Desert shooting advice

[Latvos]

I am shooting a documentary in the Sahara Desert in early May using a Sony PDW-530P, and have been looking at buying the Portabrace Cool Shoulder Case CWC-2 as a cooling / dust cover.
Does anyone here have any experience using these, and if so, are they effective?
As I am not that familiar with filming in desert regions, any general comments on filming in these conditions would be welcome. Projected temperatures would be around 45 degrees centigrade- thats around 113 Fahrenheit.
As availability for these Portabrace covers is a little uncertain, because they seem to be available only on backorder at B&H in NY, I was wondering if anyone here has bought one for a specific shoot and then find it lying unused in a cupboard somewhere? If so, I would be interested in buying, using paypal, ebay or something else.
I am based in New Zealand and a close colleague of Cameragod.
Thanks in advance for any help on this, its much appreciated.

 

[Flaca Productions]

even tho it's not a tape-based camera, be very conscious where and when you change disks. shooting beta in similar situations, i would always go in a car to change a tape. do it quickly and don't leave the tape (disk) door open any longer than necessary. sand is not your friend. at night, i'd suggest a quick go-over with a paint brush to remove any sand that has settled on the camera - brush it off before it can move inside.

 

[Nino]

Common sense will prevail. Shooting in 113 degrees temperature the main concern would be about me first, camera second. Get plenty of water, hydrating sport beverages and good protective clothing, in the Army they gave us salt pills in extreme hot conditions. Also get several of those chemical activated ice packs readily available in any drug stores, if you get overheated activate one and put it one the back of your neck, works wonderfully. Get that camera cover, you’ll never regret it. Buy one of those battery operated vacuums, DO NOT use compress air cans that might blow sand into the camera, vacuum it away. Check with the manufacturer on the battery performance in sustained hot conditions. Bring some plastic garbage bags so you can quickly seal your camera away in case of windy and dusty conditions. Stay cool.

 

[wtv]

Wear sunscreen and lots of it.

I am off to shoot in Mali in about and hour and can get back to you on my return.

 

[freedom]

Consider taping the disc door to seal out fine sand. And tape any other doors or ports that might let sand migrate into the inside of the camera. A clear filter to protect from sand blasting of the front element. A white cover can keep the temp down by quite a bit.

 

[Latvos]

Thank you for all the tips so far. We are used to wearing lots of sunscreen around here, as the ozone layer is so thin in NZ we get sunburnt even when its not that hot.
Thanks Nino for the tips on looking after yourself first. We are travelling on an expedition run by an experienced tour company so the catering and water side is managed by them. I have not seen a battery powered vacuum, but will check that out on the net.
Back to desert filming, has anyone used a car power inverter to charge camera batteries? If so are there any issues?
Don't you just love the power of the net for this type of exchange...I certainly do!By the way Nino can I say how much I like your efp lighting site. Cameragod and I have been working as team for at least 18 years shooting a lot of 2 camera interviews. We have found our own way of making backgrounds work in the most difficult locations, and still find your tips invaluable.

 

[Flaca Productions]

make sure you have a clear filter over your lens or run a clear in the front position of your mattebox.
i'd want my polarizer for sure.

i have no problems charging via inverter. the anton chargers do pull quite a bit of juice, so just make sure you have an inverter that is big enough...

 

[Max Girth]

Consider taping the disc door to seal out fine sand. And tape any other doors or ports that might let sand migrate into the inside of the camera.

My 350 has an actual rubber gasket around the door for this. I suppose extra will not hurt.

Taping up the cooling vents on the top though...I dunno if I would do that. If I recall, there's actual filters on the inside of these ports to keep dust/dirt out. I know there there is indeed two internal fans on my camera that I'm sure rely on these ports to flow to do their job.

 

[GoToTomWells]

When plugging into a car cigar lighter there can be polarity issues with some combinations of inverters/chargers causing the outlet to fault, so get the inverter type that includes alligator clips for hooking directly to the car battery. Test your power inverter with the specific charger you will be using before you leave.

I use inverters frequently and find that about 1 in 6 will give me problems when charging camera batteries while working fine for charging cell phones, laptops, etc.

 

[Canonman]

Also get several of those chemical activated ice packs readily available in any drug stores, if you get overheated activate one and put it one the back of your neck, works wonderfully.

In addition to Nino's excellent advice, another method that gets used here is wet towels placed in a cooler with ice. Take one out of the cooler to put around the neck. You can also use the ice packs that Nino suggested under the arm pits (that's actually a first aid step for preventing heat exhaustion from turning into heat stroke).

The disc mechanism on the XDCAM units is pretty well protected. There is a dust seal, then the seal on the disc door itself. Keeping the camera cool is going to be your second concern. Someone showed a tip here on b-roll in the tips section about using a clamp on umbrella from a baby stroller despite it looking strange. Okay for lock down, not so much for run and gun.

cm

 

[Latvos]

When plugging into a car cigar lighter there can be polarity issues with some combinations of inverters/chargers causing the outlet to fault, so get the inverter type that includes alligator clips for hooking directly to the car battery. Test your power inverter with the specific charger you will be using before you leave.

Thanks Tom for this, I'm just about to head out tomorrow to buy one, so have heaps of time for testing before the big trip.

I think I'd be unlikely to tape over the cooling vents as this would be counter-productive to keeping the camera running, even if it does keep some dust out. This brings me back to my original idea of the Portabrace cool shoulder case which could make filming in a sand-storm feasible.

All good stuff though guys, keep it coming thanks.

 

[Latvos]

In addition to Nino's excellent advice, another method that gets used here is wet towels placed in a cooler with ice. Take one out of the cooler to put around the neck. You can also use the ice packs that Nino suggested under the arm pits (that's actually a first aid step for preventing heat exhaustion from turning into heat stroke).cm

Unfortunately we won't be anywhere near a cooler or ice I wouldn't imagine. Lucky to have enough water to wash I expect.

I did spend some time shooting near Phoenix in Arizona last year in similar heat, but was able to retreat at the end of the day to an air conditioned hotel suite with a nice cold beer and Mexican food-fantastic!

None of these luxuries in the Sahara I'm afraid. But it will be a fantastic documentary I'm sure, the only pity is that we're not shooting on the new PDW-700 which we miss out on by a few weeks. It has been offered but the timing doesn't work for us.

Has anyone here bought anything from Media Solutions in California, or AVAlive? They seem to be the only online stores that have available in stock the Portabrace cool shoulder cover cwc-2. Neither of their websites fill me with much confidence I'm afraid, but am happy to be proved wrong by someone who has traded there.

 

[shootist]

Back to desert filming, has anyone used a car power inverter to charge camera batteries? If so are there any issues?

after years of charging batteries conventionally for years, i began to charge them in my car using an inverter. i found that my batteris (lithium ion IDX NP-1) just went to crap.

we're talking new batteries here that after only a few months were basically lasting 20% from when new.

apparently, the fluctuations in the current fried the batteries.

as an emergency charge situation, i'd say go for it. for continued use, i'd suggest plugging an uninterrupted power supply (UPS for computer system protection) or a "power conditioner" into the inverter and the charger into that unit.

especially if you're buying the batteries.

 

[GoToTomWells]

after years of charging batteries conventionally for years, i began to charge them in my car using an inverter. i found that my batteris (lithium ion IDX NP-1) just went to crap.

apparently, the fluctuations in the current fried the batteries.

What type of charger were you using? Fluctuations in the current supplied from the inverter should cause the charger to fault, either turning the charger on and off repeatedly or not turning it on at all. I know a few guys who charge their batteries soley on inverters and have not heard of this problem before.

 

[shootist]

What type of charger were you using? Fluctuations in the current supplied from the inverter should cause the charger to fault, either turning the charger on and off repeatedly or not turning it on at all. I know a few guys who charge their batteries soley on inverters and have not heard of this problem before.

one of these:

idx rep was the guy who told us an inconsistent current hitting the charger would cause the problem. with a power conditioner...no problems.

 

[acton]

I see someone mentioned a paint brush. Pick up a couple of new clean brushes if you don't have them already. Great to give the camera a quick cleaning. I use the shower cap trick for covering the lens when not shooting. You can tape up the seams of the body to help keep the sand out but most of the better made cameras have rubber gaskets. Make sure you haven't lost those plugs that cover the BNC and Audio connectors.

I didn't have the portabrace white cover for any of my trips, but I did use a stormcoat cover just to keep the dust off. You could get the yellow instead of the black. I would use it to cover the camera during a tape change when not around a vehicle.

Most of the inverters I have encountered work OK, but watch how much you draw. The light plug shouldn't be used if your are drawing a lot of juice. Bring the clips and use the Battery itself.



my2cents,

acton

 

[freedom]

My 350 has an actual rubber gasket around the door for this. I suppose extra will not hurt.

Taping up the cooling vents on the top though...I dunno if I would do that. If I recall, there's actual filters on the inside of these ports to keep dust/dirt out. I know there there is indeed two internal fans on my camera that I'm sure rely on these ports to flow to do their job.

Don't know the 350 specifically but many of the gaskets are set slightly below the break. Fine dust can settle in there and migrate into the disc mechanism when you open the door.
Of course you shouldn't tape over the cooling fan. Not all cameras have cooling fans. I would consider some extra filters for the fan tho.