camera problems with singapores heat and humidity?

[jackiedanny]

has any one been to singapore and had camera problems due to the high heat and humidity? i am going there in sept and will be taking a slr and compact with me

thanks jackiedanny:)

[pierces]

Never been to Singapore. Is heat and humidity different in Singapore than heat and humidity in Atlanta or a rain forest in Costa Rica? :D

 

If not, a good practice is to either let the camera warm up after leaving an air-conditioned environment before using it or warm it up in the room prior to going out. I use a small reptile terrarium heater pad (98°-105°) in my camera bag to keep my equipment warm enough to prevent condensation when I go out.

 

Other than that, avoiding direct rainfall with a rain sleeve, keeping a silica gel pack in the bag to absorb moisture and not letting your camera sit in the direct sun for long periods of time should go a long ways towards helping your equipment survive the trip.

 

Dave

[jackiedanny]

Never been to Singapore. Is heat and humidity different in Singapore than heat and humidity in Atlanta or a rain forest in Costa Rica? :D

 

If not, a good practice is to either let the camera warm up after leaving an air-conditioned environment before using it or warm it up in the room prior to going out. I use a small reptile terrarium heater pad (98°-105°) in my camera bag to keep my equipment warm enough to prevent condensation when I go out.

 

Other than that, avoiding direct rainfall with a rain sleeve, keeping a silica gel pack in the bag to absorb moisture and not letting you camera sit in the direct sun for long periods of time should go a long ways towards helping your equipment survive the trip.

 

 

Dave

 

i wouldn't know as i have never been to those places, i'm a west australian girl and although we have plenty of heat we dont get constant high humidity - thank god! thanks for the advice

jackiedanny:)

[pierces]

i wouldn't know as i have never been to those places, i'm a west australian girl and although we have plenty of heat we dont get constant high humidity - thank god! thanks for the advice

jackiedanny:)

 

The items I mentioned should be available in Oz and are pretty inexpensive "insurance". I'm in Southern California and also have little day-to-day experience with humidity (and share your thanks to the heavens above!) In our travels, we learned early on that humidity and cameras are natural enemies but with a little preparation and common sense, you can return from those steaming hells with great photos and good memories.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Dave

[zackiedawg]

Yeah, we down here in South Florida also don't see much heat and humidity. (and if you believe that, I've got some swampland to sell you).

 

As Dave mentioned, the biggest problem cameras will have in high humidity atmospheres isn't operating in the humidity, but going in and out of air-conditioned spaces. A heating pad, dessicant, etc will all help. If you're in a hotel or room that has a private balcony, you can also put your camera gear out 5-10 minutes before you're ready to leave for the day, to allow it to equalize with the outdoor temperatures. When keeping the camera in the air-conditioned room, if you don't have a heating pad, try wrapping it in a towel and keeping it in a space with no direct AC flow - closets, bathrooms, etc. If you don't have a balcony, you might leave the camera in direct sunlight on a windowsill, and turn off the AC in the room for a bit (or turn it up).

 

The only real problem shooting in humid environments is that your sensor will be noisier than normal...sensors get noisy/grainy as they heat up, so when shooting at higher ISOs where you always see a bit of noise or grain, the noise will be even higher when in very hot temperatures (the sensor is already warm, so it doesn't take much for it to overheat a bit). It will rarely get too hot to operate, but a lot of long exposures like night shots on tripod might cause it to get really warm, creating a bit more noise, lots more hot pixels, and possibly an overheat (most DSLRs will warn of an overheated sensor and temporarily stop shooting...just turning it off for a bit should restore normalcy).

[chipmaster]

Took DSLR multiple lense ( non sealed pro lenses ) to Thailand and Taiwan for weeks with lots of outdoor shooting and back and forth into AC cooled buses, hotels, etc. Besides waiting for my camera to equalibrate didn't have any problems, no mold/fungus or shorts or anything. You might want to make sure you have a filter on all your lenses as then you can wipe them without worrying to much if you need to shoot before the camera temperture stabilizes. When you get home make sure you open up everthing and let it dry out and get exposed to some light.

 

Unless you are shooting in the rain/mist rain sleeve will do nothing for humidity.

 

Have a nice trip!

 

has any one been to singapore and had camera problems due to the high heat and humidity? i am going there in sept and will be taking a slr and compact with me

thanks jackiedanny:)

[jackiedanny]

thankyou for all the advice i certainly didn't know about increased sensor noise, i will see about getting the heater pad to keep every thing warm in the air conditioning

thanks again

jackiedanny:)

[pilotdane]

I've taken my little pocket point & shoot and DSLR to almost every hot and humid climate and done what you are not supposed to do (repeatedly) and they still worked fine. I protect my cameras when it's pouring but do not hesitate to pull them out for a quick shot in the rain. A few rain drops have never hurt. Today's cameras are pretty darn good.

 

Fog on the lens is the most common problem I've encountered when the cameras have been stored in a air conditioned room for the night and I take them out into the morning jungle heat & humidity. Once the camera & lenses warm it's not an issue.

 

The one thing I am cautious about is changing lenses on a DSLR when moisture is condensing (fogging). When you remove the lens you allow the hot moist air into the camera body where it can condense on the sensor. Generally I try not to change lenses when the lens is fogging but I must admit that I have routinely broken that rule without ill result.

[Keith1010]

We took a world cruise that included lots of stops in asia including thailand and singapore and did not have any problems.

 

Keith

[Zack Adams]

Never been to Singapore. Is heat and humidity different in Singapore than heat and humidity in Atlanta or a rain forest in Costa Rica? :D

 

If not, a good practice is to either let the camera warm up after leaving an air-conditioned environment before using it or warm it up in the room prior to going out. I use a small reptile terrarium heater pad (98°-105°) in my camera bag to keep my equipment warm enough to prevent condensation when I go out.

 

Other than that, avoiding direct rainfall with a rain sleeve, keeping a silica gel pack in the bag to absorb moisture and not letting your camera sit in the direct sun for long periods of time should go a long ways towards helping your equipment survive the trip.

 

Dave

 

Great Idea Dave! I was having problems with mine and came up with the idea of using hot hands (those disposable hand warmers) in a bag to warm up the air. Have not thought of the low heat mat!

[Aplmac]

Living on a humid Caribbean island as I've done for the last half-century or so

I've developed the long-term habit now of occasionally leaving my lenses pointed at a window

staring at the light, whenever possible!

 

 

I've also painted the insides of my rear lens caps white

so that whatever light gets right thru to that rearmost surface

now gets bounced around the back end too!

Black plastic reflects nothing, in an area that also can use some extra light

to keep the fungus away from glass elements, down that end.

 

 

Whatever you do, don't shut away your lenses or binoculars in a dark cupboard over the course of a Rainy Season.

Better you leave them out somewhere, with that front lens cap OFF.

You should have a plain UV filter screwed onto the front of all your lenses anyway(except fish eye's)

.

[brooklynfc]

I thought I once read on here that if you put your camera in a ziplock back when outside and trap the hot air inside and then take it into the A/C it will stay warmed to the outside air and then you won't have to worry about the transition. Maybe I totally made that up though.

[chipmaster]

Take something from hot and humid seal it and bring into AC and you'll get lots of condensation on it. Eventually it'll cool and with that cooler temperature all the moisture will condense out. Not a good thing to do.

 

I thought I once read on here that if you put your camera in a ziplock back when outside and trap the hot air inside and then take it into the A/C it will stay warmed to the outside air and then you won't have to worry about the transition. Maybe I totally made that up though.