Time for Moisture Dissipation BIG WHITES

Hi,

Seems no matter what I do, when I go from inside to outside in the tropics my f/2.8 300mm and f/2.8 400mm are fogging up.

I'm also concerned about my 1DX and 1DXMKII

The ONLY solution I can see is leaving them outside but in the tropics, I'm worried about moisture again...

Here is my question,

What period of time is safe to "assume" that all moisture is off all internal/external lenses and mirrors in the bodies... With the cameras sitting in the sun to dissipate moisture?

I'm sure even slight remanents and effect focus and electronic contacts...  Thank you.

tvstaff wrote:

Hi,

Seems no matter what I do, when I go from inside to outside in the tropics my f/2.8 300mm and f/2.8 400mm are fogging up.

I'm also concerned about my 1DX and 1DXMKII

The ONLY solution I can see is leaving them outside but in the tropics, I'm worried about moisture again...

Here is my question,

What period of time is safe to "assume" that all moisture is off all internal/external lenses and mirrors in the bodies... With the cameras sitting in the sun to dissipate moisture?

I'm sure even slight remanents and effect focus and electronic contacts... Thank you.

I learned a trick from a NG pro: Leave your gear in the bathroom in the tropics as the bathroom climate is more like the outside climate. It may not work everywhere, but I have used the trick a couple.

Since you are in an air conditioned (low humidity) environment indoors put your gear in a backpack and zip it up. The humidity in the outside air can't touch your gear. Wait about 15 minutes for gear to warm up.

tvstaff wrote:

Hi,

Seems no matter what I do, when I go from inside to outside in the tropics my f/2.8 300mm and f/2.8 400mm are fogging up.

I'm also concerned about my 1DX and 1DXMKII

The ONLY solution I can see is leaving them outside but in the tropics, I'm worried about moisture again...

There are lots of solutions.

An inexpensive one is to put each piece of gear in a sealed ziplock bag before bringing it outside.  Once outside, allow the gear to warm up before opening the bag.   You will find that your gear no longer fogs up.

The reason your gear fogs up when you go outside, is that the gear is colder than the outside air dew point.

Do not put the gear back into the bags when you go inside.  You only need the bags when going from a colder environment to a moist warm environment.  You want to make sure the bags contain air from the colder environment.

I often have to deal with this myself and recently made a post with concerns about fog getting inside a lens. (Which, it turns out, does happen and doesn't mean there's an issue with the lens.) I've found that if I can give my equipment 20-30 minutes exposed to the heat and humidity before use once I leave the air conditioning then there usually isn't an issue. Longer if I acclimate the equipment in a closed backpack. Much longer if it's in a closed pelican case.

One tip someone mentioned in my thread that sounded good is bringing a heating blanket and keeping that over the case while it's in the air conditioning. This way it never gets cold. Would keep the blanket on low heat, of course.

i live in the tropics also, i just use a dehumidifier cabinet in a non air conditioned room; no fogging when i go outside at all

I generally leave my gear in the trunk of my car. This way it remains at ambient temperature and roughly the same humidity.

hotdog321 wrote:

I generally leave my gear in the trunk of my car. This way it remains at ambient temperature and roughly the same humidity.

If you live in a humid environment, there can be an advantage to storing the camera in air conditioned space with lower humidity.  This can help reduce the chance of corrosion, mold, fungus, etc.

The trick is to be careful to avoid condensation by not exposing a cold camera to warm, moist, air.

If you do store your camera in your car, you may want to check your insurance policy.  Some specifically exclude theft from an unattended car.

Michael Fryd wrote:

hotdog321 wrote:

I generally leave my gear in the trunk of my car. This way it remains at ambient temperature and roughly the same humidity.

If you live in a humid environment, there can be an advantage to storing the camera in air conditioned space with lower humidity. This can help reduce the chance of corrosion, mold, fungus, etc.

The trick is to be careful to avoid condensation by not exposing a cold camera to warm, moist, air.

If you do store your camera in your car, you may want to check your insurance policy. Some specifically exclude theft from an unattended car.

I've been a photojournalist in Houston, Austin and San Antonio for over 35 years. The car trunk approach works well in our hot, humid environment. But for long term storage, I would recommend keeping gear inside with the A/C.

I will be taking plastic bags for acclimation with me when I visit the Amazon River, just as I did when I visited the Arctic and Antarctic.  I'll just use them for going out rather than coming in.

tvstaff wrote:

Hi,

Seems no matter what I do, when I go from inside to outside in the tropics my f/2.8 300mm and f/2.8 400mm are fogging up.

I'm also concerned about my 1DX and 1DXMKII

The ONLY solution I can see is leaving them outside but in the tropics, I'm worried about moisture again...

Here is my question,

What period of time is safe to "assume" that all moisture is off all internal/external lenses and mirrors in the bodies... With the cameras sitting in the sun to dissipate moisture?

I'm sure even slight remanents and effect focus and electronic contacts... Thank you.

TVS

when I step out of my car ( that is air conditioned) down to the swamp and I take the hood down of my 300f2.8 it fogs like h..l instantly

I have to point it into the sun for 15 min to warm up,

cleaning the front lens doesn't help, is so much glass that has thermal inertia, that will fog again in no time

You have to wait to heat up