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Astrophotography with EF-M Prime lenses (PIC)

Started May 8, 2019 | Discussions thread
Marco Nero
OP Marco Nero Veteran Member • Posts: 7,582
Anti-Condensation lens warmers for Night work...
4

I bought a Made-in-Japan anti-condensation lens warmer from Protage for use with my EF-M lenses.  I chose this one because of the narrow elasticized velcro heating strip which gives me access to the focus dial on most of my lenses while still heating the outer lens elements.  I happen to have a USB Power Supply for a telescope to run it on although any pocket-sized PowerBank with a USB connection (preferably above 1A) will probably do the job.
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If you're only taking 20 shots or so, it's not necessary.  But if you're doing long exposures and the temperature drops, you'll end up with dew and then usually frost.  As they glass and metal on your camera begin to chill, tiny ice crystals can (and do) form on your lens.  Warmer climates are unlikely to be a problem. 
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I find the Lens Warmers to be a little fiddly to put on.  Sometimes I wrap it around the lens hood but other times I'll put it around the lens body.  I bought mine for about AUD $45 and I deliberately paid more for one that came from Japan simply because a cheaper one from China might overheat and melt my lens gaskets or cause a fire.  I've not had a problem with the Protage model and it's enabled me to shoot while my whole car and tripod is covered in moisture and ice.  If dew is a serious issue as the camera is cooling down in the night air, I will tie a disposable plastic bag around the body of the camera to prevent dew from forming on the body and getting into any cracks around the buttons and seams.... but I have only done this once.
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EOS M + 11-22mm lens: Ice crystals on my 11-22mm at 7C in the days before I had a lens warmer.  The Milky Way looked horrible when the lens frosted up.

Using a Lens Heater on my lens.  The cable is plugged into a USB power port on the device with the red light (a Celestron LiFePo Lithium battery designed for powering telescopes).

M6 +32mm: Lens heater after putting it onto the NiSi Natural Night Filter .... and it's just starting to do its job here.  You can see how the frost is disappearing from the outside even before I got to take this picture.

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Regards,
Marco Nero.

 Marco Nero's gear list:Marco Nero's gear list
Canon EOS M6 Canon EOS Ra Canon EOS R6 Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM +20 more
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