Jeannean wrote:
Very nice DIY idea! How much material do you need to do a Nikon 500mm f/4 lens and a 300mm f/2.8 lens?
I recently just did my first one (with the help of this thread) and it's not too difficult. If you measure the widest circumference of the lens and the length of the lens it will give you the size of neoprene you need for each lens. I had a circular cutter and a metal ruler laying around and they helped immensely to get smooth straight lines.
update after two summers of use: most of my lens cover pieces work like on day one, except for the smaller pieces, or those that had to be attached with double sided tape because the lens mount stopped me from cutting a circular piece. And a 1 inch wide skinny piece cut to cover a steep rise towards the larger front elements just would not stay in place, so I removed it. Some sort of adhesive may have helped, but that area is really not exposed to hits
do things differently? Cut the pieces on the hood tighter, the do slide around a little. Cut the rear piece shorter so I can turn the aperture ring (manual focus lens) without the neoprene trying to turn it right back on me.
The lens fit inside the travel case is really snug, but not a show stopper.
Time and money well invested. I will do this with every larger lens I carry around at the race track.
Thanks to this thread, I have also done a DYI lenscoat on a prime lens. Now I am working on a second lens and have a question: do you cover the extension tube on a zoom lens like the Sigma 150-600? If so, how?
kbarrera wrote:
Good for you Mitesh. Make sure you check out the video on You Tube, where Lenscoat demonstrates measuring and fitting. It's a big help.
Good luck and post your results.
Al
Just wondering if anyone has the link to that YouTube demonstration video...I'm not finding it.
This is the neoprene I purchased for my DIY lenscoats. There may be cheaper options but this is the best camo pattern I have found that you can buy in raw form. One sheet will easily cover ~6+ superteles, great value for someone who doesn't mind cutting. I also ordered Neoprene seal cement but ended up using Gorilla Glue camo tape to hold each piece together because I was in a hurry. I'll glue them together someday but so far it has taken a fair amount of use with zero issues on my 200-400mm f4G VR1:
Edit: Here's the link to the camo tape that I use and really like. Just be sure to cut it with scissors, it does not rip very easily by hand (which I think is a good thing for durability):
If anyone of you folks have a scrap piece of black or camouflage neoprene measuring 3.25" x 15.75" (2mm or 3mm thickness OK) sell it to me. I will pay for it. I don't need to buy yards of the stuff.
. Here it is on Vimeo: