With all the hot and humid weather we’re having, the problem of condensation when we take a camera from indoors – air conditioning – outside, raises the question: how to prevent your camera and lenses from fogging.
Sometimes, it can take half an hour or more for a lens to acclimate – and for the fogginess to disappear – so that it can be used.
Recently, I came across this question in a six-year-old edition of Outdoor Photographer magazine. The answer, given by long-time OP columnist, George Lepp, is an idea I had never heard … but from now on I’m going to use it.
All you need is a plastic zip-lock bag large enough for your camera and lens and some silica gel. Put the equipment inside the bag with the desiccant as soon as you take it into the air conditioning. Then, when you go out into the heat and humidity, give the package a few minutes to adjust before trying to use it.
Most of the accumulating moisture will gather on the outside of the bag, and the silica gel should take care of the small amount that’s inside the bag with the camera.
Try it. Let me know if it works for you.
(I’m told this process also works in reverse – if the weather is cold and the indoor air is heated.)
And one more thing: These extremes of temperature and humidity can also damage your camera and lenses. Moisture accumulating inside any electronic equipment is not good. More expensive cameras and lenses have much better seals and structural integrity than the ones most of us can afford to use – that’s one reason they’re more expensive.
Jim McDade, Photographer 