Avoiding moisture inside camera lenses

[princesdi]

Last August when we went to Florida I couldn't keep the moisture from building up on my lenses and from the mirror inside the camera. It was super bad once we got to Port Canaveral and the bahamas. How can I prevent this from happening?

 

[dcg0317]

If you seal your gear in an airtight plastic bag before you move the camera into the humidity, condesation will not occur. Though you still have to wait for the temperature to equalize before you can remove your camera and lenes from the plastic bag.

If you cannot aviod condensation on the lens, make sure you keep the lens on the camera. Put your camera/lens in direct sunlight and do not power on the camera until the condensation from the lens and viewfinder (if any) is gone.

 

[Groucho]

I haven't had this issue, but I do keep a little bag of silica gel in my camera bag. You can find them packed in with all sorts of things nowadays...

 

[SharonLowe]

Don't turn the a/c down so low...

The only time I have this problem is when we rent a house at Hilton Head with my parents - my mom turns the a/c down to arctic temps. Then, when I get up to go shoot the sunrise, my camera and lenses are all fogged up. S now, I get up earlier, put my camera outside while I get dressed and give it time to adjust. Silica gel and the plastic bags help too.

 

[DebºoºS]

I haven't figured out a way to prevent it but I've dealt with it. My problems have been on the cruises. Going from the air conditioned stateroom onto the veranda. It takes a minute before it builds up. I either shoot quickly(fire away before the fog) or leave my bag out on the veranda. At least then I can get pics of the ship leaving port without waiting for it to clear up. Of course I don't leave it out overnight so when we get close to port I sit on the veranda waking up & waiting for the fog to clear.
Next generation cameras should have little dehumidifiers built in.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Condensation is a big in hot, humid environments. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air. The air around your equipment is cooled by the cold glass and causes moisture in the air to form on it. Wiping it off doesn't really help because it just comes back. The only cure is to warm up your equipment.

The ziplock bag trick doesn't really make things much faster, but it is much safer. Condensation is water and it can do bad things. Inside your camera, it can cause electrical shorts. On your lens, it can cause spotting.

I usually deal with by whining, mumbling curses, and pouting. It's not very effective, but it gives me something to do while I wait for my equipment to warm up. Seriously, anything that you can do to warm up your equipment, like putting it in the sunlight, helps. Don't wrap it up in something like a blanket. Unlike a person, the camera isn't making its own heat (not much anyway), so the blanket will just keep heat from getting to your camera to warm it up.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Now that I think about it, wiping your lens may help. In theory, the formation of condensation on the lens should release heat and warm the lens. If you wipe it off and it condenses again, it should release more heat.

I'm not sure that it's worth the bother, though. There is also the concern that wiping the lens will bunch up the condensation into larger droplets that are more likely to leave streaks or spots.

 

[Lizziejane]

I'm heading to the Dominican Republic in October, and so the whole issue of humidity concerns me.

If I understand correctly, one suggestion is to place the cool camera in a ziplock bag and sit it outside for a while until it warms up to the outside temperature. I don't know why, but I'm thinking that condensation will form on the inside of the bag - in other words, the camera is sitting in a pool of moisture! Am I missing something, or simply incorrect about the condensation on the inside of the bag?

 

[Groucho]

You won't get much condensation on the inside of the bag because all the condensation is is water being sucked out of the surrounding air - and with very little air in a small airtight bag, there's very little moisture to be sucked out.

 

[Lizziejane]

gotcha! Thanks - that makes more sense now!

 

[DebºoºS]

Marks right about wiping it makes streaks. Wait till the condensation clears on it's own. Leaving it out on the veranda in the shade for a bit is the best bet for me on the cruise. A micro towel (lint free) in my bag also helps now that I think about it. I also use a cooler tote bag when we go into ports. It doesn't scream expensive camera enclosed please steal and it's weather, humidity n sand resisitant. Looks more like poor lady going on a picnic