Eliminating fog on the lens

[ScubaMarc]

Do dessicants really work, I used to place 2 blue tubes in my camera housing and my lens still fogs up. So 1 day I took a blue vile and placed it in a glass of water. It took 2 days for the vile to turn pink. That is pretty slow being the tube is under water.

Since my unscientific test, I use a couple of pieces of bounty paper towels, coiled up inside the unit. I think it works great. Never had an issue, much cheaper.

 

[Taxgeek]

Do dessicants really work, I used to place 2 blue tubes in my camera housing and my lens still fogs up. So 1 day I took a blue vile and placed it in a glass of water. It took 2 days for the vile to turn pink. That is pretty slow being the tube is under water.

Since my unscientific test, I use a couple of pieces of bounty paper towels, coiled up inside the unit. I think it works great. Never had an issue, much cheaper.

Yeesh. I'll be testing this weekend - the moisture munchers seemed to do ok on my second and third dives last weekend (forgot them on the first one), but the water wasn't very cold (67F) compared to the air (maybe 75).

If the munchers aren't absorbing the water, maybe their little cases aren't permeable enough or something? Very wierd.

 

[Bill51]

As for using desiccants in camera housings, I’ve had very good luck with 40 gram hydrosorbent reusable ones. They are a small aluminum container that you toss in the oven when they need to be recharged. I use them in everything from my toolboxes to Tupperware containers with food on the boat and they work great. I wrap one in a paper towel and it wedges perfectly between my camera and housing without shifting around.

http://www.dehumidify.com/ProdDisc.html

 

[scott11]

Great info, thanks everybody!

I just ordered a pile of moisture munchers on amazon. The shipping is $$$ though - $11 for a $7 item - so it might be just as easy to get them at your LDS. Get the ones in the cylindrical packs (cigarette shape - half the length) - no edges to get caught in the seal. Moisture munchers can't be rejuvenated (at least the label tells you not to try), but they turn pink when they're saturated, so you can tell when they're dead.

RainX is available in "wipes" - sheets like baby wipes that you pull out of a box - perfect! I may try that this weekend. I think I got mine at Hi-Lo or Pep Boys or something.

Taxgeek

Those Tube shaped Moisture Munchers are expensive. I had been throwing a lot of them away and tried rejuvenating them with great success.

I have a transformer to convert 220 V to 110V that is always warm. You can touch the top of it but probably would not want to hold your hand on it for a very long time. I stuck 6 pink ones on it one day and noticed they were turning blue 6 hours later. It takes a few days but they work as good as new. I am sure any moderate heat source would do the same.

 

[Taxgeek]

Those Tube shaped Moisture Munchers are expensive. I had been throwing a lot of them away and tried rejuvenating them with great success.

I have a transformer to convert 220 V to 110V that is always warm. You can touch the top of it but probably would not want to hold your hand on it for a very long time. I stuck 6 pink ones on it one day and noticed they were turning blue 6 hours later. It takes a few days but they work as good as new. I am sure any moderate heat source would do the same.

Hey, that's good to know! Thanks!