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Category: How to do Landscape Photography and Nature Photos

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How to Shoot in Humid Conditions


How do you shoot in very humid weather to prevent clouding of the lens by unwanted moisture?


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July 18, 2005

 

Jon Close
  Don't take the camera/lens directly from cool air-conditioning to hot humid outdoors. The moisture in the air condenses on the cool surfaces. Instead, keep it in the camera bag, or a plastic bag, and let the camera come up to temperature before exposing it to the humidity.


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July 18, 2005

 

Christopher A. Vedros
  The humidity in DC this week seems even higher than what I'm used to back home in New Orleans. I've found that my well-insulated camera bag can add to the problem.

I left my bag open over night in the hotel room (which is very cold). The next morning, after a Metro ride and a long hike, I got out to the National Mall, reached into my bag, and my camera was still very cold. Obviously, it was too fogged up to take any pictures for a little while.

The next day, before we set out, I used a hairdryer to warm up the inside of my camera bag a bit. It was just as hot and humid out, but I was able to shoot right away.

Another thing to try is to turn on the heater in your car and blow some warm air into your camera bag for a few seconds before going out. Anything that you can do to try to bring the camera temperature closer to the outdoor temperature first will help.


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July 18, 2005

 

Joe Jarosz
  Funny as I just ran across this the other day and ended up writing a quick tip on it.

http://www.joejaroszphoto.com/-/joejaroszphoto/article.php?ID=994

Open the camera bag or take the camera out (many of them are well padded and will retain the cool from the AC even outside)and roll the windows down on the car or hang the camera on your shoulder. Let the camera acclimate on the way. By the way, keep in mind that if you have a filter on, like a haze or UV filter, if you remove that, the lens glass may then fog up as there is an air gap between the two. Maybe even take the lens cap off, but be very careful not to scratch the lens. The same applies for any filters, extenders, or anything else that may have glass on it. Otherwise, its just wait for a while as everything normalizes when you get there. Resist wiping with your lens cloth, it will only refog and smear your glass. Depending on on how humid it is, the mirror in your camera may fog up too.


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July 19, 2005

 
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