Lens Steaming Up

  • Thread starter Thread starter PJS
  • Start date Start date
PJS

PJS

Suspended / Banned
Messages
49
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Are any members able to offer some advice please. I enjoy visiting wildlife parks, and a couple I have been to have butterfly rooms. These rooms are kept at high temperature which keep steaming up my lens. Have tried different filters and without filters but with no luck. Can anyone help me please?
 
It takes a while for the lens to climatise with the new surroundings, they will clear with time...
 
Give 'em about 20 minutes to acclimatise and then you'll be fine... :)

Try to avoid changing lenses though 'cos that's asking for trouble!
 
Not sure whether its worth a crack but i remember the riders on my fathers race team using anti fog on the inside of their visors, im not sure about the optical quality of it and would only suggest using something like this on a cheap uv filter and not directly on your front elephant.
My dive mask was fogging up something chronic in the Maldives didn't end using fluid, turns out some manufacturers use a silicone based polish to keep the glass shiny in the shop. A friendly diver suggested using toothpaste to clean the glass and hey presto no more fog!
Can't imagine cleaning a lens with toothpaste lol
 
Hot moist air will always condense on a colder surface.

You need to bring the camera/lens temperature up to the ambient in the tropical areas, either by waiting until it equalises, or perhaps by having a black carrier bag with you and using this to allow the sun to warm-up your camera before you enter the tropical area.
 
One butterfly house I visited in Wales had a fan heater in reception and the proprietor invited photographers to warm their gear before going in to the tropical area. I declined and spent (it felt like) 15 minutes with my camera and lens misting over. I gave up the battle and went back to reception to warm my gear as recommended. No issues after that.

Another suggestion offered by the owner was, if travelling by car, to put the camera in the footwell and whack up the temperature to max and direct it below for the last 10 minutes (or more) of the journey.
 
Try putting the camera with lens attached in a plastic bag before you enter the warm room, then just leave it to warm up inside the bag. (It helps if you don't let the camera get too cold beforehand.)

Then when you take the camera out of the bag, there won't be any condensation residue on the lens.
 
You can run into the same problem taking a camera out of an air conditioned car/building in warm/humid climates. Dry heat won't cause this, because there's not enough moisture in the air to condense. All the solutions above are worth trying, and generally work quite well.
 
I recently had this problem when in Ecuador. The only solution was to take gear out of the air conditioned cabins and leave it just outside the breakfast room to allow it to acclimatise.
It's not just the lens or viewfinder that can be affected, the sensor can also mist over.
 
Go to the toilet and use the hand drier to warm your camera up before going in?
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. Will try some of these tips next time
 
Don't touch the lens at all whilst it's steamed up as it leaves slight marks, it might not effect the photographs but no one wants a dirty lens eh?
 
Last edited:
My lenses have done this in butterfly houses, it usually takes around 20 minutes to clear but one time it was well over an hour...I was starting to get worried.
 
Simon photo said:
Not sure whether its worth a crack but i remember the riders on my fathers race team using anti fog on the inside of their visors, im not sure about the optical quality of it and would only suggest using something like this on a cheap uv filter and not directly on your front elephant.
My dive mask was fogging up something chronic in the Maldives didn't end using fluid, turns out some manufacturers use a silicone based polish to keep the glass shiny in the shop. A friendly diver suggested using toothpaste to clean the glass and hey presto no more fog!
Can't imagine cleaning a lens with toothpaste lol
Click to expand...

You have "front elephant" !!!
:lol::lol::lol:
 
Last edited:
Does anyone know how much of a temperature differential it takes to cause this condensation, and how much the level of humidity comes into it? I'm just curious, because the last time this happened to me was at the Knysna Heads in South Africa. The camera had been in the car, with the windows closed and the ventilation on, but no air conditioning, for about ten minutes and it was very humid/damp outside, but not particularly warm. It fogged up very quickly when I got out.
 
I think what you're looking for is the "Dew Point". If your camera is as cold or colder than the dew point of the air at that moment then condensation will form.

Sorry about the figures being in Fahrenheit.

20120411_144024_.JPG
 
Last edited:
Thanks for this, it sounds like a good explanation. I can't get my head around Fahrenheit without converting it, but I get the picture!
 
Here you go - I found the switch for Centigrade. So this is the hourly forecast, including dew point, for the next few hours in London.

20120411_145650_.JPG


So long as your camera is no colder than 7C you should be fine for the rest of the day in London. All bets are off if you visit a butterfly house or take your camera indoors after it's been outside in the cold. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top