Cold Conditions

[Liam_89]

Hi,
So I was out on Monday night for approx 3 hours in sub zero conditions,
everything was fine, got my shots and come home,
As soon as I get in the warm house, after around 10 mins,
my camera and lens was soaking wet,
im glad I went to check it and not leave in bag,
I dried it all off and it’s working fine, don’t have any issues,
was just wondering if that will of caused any lasting damage, and how can I prevent it in the future,
Thanks.

 

[Mr Badger]

It's the sudden change in temperature that does it. Don't bring freezing cold camera kit straight into a very warm room, particularly if the humidity in the room is on the high side (a kitchen with things cooking on the hob, a kettle boiling, some washing drying, etc.).

I put any electronic/optical equipment that's been outdoors somewhere dry but cool and airy to start with (a spare room with the hearting turned down, etc.), letting it reach room temperature gradually to avoid condensation forming, and leave it there for a couple of hours to 'air' and dry off thoroughly, and I check it's all absolutely dry before packing it away. This goes for alloy metal tripods too. If it's becomes damp or wet then I use some paper kitchen roll to dry it off. Putting damp or wet cameras and lenses away in a warm, damp, dark place is one of the best ways to encourage issues like electrical problems, corrosion and lens fungus.

 

[nigpd]

Another tip is to take out your memory card(s) when you have finished shooting, before putting your kit in the car boot or taking your kit indoors. That way you can process your images without the need to take your gear out of the camera bag, leting your kit get up to ambient slowly while staying in the bag

 

[Suvv]

Put the camera in a sealed plastic bag before taking it inside. The condensation will form mainly on the outside of the bag. As nigpd said you can take the memory card out first.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

They normally warm up gently enough inside a decent camera bag over couple of hours...

A good weather-sealed camera + lens combo will be at much less risk of any damage even in case of some condensation. If it can withstand some rain, it can handle this too.

 

[Caerus]

Gradual temp change should avoid it. Sudden changes cause this I believe and I would imagine from bad experience with other optics, it doesn't to them any good to have any moisture anywhere

 

[arclight]

I would not expect any damage whatsoever.