camera care when abroad

stewsmith

stewsmith

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stewart
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Would like to get some feed back regarding what is the best way to handle air conditioning and cameras. I will be in Egypt soon and my apartment is cooled by AC. Will i have any problems with condensation when I take the camera from the AC apartment out into the sun. The temperature at the moment is 40c. How do others deal with this situation. Also when should i change a lens, in the AC room or wait until i get outside.

Stew
 
When I went to Cuba with my old 350D, I have some condensation build up on the filter, quick wipe and it was gone. Never had any problems with the internals of the camera. Temp when there was 42-45 so I imagine you'll be fine.
 
Dave450 said:
When I went to Cuba with my old 350D, I have some condensation build up on the filter, quick wipe and it was gone. Never had any problems with the internals of the camera. Temp when there was 42-45 so I imagine you'll be fine.
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ditto for St Martin. Trouble was, when leaving the aircon, my specs immediately steamed up so I couldn't do anything for five minutes anyway :bang:
 
Put it in a camera bag before you go back into the air-conditioned room - that way it'll adjust to the ambient temperature gradually, rather than all at once which is what causes condensation...
Cold kit going to into hot and humid air isn't so great either...
If there's somewhere secure that isn't air-conditioned, I'd consider storing the kit there...

Or adjust the air-con so it isn't so cold - better for you as well - you'll acclimatise faster that way.
 
Arkady said:
Put it in a camera bag before you go back into the air-conditioned room - that way it'll adjust to the ambient temperature gradually, rather than all at once which is what causes condensation...
Cold kit going to into hot and humid air isn't so great either...
If there's somewhere secure that isn't air-conditioned, I'd consider storing the kit there...

Or adjust the air-con so it isn't so cold - better for you as well - you'll acclimatise faster that way.
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Nice one. cheers for that.

Stew
 
Other than the acclimatising issue, you will have a lot of dust issues in Egypt, much like what I have in Saudi.

For that, I carry small tea-towels (a couple) in my camera bag and I keep one wrapped around my camera most of the time while I am out.

I also carry a small paint brush, which I use to brush off sand off the camera's body (not the glass of the lens :nono:).

A rocket blower and sensor cleaning kit will always be handy to have with you too.
 
Arkady said:
Put it in a camera bag before you go back into the air-conditioned room - that way it'll adjust to the ambient temperature gradually, rather than all at once which is what causes condensation...
Cold kit going to into hot and humid air isn't so great either...
If there's somewhere secure that isn't air-conditioned, I'd consider storing the kit there...

Or adjust the air-con so it isn't so cold - better for you as well - you'll acclimatise faster that way.
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As above and I always have a cuppa and sit on the balcony, with it in the bag not in direct sunlight, for about 1/2hr it will have time to gradually come up to the out side temperature
 
In Iraq, we were lucky to be working out of an air-conditioned office in MND(SE) HQ at the Basrah-COB - our cameras were all stored on shelves behind us. It never got to below 30C (outside temps rose to about 48C in September), so going outside directly wasn't too much of an issue.
In Afghan, depending on where I'll be working from - Bastion or Lashgar-Gar - I'll either have an air-con'd office or a corner of an air-con'd tent - either way, due to the inefficiency of the units and people walking in and out all the time - it'll never get to more than 10-15 below ambient outdoor temps...
And when it fails, in the tents it gets to 10-15 above ambient outdoor temps - real fun in August when it gets to 60C in the desert at Bastion...
 
Just Dave said:
As above and I always have a cuppa and sit on the balcony, with it in the bag not in direct sunlight, for about 1/2hr it will have time to gradually come up to the out side temperature
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I dont drink tea, would it still work with a beer.

Stew
 
I'll be at the other end of the scale next January when I go to Austria. This year when I went temps dropped to about -15 at night.

Will I be able to use my Sony a350 and does anyone have any tips for shooting in minus temps :)
 
Berkutschi said:
I'll be at the other end of the scale next January when I go to Austria. This year when I went temps dropped to about -15 at night.
Will I be able to use my Sony a350 and does anyone have any tips for shooting in minus temps :)
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take plenty of batteries
 
The only issue I have when I go to Florida is stepping out of a nice air-conditioned car straight in to 35+ degree heat is at times the viewfinder would steam up depending on the humidity on that particular day. Otherwise I never seems to be too much of an issue - or at least something I don't worry too much about. Keeping your kit in a bag when going from temperature extremes is a good idea when it is practical to do so.
 
Arkady said:
.......
And when it fails, in the tents it gets to 10-15 above ambient outdoor temps - real fun in August when it gets to 60C in the desert at Bastion...
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I hope they're giving you plenty of water to drink. I can just imagine the stress on your kidneys :nono::nono:

What's the worst climate you've had to endure, if you don't me asking. Since you are in some harsh environment?
 
a good gadget bag closed at all times
frozen film needed 1/2 hour until use time
perhaps this could be applied to the equipment as well
silical gel packs everywhere if poss and put your gear in the wardrobe over night
 
You won't have any problems. Just basic precautions, if your front filter is seamed up, don't change the lens.

Dust will not be a big issue unless you are careless.
 
Bggest problem I had in egypt was with dust, which is everywhere (and even worse when you're in a dust storm..). Not an issue as someone else said if you've got a weather sealed body, but if not, maybe consider a cameraarmour or similar thing that you can take off and wash when you get back :)
 
will69 said:
.....

Dust will not be a big issue unless you are careless.
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Sorry to say but I doubt you've been to Egypt or a country that is primarily desert, then :shrug:


itsdavedotnet said:
Bggest problem I had in egypt was with dust, which is everywhere (and even worse when you're in a dust storm..). Not an issue as someone else said if you've got a weather sealed body, but if not, maybe consider a cameraarmour or similar thing that you can take off and wash when you get back :)
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A few grains of sand are enough to clog up the gears in your focusing system, jam up your mirror, or clog the shutter! Sand particles get everywhere, especially in these countries .. and unless you're using a camera body that is designed for ruggedness, akin to the D2 & D3 range, then you will have to be very careful about this ... hence the towel I carry.
 
Wail said:
I hope they're giving you plenty of water to drink. I can just imagine the stress on your kidneys :nono::nono:

What's the worst climate you've had to endure, if you don't me asking. Since you are in some harsh environment?
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Afghan, Summer 2006 with 16AA covering 3 para's now-famous 'Battle of Helmand' - well we thought it was all over after that...lol
60C+ daytime temps and running around in full kit - helmet + body armour etc...
Though Iraq in September was probably worse to work in, as the high humidity makes it feel really horrible around Basrah...sweat pops the moment you step into the outdoors and the wind feels like standing in front of a fan-oven - no respite at all...
Tell people about the wind and they think "ooh wind - that must help cool you down" - not a bit of it - it just cooks you more evenly.

Interestingly, 60C feels no hotter than say, 40C - there was almost zero humidity which helped. We took about 8 litres of water each and had a ready supply of bottled water in the vehicles - which was fine when the vehicles were nearby.
On one memorable day in Mas-e-Qaleh, our water ran out after about 4 hours of fighting and we didn't get a replen for another hour... It was the first time I noticed the symptoms of heat stroke in myself...had to sit down in the shade for 30 minutes. When I stood up there was a pool of water on my Camelbak 02 Backpack - I thought I'd somehow burst the bladder, but it was sweat which had poured off me from under my body-armour...

The cameras were so hot I had to wear gloves to use them, which is usual in these places...
It's just one of the reasons that no-one will ever convince me that Canon makes a better pro-camera than the Nikons we use...
 
Holly God, that's some harsh experiences .. and very well described.

Thank you for the descriptive feedback.

I know Nikon do some lens in tropical grey colour, do you think these would really help in keeping them cool?
 
Berkutschi said:
I'll be at the other end of the scale next January when I go to Austria. This year when I went temps dropped to about -15 at night.

Will I be able to use my Sony a350 and does anyone have any tips for shooting in minus temps :)
Click to expand...

We had -27C in many parts of Germany and Bavaria last year, so Austria sounds warm! Keep the cameras at outdoor temps - most Austrian houses have a vestibule of sorts for storing outdoor gear: skis and stuff...just make sure tha camera-kit is dry and in it's bag, but leave it out there too...memory cards come inside to do your editing with, but that's it.

Wail said:
Holly God, that's some harsh experiences .. and very well described.
Thank you for the descriptive feedback.
I know Nikon do some lens in tropical grey colour, do you think these would really help in keeping them cool?
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Not in those conditions - it's more of a fashion-thing, I think...
 
Arkady, have you had any problems with the Nikons in extreme cold? I'm heading to the Himalayas next year and I'll have my D2X with me, apart from keeping batteries warm before use and acclimatising the camera, any tips?
 
Sorry to be barraging you with too many questions ... I hope you don't mind!

Have you ever had a camera / lens fail on you due to extreme heat & humidity?
 
I've never had a camera fail for any reason. Even after I drowned two D2x bodies and lenses in a stream - I just dried them off and they were working again the following day.

I've used Nikon equipment exclusively for the past 30 years and since 2001 have been using Nikon digital cameras.
I've used the D1x in Iraq and Afghanistan with the older AF lenses, the D2x and D2xs and newer AF lenses in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Malawi (rainy season), Kenya, Norway (winter - lots of snow and icy-rain).
The hottest and dryest places were Afghan, Kuwait and Iraq; the coldest was Norway and the wettest was Germany and the UK (Great British Summer...lol).
A few people on here may remember the TP London meet a few years ago when we were deluged in Trafalgar Square and they'll confirm that I take no special precautions to protect my cameras because of bad weather...the seals are as good as they say.

My oldest lens is my 17-35mm f/2.8 - we're no longer issued this lens, so I use my own...I bought this one almost 12 years ago.

The 17-35mm got a bit 'crunchy' last year in Iraq, but working the focus-ring back and forth for an hour or so worked the grit out again - the helicoils are designed to expunge contaminants that way, which is a help.
My 70-200 f/2.8 has a cracked focus-window (from being clobbered getting into a Mastiff APC in Basrah last year) that is now covered with black gaffer-tape - the ubiquitous 'black and nasty' beloved of the Military (aka 'Harry-Black-Maskers' in the RN).

I use Nikon or Hoya skylight filters on all my lenses and throw them away after a Tour, as I scrub them relentlessly when on jobs...Lens hoods are secured with more 'black and nasty'...
 
If anything, that's a very comforting post :thumbs:, which makes me want to upgrade to a D3x :p
 
lol makes me laugh when someone posted about a wedding tog who put their camera down within a 50ft radius of a fountain and lambasted them for not taking care of their kit.

Yours must look lovely. Please, please take some pics of it all taped up like that. But make sure you put a warning on it, it is likely to cause illness in some. :)
 
AliB said:
......

Yours must look lovely. Please, please take some pics of it all taped up like that. But make sure you put a warning on it, it is likely to cause illness in some. :)
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:plusone:
 
AliB said:
lol makes me laugh when someone posted about a wedding tog who put their camera down within a 50ft radius of a fountain and lambasted them for not taking care of their kit.

Yours must look lovely. Please, please take some pics of it all taped up like that. But make sure you put a warning on it, it is likely to cause illness in some. :)
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The new D3x/D3 bodies are still brand-new looking and I'll be issued brand-new lenses before I deploy next month, but I promise I'll post some pix of the kit in-theatre after it gets a bit bruised and the paint starts wearing off...
The kit that's going back is in the UK and I'll take a photo of it all before it gets handed back to the QM...

I was also thinking of taking a photo of ALL he kit we carry on jobs, not just the photo-kit, so watch out for that one in a couple of months' time...
 
That'd be great, would be interesting to see what gear to take on deployment. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been an Army tog?
 
Full-time since 2002;
before that as a Unit Photographer along with my other duties as Recce Pl Sect Cdr...(which just meant that I had the best camera in the battalion...lol)
 
Arkady said:
We had -27C in many parts of Germany and Bavaria last year, so Austria sounds warm! Keep the cameras at outdoor temps - most Austrian houses have a vestibule of sorts for storing outdoor gear: skis and stuff...just make sure tha camera-kit is dry and in it's bag, but leave it out there too...memory cards come inside to do your editing with, but that's it.
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Thanks :thumbs:
 
Arkady said:
I forgot to mention, keep the batteries indoors where its warm - just remove them from the cameras and keep any spares close to your body when outdoors, under layers...
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will do.
 
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