Do I need to worry about condensation?

Today I have to go in and out of buildings repeatedly and it's fairly cold here (20ish degrees F). It's going to be impractical to put bags over my lenses and wait for them to acclimate to the temperatures.

Should I be OK or will I damage my lenses?

I did that at a wedding a few months ago and when I got inside the fogging of the lens and mirror caused me to allow it to warm up a bit before I could start taking photos again.

That was a bigger concern than damaging the lenses. Lenses should rid themselves of the condensation in a short time.

You shouldn't do any damage, so long as you let them dry properly before putting them away. The key thing is not to allow any residual dampness to remain for 24 hours, as that could potentially start off a fungus problem.

The thing that puzzles me is why take them in with you, if you don't have time to let them acclimate? Depending on the temperature difference, even without bagging them up, they could take quite some time for the condensation to clear enough for you to take shots.

I have used my gear in such conditions on a number of occasions, never bothered bagging it, but just accept the sitting around for maybe 30 minutes or more, for the condensation in the lens to clear, as part of the process. You may well find it is significantly shorter though, depending on humidity (usually quite humid where I shoot).

sandpiper wrote in post #13702784
The thing that puzzles me is why take them in with you, if you don't have time to let them acclimate? Depending on the temperature difference, even without bagging them up, they could take quite some time for the condensation to clear enough for you to take shots.

I'm shooting an event that takes place outside for the first part, then moves indoors, then repeats the process. I guess I'll just have to see what happens...

I wouldn't worry about it. I some something very similar all the time and it's not something I'm concerned about.

If I worry about residual moisture when I bring my camera in from the cold,I make darn sure I have enough silica gel packets in the camera kit before I put it up.

I had the same concern until I read this thread. Thank you for asking this question OP!

Warwomen, you reminded me that I have a few silica gels pack that are collecting dust. Thanks!

Well everything turned out just fine today -- proving that I don't need to be so concerned with my equipment as I have been. I didn't get any condensation at all.

toastyphoto wrote in post #13706192
Well everything turned out just fine today -- proving that I don't need to be so concerned with my equipment as I have been. I didn't get any condensation at all.

That's great to hear. Sounds like the buildings didn't have much humidity in them. Temperature difference doesn't matter too much, if there is little moisture in the air to actually condense.

The gear is generally much tougher than most people believe, it doesn't need the pampering that most people give it.

For outside, just wear a coat so you can keep the camera close to you when you are not using it. That keeps it from getting too cold. If you are setting the gear down outside for a while, a good large ziploc type bag for it in case it's humid inside. I do that every once in a while. For instance, when I get new gear during the winter and it's delivered freezing cold. I put the whole box in the ziploc storage bag I have that is huge, wait a little bit for the temperature to settle and then open up the box. My house has 4 humidifiers going all the time in the winter.

If you are shooting the whole time and changing back and forth, don't worry about it. The camera is in your hand most of the time anyway.

Yes it will condensate. Have you not seen countless threads with people posting shots with spots that definitely aren't dust. This is what causes mold. If you dont take care of you gear you will break it. Mold isn't something you can fix yourself.

Daship wrote in post #13707591
Yes it will condensate. Have you not seen countless threads with people posting shots with spots that definitely aren't dust. This is what causes mold. If you dont take care of you gear you will break it. Mold isn't something you can fix yourself.

I have seen many threads about spots that aren't dust, but none of them were mold / fungus either. For one thing, fungus would have to be incredibly advanced to ever show in an image (unless it was actually on the sensor itself). You seem to be suggesting that there are countless threads where people have found spots in their images caused by fungus, care to share a few links?

Yes, dampness can start off a fungus / mold problem. However, it takes at least 24 hours continual moisture to start. Even in the heaviest condensation situations I have shot in (going from a cold outside. into a tropical house with rainforest conditions and water sprays keeping the air humidity at maximum) it has never taken longer than 45-50 minutes for the condensation to clear. There is no way that fungus will start in that short a period of time.

I have had condensation on / in my gear many, many times and yet (even on lenses that are 30 years old) I have no trace of fungus / mold anywhere.

By all means take extreme measures to keep your own gear safe, if you wish, but don't spread this paranoia to others who will then miss out on using their cameras in situations they are perfectly capable of handling, with no ill-effects.

sandpiper wrote in post #13707742
I have seen many threads about spots that aren't dust, but none of them were mold / fungus either. For one thing, fungus would have to be incredibly advanced to ever show in an image (unless it was actually on the sensor itself). You seem to be suggesting that there are countless threads where people have found spots in their images caused by fungus, care to share a few links?

Yes, dampness can start off a fungus / mold problem. However, it takes at least 24 hours continual moisture to start. Even in the heaviest condensation situations I have shot in (going from a cold outside. into a tropical house with rainforest conditions and water sprays keeping the air humidity at maximum) it has never taken longer than 45-50 minutes for the condensation to clear. There is no way that fungus will start in that short a period of time.

I have had condensation on / in my gear many, many times and yet (even on lenses that are 30 years old) I have no trace of fungus / mold anywhere.

By all means take extreme measures to keep your own gear safe, if you wish, but don't spread this paranoia to others who will then miss out on using their cameras in situations they are perfectly capable of handling, with no ill-effects.

Thanks for posting that. I think part of the reason I was being so overly cautious about my gear was because people spread paranoia that simply has no factual basis. There's no reason to miss out on some great shots or getting paid for an event because you're too worried about your camera gear. Why even be into photography if the safety of your equipment is ultimately more important than the end result?

A protective coat of neoprene will definitely help. Kinda like a wet- suit. Oh wait I think it's called LENS COAT.

When I' m in my truck, and it's cold out, I'm constantly worried about going from a warm truck to frigid outside temps. The neoprene definitely keeps the metal lens casing from cooling down too quickly.

Al

With a lens coat could be that moisture needs longer to get into the lens - but it gets longer to get out of the lens too.
In a German photo forum was a posting about a Canon EF 300/2.8 L IS with fungus inside - it was in a lens coat. Now and then sealed lenses have fungus too.