crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Anyone have any tips on how to handle high humidex (44degc) and air con room (22degc) ?
Just finished 2 weddings in Jamaica...I have developed my own tips as a result (and out of necessity) but looking for others that have experience.
(BTW...on 1 occasion, got condensation INSIDE the lens barrel of my 70-200...has that ever happened to anyone? Concerned about mildew now....)

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Keeping your gear in the warmest part of the room where you will be staying will help. Closets are typically warmer then the room itself. Higher shelves are better then lower ones. A gearbag helps, but only to the point where it becomes "cold-soaked". At that point it, and everything in it is the same temp as the surrounding air.
Dew point is the determining factor. If the dew point is 72F and your gear, thanks to the a/c, is 70F, then dew will form on it when exposed to the warmer air. If the gear is warmer then 72F you have no problem. etc. etc.
Keeping your gear in a lightweight bag that allows it to warm up as quickly as possible when you go outside will help. It doesn't have to be airtight, it just has to stop airflow.
Set your sunglasses next to your camera long enough for them to reach the same ambient temp as the camera. Pick them up and walk outside. Don't put them on. Your body temp can warm them rather quickly. If they mist up, so will your camera. If they don't, you should have little to worry about.
Your gear does not have to be at full outside temp. It only has to be higher then the dew point.
Any telescopic lens that extends and retracts when changing focal length (not all do), will pump air through not only the lens but also the camera body. It is especially important for them to be above dew point. When you return to your room it is important to pump the lens in and out several times to expel as much of the warmer, damper air as possible. Keep in mind that even though an air conditioned room, because of it's coolness, may feel damp, an air conditioned environment is drier then the outside air.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

One additional suggestion...the air in the air conditioned room is dryer than the air outside. So if you put your equipment in a sealed plastic bag (I like freezer bags best because they are a little heavier and stronger), then let it warm up in the bag before opening it, any condensation will form on the outside of the bag and not on your equipment. Be sure to let your equipment cool down after bringing it in the room before putting it in the bags. I like to get as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing it. Air is something of an insulator and will cause it to take longer for everything to warm up.

You can reuse the bags. Just make sure they are dry on the inside before reloading them.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

All great feedback..thanks folks....especially pumping the lens when you get back in the room....that one is a new one and it makes sense...I had sealable bags with me but never got around to using them....hindsight, could have used them about 80% of the time...

I did take the lens off briefly when back in the room to allow moisture to escape from the body but that also allowed dust in so limited that action ...

Hsch39 Loc: Northbrook, Illinois

I have a 12"x12" 50 Watt Heating Pad. I leave my backpack with camera and lenses sitting on it overnight, and in the morning it will be warmed up to about
80ºF. So far it travelled with me 3x to Miami, 2x to Aruba, 1x to Singapore. In November I will take it with me to Rio. Never had a problem again with condensation. If you have condensation inside the lens, the next thing will be mildew.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Heating pad will definitely be taken on my next trip.

Re:mildew, if the lens dries out and I avoid any more dewpoint transitions, is mildew avoided ot am I already in trouble....(would have not expected it on 70-200 which is a sealed L lens and the zoom is contained in the barrel).

Hsch39 Loc: Northbrook, Illinois

Heating pads sold in the US are 120 Volt. If you are traveling to a country with 220V power, you will need a voltage converter. Walmart is selling one for about $9.00. "Foreign Travel Converter 1600 W Watt AV Voltage Step Down Power Adapater 220-110V " My Canon EF 70-200 is now 9 years old. No problem with mildew or dust inside the lens. Hopefully your lens will be OK.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Yes, in Ecuador we walked around quite a bit in drizzly foggy weather and my 70-200 which is supposed to be weather proof fogged up. It fogged up again a year later in Alaska. Both occasions only had rainy weather, no cold air conditioning to hot humid changes. On a recent trip I have now discovered it produces some "rings" when shooting into the sun. I plan to send it in for cleaning to Authorized Photo Service (a Nikon authorized dealer) in Morton Grove, IL.

To your other question, our guide in the Galapagos suggested we keep our cabin AC set to 25C or higher.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada