As a general rule, I try to stay out of the rain with my cameras. My old pro body camera gear, as well as my modern Lumix cameras, are supposedly weather-sealed, but I have never been comfortable testing that in anything more than a heavy drizzle.

This cover from K&F Concept can be used in situations like rain or perhaps even more usefully near the ocean with crashing waves where you really don’t want salt water spraying your camera or lenses. The material is fairly robust and gives the impression of being waterproof, rather than just claiming it. I splashed it a few times from above and nothing got through.



I like that it comes with a carrying bag, and packs flat, so I am able to store this easily at the front or back of my messenger bag without any stress. It’s there when I need it, but no hassle when I don’t. A top tip is to keep the carrying bag dry, so you can place the cover back inside without getting the rest of your gear wet when you finish.

When in use, I can slip the cover over my camera by opening the nicely sealed zip at the bottom and then closing the front around the lens using the Velcro strap, before placing your hands in at the sides.

On a practical level, it becomes fiddly viewing the controls through the plastic backing and it definitely helps relying on a large LCD screen, but I am unable to fold it out easily on my Lumix S5IIX, which is a pity. Also, it is difficult to see the top controls on the camera, but I don’t know if there are any better solutions out there.

The front of the cover will extend to cover a fairly long lens, which I don’t have, so quite a bit remains bunched up. Thankfully, autofocus is what I will use 95% of the time in a situation like this.

In summary, I would say avoid pulling your camera out in heavy rain, but if you have to, this cover at least provides good protection and isn’t a nuisance to keep stored. I am not close to any mountains or the Sahara, but it could also be useful in very dusty or snowy conditions just to keep the camera body protected from the elements. It's not expensive compared to the risk of damaging expensive gear and feels well made.