2009-05-07T21:00:00
Rated 3 out of 5
Protects the camera, but at a cost
I purchased Camera Armor for my new (to me) Canon 5D body. I’d been interested in it for a while and the previous owner of the body recommended it. The first thing I noted was that despite being compatible with “most accessories” it did not fit well when used with Canon’s BG-E4 Battery Grip. The bottom of the Camera Armor skin interferes with the grip’s fit against the bottom of the camera. I could get it attached, but the skin no longer fit flush against the camera body making it awkward in the hand. It also interferes with large quick release plates for tripod heads, though I imagine smaller plates would work fine.
The grip is a heavy addition to the camera body, so I decided to try using the armor anyways and leave the grip at home. This worked, but I soon found that the fit of the Camera Armor skin interfered in subtle ways with the operation of the camera controls. Control buttons were accessible, but the feel was off, especially with the shutter release where it was difficult to do a proper half-press for autofocusing and it felt as if I had to really push down hard to get the shutter to trip. If you use the half press to autofocus on the subject, then recompose strategy as I do then this loss of feel on the shutter release is a huge irritation.
Lastly, and most importantly, no matter how much ‘chimping’ I did to adjust the fit, the Camera Armor skin always seemed to interfere with lens changes. I always had to pull it away from the lens mount to get a new lens on. All the while the camera was open to dust getting in.
As a result, I’ve pretty much given up on the Camera Armor. It’ll stay in my gear collection in case I go into a harsh environment, though in that case I’ll have to plan on minimizing lens changes.
I did give the Camera Armor another try on a recent trip. I figured that since the trip was primarily business and I wouldn’t be shooting a lot, I wanted maximum protection for the camera during travel. As added incentive, I was taking only two lenses and did not expect to change them much. Only a little shooting on that trip, but it reinforced my opinion of the Camera Armor: possibly useful under some circumstances, but I’d hate to shoot with this thing living on my camera full time.
Three stars since it does what it says and protects the camera, but at a significant hit to the usability of the camera.
Twilight-Landscapes
