Taking Camera to Extremely Humid Locations

[apconan]

Hi there, wondering if anyone has any advice on bringing cameras travelling to really humid locations. Going to be going to the South of China, where humidex is always really high. I want to bring electronic cameras, is there an issue? Will the humidity be bad for the lens or the internal electronics of the camera?

 

[emraphoto]

i have been to some very humid places with little issue.

i am also a bit of a slouch and didn't pay particular attention to the gear. laptop? fine. dlsrs? fine. point and shoots? fine.

just my experience however.

 

[Paddy C]

Are you shooting digital or film?

If film you need to be careful in my experience.

 

[emraphoto]

Depends on the length of the stay, too. If it's more than a couple of days, I would spend a few bucks to get a box of those silica gel packets and put those in with your equipment to help soak up some of the moisture. They're cheap but effective "insurance."

i have a few of those things in my bags.

 

[arunrajmohan]

I carried my Bronica RF645 and my Leica D-lux4 to Panama last week. A huge issue if you exit an air-conditioned building or car is the fogging of the lens and viewfinder and it take 3-4 minutes for it to clear up. So certain things like suddenly jumping out of a cool car and taking a few pictures as things unfold or in an instant may be difficult. I am from India and I would suggest wiping off sweat and any other wetness off the camera especially before storage... and beware of the beach in hot humid places, especially if your camera has aluminum components - lost my Canon Demi to a nasty corrosion long back.

 

[apconan]

Are you shooting digital or film?

If film you need to be careful in my experience.

Im shooting film, contax g1. What do i need to watch out for?

 

[Paddy C]

Im shooting film, contax g1. What do i need to watch out for?

On a trip to Boston a few years ago (with Contax T3 and black and white film that I don't remember) everything I shot turned out really grainy and muddy (no highlights, but no real blacks either).

I brought the camera and film into a good store/lab here and asked. We did a test strip and the camera was fine. The lab technician thought the film looked like it had been exposed to heat.

Boston that weekend was insanely humid. Just breathing caused you to sweat.

When you are in dry heat I find that it is easy to protect film (cooler in the shade). But when it's crazy humid (that weekend the temp with humidex was very likely in at least the high 30s) there's not much you can do.

But ask around, my experience and explanation may not be right. Others may offer a different opinion, but it seemed to make sense to me.

 

[degruyl]

A huge issue if you exit an air-conditioned building or car is the fogging of the lens and viewfinder and it take 3-4 minutes for it to clear up.

Or even longer. It is a real problem.

Southern Mexico (near Guatemala) the humidity was near 100%, Temperatures around 100F, and AC induced fogging lasted until I got back into the air conditioning (about half an hour). Of course, this was a big heavy camera.

Other instances were of the shorter variety. It depends on how long the camera takes to heat up as well as how cold the AC is.

 

[hans voralberg]

Just try not to go from one extreme of temperature into another and you'll be fine. I live in Vietnam, where humidity never goes down pass 70% and all my gear is fine.

 

[emraphoto]

for the record there was no air conditioning anywhere in my travels so i didn't have to face the same issue's as others.

 

[degruyl]

for the record there was no air conditioning anywhere in my travels so i didn't have to face the same issue's as others.

I probably did not have these issues in Guatemala for that very reason...

 

[apconan]

Thanks for all the replies.
Has anyone had any experiences like Paddy C, where the climate of a location fogged the film?
Would it be a bad idea to put film in the fridge while I am there? (not sure of effects of the quick change in temperature)

 

[degruyl]

Would it be a bad idea to put film in the fridge while I am there? (not sure of effects of the quick change in temperature)

No. Not in anyplace that is hot and humid. Unless it is well above 100F (I had problems in Kuwait... at 45+ C so 113+ F). Note: I like air conditioning and get it at every possible turn.

As for storing in the fridge: same as home. Take it out in the plastic, and don't open the plastic until temperature equilibrates. This is to prevent condensation on the film itself.

If you are changing sheet film, make sure you have something to wipe your hands on inside the darkbag, and a pair of cotton gloves.

 

[peter_n]

Has anyone had any experiences like Paddy C, where the climate of a location fogged the film?

No problems in Fiji where it was very hot and humid. Did not store my film in a fridge and was rarely in an air-conditioned room. Both color and B&W were fine (Reala 100 & APX 100).

 

[emraphoto]

i ran some film in the Soudanian (Chad) where it was 40 plus by 7 a.m. every day with no issues. i have heard from others that prolonged exposure to smoking hot temps. can make the emulsion go to sh... well you get the point.

 

[jke]

Has anyone had any experiences like Paddy C, where the climate of a location fogged the film?

I doubt that a hot day, even one around 100 degrees, could affect your film, unless you left the film in a window of the car or sitting out in a black bag on a black table in midday sun. More likely to get a batch of film that was bad to begin with.

I shot for a couple weeks in Mauritius while there were at least as hot condiitions, extreme humidity, lots of AC & an offshore cyclone that periodically doused me and the camera. After that, Cuba. Then Puerto Rico. No problems except for sunburn. On me.

But if Nick Nichols can shoot the Mega-Transect with Mike Fay using film and a Leica M, I think you'll be fine on the islands.

But wait - you are shooting a Contax G? Oh well, you need to get a Leica. 🙂

No seriously, take your best camera, the film you know the best, and try to shoot all of it before you come home. Don't drop it in the ocean, but otherwise, don't worry too much about it.

 

[emraphoto]

most films should stand up to temperatures well into the early 40/100's. prolonged exposure to temps above 40/100 CAN/MAY fog film.

as David mentioned up around 45 degrees you are going to have problems.

i spent two and a half weeks in the Niger Delta where the humidity was up around 100% every day with a canon g10 and some nikon dlsrs and didn't have any issue. i do think you need to be wary of going from air conditioned to smoking hot and humid and vice versa though.

 

[James (DC)]

I've had no problems with film or digital Ms in the Philippines during all seasons of the year.

 

[BillBingham2]

I dragged my M8 and a bunch of lenses through both the beach and the jungle/rainforest of Belize and Guatemala. I wouldn't worry too much. Just let everything air out when you get home and especially before you store anything.

A good approach that I heard years back was to put the lenses inside but in the sunlight no caps on the letting the sunlight shine through them is a great way to kill anything that might have gotten into them in travels.

B2 (;->