Cold weather conditions & lens “health”

[28framelines]

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Hey folks! I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m wondering any tips people have for making sure coming in from the cold, humid (65-75% humidity) conditions into a warm space doesn’t harm my lenses! Does anyone have any tips for this?

I should add, currently I just have a Billingham bag and another bike bag that I typically use.

Edited January 15 by 28framelines
Clarity

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[Carlos cruz]

I always keep camera under my jacket when outside so the temperature difference is smaller and you don’t risk freezing your shutter. 

[TomB_tx]

Back in Upper Michigan winters we would always put lens caps back on (the metal fit-over the lens with felt type) before going back inside, and ideally put the camera back in a bag first to warm slowly and avoid some condensation. A fogged-over lens could really be soft focus! 

[28framelines]

So it sounds like just placing it in the bag should continue to be fine, in terms of “insulating” the camera from the vast temperature shifts.

[earthmover]

I always carry big ziplock bag with me when I'm out shooting in the cold. Before I get back inside somewhere warm I just throw camera in that bag and seal it for a while.

[BrettWayne]

Here in Japan dry cabinets with a dehumidifier element are standard for housing good lenses both summer and winter. I keep mine in a usually unheated area. That said Tokyo is generally dry during winters. 

[Kl@usW.]

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Am 15.1.2025 um 20:24 schrieb 28framelines:

Hey folks! I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m wondering any tips people have for making sure coming in from the cold, humid (65-75% humidity) conditions into a warm space doesn’t harm my lenses! Does anyone have any tips for this?

I should add, currently I just have a Billingham bag and another bike bag that I typically use.

Sound advice already given, here  my opinion:  

there are essentially two scenarios:

It’s consistently humid both inside and outside. For example, Tokyo in summer, India during monsoon season, etc. In this case, it’s certainly a good idea to dry the camera and lenses after use and store them in a dry environment. There are cabinets designed for this, or as a simpler solution, a container with silica gel will do.

It’s cold outside, whether damp cold or dry cold, and then warm inside. It’s not the temperature change itself but the transition from cold to warm that leads to condensation on and inside the lens. There’s a simple solution for this: a ziplock bag. Place the camera with the lens inside the bag before entering the warm room, house, hut, etc. Once the equipment has adjusted to the ambient temperature, the risk is gone.

Alternatively, you can leave the camera gear in the cold until you're ready to continue. I recall reading an expedition report where Hasselblad medium-format cameras were used. The cameras were left overnight in a plastic bag in the vestibule of the tent—at minus 30 degrees Celsius or lower."

[28framelines]

Thank you all for the very thoughtful responses! I believe I’ll start carrying a ziplock bag with me from now on just in case!

[Erato]

17 minutes ago, 28framelines said:

Thank you all for the very thoughtful responses! I believe I’ll start carrying a ziplock bag with me from now on just in case!

You might consider the Pelican R60 Personal Utility Ruck Case or so, according to your use case in the field. 

https://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/cases/ruck-case/personal-utility/r60?sku=RKR600-0000-BLK

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Edited January 18 by Erato
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