Hard Cases

Hard cases for cameras provide the ultimate in protection for your gear. While camera bags of all types will provide some measure of defence against impact and weather, a good hard case is designed to withstand serious punishment. If you’re travelling and need the utmost peace of mind that your cameras, lenses and other accessories are going to make it to your destination wholly intact and in working order, hard camera cases are overwhelmingly the best choice.

On the exterior, hard camera cases for photography are generally constructed from a hard-wearing material like resin plastic – something that’s designed to absorb impacts without breaking, while also being corrosion-proof and chemical-resistant. A good hard case should be shockproof and crushproof, and generally on a hard case’s specifications you should find a guide to how much force they can take. Steel hardware is often employed on the inside to maintain structural integrity.

If you’re looking for a waterproof camera case, then you’re likely going to end up buying a hard case. These types of cases tend to be waterproof, dustproof and airtight, often equipped with O-ring seals to ensure absolutely no water ingress even when submerged. A case will have a maximum depth rating that it is safe to – in general, shallow submersions of a few metres will be fine.

Double-step latches mean cases are easy to open, but resistant to being opened accidentally. Many cases also have pressure equalisation valves that equalise the pressure in the case’s interior with the atmospheric air pressure outside, preventing the internal vacuum from making them difficult to open (otherwise known as the “pickle jar effect”).

You might have assumed that hard photography cases would always be big and bulky things, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Many hard cases conform to standard airline carry-on baggage requirements, meaning you don’t have to store them in the hold, and in some cases also come with wheels and a trolley handle for easy transportation.

Like the majority of camera bags, most hard cases for photography have well-padded interior spaces with customisable internal dividers that can be rigged around the exact contours of your kit. Using the dense supplied foam, you can pack your case in such a way that means even if the case is significantly shaken and thrown about, your kit will remain protected. Many hard cases also allow for the attachment of padlocks, providing additional protection from thieves.

Professional photographers and videographers who travel need to be able to get their kit from one place to another, and have total confidence that it is going to arrive undamaged. Showing up to a shoot on a remote location and realising your kit has been damaged in transit could be a real disaster, both in terms of the cost of replacing the kit and the lost income from the job you’re now unable to complete. Other photography bags like backpacks and sling bags are definitely lighter, cheaper and more convenient – but for the ultimate in gear protection, there’s no substitute for a hard case.