Digital camera in a hot/humid conditions

I think I've read that the maximum operating environment of most Canon digital cameras is 104 degrees F (40 degrees C) and 85% humidity.

Two questions:

Here in Texas it's pretty easy to exceed the maximum temperature and humidity in July and August. What are the consequences of exceeding the maximum operating environment?

During the summer I know for a fact that the inside of my black car can exceed 150 degrees F when it's parked outside. Obviously that exceeds the maximum operating environment. If I need to keep my camera available (thus in my car) can I put the camera in something like one of those soft ice-chests to keep it cool?

as long as you dont leave your camera in the trunk, epseically when its not operating.

Not sure I understand that...

yeah man, my brand new 350d comes tomorrow and i live in kihei, hawaii, one of the hotest places on the islands. i read in another thread that someone put their camera in one of those hard coolers, so that might work. also, i saw at walmart yesterday that they have these little cans of something that suck up the moisture in the air. i dont know how good they work, but you might as well try them. pput them wherever you leave your camera for long periods of time (ie, camera bag, the cooler, car, etc.). thats what im planning on doing anyways =]

As a former UPS driver for 16 years in Fl. I can tell you that more then likely the camera you are now using made the initial trip on a hot boat, sat in a hot warehouse, was transported to the UPS terminal in a hot truck, sat again in a hot UPS warehouse, rode in a very hot boxcar to its destination city, sat again in a hot UPS terminal, then was loaded into a package car that gets god alwful hot driving around its local delivery area and the sits again in a hot warehouse until it winds up sold to a store.

I would think the greatest hazard to the camera is carrying it from the cool AC area into the humidity. Condensation will occur on and perhaps inside the camera until it equilibrates with the warm humid environment.

In fact camera manuals and materials that come with lenses warn of that very phenomena. As I recall they recommend wrapping the equipment in towels for the transition.

I am fascinated by the earlier post that seems to suggest if you operate your camera while in the trunk of your car that might be better than just carrying it there.

Jim

I think the heat isn't to bad, change in temperature / humidity is far worse.
As long as you can take the heat, so will the camera. Wouldn't leave it in a parked car though....
I've taken pictures in saunas and swimming pools, and the camera (1D2) didn't mind. Only problem was condensation inside (!) the lenses afterward... (50/1.4; 100/2.0) The 100 mm also showed some condensation during the shoot, but that was when i was taking pictures approx. 15 cm above the waterline...

I read somewhere about using a ziplock baggie for your camera when going from A/C to outside when it is humid, and allow the camera to warm up before opening the bag. It is a pain when you are looking out the door and see something you want to take a pic of, just to step outside and have the lens fog over...

I can't do much about the heat and humidity in Texas, but here in California we have Death Valley. It has virtually no humidity, but it does get its share of heat. Earlier this summer it got to almost F 130.

Normally, I avoid that kind of heat for myself, my car, and my camera. However, I have done Death Valley in August, so I had to prepare for some heat. When I leave my camera locked in my car overnight, I try to leave it so that it gets as much cool air as possible so that it can last longer during the day. If I am forced to leave my camera in the car during the heat of the day, I keep it inside a cooler (not in contact with any ice). The ice will melt, but everything will still stay cooler than outside by quite a bit. When I am driving in the car, I normally leave the camera bag near one of the air conditioner vents so that just a little bit of coolness hits it.

If you don't like dealing with ice in a cooler, then there are piezoelectric coolers available that run off 12VDC power. The one I have is just about big enough for eight 12-ounce beverage cans, so camera gear fits it fine. The cooler will keep it at F 40, which is too cold for what we need, so I power it only about half of the time and it maintains about F 70. Yes, it helps to have a very good electrical system on the car.

---Bob Gross---

Bob- off the subject a bit - That cooler for your car has a thermostat in it that makes it maintain 40 or so degrees. Replace it with one that is set for 60 or 70 degrees (from your local parts store) and you won't have to unplug it 1/2 the time or watch it. I wanted a nice "root cellar" (so many things that store well at about 50-55 degrees...including film, etc.) I got an old chest freezer and changed the thermostat in it = root cellar.