Lens steaming up?

Pricer

Pricer

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Dave Price
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Hey all

ive been doing a few shoots for a local night club so they can put them on their site and use them for promo's etc.

half way through the night i find my lens would be coverd in mist/condensation from the heat inside the club.

ive herd that Rizla smoking papers are brilliant for cleaning len's with because they are so thin they will attract any little bits or dust of durt so ive got a pack of those handy.

just wounderd if anyone has got any tips for keeping your lens steam free when shooting in these types of locatoins?

cheers
Pricer
 
If it's condensation on the lens then one way would be to ensure that you keep the lens warm before the shoot.

If you store it in a warm (not hot) place at a similar temperature to the club then you should avoid condensation. I find that I get this effect when moving from outside to inside sometimes.

As long as the lens is warmer or a similar temperature to the environment you'll be fine.
 
The only way is to get your lens up to the temp of the environment.

The relatively warm moisture in the air will condensate on any surface that is colder, so if your lens is the same temperature as the moisture it won't be able to condensate on it :)

Easier said than done though, try to keep your camera and bag warm in your house beforehand, don't take your camera out on the way to the club and don't go outside with it once you're in the club. Other than that, there's not much you can do.
 
One trick I've used is get a ziplock bag big enough for your camera, put your camera & lens in there and add a small packet of silica gel (the kind you get with small electronics devices etc). Keep it in here before you enter the warm environment, helps prevent the steam ups.

Worked for me when shooting in the cold and in and out of a warm car in between

Matt
 
Well I guess if you're bringing a cold camera/lens into a hot and humid environment its bound to steam up?

I personally wouldn't use rizla paper on my lenses, paper is far too abrasive in my opinion. Its a bit like washing a car, if theres any grit on your sponge, you're effectively washing your car with sandpaper! I would use something softer if I were you.
 
Hi. I presume the condensation is on the OUTSIDE of your lens and not the inside? I use a propriatry GLASSES cleaner that prevents misting/condensation on my Specs for the OUTSIDE of the lens on the odd occasion that it is needed. It leaves no residue at all. I cannot give you the makers name as the label has gone missing! The best answer though is to keep the lens warm as it will not attract condensation (a cold surface attracts the moisture and it then condenses) Also using a ROCKET BLOWER on the lens will get rid of the condensation. (remember using the blower at the bowling ally to get the sweat off your hands?) Hope this helps.


I have a photographic memory that was never developed
 
Uneducated_Rick said:
Rizla is very soft, and is good quality. A lot of people (magazines included) recommend rizla for cleaning lenses
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Yeah I know they're soft but I don't think its soft enough. I would still use a proper lens cloth or glasses cloth over it. Theres a very thin coating on the surface of the glass and I personally wouldn't risk puting fine scratches on it even if they don't affect the photos.
 
SuperCNJ said:
Yeah I know they're soft but I don't think its soft enough. I would still use a proper lens cloth or glasses cloth over it. Theres a very thin coating on the surface of the glass and I personally wouldn't risk puting fine scratches on it even if they don't affect the photos.
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Do you reuse the lens cloth? if so it is far worse than a rizla paper would ever be out of the packet
 
Rizla papers also have a glue strip ...would do no good at all.
 
Why use Rizla when you can buy proper lens tissues?
I'll agree they're a bit more expensive than fag papers but they don't have a glue strip on them or anything else.

Just google lens tissues and you come up with loads, even Amazon do them.
 
Uneducated_Rick said:
Do you reuse the lens cloth? if so it is far worse than a rizla paper would ever be out of the packet
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I rarely have to do anything more than give my lenses a blast with the rocket blower usually. But if I had to wipe them I would use a lens cloth over rizla paper without a doubt... and yes I would re-use it.

I don't agree that it is far worse than rizla paper. Provided you kept it clean and not just dumped in the bottom of your bag etc I see no problem with reusing it again. ;)
 
If the club has a washroom with blow hand-dryers, just stick your lens [gently] under that [be far enough away from the jet so as not to heat things up too much...]

Now, with the front element slightly warmed, there should be no condensation. It's a trick used by many zoos once you enter the humid animal houses. There's no risk of damage to your lens if you're careful.
 
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