How to protect my gear from condensation?

[Michael Geschlecht]

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Hello BjarniM,

 

I think there are 2 different issues being discussed here "interwovenly" at times.

 

A. The camera, lens, film combination we are talking about was designed to operate within a relatively large variation of temperature, humidity, etc. In a humid climate this combination may well benefit from:

 

1. Being left in a container with some air circulating (A partially open plastic bag).

 

Or/& alternatively:

 

2. Being stored in a closed (Plastic) container with a dessicant.

 

Next Interwoven:

 

B. When a camera, lens or/& film are outside (ie: The house.) when the temperature is -5 C and lower:

 

It is better to put them in a sealed airtight (Plastic) container BEFORE bringing them in to warm them up to ambient temperature. This is because: When a cold object is brought into a warm room: Moisture in the air condenses on ALL of the cold surfaces. Even the surfaces INSIDE a camera, INSIDE a lens & INSIDE a film cartridge. As well as OUTSIDE on the external surfaces.

 

This condensation on the various innternal & external surfaces is what putting the camera, etc into the plastic bag prevents. With the camera, etc in the plastic bag the only cold surface the moisture can reach to condense on is the OUTSIDE of the plastic bag.

 

The camera, etc stays dry since no moisture from the air gets thru while the closed bag is warming to the ambient temperature.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Herr Barnack]

Condensation forms when warm moist air comes into contact with a cold body. It forms on your spectacles when they're cold and you enter a heated room, possibly with many people contributing to the moisture in its air.

 

Hence, you should keep the ziplock bag closed until your camera has reached about room temperature. Opening it before that, you'd admit the warm moist air of the room to the ice cold camera. The ziplock bag should, of course, contain as little air as possible, because air insulates: it slows the warming of your camera.

True.

 

I was referring to unzipping the camera bag, not the ziplock bag itself that the camera is in put in before putting the camera inside the camera bag.

 

Sorry for not making that point clear.

[robert blu]

I like to hike on the snow in the alps, temperature is not extremely low I would say between0°C and -5°C. rarely down to -10°C.

When I use my x1 I keep it under my wind jacket and keep out only when I shoot to putt again under the jacket after it. When after a walk we (wife and me) decide to enter a place to warm us a little bit I put the camera in my backpack at least 10-15 minutes before entering enveloped in a sweater. Until now it worked well.

When I use my larger M7 I keep it or in the backpack or outside the wind jacket, the camera is larger, I'm thin and it is not comfortable to keep under the wind jacket. In this case the M7becomes cold and when entering in a warm place I follow the same procedure I described above. I sometimes use a plastic ziplock but I find difficult too squeeze out the air due to the long strap which takes a lot of space!

Not sure if this is the best procedure but it is what I do!

robert