I have a shoot coming up where I'd love to have a sound blimp but now one in chicago rents them anymore. Any good do it your self ideas? I 've been thinking about wrapping my camera in a couple heavy socks.

http://www.soundblimp.com/price.htm

prices don't seem so bad especially if you need it for the job

from their FAQ page:

7. Q: Do you rent your Sound Blimps?
A: No. However, we can provide you with names and phone numbers of rental houses that carry our equipment.

PPR in Atlanta rents them

http://www.ppratlanta.com/pdfs/soundblimp.pdf

this guy has instruction for making your own

http://www.whistlerweddingphotos.com/blimp.html

i started to build something very similar and worked MOST of the bugs out .. MUCH nicer than this "Whistler" model.. my biggest issue was finding the proper foam to deaden the sound.. i tryied all kinds of densities and combinations..
i finally scrapped it and just decided to buy one when i need it..

there is something about that Jacobson blimp that has "IT" worked out..

i live here in Atlanta and called PPR about rentals and they told me they didnt have any ??? this was a few years ago and it was listed on their website..

who knows ??

ciao
cw

I've got two Jacobson sound blimps but don't know if they would fit your camera or if even the sync cord connection is up to date with todays digital cameras. Last I used them was in the late 90's when I was shooting a daily live show at Universal. One was fitted to a Nikon F4 and the other to a N90s. Will have to dig them out tomorrow and see if either my D3 or D100 will work in it. Might be interested in renting them out, are you shooting with Nikon or Canon?

The Jacobson prices are insane for what it is. You could buy a MacBook for the price. It's like 5000� viewing booths. Minimal technology and maximum price!

It's the perceived value of what the industry can get away with and not the actual cost to produce.

You think that is expensive?
How the hell you going to shoot on set with a MacBook, MacLean?
Or a viewing booth for that matter.
Jacobson's are hand assembled, lead lined and very well thought out. I've seen many people try to make their own blimps, even down to using the Jacobson tubes cuz they couldn't figure it out on their own.
Well worth the money and easy to justify for most jobs needing them.

I'd have one if I had the extra cash and I was in a market where I could spring into action with it.

That home made one looks pretty trick . . . that with the 1DS Mk III on silent mode with a pocket wizard and a wireless release and you have your problem solved.

And I just happen to have a pellican sitting around.

Got my blimps out and the D3 would not fit in the cutout for the F4 but the camera hooked up OK to the connection and fired. Was thinking maybe if I cut some of the foam out the D3 would work. Called Jacobson to see if he could retrofit my case and he said no, that the D3 would not work in it but a D300 would. My D100 would work but it would be kind of pointless because most people use these cameras in low light situations and the D3 would be perfect for that.

He is a man of few words and would not explain why which was sort of irritating. After going back and looking again it could possibly be that the viewfinder and lens opening may not align properly so it would require hacking into the case to make it work. So it would probably be better to buy a new case made specifically for the camera if that is the situation.

I took a look at my old pelican case and it's a bit small for the MK III . . . looks like it'd take a suitcase to fashion one.

It would be cool walking around with a suitcase camera though.

I wouldn't have a use for one anyway.

Imagine trying to get one through security at an airport . . . but really . . .it's a camera!

So I got an old lee filter bag out of a box put some spongy foam in it and stuck my 5d with grip into. Not perfect but it cuts the noise buy at least half and cost nothing. If I was to get regular gigs like this one I'd buy the real deal but I think this'll work for me for his job.

I just made one using the idea linked to in the fourth post. I posted detailed instructions on my blog: http://www.picturedujour.com/?p=67

how important is the tube? with it you you can't change lens zoom etc... did you try it with just the camera in the box?