A skin wrap or armour for your camera
Saturday 27 December 2025, 17:34 by Nando Harmsen | 1,930 views | 10 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
The camera you buy is almost always black. Or you get a partly or fully silver-coloured one. Sometimes you have a few fashionable colours to choose from. You can also choose a skin wrap or armour. What do you think of them?
In the past, a camera consisted of silver-coloured metal, with a felt or rubber jacket for grip. Later, fully black cameras appeared. I can only guess at the reason, but perhaps the unobtrusive aspect played a role.
Now some cameras are not just functional, but fashionable too. You can walk around with the conspicuous red Leica dot, or choose a camera in a fashionable colour. If they are available.
Not all cameras come in different colours. Most are simply black, with an occasional partly or fully silver-coloured model. Do you still want a bit of colour, or even a pattern? Then you can choose a skin wrap.
A skin wrap is a jacket for your camera. Usually made from a type of shrink film that is tightened around the camera with a hairdryer. This makes the camera unobtrusive, or very conspicuous indeed. The camera becomes a fashion object.
Sometimes it looks quite nice. At least, if you like the skin. It changes the camera from a boring black (or half-silver) box into a colourful or stylish little thing. However, it rarely serves any purpose other than cosmetic.
It is sometimes said that a skin wrap helps protect the camera against scratches. I doubt that, but then I have no experience with skins. What does help, or might help, is a camera armour.
A camera armour is a thick rubber jacket that goes around the camera. This means that if the camera bumps into something, everything inside is protected within reasonable limits. It does make the camera look rather bulky.
Personally, I think a camera armour is over the top. It is a bit like wrapping your car in bubble wrap so it does not get a single scratch. A skin wrap, on the other hand, can be fun, provided you want your camera to stand out.
I will not be using either, but perhaps you find it interesting. Would you choose a camera armour or a skin wrap, and why? Or is it nonsense? Let us know in a comment.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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10 comments
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Peter Heins wrote on Sunday 28 December 2025 at 11:20 | replyIk heb tegenwoordig een rubberen cover om mijn camera. Dat beschermd zeker , kost maar een euro of 15 en zorgt zeker voor een betere grip. En je krijgt op den duur niet van die wittige vlekken bij de handgreep. En als je je camera wilt verkopen ziet ie er nog als nieuw uit , geen krassen of beschadigingen op de hoeken.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Nando
wrote on Monday 29 December 2025 at 18:18
| reply
Hoe krijg je witte vlekken bij de handgreep? Ik heb daar nog nooit in mijn 45 jaar fotografie last van gehad, bij geen enkele camera.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Heeft iemand anders daar ook last van? -
Judith wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:05 | replyWitte vlekjes zouden kunnen komen door het gebruik van deet, dat kan onder andere soorten plastic aantasten.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Gerard Schippers wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:24 | replyMisschien als je last van zweethanden hebt?
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Het zout blijft achter en vormt een witte aanslag.
Met demi water regelmatig schoonmaken helpt dat het er niet te diep intrekt! -
Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 14:07 | replyEerlijk gezegd vind ik de besproken covers onzinnig. Wat ik wel nuttig vind, zijn de camouflagecovers rond een witte telelens bijvoorbeeld. Vooral bij wildlife en vogelfotografie. Die witte 'toeters' vallen nogal op in de natuur.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
ifiamminghi wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 18:41
| reply
(@Donald) Those covers may indeed protect somewhat against scratches and such, yes, that may well be... but those camouflage covers do that too! In the meantime, it has been proven that those camouflage covers are of no use at all to birds (and wildlife in general). Most wildlife sees more or less in black and white, after all, and even then mainly the shorter wavelengths (more UV, that is) rather than the longer ones (IR).
Translated from Dutch.
Those white lenses aren't just white to stand out, but to stay cooler! By putting a camouflage cover over them, you actually negate that!
So, if you have such a (generally rather more expensive) white lens, by all means keep it that way! It will stay cooler, after all.
You can easily experience it yourself on very hot days (or if your camera/lens are exposed to the sun), your "black" camera will feel "hot", and your white lens won't. -
Marleen wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 18:49 | replyagree with Donald
Translated from Dutch. -
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Donald wrote on Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 10:29 | reply
@Rob, with a small piece of black tape your problem with those conspicuous capital letters is solved.
Translated from Dutch.
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