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Yes I use alpha guard. It’s an awesome product and I wouldn’t use anything else anymore. It peels off and leaves no residue so you can change it if your taste change, doesn’t add weight or mass to the lens and most importantly it doesn’t get in the way. I’ll never go back to a lens coat or anything like it again.
Thanks for posting. I looked at Mossy Oak graphics, but worried about covering the flared part of the lens. I like your option.....don't cover it! LOL!
Haha, yeah. I left the rubber areas uncovered and that took a lot of the work out of it.
Impressive ! Top marks for your dexterity ! I tried once on my other lens but didn't get this neat ! Love your attention to the details.
I have tried both brands. LensCoat is made in the US, comes with a warranty, is carried by the major photoshops (like B&H, Wex, etc.) and their product is made of high quality neoprene - which gives protection, water resistance, and heat resistance. RolanPro are a Chinese made knock-off generally only available on-line. They are made of cheap nylon - don't protect or stretch like neoprene. They don't offer well known camo patterns like RealTree or others - just knock-offs. They use the phrase "lens" and "coats" in their description to steal views and game google as well as mostly just copy he product description from the LensCoat site. And good luck with customer service if there is an issue - unless you plan on flying to China and find the company in person. If you own a lens that costs thousands of dollars (maybe $10k+), there is no reason to be messing around with cheap Chinese knock-offs that are not even that much less money. You will make back the few dollar difference 100x at resale or in not having to fix damage that neoprene would have prevented.
I have to disagree with your view here.
Kim, I have not tried or seen the Alphagvrd. I am interested in why you prefer them over the RolanPro? I’m certainly not opposed to trying them.
I found the RolanPro to be much better than Lens Coat but I had trouble with parts of the cover not staying in place. I do think it offers a bit more protection than the skins from bumps just because the fabric is thick and strong. But honestly I am not sure and can't think of a time that it would have made any difference. And cameras are another challenge that skins offer a solution. All other types of covers for cameras made them impossible to operate in action type situations.
Not the person you asked, but I used Mossy Oaks Graphics as well and posted some photos up-thread of the final result on my 500PF and my 600F4E: https://bcgforums.com/index.php?threads/skins-for-protection-of-big-lenses.24058/post-271780
I’ll try. Photo taken from iPad.
Brian I use these skins on both lens and bodies. The bodies are a project with a lot of little pieces custom cut to the camera. The little plastic tweezers, the squeegee and hair dryer to adjust the skin to the curves really help. The instructions are good and I followed them in the order they suggested. I don't have issues with the skins peeling away but they do come right off and leave no residue. It is the only thing I have found that will protect the camera from scratches but it remains fully functional in action. I have not had them scratch but did see some bubbling on 2 lens which I believe was due to altitude. I have never seen this. These skins were black mamba and are less forgiving than the ones with some texture and a bit of chromatic relief which I prefer. Just don't over-stretch them and be precise when applying them to lens. If you miss a bit then the rings don't turn smoothly. Just gently lift and reapply.
Thanks Kim, I’m going to order a body and lens skin to give it a try and see what I think of them overall and if I like it will order some more. They seem like a good option overall and glad to hear no issues with the body ones. I watched a couple install videos and was worried with the small thin strips to fit around dials and other areas potentially peeling/coming undone.
Do the lens first so you get the feel for working with the product.
It’s not hard but a tip I’d give you is line up your seams, it will look nicer. Also, don’t stretch the product. If you do have a hairdryer handy but stretching will cause it to not fit well.
Thanks. Makes sense since it seems like it should be easier to apply? Did you cover the rubber rings on the lens and grip on the body, or just leave them uncovered? I think I would prefer the feel of the rubber over the vinyl of the stickers.
