whats the best way to store your camera /lens

iwols

iwols

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just a basic question but with all the talk of mould fungus in lens,and now im getting a fair amount of equipment i was just wondering what is the best way to store your camera,mine is in a ruck sack type bag but i was just wondering if it would be wise to put some of those little bags that collect moisture in there with the equipment or would they cause more harm than good(the ones that seem to come in most electronic stuff you buy) cheers guys
 
Mould of all kinds loves still air, damp. and warmth.
Huffing and blowing on lenses is a bad idea., it adds all those factors and if there is a mould spoor about it would get a head start.

If the camera or lens gets wet, let it dry in a cool airy place, after removing any obvious wetness. It takes quite a long time to get the damp right out of a camera.

One of the bigest problems in coming in from the cold in to a warm atmosphere. mosture will condense in and on any cold object. keep the camera in its bag until it warms up.

Silica gell (those little bags) works fine but needs reactivating by heating up every so often, to drive off the water, or it will do no good at all.

Basicaly keep things dry cool and well aired.... Remember inside a camera or lens, it has its own micro climate.
 
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Terrywoodenpic said:
Mould of all kinds loves still air, damp. and warmth.
Huffing and blowing on lenses is a bad idea., it adds all those factors and if there is a mould spoor about it would get a head start.

If the camera or lens gets wet, let it dry in a cool airy place, after removing any obvious wetness. It takes quite a long time to get the damp right out of a camera.

One of the bigest problems in coming in from the cold in to a warm atmosphere. mosture will condense in and on any cold object. keep the camera in its bag until it warms up.

Silica gell (those little bags) works fine but needs reactivating by heating up every so often, to drive off the water, or it will do no good at all.

Basicaly keep things dry cool and well aired.... Remember inside a camera or lens, it has its own micro climate.
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thanks so would they be ok in a rucksack type bag say in my wardrobe then
 
iwols said:
thanks so would they be ok in a rucksack type bag say in my wardrobe then
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Yes but never put them away in there damp.
Let them dry first.

It is the same problem as putting away a tent when it is damp. it will rot with the mould.

Things must be dry when they are stored.
 
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I leave all my gear packed in the bag in the main room in the house, it's got a few bags of silica in with it and it's always dry before it goes in the bag, but I like to have it always handy and set up just in case anything needs shooting. I live near an airbase so I often hear planes flying about, which is one of my photographic passions.
 
Mine is use pretty much every day outdoors and TBH, it's only if the kit has had a major soaking (like of biblical proportions) that I get a bit antsy about moisture. Then it's a case of lens and body caps off and the lenses left in the spare room (out of the way of kids) to make sure they dry properly.

If it gets wet then I just towel dry the wetness on the outside and make sure that I don't expose the gear to massive temperature changes. All my camera kit is kept in a Vertex 200 and my flash stuff in a Nova 4.
 
iwols said:
thanks,but what is a diy bag of silica gel:thinking:
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A soft type sunglass pouch from ebay and 100g of silica gel...lol

It came about because of the 100g bag looked very sealed and almost water tight, so that would kinda defeat the object of having it...
So i got some truly cheap glasses pouches of ebay, inside out, I reinforced the stitching. Closed most of the top, then got it right way in again...filled with silica and sewd the top closed. It doubles as a bean bag for under my lenses if the need arises...
 
I purchased a dry cabinet from eBay for £132. It's brilliant as it keeps the humidity constant. I keep mine set to about 40% and that's said to be safe. The seller is "gem-inside" or just search for 'dry cabinets'. Hope this is of help.
 
My kit lives in drawers when not in use. This allows air to circulate, drying anything wet, and it's all laid out and visible when I pack for a shoot. (I always empty my bag as soon as I get back. Count 'em all out, count 'em all back...). Bags are waterproof, which means any water inside the bag will stay there if it's shut. No gel, and no fungus.
 
I dont think it would be wise to keep a lens after a damp day out in your kit bag when you get home, I would always take it out and let the air at it, also put my bag somewhere it can dry out too.

But then again i dont do much photographing in the rain so i do for convenience keep my gear in my bag, but i always clean my kit off after a day out.
 
If its high end equipment i think the best place to keep it would be in my car boot :clap:
 
Has anyone here had mould develop despite quite careful storage?

I had an old Kiron lens that I recently rediscovered in a cupboard after going missing for six years or so.

It's now plastered with mould despite the room being, what I would've thought, ideal conditions.
 
Boot of the car in kit bag plus generous amounts of silica gel works for me
 
bloomen said:
Has anyone here had mould develop despite quite careful storage?

I had an old Kiron lens that I recently rediscovered in a cupboard after going missing for six years or so.

It's now plastered with mould despite the room being, what I would've thought, ideal conditions.
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If its possible that the wall the cuboard was mounted to was an exterior wall, and even a slight, tiny & insignificant damp patch could be exaserbated by a closed coboard. Like keeping your lens for 6 years in a humidor.
Just a stab in the dark...
 
Always a good idea to take everything out of a bag once in a while just to let some fresh air in.
 
Expose the lens elements to UV light once in a while by taking them out in sunshine without a UV filter on. Just being outside with some sunlight is enough.

Obvs don't point them at the sun etc.


Keep the area where you keep them dry. Silica gel, as said is also good.
 
An elderly photographer I once knew used to keep a spare bag of rice in the cupboard so if his lens got really waterlogged he would wipe it dry, put it in a tupperware container and then cover it with the rice....Bingo!, job done.

He also used to make his own Silica/Rice bags as well. He would work out what size he wanted, get his wifes old tights cut the leg off put the rice into the tights and there was his home made Silica gel packs.
 
i think there is a little bit of paranoia surrounding fungus in lenses.. if its been out in the rain that day (i mean literally in the rain and not covered) then yes it may need a bit of airing.
 
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