As the rain gods continue to keep us hydrated, this is actually a fun time to take a quick weekend break. As much as you'd enjoy the rains as a person, your gadgets sadly take a bad beating with all the moisture around. So either you leave your camera home to keep it safe, or take it along to risk its demise. However, if you are willing to spend a bit, you can actually use your camera even in heavy downpours without any worries. Here's how:

Water-Safe Camera
If you haven’t picked up a camera yet then you can consider buying a water-proof point and shoot instead. Panasonic offers decent water-safe cameras under its Lumix range (the DMC- FT20, for instance). There are also a few Nikon CoolPix snappers (S31 and AW110) that you can consider. While these cameras are quite rugged and can let you take pictures underwater as well, the picture quality may disappoint you. Although they pack in impressive specs in terms of megapixel count, type of sensor, optical zoom, and decent battery backups, their colour reproduction leaves a lot to be desired. That being said, it’s a small price to pay, especially if you are planning a deep-sea diving experience, or are heading out for a monsoon trek with your friends. At least you can go back home with a SD card full of memories, an let tools like GIMP, Photoshop, Paint.net, or Lightroom take care of post processing images.

Instant De-Humidifiers
As a quick fix solution you can carry with you good quality plastic zip-lock pouches to house your camera and its accessories, and throw in some desiccant packets (silica gel, for instance). These packets often ship within airtight containers and electronics (especially earphones and smartphones) in small packets. The best way to get hold of these is rummaging through old packaging. If you luck out, then try wholesale stores that sell packaging material. If you get to desperate, then try looking on sites such as eBay, but make sure you know enough about the seller before making any purchases.

Waterproof Casing
For those who already own cameras, and are looking to save them from moisture, a waterproof casing is a better option to check out. Be it an entry-level point and shoot, pro-zoomer, high-end digital camera, or even a DSLR, DiCAPac has the right case/pouch that can hold any camera irrespective of manufacturer. Priced between Rs 1600 and Rs 6200, you can pick one of these zip-locked pouches on e-commerce site such as Yebhi.com. On its official website, DiCAPac claims that its cases are 100% waterproof. At this price, it's worth a try.

Waterproof Bags
If you like carrying a lot of photography gear during the rains, a good waterproof camera bag becomes a must-have. A sling bag, or a back pack from a good brand like Vanguard can house your camera, a couple of lenses, and even a spare snapper if you need one. There are some bag packs that also let you carry light tripods, which is perfect for trekkers or those who love camping. For point and shoot owners, check out offerings from Case Logic instead.

Dry Cabinets
These are more for curing a wet camera, rather than saving it from getting wet. Dry cabinets come with a de-humidifier system in place, which keeps moisture out of your gadgets. Perfect to store your camera and its accessories, these dry cabinets are similar to refrigerators, and need electricity to run. Apart from drying out your camera (even smartphones/tablets), it also keeps fungus, rust, and dust away from your gadgets. Steeply priced between Rs 13,000 and Rs 30,000, you can pick one up on e-commerce sites such as Snapdeal.com.

Tags : Guides, Cameras