Battling Condensation

I had an issue the on Friday, and I'm looking for ways to resolve it.

I was working outside with a wide angle lens (21mm Zeiss Distagon on a 6D). It was around freezing, and I was outside for around an hour. I decided that there was something I wanted to photograph in one of the buildings (this was at the Calgary Zoo), and when I walked inside the building---which was hot and humid---condensation instantly formed on my my camera and lens, to the point where it was soaked and dripping.

Let's get this out of the way . . . I wear corrective eyeglasses. I live in Calgary, Alberta. I should have foreseen this happening. Not foreseeing this was just plain dumb on my part.

I'm working on a project to redevelop my eye right now. My plan is to take one lens and one body to the zoo every couple of days, spend a few hours there (outside and inside), and really work with the lens in the different environments and with different subjects. So, I don't want to bring a second camera and lens. I feel that will defeat the purpose of the exercise. I've forbidden myself from bringing my 70-200 or an extender to force myself to think outside the box and get looking at the zoo differently in an effort to break some habits.

What could I have done to prevent the condensation buildup when I walked into that building? If I had put the camera in a plastic bag before walking in, would that have prevented it?

neacail wrote in post #17873461
What could I have done to prevent the condensation buildup when I walked into that building? If I had put the camera in a plastic bag before walking in, would that have prevented it?

Probably. It wouldn't hurt to put the battery in your pocket to warm it up, either.
More: https://photography-on-the.net …showthread.php?​p=17843080

Yes, put the camera and lens into a large ziplock bag and let the equipment slowly warm up. I do this all the time, even when I come home from shooting outdoors and never had condensation issues.

neacail wrote in post #17873461
What could I have done to prevent the condensation buildup when I walked into that building? If I had put the camera in a plastic bag before walking in, would that have prevented it?

The key is sufficient TIME to warm up the equipment so its temperature is above the 'dew point', which is the temperature at which the humidity dissolved in the air begins to condense! Otherwise, as soon as you take it OUT of the plastic bag, the condensation will occur on the lens...it does not matter if it was in-plastic vs. out-of-plastic bag when you entered the interior!

neacail wrote in post #17873461
What could I have done to prevent the condensation buildup when I walked into that building? If I had put the camera in a plastic bag before walking in, would that have prevented it?

I have had the exact same issue but different zoo. The Ziploc bag trick is an absolute must but even then, it can take quite a bit of time for the equipment to warm up past the dew point as some of those houses are extremely humid.

What I found worked very well was to keep both camera and lens in a Ziploc with one of those hand warmers in there as well. Shoot outside all you want but before entering a building, place the camera and lens into the Ziploc along with the hand warmer and go on in. The Ziploc will keep the humid air away from the equipment halting the condensation and the hand warmer will greatly lessen the time needed to warm up the equipment.

Thank you, everyone!

I've now stuffed big zip locks, plastic shopping bags, and hand warmers in with my equipment. No matter what bag I grab I'm good to go. I ice-fish, so I did know about the battery thing (after a cell phone battery drained alarmingly fast). Extra, warm, batteries in a jacket pocket close to the body is an excellent tip, too.

Another question . . . What lens materials warm up the fastest? It took around twenty minutes for my Distagon to warm up, and it is all metal (aluminum?). My 6D appeared to warm up faster.

neacail wrote in post #17873567
Another question . . . What lens materials warm up the fastest? It took around twenty minutes for my Distagon to warm up, and it is all metal (aluminum?). My 6D appeared to warm up faster.

The answer lies in the thermodynamics engineer...the 'latent heat' and the Mass of the materials both enter into how long an item takes to 'heat up'

Adree about hand warmers, I also use silica gel dessicant in cloth bags, so there is little less moisture in the bag and lenses should de-fog quicker in the bag.

Some nice glasshouses have warm dry air devices for de-fogging your glasses - perhaps you coud ask they get installed

Also, if don't need your camera immediately, you can leave it in your bag and let it warm up slowly. Without the sudden temperature change, you won't have the condensation problem. Otherwise, a big, sealable plastic bag is the way to go.

Be aware of the damage this can do to your camera over time. I purchased a used 5DMKII one week after the 5DMKIII was released. I purchased from a local photographer that I knew and was familiar with how well the equipment was kept. I am a portrait and headshot photographer. The photographer I purchased the MKII from is exclusively a wedding photographer. The camera I purchased was a primary camera for her and she had photographed two years of weddings with it when I bought it.

Fast forward one year later. The wedding photographer's 5DMKII I purchased started having problems. The lenses would not focus properly nor was I able to change the aperture. After a few attempts at some correction with Canon Professional Services, I was told to put the camera body in the mail to them for repairs. A day after they received it, they told me that the contacts for the lens had some rust on them and that the repair would cost around $100.00. I authorized the repair. When CPS opened the camera body for the repair, they told me that the entire mother board within the camera was covered in rust and I needed a new motherboard and new lens contacts. This repair cost me nearly $350.00. The camera works fine, but they told me that this is a common occurrence with wedding photographers who shoot in warmer climates when walking in and out of venues to capture a wedding. The condensation not only will get your lens wet and slimy, but the internal components will also be covered in the same condensation. Just a word of warning if you notice frequent condensation on your cameras over a long period of time.

Martin Dixon wrote in post #17873619
Adree about hand warmers, I also use silica gel dessicant in cloth bags, so there is little less moisture in the bag and lenses should de-fog quicker in the bag.

Silica gel desiccant (not dessicant) is only effective if it is in its dry state (freshly regenerated), and if the gel and the gear are together in a sealed container (not in cloth bags).