How to minimize the water vapor inside the housing?

[travelem]

I remember there is something to do with the temperature change between the aircon room and the outside temperature???

Where do you store your housing while it is inside the resort aircon room?
Is the housing supposed to be close or open while it is inside the aircon room?

When do you put the camera inside the housing? Before you leave the aircon room or on the boat?

Thanks.

 

[Larry C]

Best bet is to open the housing for camera service while air conditioned and make sure to put a dessicant packet in. If you don't reopen it outside, you're usually OK. I also keep the camera in the rinse tub on hot tropical days between dives. Minimize the time between the tub and the ocean and it usually won't fog.

 

[Gilligan]

1. Whether you load the camera in the housing in an A/C or non-A/C room is not as much an issue as where you take the camera immediately afterwards. The rapid climate difference may cause the condensation. I always keep my camera/housing in a soft sided beverage cooler whether I load it in an A/C or non A/C room and have never had condensation problems inside the housing after taking it outside.

2. Another cause of condensation inside the housing is the heat generated by the camera, especially when using the internal strobe. Some camera brand models generate more heat than others. One of the Canon's has that problem but I can't remember which one off hand. The more pics you shoot in the span of a dive the more heat the camera generates. That heat in the housing up against the cooler ocean temp. results in condensation on the inside of the housings lens port. Desiccant packs should alleviate that problem. Just remember to change the desiccant after each dive or two.

My lensport fogged up one time out of forty dives on my last trip. It was because I did not change the desicccant. More recent name brand cameras and housings tend to be compact leaving less room for desiccant packs. Canon has placed twin lenses in their more recent housings to retard/alleviate the fogging problem. You might ask folks here that have them if it works.

 

[robint]

Besides setting up rig in hotel room and using dessicant packs, one of my tricks is to take a white towel with me on the boat. My camera rig stays under the towel or in the shade (if available) between dives. I have found this is HUGE in areas where an hour surface interval can cause the housing to fog up on everyone else on the boat while mine stays clear and cool.
I also have a collapsible cooler that I carry my rig in to and from the boat. This is where I store the towel, along with a wet chamois in a baggie for wiping lenses between dives, lens cleaner just in case, and macro or WA lens, etc. When I get ready to get into the water, I take the towel and put it in the cooler, then zip it shut so it stays cool and dry. Every time I go on a trip, someone on the boat comments what a great idea it is and they should try it. (I learned this trick in Calif from other photographers and it has really helped me keep things together and safe getting on and off the boat too.)

robint

 

[mjh]

These work well and come in a variety of sizes.

http://www.performancegear.com/moismunforca1.html

 

[azcaddman]

a more economical source of desiccant .. Ted Pella, Inc .. 100 pcs for $35.00 .. split the order with some buddies.

or get the bulk, and make your own pouch, to fit the space you have availible.

 

[kapula]

If we start talking about costs of getting moisture munchers you can propably get a good handfull of them from any electronic store that gets stuff shipped to them. For example a camera shops most propably have loads of moisture munchers lying around. My brother got a good pile of them from a local camera shop.

 

[AUTiger]

An even better price is at www.preservesmart.com. You can buy 50 for $15 or 200 for $45. They are color changing (purple when dry and pink when used) so you can tell how much life they have left. You can also recharge (dry) them easily in a low temperature oven. I keep a small stash of them in film cannisters. I can fit about ten per film cannister and it keeps them dry until I need them. I use the milky whitish film cannisters because they seem to have a good seal. Prescription bottles may also be good for this.

I never dive without a dessicant pack, not matter where I am. I've never had fogging and don't have to worry about ACs or shade, or anything else.

One caution is to make sure that you don't catch the dessicant pack in the seal of your housing. one thing that I like about the preservesmart packs is that they are fairly compact, without excessive packaging that might ruin the seal.

David

 

[Heffey]

Humidity is the fuel and temperature difference is the spark. It takes both to create the condensation problem.

I leave my camera and housing in air conditioned room for a few hours before I put the two together and then I let the air conditioner blow directly into the housing as I put the camera in and close the lid.

My housing leaves me no room what so ever for desiccant packs and I have never had any condensation problems when I have followed this method.

 

[alcina]

Shoe stores also have bunches of these packs