So I'm shooting on location in the woods and one day of the shoot takes place in the water, on a raft and on a pontoon boat.

I wanted suggestion of covers to water proof a camera, specifically, the Sony PD150. I saw a rain cover on some accessory website, but I was wondering if that was 'proof' enough. If I find something made for water, maybe I can even shoot some in the lake.

this is a rental camera, so I'll be f**ed if I get it wet. anyone with experience shooting on or in the water, let me know what you've gone through.

thanks
Lily

The rain cover should be enough to keep it safe from small splashes and random bits of spray and such, but if there's a danger of it falling in, or being subjected a big splash I would say your only TRUE safety would be a water-proof casing. These are expensive and annoying, so you're probably better off being really, really careful and using a rain-cover or even a make-shift cover. You can throw something together with a garbage bag and some rubber bands.

If it makes you feel a little better, I shot through a downpour one night in New York (about three hours of drenching rain) using umbrellas, jackets, and reflector discs to shield the cameras (one Z1U and three Digital Rebels) from the rain, and they all survived. The Rebels were props, and most of the time they were being used totally unprotected, which scared the daylights out of me, but they're fine.

The cost of buying a professional waterproof container for your camera is about the same (or more) as replacing the entire PD150 system if it gets dropped in the water.
I would get the rain cover to protect from extraneous splashes and mists, and just be extremely cautious. You should have no worries with the pontoon boat shots, but for the raft shots I would suggest using another more stable boat to sail around/beside it and get your shots.

I saw that ewa marine makes a soft housing for underwater shooting with the pd 150 at about $450... seems pretty reasonable. It would make for some great shots swimming to the boat... hmm.

I wonder if there are places that rent housing equipment in SF. Seems like there would be.

Another thought was buying an Elite hard-case housing for my panasonic handheld... it's about $287.