Normally, it’s hard to get overly excited about a rain cover, but when I heard the Photo Storm Cape is set to become the French editing software company, DxO Labs’, first physical product, it certainly caught my attention. It supposedly offers “uncompromising protection, premium high-tech materials, exclusive innovations, and exceptional comfort and style,” and was unveiled at the opening of the CP+ 2025 Camera and Photo Imaging Show in Tokyo, which is happening right now.
The Photo Storm Cape certainly is something different from the best rain covers in that it's a wearable rain cover. You heard that right. Think poncho and hood but with extra provision for your camera. The beauty of this is that it's designed to keep your camera sheltered even when swapping lenses. Pretty neat!
DxO tells me it has "two combined protective envelopes shielding upper and lower body of the photographer and gear". A clear PVC window and viewfinder access. A "fast-securing lens attachment," presumably to attach the lens to the rain cover. Two protected lens pockets, so you don't have to keep reaching into your camera bag to access lenses. Wrist attachments, so that the protective material remains over your hands and thus the camera. A "zipped abdominal pocket". And "zipped pant access," I imagine so you can access your trouser pockets, which might be housing your phone or memory cards.
It's a Kickstarter, so I’m not expecting to keep my camera (and myself) stylishly dry anytime soon. However, what makes this announcement slightly more enticing is the accessory’s link to the launch of the DxO Photographers Club, which has been dubbed: “a community-driven initiative dedicated to crafting innovative solutions for passionate photographers.” I don’t have much more information than that, but this does suggest that club members might have a say in future products. If that’s the case, I think this has the potential to be a cool idea.
DxO says that the Photo Storm Cape owes its existence to a chat around the coffee machine, so it seems likely that the DxO Photographers Club will encourage similar discourse.
DxO states that joining the DxO Photographers Club will allow you to “stay updated and be among the first to brave the elements like never before.” DxO also mentions that there's more to come, with the company, "already working on a range of innovative products and services designed for photography enthusiasts."
I doubt the Photo Storm Cape is going to win any fashion awards, but as somebody who's wrestled with plenty of camera rain covers in my time, if this wearable cover makes operating the camera and switching lenses easier, DxO could be on to something...
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