Ted Evans Loc: Jasper, AL

I know about how to protect
valuable optics from condensation using
sealable plastic bags and that when outside
temps are below freezing it must be done.
In thinking about this I have a new 100-400
Canon II lens and a Canon 7D II which to
me cost a lot.
My question is - Can I use dew point temp
as a guideline for cold temps above freezing?
As a retired middle school science teacher
this makes good sense but there seem to be
other things I don't think about so I am
open to your opinion UHHers. Please comment.
Ted Evans

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Once the camera/lens is warmed to a temperature above the Dew Point, it can be removed from the plastic bag without worry that condensation will form.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

Theoretically, yes. However the issue with bringing cold cameras into a warm humid building is that the cold metal reduces the temperature of the humid air immediately adjacent to it to below the dew point of that air. And condensation results. There is no practical way to know what the dew point is of the air inside your house or what the temperature of the metal camera is. Therefore there is no way to know if the cold metal of the camera will reduce the air to below the dew point. The safest thing to do is to put the camera into the bag and seal it outside the house, then bring it inside and let it warm up until it does not feel cold to the touch.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Ted, the rule I use if the outside temperature is lower than the temperature it is going into, I protect it via a plastic sealable drive.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

In practice I suppose there are at least a couple variations on how to know what the Dew Point is. Experience is the determining factor. People who live anywhere near as far north as I do get very experienced very quickly and it becomes second hand! Others do want to wait longer and make sure.

Anything near 40F is warm enough, even if it feels cold to warm hands.

But lets also talk about this "sealed" bag. It need not be sealed. Don't use ziploc bags! The best bag is a kitchen size trash bag. You can the reach down inside to retrieve a memory card or a battery without letting warm air reach the camera. It is also thinner and much easier to squeeze all the air out. If the bag and camera are placed in a warm location with good air circulation it will warm up fast.

In a pinch anything will do. Wrap it in newspaper. Wrap it in a towel or coat. Or just put it in a camera bag and zip the cover shut. The big difference is how long it takes to warm up.

An interesting experiment that a science teacher might like is to cold soak a camera in a cardboard box. If it is 6x6 inches and 18 inches high it will really show something. Where it is cold, put the camera in the bottom, and with the top closed transport it to a warm place where there is no air movement. Then open the box at the top, and wait to see how long it takes to warm up in an unsealed open box. Thin cardboard takes pretty long. The thicker the cardboard the better the insulation and the longer it takes, by hours. No warm air goes into the open top and down to the camera!

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

So what your saying, I'm riding in my Heated vehicle in Winter, I see something I want to photograph, I pull over put my cameras and lenses into bags, get out of my toasty truck, let everything acclimate, then open the bags and snap snap...put the camera and lenses back into the bags and get back into my truck, allow to acclimate before removing, then a block away I see something new, I go through it all over again...yeah right. Ya think a decent Styrofoam cooler would work, I know it does. I wonder what photographers due when photographing the summits or the pole areas. Seriously???

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Normally none of that is necessary in a car. The warm air in the car is heated outside air. It is not moist air and will not condense moisture on a camera.

The exception would be a car full of heavy breathing people! Skiers or runners would be examples. If the car windows are fogging, protect your camera, otherwise don't worry.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

I was being facetious, I don't worry was my point :) ...seriously though I do use a cooler to put equipment in if moving it to an inside locations.

It's funny to that manufacturers state that Operating Temperature: 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C ) I guess I'll stay in this winter LOL.

Go6miles

Since you were on the topic, I have two questions regarding condensation with my camera:

I have an outdoor (winter/snowy) photo session tomorrow with a family. Do I only need to put my camera into a bag after the session and then wait till it doesn't feel cool to the touch to take it out?

Also, I'm worried that my camera may have experienced condensation on a recent trip to Hawaii. I was trying to photograph some surfers on the North Shore, and I couldn't keep the condensation from forming on my lens cover. How will I know if the inside is damaged? What should I do?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Theoretically, yes, but it's still your lens that you're protecting. I have indoor/outdoor thermometers all over the house, and they all show different outside temps, depending on where they're located. Science is good, but collecting the data can be iffy.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

A cooler is about the worst possible wrapper! It would take nearly forever for the camera to warm up enough inside a cooler before it can be take out.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

The concern is when going from a cooler temperature into a warmer place that is more moist.


That is exactly the same problem, going from cool to warm; but it is cooler inside an air conditioned room than it is outside!

There is some small "damage" done when only a small amount of condensation occurs. It is unlikely to actually harm your equipment. If you do it repeatedly the effects will be additive, and after some time the camera may have problems. But you won't get problems from a single episode unless there is massive condensation, such as the thing is literally dripping wet!

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

The only problem is taking a colder camera into a warm, humid environment. Going from a warm car into the cold is not a problem. And in reality, the warm air in your car or house in the winter is heated very dry air, and so this is not too much of a problem. Even right this moment here in Florida where it is a "cold" 50 degrees outside, the humidity inside my home is only 31% In the "real" winter areas, the warm air in your house is going to be very dry unless you have a lot of humidification going on. As for those at summits or poles - they do not have the luxury of going in and out of heated environments!

The biggest problem is in the tropics - going from an air-conditioned building out into hot, humid air just saturated with water waiting to condense on/in your equipment!

But remember trying to photograph in the bitter cold with film? I had many a photo ruined by lightning-streaks caused by static inside the camera, and a few times it was so cold I could hardly get the tops off of the plastic film canisters.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

And indoor/outdoor thermometers don't give you a clue about the Dew Point inside the house (or outside, but that doesn't matter).