Hi all.

I did a bit of a look around and there are plenty of options for rain covers for the NX5. I'm after something to protect not just against rain, but the possibilities of dust, mud and rocks. Obviously I'm going to run a lens filter as a backup too.

There are a few threads about this, but in general there isn't anything about user experiences. So if you're using a rain cover, what are you using, and how is it?

I'm particularly looking at:
PR410 | petrolbags.com (http://www.petrolbags.com/PR410)
PortaBrace - Compact HD Cameras (http://www.portabrace.com/products/cameras/compact-hd-cameras/475-rain-slickers-sony-compact-hd)
PortaBrace - Compact HD Cameras (http://www.portabrace.com/products/cameras/compact-hd-cameras/672-camera-bodyarmor-sony-compact-hd)
CRC-15 PL For Canon XF300, Sony F3, And Similar KT PL-VA-801-15 - Pro-Light | Kata Bags (http://www.kata-bags.us/crc-15-pl-compact-rain-cover)
WS PMW EX 1 camRade | carrying bags for professional AV equipment (http://www.camrade.com/products-page/cameras/sony1/hxr-nx5/ws-pmw-ex-1)

When I'm out shooting in the rain, rarely would I need to use the XLR inputs or hot shoes - usually just me handholding the camera.

Any experiences you've had would be great to hear about!

I used Portabrace rain covers often on an XL1s and an XHA1. Features I appreciated were the mic cover and ability to use the top handle.

There was a design flaw on the A1 cover that may affect you if they did the same thing for the NX5 which is a similar 3-ring camera. The opening on the LHS to access the lens rings is pretty long and they had a 1/2" wide nylon strap to support the opening. That strap fell right on the iris ring of the A1 and after it ruined a few shots, I cut it off with no deleterious effects as far as I could tell.

Heh, you'll either hate this or love this but when I shot robotics at NASCAR we covered the very expensive robotic HD cameras with plastic garbage bags. Yes you heard right. 25 cent bags and the best part was we covered the lenses with regular glass we got from the hardware store. Better to break the 25 cent glass than the front element of the lens and yes it happeded pretty often. As for protecting the cameras the garbage bags worked great. I can't tell you how many times we had dirt, pieces of tire, little pebbles thrown on the camera and they came out fine. Not to mention very hard rain.
AAMOF I use a small bag to cover my cameras now. I open it up and cut 2 of the edges so I can just throw it over the camera and use a bit of gaff tape on the bottom to hold it together and it works great. Doesn't look as nice as a "rain cover" but it sure is less money and works just as well.
You might want to look into that solution.

We've done that a few times over the years Dan, and the plastic bags are a pain to do over and over again. That, and sometimes you get noise from the bags. That's been our go to solution, but for ease of setup and noise reasons I wanted to go with a proper one this time.

Thanks for the feedback on the Portabrace Les, I'll look into the issue you're talking about. Which Portabrace cover have you used? The blue one or the other one?

Thanks!

I wrote about it here when the guy I sold my A1 kit to fell ill and had to sell it:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/private-classifieds/491694-canon-xh-a1-xh-a1s-xh-g1-rain-slicker.html#post1619594

I use the PortaBrace specifically for the NX5u.
Porta Brace RS-NX5UB Compact HD Rain Slicker (Black) RS-NX5UB

While I shoot sports, sometimes rainy, I shoot a lot of western cowboy work, and need serious dust protection!

Nice, thanks Chris. Not too bulky?

I don't have an NX5, but... I tried the garbage bag method in heavy rain with my NX70 (yeah, I know it's supposed to be waterproof). What a disaster. The rain rattling off the plastic, the rustle of the plastic when you try to adjust controls, the wind ballooning the plastic... no, it wasn't a happy experience.

I've used Kata, Portabrace rain slickers and Petrol rain covers. I'm quite a fan of the new(ish) Petrol rain covers. See: Rain Covers | petrolbags.com (http://www.petrolbags.com/Rain-Covers)

The nylon "hood" over the lens gives a lot of stability, and internally it fits on the camera's hotshoe, making it more stable and less prone to droop in front of the lens. I have found Kata raincovers a bit floppy (with the risk of drooping over the lens), and I find the Portabrace slickers with all their velcro staps and pockets to be very fiddly, at least on small camcorders. The all-clear plastic makes it easy to see all the controls etc.

The great thing about the Petrol option is that it is pretty quick to slip on in the rain. The Slicker is not quite as, er, slick to slip on quickly, so unless you can work with it on all the time, it is awkward.

That's just my experience though, everyone is different.

Nice, thanks Chris. Not too bulky?

No not at all, but with everything in this vertical, there are trade-offs.
Because it is not bulky, it takes a "little" more time and care to get it on and off.
I traded that speed for security and less bulk.

I am very pleased with the way it protects. I love the access panels, and the extra measures PB took to cover what needs covered and see-thru panels were you need them the most.

I had a Porta-Brace on a previous camera and much prefer the Kata I went with for my NX5U. I shoot motorsports quite a bit (rally, rallycross, truck short track) and love the fast on/off with the less form-fitting Kata rain slicker over the over-engineered Porta Brace. Easier to manage controls, too, with the huge, clear window covering.

I have the Rain Slicker on my ax2000 the $250 one. its nice if your doing work in the rain. I find that i dont keep it on all they time only when need it... You can put it on in about 3 minutes with some practice

I do have both cameras here now, the EX1R and the NX5 and temporarilly two different raincovers as well. For the new NX5 I did order this raincover from Camrade:

Camrade Regenhoes SONY PMW EX1 / HVRZ7 / NX5 - Regen- & Sneeuwhoes (http://videoholland.nl/regen-sneeuwhoes/camrade-regenhoes-pmw-ex1.html)

Though, it turned out horrible on the NX5. It doesn't fit at all. So I switched this cover with my own Portabrace EX1 cover. The camrade cover is perfect for my EX1R. I do use a standard Portabrace raincover with the new-bought NX5 now.