Reviews |Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover Review

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover Review

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover review
Review

Price when reviewed

£29.95

$34.75
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Our Verdict

Think Tank’s Emergency Rain Cover can be deployed in a matter of seconds and it doesn’t hamper the camera’s use excessively. Crucially, it does a great job of protecting your camera and lens whether they’re mounted on a tripod or handheld. The Cover is also small and light enough to be carried everywhere in your kit bag just in case it’s needed.

For

  • Available in three adjustable sizes, Small, Medium and Larger
  • Lightweight and compact
  • Easy to fit

Against

  • Some camera controls become a little harder to access

What is the Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover?

The Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover is like a cagoule for your camera. It’s available in three sizes, Small, Medium and Large, to suit different camera and lens combinations and it’s adjustable to give a snug fit. A clear window in the black nylon allows you to see the top and back of the camera and to look through the viewfinder.

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover review

Specifications

  • Dimensions (length x diameter): Small: 31 x 8-14cm / 12.2 x 3.1- 5.5-inches, Medium: 48 x 8-14cm / 18.9 x 3.1 – 5.5-inches, Large: 70 x 13–20cm / 27.6 x 5.1–7.9-inches
  • Weight: Small: 107g / 3.5oz, Medium: 114g / 4oz, Large: 159g / 5.6oz
  • Materials: 70D Taffeta seam-sealed rip-stop plus polyurethane film

Features

Think Tank supplies the Emergency Rain Cover in a nylon pouch that keeps it flat and tidy in your camera bag, but that opens quickly when you need to protect your camera.

Helpfully, the cover has a hot shoe mount that slots into your camera’s hot shoe to keep the waterproof fabric in position. Once that is slipped into place, you just pull the cover over the camera.

An oversized clear PVC window in the cover allows you to see the top and the back of the camera.

A synch cord enables the cover to be pulled in around the camera and your hands. The cover can be used whether the camera is handheld or mounted on a tripod.

There’s a Velcro strap that enables the cover to be pulled tight around the lens barrel, close to the hood. This strap can be adjusted very easily to fit different diameter optics.

Camera Compatibility

The different sized Emergency Rain Covers are designed to cover the following:

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover Small:

Gripped or standard camera bodies with a 16–35mm f/2.8, 14–24mm f/2.8, 24–105mm f/4 or 24–70mm f/2.8 lens mounted.

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover Medium:

Gripped or standard camera bodies with a 24–70mm f/2.8 or 70–200mm f/2.8 lens mounted.

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover Large:

Gripped or standard camera bodies with a 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3, 200-500mm f/5.6, 200-400mm f/4, 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4 or 600mm f/4 lens mounted.

Performance

I used the Small size Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover on a Sony A7R IV with 12-24mm f/4 and 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses. Naturally, using a cover hampers using the controls a little, but the fabric is lightweight and the window is well positioned, so it’s not especially problematic.

The cover is designed so that you can put your hands inside and directly on to the camera, however, I found I was able to use the adjustments dials through the cover to set the exposure.

I find I’m able to compose images in the viewfinder, looking through the window, but you can also flip the cover up to see the viewfinder directly if you want.

If you’re using a mirrorless camera with an electronic viewfinder and eye sensor, you may find that you need to switch manually between the viewfinder and main screen as the eye sensor can get confused by water droplets building up on the cover’s window.

The window also gives a nice clear view of the camera screen and with the Small cover, I had enough room to flip up the screen of the Sony A7R IV for a better view.

Read our guide to the Best Camera Accessories

Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover review

Verdict

Even some weatherproof cameras don’t appreciate a heavy downpour or a trip to the coast on a windy day with lots of sea-spray, so a rain cover is a sensible addition to your kit.

Think Tank’s Emergency Rain Cover is light enough to carry with you at all times, and it doesn’t restrict the camera’s operation as much as some bulkier covers. Its hot shoe mount also does a great job of keeping the cover in place with the window in the right location.