Millberg Posted September 12, 2013 Share #1  Posted September 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all,  I'm going to spend a week in Dubai now and whilst sitting in the cab to the Airport a concern pops up in my mind.  I will go between Air conditioned buildings and non a/c environment all the time and my cameras will be exposed to heavy temperature changes.  Is there a tip how to deal with this situation out there somewhere? How are the rest if you dealing with this?  Any tips/comments are highly appreciated  Lars Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 12, 2013 Posted September 12, 2013 Hi Millberg, Take a look here Leica in hot and humid environment. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted September 12, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted September 12, 2013 I guess Dubai has the highest Leica density in the world... Just don't worry. It is a dry climate. Make sure to visit Al Bastakiya for great photo opportunities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millberg Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share #3 Â Posted September 12, 2013 I guess Dubai has the highest Leica density in the world... Just don't worry. It is a dry climate. Make sure to visit Al Bastakiya for great photo opportunities. Â You're probably right. Thanks for the comfort. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsie Posted September 12, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Any tips for humidity, other than warming the gear up before it gets outside. I'm off to Thailand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 12, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted September 12, 2013 I've used my M9 in the rainforest on the Tanzania-Congo border and in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. It may fog up the viewfinder, it will fog up the lens. Just wait a bit until it clears. Don't keep the camera and lenses in a (leather) case. Circulating air is your friend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahkai Posted September 12, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Cold weather cannot damage your gear, but condensation that forms when you come back into a warm enviornment certainly can (like entering a house during winter time). Before entering indoors, wrap up your camera in a plastic bag and allow a couple of hours warm up time before removing your camera. This will aviod condensation forms on your camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted September 12, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Other threads about M 240 heat concerns here and here. Â Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted September 12, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Dubai is not humid at all and you should have none of the problems, say, as in Singapore, which is generally hot, humid and occasionally wet most of the time. Â And there are lots of Leica users here. Â You just need to be patient moving your camera from an air-conditioned room to the street side, as lens, viewfinder do tend to fog sometimes. This condensation by no means harms your camera. For long-term storage, a dry box helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted September 12, 2013 Share #9 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Dubai can be very humid, depending on the season. I have shot there several times, and the only problem I faced was the condensation from going out from airconditionned hotels to the outside heat. It only lasts a few minutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted September 13, 2013 Share #10  Posted September 13, 2013 Dubai...is a dry climate  No, it isn't a dry climate in Dubai, it's really quite humid.  Having said that, it's not worth worrying about beyond the slight inconvenience of temporary condensation when you leave an airconned building. It clears quickly and doesn't seem to be as injurious to cameras as people imagine - if it was, then there would barely be a functional camera in cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 13, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted September 13, 2013 It depends on the season. The current humidity is 35%. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted September 13, 2013 Share #12 Â Posted September 13, 2013 It depends on the season. The current humidity is 35%. Â Jaap, I'm guessing you've now googled the characteristics of Dubai's climate and confirmed that it is indeed a surprisingly humid place and that you were incorrect to state that it's dry. So, with that in mind, why waste time with a pointless snapshot of the humidity level? Look now and you'll see that it's higher. Look further and you'll discover that there's every chance of very high humidity levels in the month of September. That, coupled with the staggering temperature difference between an airconned hotel and the streets outside means that you'll have to be freakishly fortunate to avoid condensation if you aren't babying your camera in a ziploc bag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 13, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted September 13, 2013 The point is that condensation on the outside of the camera is not harmful and will evaporate within minutes. Are you really suggesting all those Leica owners in Dubai are walking around with ziploc bags stuffed in their pockets? Sure, it may be more humid than someplace in the middle of the desert. But all cameras can be used near the sea or in other 100% humidity conditions. Â The inside of the camera is different regarding condensation but it will not happen unless you put the camera in a condensation chamber for a longer period of time. That has actually happened once or twice. We once had a guy on the forum who left his M8 inside a backpack in a small tent at zero centigrade on the Greenland icecap for eight hours, in driving rain and sleet. He was stunned to the discover that the internal condensation killed the camera and was livid at Leica for not consenting to a replacement under guaranty:rolleyes: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted September 13, 2013 Share #14 Â Posted September 13, 2013 The point is that condensation on the outside of the camera is not harmful and will evaporate within minutes. Are you really suggesting all those Leica owners in Dubai are walking around with ziploc bags stuffed in their pockets? Â Jaap, if you had the courtesy to actually fully read my initial post on this thread rather than scramble to save face over the fact that I corrected you on the nature of Dubai's climate, you'd see that I've already made this very point: yes, you'll encounter condensation in Dubai but its really not worth worrying about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted September 13, 2013 Share #15 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Any tips for humidity, other than warming the gear up before it gets outside. I'm off to Thailand. Â Thailand is pretty humid year round but it also won't be a problem going in & outdoors. Your hotel room will have aircon. Keep your camera bag closed at night when you finally sleep so camera & lens don't get too cold. In the morning you might have a brief moment of lens condensing but won't last long. Â I think dust will be more of a problem in Dubai. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albireo_double Posted September 13, 2013 Share #16 Â Posted September 13, 2013 I just keep the camera in the bag and don't worry too much about it. Any condensation I worry about is when it's on the lens - and not because of the lens but because of the fuzzy pictures I would get (so I use a microfibre cloth to wipe it if need be). Since I only take the camera out of the bag when I take photos then my logic is that as long as there is a photo that is worth taking, the camera must go out the bag, condensation or no condensation. If there's no photo to take, it stays in a bag. I've used various Leicas (M8, M9, S2) in tropical climates (e.g. Uganda's Bwindi Forest, Morocco, Caribbean) as well as in winter while skiing or hiking and have never had any problems even though condensation formed on the cameras sometimes. But the cameras are meant to take pictures so if there is no other way and the picture is there, they'll be taking pictures and not sitting in the bag in fear of condensation! (Same thing with dust, rain, salt water spray or any other elements...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted September 13, 2013 Share #17  Posted September 13, 2013 Thailand is pretty humid year round but it also won't be a problem going in & outdoors. Your hotel room will have aircon. Keep your camera bag closed at night when you finally sleep so camera & lens don't get too cold. In the morning you might have a brief moment of lens condensing but won't last long. I think dust will be more of a problem in Dubai.  The best way to get fungus in your lenses is to keep them in the bag overnight. Gear should be removed form the bag during the night to allow it to breath and any humidity to evaporate with the dry air of the air-conditioning. If not possible you should at least keep the bag open. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millberg Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share #18 Â Posted September 17, 2013 After 6 days in Dubai can I report that there is no problem whatsoever. When leaving an a/c area and go outside there will be some condensation on the glass, but it disappears after a minute or two. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosier Posted September 17, 2013 Share #19 Â Posted September 17, 2013 Jaap, if you had the courtesy to actually fully read my initial post on this thread rather than scramble to save face over the fact that I corrected you on the nature of Dubai's climate, you'd see that I've already made this very point: yes, you'll encounter condensation in Dubai but its really not worth worrying about. Â Starting fights just to start fights. Seriously? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted September 17, 2013 Share #20 Â Posted September 17, 2013 Starting fights just to start fights. Seriously? Â What? Â The thread began with somebody asking about the danger of condensation to his camera in Dubai. Jaap commented that Dubai had a dry climate therefore it wouldn't be an issue. I pointed out that Dubai actually had a surprisingly humid climate but that condensation wasn't worth overly worrying about. Jaap then made the error of suggesting that I must believe that condensation would easily kill cameras. I pointed out that I'd said the opposite. And that was that. Â Not for the first time inhabiting this this forum feels like inhabiting a parallel and very very strange universe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.