Condensation on lense

[ScubaK-Dawg]

I'm relatively new at underwater photography and got the Sea and Sea DX 3000 digital camera. I'm very happy with it for a beginer point and shoot camera, and have taken it on too warm water trips and it performed flawlessly. Yesterday I had it up at a local quarry (water temp was about 45F), and even though I had a new bag of dessicant in the housing, the inside lens of the housing fogged up. I'm assuming this is a common problem for very cold water diving? How can I get around this problem? I'm thinking either more dessicant in the housing or possibly using a defog on the inside housing len? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Kevin

 

[cdiver2]

I'm relatively new at underwater photography and got the Sea and Sea DX 3000 digital camera. I'm very happy with it for a beginer point and shoot camera, and have taken it on too warm water trips and it performed flawlessly. Yesterday I had it up at a local quarry (water temp was about 45F), and even though I had a new bag of dessicant in the housing, the inside lens of the housing fogged up. I'm assuming this is a common problem for very cold water diving? How can I get around this problem? I'm thinking either more dessicant in the housing or possibly using a defog on the inside housing len? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Kevin

Defog on any type of lens

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

I used to have fogging problems, but what I do now seems to work. When storing the housing, I place a large dessicant bag in the housing. The only time it is removed is for the insertion of the camera and the miniature dessicant bags. After the dive and subsequent rinse session, the bag goes into the housing again and back into storage.

Loading the camera in an airconditioned room also helps (drier air). (The ambient humidity can really be a problem in Durban (RSA)). Your local conditions will dictate the need.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[StingRob]

What if you put the desiccant bag inside the housing with the camera when you go diving? There are some small ones which I think can find a spot of course if the bag will stand still and not move to block buttons or lens.
Will that help?

Safe Diving

 

[ScubaK-Dawg]

What if you put the desiccant bag inside the housing with the camera when you go diving? There are some small ones which I think can find a spot of course if the bag will stand still and not move to block buttons or lens.
Will that help?

Safe Diving

That's actualy what I did, and it still fogged up...

 

[Dee]

Rob...that's where you should be putting the dessicant packs. They will absorb the moisture that is induced by the temperature difference. The cameras produces heat as you use it, even more so if you're using the internal flash alot. This built-up heat reacts to the cooler temperature of the water outside the housing, producing condensation. I have never used defog inside a housing. You want the lens port on the inside to be as clean as you can get it. Defog would work just as it does in your mask...it doesn't eliminate the moisture, just keeps it off the lens. That means it would collect as water in the bottom of your housing, possibly causing the same damage as a flood.

Dessicant packs will NOT absorb water from small leaks or the droplets of condensation that can collect. It prevents it from forming in the first place.