Fogged up!

Because of time restraints - you arrive to the very hot and humid dungeon to shoot a swim meet. As you begin to setup, you find that you have to shoot at 6400 1/400 (more like 320) at 2.8 just to find out, your lens is fogged up!! What's the best way to correct/remedy this. One of the girls offered her hair dryer!!

Park your air conditioned car 4 blocks away and walk with the camera set up,might be warmed up enough by the time you get there.

No A/C on this day...it was 48 outside!

Nothing you can do about it just have to give the equipment time to warm up.Next time you could try keeping your kit warm on the way in its bag or case with one of those fishermans warm up thingys.Cant recall what there called.

Don't use a hair dryer. While it might work it is a really good way to cause damage to your gear. The heat can dry out oils and other lubricants, melt or distort rubber seals, etc. All very bad things. If it is fogged up all you can really do is wait.

To help prevent it from happening, keep your camera and lens as warm as possible at all times. Keep it indoors if at all possible and when you head out, put it in your bag and close up the bag. Warm up your car before leaving and when you get in your open the bag and set it on the passenger floorboard so the heater will blow warm air on the gear then close up your bag before heading into the pool.

If it is really cold, put the camera and lens in a big ziplock bag before you put it in your camera bag and take it out of your camera bag as soon as you get to the pool but leave it in the ziplock bag until it warms up.

Big K wrote in post #8781943
Don't use a hair dryer. While it might work it is a really good way to cause damage to your gear. The heat can dry out oils and other lubricants, melt or distort rubber seals, etc. All very bad things. If it is fogged up all you can really do is wait.

To help prevent it from happening, keep your camera and lens as warm as possible at all times. Keep it indoors if at all possible and when you head out, put it in your bag and close up the bag. Warm up your car before leaving and when you get in your open the bag and set it on the passenger floorboard so the heater will blow warm air on the gear then close up your bag before heading into the pool.

If it is really cold, put the camera and lens in a big ziplock bag before you put it in your camera bag and take it out of your camera bag as soon as you get to the pool but leave it in the ziplock bag until it warms up.

Great input Big K. Something in my gut told me the hair dryer wasn't te best option. I waited it out and but learned my lesson. Interesting idea about the ziplock bags.

Yeah, it happens.. just have to wait.

When it is super humid here, I try and bear driving the last mile or two without AC, so as to let my equipment acclimate. (it doesn't always work though!)

Todd Lambert wrote in post #8785763
Yeah, it happens.. just have to wait.

When it is super humid here, I try and bear driving the last mile or two without AC, so as to let my equipment acclimate. (it doesn't always work though!)

is this typical for you guys in humid areas with L lenses and weathersealed bodies?

Yes, it's very typical here. The humidity down here can be atrocious and when going from car to outdoors, it will very quickly fog up your lenses.

Like I said, I generally open the windows and "warm" the car up, before I arrive, especially if I know I'm going to be jumping right out and snapping a shot. In fact, when I drive around (usually at night) looking for things to shoot, I will often just leave my windows down so this isn't a problem. Of course, I'm not comfortable, but once I jump out and start shooting, I'll be covered in sweat in no time anyways, so it's no big deal to just leave the windows down.