Photographing a Color Run Will Destroy Your Camera Gear–Don’t Do It

PETAPIXEL ^ | MAY 08.2013 | Roger Cicala

[SWAMPSNIPER]

If there hasn’t been a Color Run 5k or 10k race near you, there probably will be soon. And with all that color, you certainly want to take some pictures, right? Not with your camera you don’t.

I’m never one to worry much about lens dust, but the color bombs they throw out at Color Runs are different. In the last month my lens rental business has had over 20 lenses and several cameras nearly ruined by these things. For what it’s worth, all of the renters tell us they really weren’t near any of the major ‘color bombs.’

[SWAMPSNIPER]

This is something I never heard of until now, sounds like people with too much free time on their hands.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

pinglist

[DesertRhino]

Gay,,no man should be there. Another chick thing.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

10-4 on that!

[skr]

Seems like a bad idea for a group of heavily-breathing people to deal with.

[DesertRhino]

Amazing pics and info in the story. And as the guy points out, if one exposure does that to a camera and lens, what is it doing to their lungs? Amazing how small ad sticky the particles are.

[DesertRhino]

And these are the same people who wag their fingers when i use a traditional lightbulb.

[cynwoody]

Sounds like the sort of thing that would appeal to Obama voters.

thecolorrun.com/faqs/

[donna]

Does this mean it’s okay to smoke again?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Only herbs and spices!

[GeorgeWashingtonsGhost]

I’ll second that.

[Secret Agent Man]

gays making something already gay, even gayer.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

I almost lost my DSLR because of pine tree pollen, that colored dust is probably worse. I replaced the focus screen, a $60.00 part, but there is still some pollen on the prism and it would be a major and expensive repair to fix that. It doesn't affect the pictures so I put up with it.

Pop up flashes are a point of entry for a lot of crud, I made the mistake of using the flash outdoors and it bit me. I use an accessory flash now and keep the pop up disabled.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Daffynition]

A religious ceremony of Hindu?

[Rodney Dangerfield]

I can’t even imagine the type of imbeciles that would engage in such an activity.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“I can’t even imagine the type of imbeciles that would engage in such an activity.”

The type that vote for democrats.

[Portcall24]

What is the substance that it can be considered completely safe when it’s in your lungs?

[Vermont Lt]

The only way that I would watch this is if they released wolves or lions as they shot off the color guns.

That would be worth photographing from a distance.

[wally_bert]

My wife ran in one of these “events” and I didn’t bother to take my camera out of the bag anywhere near the finish line.

I saw some pros/semi-pros in the mist and glad I wasn’t in it. There is no way I would take a DSLR in that. At most a disposable pocket camera would be used by me.

Besides there was some construction going on a couple blocks up and I got some usable stock footage instead.