Plano Four
Pistol Case
I have some
vintage camera lenses that came with really nice leather storage cases.
As much I like the dedicated cases, I do not want to spoil them by
lugging them around in the car or truck. And in fact one of these cases
has a zipper that failed leaving it unsuitable for storing camera lenses
on the go.
When I started
looking for portable cases to store these lenses when I go on the road,
I came upon the Pelican and Otter Box style cases. These are everything
they promise - rugged, water and dust proof, and capable of withstanding
years of hard abuse. And they're pretty expensive. Now I really want to
protect my camera gear, and when I'm traveling under hostile conditions
I use Zero Halliburton cases that are the metal version of the Pelican
and Otter cases. But for car or truck-based trips where I am not going
to be subjecting the gear to rough handling, and a lighter case would be
appropriate, enter the Plano Four Pistol Case.
Make no mistake
about it - this case is not waterproof. It will keep a casual splash out
of the case, but I would not recommend this for heavy wet conditions,
like a boat for example. Go with the high-end cases meant for this sort
of activity.
The foam lining
is not the same grade of foam as the Zero Halliburton. This foam is a
lot softer and does not support the same amount of weight. It appears
that this foam is not meant to be cut though it does have pre-scored
cubes for that purpose. I cut the solid piece of foam and used it for
the top layer. The two lenses, both large (300mm and 400mm) soon showed
that the foam would not support their combined weight. I got another
piece of foam from factory computer packing and made a second layer of
foam. This cured the problem and now the lenses stay in their cut-outs
and do not shake around when the case is closed.
The case itself
closes and latches well, is lightweight and reasonably compact. They're
large enough for quite a number of items. I use a second one, not cut
out, to transport our walkie-talkies, charger bases, and rechargeable
battery chargers and power cords.
There is a
provision for locking the case, though that's really silly because the
hasp could be cut with a razor knife. I like to look at this feature as
an additional way to secure the cover and "keep honest people honest"
since it really would not prevent a motivated individual from getting
into the case.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Manual
