Humidity issues

U

Utopia

Hey everyone,

I'm going to be supervising the sound on a set for about a month which is extremely humid and hot.

I'm going to be taking along my new T3i (I get it on Monday!!!). Is there anything I should be cautious about when in very humid areas? Like putting the lens and camera away if I'm not using it etc. or is it OK to leave it out?

I'm savvy about mics and humidity but not cameras. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?
 
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ROC said:
Hey everyone,

I'm going to be supervising the sound on a set for about a month which is extremely humid and hot.

I'm going to be taking along my new T3i (I get it on Monday!!!). Is there anything I should be cautious about when in very humid areas? Like putting the lens and camera away if I'm not using it etc. or is it OK to leave it out?

I'm savvy about mics and humidity but not cameras. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?
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Is Florida hot and humid enough for you? ;) Yes, absolutely. The challenge is acclimation. The camera needs acclimate whenever you go from indoors (AC) to outdoors and vice versa. You can get condensation inside of lenses and your camera if you're not careful.

Indoors (AC) to outdoors: Place in a heavy duty freezer bag or a canoe type dry bag before you leave and seal it up as good as you can. On location, crack the bag just a bit to let air in/exchange and let it be for 10-15 minutes.

Outdoors to indoors (AC): the same, except as soon as you get in you crack the bag to let the humidity out and evaporate, wait your 10-15 minutes and then let the camera air dry overnight out in the open or in an open camera bag, if possible. Leave lens caps on during acclimation.
 
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Thanks a bunch!

Will the camera bag do for now for that acclimation or does it have to be a freezer bag? It's basically a Canon handbag I have for it.

Also, does the condensation ever go away?
 
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ROC said:
Thanks a bunch!

Will the camera bag do for now for that acclimation or does it have to be a freezer bag? It's basically a Canon handbag I have for it.

Also, does the condensation ever go away?
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The camera bag isn't air tight, so that's why you need the freezer bag.

IF - you ever get condensation inside the lens, it will dry out - but may leave rings from dust. Generally something you don't want to experiment with.

It just becomes part of your day. Cold weather people go through a similar problem and they might chime in with their method. I used to shoot news and a few times actually had ice form on the lens going from the cold, outside air to warm, moist inside air. Fortunately, Fujinon ENG lenses are weather sealed and made for extremes.
 
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Thanks a bunch for the tip.

Glad I asked ;)

One more question:

Before I take it from inside to outside, do I need to wait a bit after I place it in the bag or can I just stuff it in the bag, seal it, and immediately take it outside?
 
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ROC said:
Thanks a bunch for the tip.

Glad I asked ;)

One more question:

Before I take it from inside to outside, do I need to wait a bit after I place it in the bag or can I just stuff it in the bag, seal it, and immediately take it outside?
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Inside (with dry air - AC) to outside: you're sealing dry air in the bag. You can just pack it and go.
 
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don't know if you already know this or if you were wondering, but the t3i and many dslr's have a tendency to overheat. You said you're using it in a hot environment, whether you're taking pics or actual video you should make sure if you get a red warning light to turn off the cam and give it a rest.

I live in Maine and was out filming this memorial day and my t3i didn't heat up because of prolonged use, but because the black body of the camera was absorbing the sun's heat. and if, being in maine, my camera began to overheat from high temperatures, I'm sure wherever you're going to be is a lot hotter ;)
 
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I can help you out with that, USN. I have a T2i and live in Florida and my camera has never overheated. Not even once. As I mentioned earlier, I used to shoot news and had to edit what I shot on a deadline. So by necessity I got in the habit of shooting in 10 second bursts so there wasn't so much footage to go through and it really makes you think out your shots in advance. My camera is shut off a lot more than it's on, again out of habit because all I used to have is 3 Anton Bauer batteries to get me through a 12 hour day of potential shooting.

I just shot a short and never had a problem, but the camera is usually off and when you're shooting, you're doing it in bursts.

Anyhow, thought I'd pass this along.
 
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CamVader said:
I can help you out with that, USN. I have a T2i and live in Florida and my camera has never overheated. Not even once. As I mentioned earlier, I used to shoot news and had to edit what I shot on a deadline. So by necessity I got in the habit of shooting in 10 second bursts so there wasn't so much footage to go through and it really makes you think out your shots in advance. My camera is shut off a lot more than it's on, again out of habit because all I used to have is 3 Anton Bauer batteries to get me through a 12 hour day of potential shooting.

I just shot a short and never had a problem, but the camera is usually off and when you're shooting, you're doing it in bursts.

Anyhow, thought I'd pass this along.
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That's one of the reasons Shanne Hurbutt recommends 8 Gb cards (I use 16 myself, but NEVER 32 or 64). It forces you to shut the camera down more often to change the card which is a built in periodic cool doen period.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
That's one of the reasons Shanne Hurbutt recommends 8 Gb cards (I use 16 myself, but NEVER 32 or 64). It forces you to shut the camera down more often to change the card which is a built in periodic cool doen period.
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Always a good idea. I use 16's myself.

:lol: I sound like an old guy! Plan your shots and shut the dang camera off in between. Get off my lawn!:D
 
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