Stylus Tough 8000 Lens Fogging Help

[MaxLavoie]

Hi all,

I'll start by saying that I'm quite new to scuba diving and underwater photography so I need the pro's help. I've searched for an answer in the forums but unsuccessfully for this particular issue with my particular setup.

Here is my question:

I have an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 and I love it! I think its the perfect vacation camera. So I bought an Ikelite case for it to take my camera past 33 feet. This weekend I was at my friend's house and took pics in his heated pool. Now his pool is heated to 90 degrees (I know he's crazy!) and I took pics under water without the housing. The next day I went scuba diving in 70 degree water but this time I put my camera in its Ikelite case. As soon as I got in the water the space between the camera's lens and the lens on the housing fogged up. Only this space fogged up, not the rest of the case.

I figure there must have been water trapped in the small space between the protective shield that comes up when you turn the camera off and the lens after I had taken pics in my friend's pool.

My question is... How can I make sure that I dry my camera enough so that there is no water trapped in this small space? Is there a trick? Do you have anything to recommend?

The Ikelite housing seems to create a light seal around the lens of my camera so the air seemed trapped in there and couldn't get to the moisture muncher capsule I had in the case.

Please help!

I appreciate your time and efforts in replying to me.

Thanks!

Max

PS Woo first post in this forum!

 

[jlyle]

Turn the camera on and leave it in an air conditioned room for several hours.

Turn the camera on and gently blow some compressed air over the outside of the camera.

Turn the camera on and place it in a plastic bag with some desiccant packs.

All of the above. Don't forget to recharge the battery.

Once you get the camera dry, don't take it in the water unless it's in the Oly housing.

 

[herbdb]

The instructor for a photography course I recently took recommends keeping the camera cool when the change is extreme. Right now in eastern PA the outside air temp is in the 90s and the water temp is in the 70s above the thermocline and in the 60s below it. He preloads his camera in the casing with a moisture muncher desiccant pack while still in air conditioning. He then keeps the camera and housing in a cooler until he is ready to enter the water.

Any warm moist air you allow into the housing will cause problems as the temp goes down.

 

[MaxLavoie]

Awesome advice! Thanks guys! I'll try those the next time I get my camera wet and want to use it in its case.

 

[MJSmith]

I live in Florida, and we often go from a cold hotel room to the dive boat. I always put my 8000 in the case OUTSIDE my hotel room after it has sat awhile, so there will be less temperature change to trigger the fogging (just like your glasses fogging getting out of an air conditioned car and going out in the humidity). When I get on the dive boat, I usually put it in the camera water bin right away. It seems I either run out of those silica packets or can't find them in dive towns, so I have learned to use pieces of high absorbant paper towels (Bounty).

 

[herbdb]

Great point. Cold water divers have different problems.

I have not had problems in warm water, but I am careful to keep the camera out of the sun. If the rinse bucket looks too crowded, I cover the camera with a wet towel and keep it out of the sun. I have not considered the AC issue, but will on my next trip.

 

[jlyle]

FYI - Women's panty liners are absorbant and widely available. Cut one into strips and stuff the strips into the nooks and crannies of your housing. If (god forbid) a small amount of water gets inside the housing, the liner will take care of it.