hard time finding something for a safari (cant use camo) and seattle fabrics Brown marsh is no longer being stocked but am very happy with the look of the rocky woods flooded timber. I will post some photos of the lenses when done.
I just received the "flooded timber" from rocky woods but it does not look like the sample on the website. Its similar to the "Real Tree" design on lenscoat website but with colors from the flooded timber. I even called rocky woods and they said the neoprene looks just like the sample. WRONG... it does not.
I had a hard time finding something for a safari (cant use camo) and seattle fabrics Brown marsh is no longer being stocked but am very happy with the look of the rocky woods flooded timber. I will post some photos of the lenses when done.
What fabric/neoprene did you order from Rockywoods? I ordered 3mm neoprene from another company and it seems very heavy and had no fabric cover - I ordered the wrong material.
Thanks for your help.
I'm resurrecting this thread to say thanks for the info and inspiration to make my own lens coat. I ordered the 3mm Flooded Timber from rockywood. This is for my 100-400. I still need to make a piece to cover the tube when fully extended and I'm going to have to re-cut the pieces because they are a bit looser then I'd like even though I subtracted about 1/4 inch from the measurement. I may also mess with some different configurations around the switch/lens foot area to see if I can make something a little better. All in all I'm pretty happy with the outcome and glad I saved some money. I will also probably make a set for my 70-200 F4 in black. Here are a few phone photos, when I'm done I'll get better photos of the pattern and color.
I've taken this whole thing one step further. I now custom laminate neoprene with any camo fabric of my choice.....ie. RealTree, Mossy Oak, Snow Pattern etc. I can make any color neoprene I want. I also imprint the camo with my own logo.
kbarrera wrote:
I've taken this whole thing one step further. I now custom laminate neoprene with any camo fabric of my choice.....ie. RealTree, Mossy Oak, Snow Pattern etc. I can make any color neoprene I want. I also imprint the camo with my own logo.
Al
Now that's cool. Maybe put your website address on it.
Kbarrera, what mount is that you have in Post #15?
Methodical wrote:
Now that's cool. Maybe put your website address on it.
Kbarrera, what mount is that you have in Post #15?
Thanks...Al
Actually the mount is something I made myself. I took some 3/16 aluminum bar stack and fabricated the base and attached it to the rubber coated support. The mount attaches to the the window and rests on my arm support in my truck. It handles the weight of my 600 with no problem and has a huge rotating range. The head is a Acratech Long Lens Head. It works great and didn't cost a fortune.
Snapshott wrote:
Are you going to post how to custom laminate neoprene or is that a trade secret?
No secret here. I bought the fabric at Joann's fabric outlet. I really liked the textured look and it had a good stretch quality. I then took some 3mm neoprene and sprayed the black side with 3m Super 77 and laminated the fabric to the neoprene. I then cut the neoprene to fit and made my own lens coat. The logo was simply transposed onto some heat press paper and applied to the neoprene with an iron.
kbarrera wrote:
No secret here. I bought the fabric at Joann's fabric outlet. I really liked the textured look and it had a good stretch quality. I then took some 3mm neoprene and sprayed the black side with 3m Super 77 and laminated the fabric to the neoprene. I then cut the neoprene to fit and made my own lens coat. The logo was simply transposed onto some heat press paper and applied to the neoprene with an iron.
Al
Cool, now if I want smooth skin on the inside I'm not stuck with just a few choices.
