Nikon D40 lens ... misting up! Condensation?

ERU

ERU

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Hey folks. I'm in my first year of the DSLR world (loving it!) and thus this is my first winter with one. I've started to notice an issue I could do with a bit of reassurance with ... :rules:

I often store my D40 in my car and have twice recently brought it inside, left it for 30mins whilst chatting and found when I came to use it that the lens becomes very misty/fogged with condensation. Is this just cold air meeting warm air or something I need to know about? I've never had this problem before - so i'm really looking for advice and reassurance from more experienced people! I often carry my D40 kayaking/climbing in a Peli Case and hope it's not got wet somehow? In fact I was using it in light drizzle the other day! Did I get it wet?

So can anyone help? Why is this happening? Is it normal? Do you get it too? How can I prevent it in the future? Should I be trying to warm the camera/lens in my hands before a shoot?
 
Heh i have this problem ALOT, i shoot for the local snowsports club so my camera and lenses are always going from a nice toasty bar into a freezing cold slope.

Is it just the lens getting a bit misty at the end? as ive found that to be pretty normal, i carry a bottle of the cleaning solution and few microfibre cloths with me to sort that problem out
 
What's happening is that the lens gets cold when it's outside in the car. When you bring it indoors, the warm air in the house cools significantly when it comes into contact with the lens, and that causes condensation to form. It's perfectly normal.

To prevent it happening, you need to prevent warm air from coming into contact with a cold lens. One simple way to achieve that is to prevent the lens from getting cold in the first place! (For example, store it in the house rather than in the car.) But if the lens does get cold, then the best solution is to put it in a zip-lock bag before bringing it indoors. The condensation will still form, but on the outside of the bag rather than on the lens. Remember to allow enough time for the lens to warn up to room temperature before you open the bag.
 
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