When your expensive piece of kit is all tucked away in its airtight box or dehumidifier cabinet, what do you take with you to capture those unexpected shots? Whether it be a smartphone or compact camera, and why this particular item?

Also, who keeps their gear in a airtight box? (not being sarcastic)

Also, any tips to beat the stuff getting cold soaked in aircon rooms, them exposed to the warm tropical air?

Discuss....

I have a dry cabinet for my photo stuff. No airco in that room.

If quickly get out from my aircon car the glass become foggy. Just wait a couple of minutes on the sun. Piece of cake

my cameras are tools, keep them in the work room no aircon, and not in any dry box. modern camera and lenses are quite tolerated.

when go out, then keep them in thick camera bag. not only for shock protection, but also keeping steady temperature in the bag. in and out aircon, indeed a problem.

only film and processed film have to be in the dry box.

If I go buying expensive camera gear then to my way of thinking I buy it for a reason and that reason isn't to keep it locked away.

If my camera isn't in my bag on my back or in my hand its on the table with the battery charged ready to go.

Don't have air con so no problem with that except when traveling in air con vehicles then it is usually in its bag which is in another bag.

Oh yea, expensive depends on the budget of the buyer.

Haven't used a dry box and haven't had any problems. Keep my equipment out of air conditioning, as much as possible. If it does get cooled down substantially, I let it come up to temperature before pulling it out of my bag. I have a silicone pack in the "weatherproof" bag.

In a dry cabinet in a cupboard where the temperature is reasonably constant. I have lived in SE Asia for more than twenty years and learned the hard way that lenses will attract fungus unless they are kept in a humidity controlled environment. It's all very well being cavalier about it; but lenses aren't cheap and if you want them to last; put them in a cabinet. They are no less accessible and less likely to be inadvertently damaged.

As for what do I take with me, I take my camera with one or more lenses. One of the reasons I moved away from a chunky DSLR was that I only took it with me if I was going out to specifically to take photos. Now I shoot Micro Four Thirds and my Olympus E-M5 and a lens or two weighs next to nothing and can be carried in a small bag.