mancemd

Have you thought about a new wife?

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

If you have a back porch, leave the gear in the bag (with the desiccant bags) and put it on the porch first thing. I do this before I have my morning coffee - when I'm ready, it's ready.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Wrap your camera gear in terrycloth and wait for about an hour. If you are traveling and it is raining, take large size zip locks. Water and condensation are enemies of any digital camera.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Not sutpid at all. I found these:

http://www.brnostore.com/dri-cap/ - Brno Dri Cap

and somewhere on the Internets there is a lens cap with desiccant packages built in, but I could not find it.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

You have to keep your gear warm!
Just slip all your gear into your trousers!!
I'm just assuming your trousers aren't already full, or you would have turned down the AC!!!
In these situations you must think outside the box!!!!!!
Always glad to help!! 💣 💣 💣
SS

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Water-tight cases are indeed the answer, there are LOTS of choices out there from Nanuk, Tundra, Vanguard, and yes, even Pelican. Prices vary widely and some models (all models from Nanuk) offer adjustable dividers which are MUCH preferred over the pluck and pick foam interiors.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

A water tight case is nearly worthless for this particular purpose. It will keep the camera cool inside the case, and when it is taken out of the case the warm moist air condenses water onto the camera just exactly the same as if it had been just then removed from the cool house.

Using a desiccant is equally of no value. Inside a case there is no risk of condensation anyway! The moisture is in the warm outside air, and you aren't going to have enough desiccant to dry out the whole outside.

What is needed is a safe way to quickly warm the camera from the cool inside temperature until it is at the same temperature as the moist outside air. The idea of the ZipLoc bag is correct, but that's not the best bag to use. Instead, while inside the house, place the camera and other gear into a kitchen sized plastic trash bag, and squeeze all the air out. It isn't really necessary to make any effort at specially sealing the top as a single twist will do just fine. There is no point to putting a desiccant in the bag as there is no significant moisture in the bag.

Take the bagged camera outside outside. Set it in a particularly warm place with good air circulation to heat it up fast. If there is no air inside the bag it will warm up faster. ZipLoc bags are okay, but it's a lot harder to get all the air out of the bag and as a result it takes longer to warm the camera up. When the camera is at air temperature, remove it from the bag ready to go!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Put the gear in a insulated cooler without adding chill pcaks, close up at outdoor temp and humidity. Store wherever you want, unopened.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Wonderful if the gear only needs to be inside for a short time. But after more than perhaps 5 or 6 hours (and you have no access to it during that time) there is the problem that it has cooled enough to be a problem... and inside the cooler it will take that long to warm up again. Set the cooler inside for 8 hours means setting it outside for 8 hours before opening to get at the camera!

It just doesn't solve the problem unless it is left outside all the time. A cardboard box would work just as well...

tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Don't know if you have a basement but they're rarely ACd.

MtnMan Loc: ID

I was thinking about microwaving.


















Yes, that was a joke.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Gee, I have done exactly this for over 30 years and it works perfectly, even in Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti and Florida. But you are always entitled to your personal opinion.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

It's all about the temperature inside your house and the humidity outside. If your gear has been cooled to a temperature lower then the dewpoint of the outside air then condensation will form on your gear when you take it outside. The only way you can avoid that is to prevent the outside air from coming in contact with your gear until the gear has warmed up enough to be warmer then the dewpoint. That is often only a few degrees. Storing your gear in the warmest part of your house could do the trick. Do you have a secure area in your garage? Zip lock bags or wrapping it in a towel can also help keep the outside air away. The towel though will just slow the warm up. I would prefer to store it in a warm spot. That way both the exterior and interior of your camera and lens will be warm. Allowing the camera to warm up in a bag will work if you allow enough time for it to warm thoroughly. If the internals are not warm enough then just the pumping action of many zooms can introduce moisture, and the resulting condensation to the interior of your camera.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Such cases are great for protecting equipment. Make no mistake, they don't prevent condensation.

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

lfinger and apaflo are correct.
store your camera in whatever you like but bring it up to outside temperature before exposing it to outside air/humidity...