Preventing Condensation : Camera

[aussiecollin]

Greetings,

I travel to Thailand in a few days time.

I have read some hints on how to prevent condensation when taking a camera from an air conditioned hotel room to the outside air.

Has anyone actual experience with this. Some of the things I have read:

• 
  

Seal the camera in a plastic bag until the air in the bag is the same temp as the outside air: about 1 hour (Don't want to have to wait that long)

• 
  

Use a hair dryer to heat up/dry out the camera before venturing into the open air. (no way!!)

Lens cover off, tape transport open (It's a Handycam Sony HC3 1080i) for about an hour in the outside air (errrk!)

Please, any experience here?

Thanks Colin

[skippybangkok]

Greetings,

I travel to Thailand in a few days time.

I have read some hints on how to prevent condensation when taking a camera from an air conditioned hotel room to the outside air.

Has anyone actual experience with this. Some of the things I have read:

• 
  

Seal the camera in a plastic bag until the air in the bag is the same temp as the outside air: about 1 hour (Don't want to have to wait that long)

• 
  

Use a hair dryer to heat up/dry out the camera before venturing into the open air. (no way!!)

Lens cover off, tape transport open (It's a Handycam Sony HC3 1080i) for about an hour in the outside air (errrk!)

Please, any experience here?

Thanks Colin

The latter i would not recommend. Basically you would be causing condensation on the inside which i dont think is too good for it. Generally, the first one is the preferred route. I generall leave my camera the the warmest part of the hotel room ( or baht room if not too damp, with the camera in the bag / and some silica gel ). The temp difference should not be too bad. Take the sealed camera with you for breakfast, and by the time you are done, it should be there.

Be warned, I threw away all my Canon lenses due to mould eating the lens coatings / lenses through dempness, so i take real good care now ( got nikon )

[astral]

I had one of my Canon lenses cleaned as there was mould growing on the inner elements.

Not an expensive job, if you have it done in Thailand.

[ZZZ]

Put the camera in the sun light near a window, the camera will warm up even if the room is cold from the aircon, just make sure it don't get to hot.

[skippybangkok]

I had one of my Canon lenses cleaned as there was mould growing on the inner elements.

Not an expensive job, if you have it done in Thailand.

Maybe should not have thrown afterall. The lenes were etched, it has eaten into the glass. I never knew it could be htat bad. Was along time ago, and keep everything with Silica gel these days.

[aussiecollin]

I generall leave my camera the the warmest part of the hotel room ( or baht room if not too damp, with the camera in the bag / and some silica gel ). The temp difference should not be too bad. Take the sealed camera with you for breakfast, and by the time you are done, it should be there.

Good suggestion. I am staying in a 3 star hotel in Surin town....Air con goes off when the key comes out of the key-holder (cardboard same size works OK though :-)).

Yes, breakfast bar is not aircon so a good suggestion.

Silica Gel: but doesn't this have a life? In Thailand the silica gel would be exhausted in a short while ya think? Those silly little packets that come with the camera I think would not be what you are talking about (note to myself: go to the camera shop).

Scenario: go out 8.00 PM; camera in hand. Rock back to Hotel room midnight, something else in hand, want to take a shot (oops, camera shot that is) ....dear me, do I wait for an hour? could be interesting..." please hold that pose for 60 minutes."...ahhh, "maybe while we are waiting for the camera to adjust we could play scrabble..or something. "(blush).

Colin

[skippybangkok]

Scenario: go out 8.00 PM; camera in hand. Rock back to Hotel room midnight, something else in hand, want to take a shot (oops, camera shot that is) ....dear me, do I wait for an hour? could be interesting..." please hold that pose for 60 minutes."...ahhh, "maybe while we are waiting for the camera to adjust we could play scrabble..or something. "(blush).[/i]

Colin

Genius - going from hot humid outside to a cold dry aircon will not cause condensation on the lens, unless your breathing heavy on it or shove it up her Colin.

And yes, there are very big packs of silica gel to be had a most camera stores, about 20x you would normally find in a purchase.

Dont want to wait in the morning - dont sleep with aircon, leave ur camera on the foot path..... figure it out

[ZZZ]

Another hot spot in most hotel rooms is the fridge, put the camera on top of it and it will keep warm.

[sbk]

I don't have air conditioning and still found my lens clouded over after a few years. But then, I am right on the ocean, could that have an effect? I kept the camera in a bag with silica gel (but it did go off after a while, I am sure).

I now have some new lenses but hesitate to bring the camera back from the US as I'd hate to lose these too.

Any suggestions?

[paulsworld]

For me I generally operate on advance planning mode. If I'm shooting a wedding on the beach I have one camera outside the room with assistant staying in humidity and one body inside in the air con to make sure nothing happens. Some days here there's no getting around it, if you haven't adequately planned you're going to fog...it's just darn humid.

I had a shoot one time after a rain...I had a body outside the whole time and all the usual tricks, but there was just too much water in the air (walk outside and sweat within a second). Tried to incoorporate the fog...but darn we're not shooting in the 80's anymore Moved inside and all were more comfortable anyways....

Paul

[skippybangkok]

I don't have air conditioning and still found my lens clouded over after a few years. But then, I am right on the ocean, could that have an effect? I kept the camera in a bag with silica gel (but it did go off after a while, I am sure).

I now have some new lenses but hesitate to bring the camera back from the US as I'd hate to lose these too.

Any suggestions?

Well, should let the real pro's answer.... I have a old refrigerator (small one ) which I stipped the guts out of, and have put all my camera gear in it. ( there are bags of gel in there - cost 25 baht each for a big bag ). Generally, I have the lenses in a round plastic food container / sealed and with a bag of silica gel. When I go on travel, the lenses i dont use stay in these containers ( which fit the lens nicely ) and I make sure the lenses stay as much as possible. If your a pro using the lenses every day, I guess you could foot the bill for new lenses everynow and then, in my case, wanna get max mileage out of them.

Have had the 105 mm for macro underwater photography stored this way and its still in extremely good nick. (As good as new except fora few nicks / dents ).

[skippybangkok]

Another hot spot in most hotel rooms is the fridge, put the camera on top of it and it will keep warm.

Good one....never thought of that, although some fridges are in a compartment with little space.

[aussiecollin]

Scenario: go out 8.00 PM; camera in hand. Rock back to Hotel room midnight, something else in hand, want to take a shot (oops, camera shot that is) ....dear me, do I wait for an hour? could be interesting..." please hold that pose for 60 minutes."...ahhh, "maybe while we are waiting for the camera to adjust we could play scrabble..or something. "(blush).[/i]

Colin

Genius - going from hot humid outside to a cold dry aircon will not cause condensation on the lens, unless your breathing heavy on it or shove it up her Colin.

And yes, there are very big packs of silica gel to be had a most camera stores, about 20x you would normally find in a purchase.

Dont want to wait in the morning - dont sleep with aircon, leave ur camera on the foot path..... figure it out

Sjippybangkok,

Heavy breathing, indeed, and very moist.

maybe I could take the camera to bed with me.....no don't go there.

You expose and I'll develop.

Good suggestion about top of the fridge.

Just realised (duh) am staying at a hotel in Surin where there is no aircon in the hong nam, and the bloody shower is almost cold so no steam in there.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys/gals: really helpfull group.

Colin