"Land" Camera and fogging

Typically, I take two cameras with me on my trips: "land" camera and underwater camera.

Since I keep everything in my air conditioned room, the moment I step outside with my "land" camera into the high humidity, it fogs up instantly.

I have a liveaboard coming up to the Galapagos. There are multiple land excursions on the itenirary. I will be taking my "land" camera with me on the excursion. Any tips on the fogging issue going from ac to humidity?

My last liveaboard had a pretty dry location outside that I stored the camera to avoid the fogging issue, but I am looking for other options.

DBailey:

My last liveaboard had a pretty dry location outside that I stored the camera to avoid the fogging issue, but I am looking for other options.

Click to expand...

I have the same problem. I tend to store my land camera in a pelican case outside the room somewhere.

The fogging occurs because the dew point of air somewhere (in the ambient air, inside the lense or body itself, etc.) is below the actual temperature of some camera surface. Water from the air will condense on any surface which is colder than the air's dew point. (Some people talk about how the water will condense on the inside or outside of the camera, etc. -- it will condense on the side where the humid air is. Period.)

The way to control this is either to try to control humidity (pretty impossible, short of diving only in SoCal!), or control the camera's temperature. Leaving the camera out on the outdoor camera table or cubby, that's one way. Easiest way. If the boat doesn't have a convenient place where you're willing to leave your camera overnight, you could find some way to warm up the camera prior to your land excursions.

Maybe take it out an hour early and let it sit and fog and unfog as it warms up. Or, set it in the sun. It will warm faster. Or, maybe warm it up in your room via restrained use of a hair dryer or heating pad (if for some reason you have a heating pad handy on your liveaboard, ha ha.) Or store it in a warmer area of the boat like the kitchen or something. Just anything you can do to keep it warmer, or get it warm before you go on land ought to help.

Enjoy your trip, and report back!

Taxgeek

DBailey:

Typically, I take two cameras with me on my trips: "land" camera and underwater camera.

Since I keep everything in my air conditioned room, the moment I step outside with my "land" camera into the high humidity, it fogs up instantly.

I have a liveaboard coming up to the Galapagos. There are multiple land excursions on the itenirary. I will be taking my "land" camera with me on the excursion. Any tips on the fogging issue going from ac to humidity?

My last liveaboard had a pretty dry location outside that I stored the camera to avoid the fogging issue, but I am looking for other options.

Click to expand...

How about storing it in a ziplock bag when you go indoors, thus storing it in the humid outside air, and then keeping it warm, such as placing it by a window??? Or would this heat it up too much?

- ChillyWaters