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Old Dec 3, 2020 | 05:30 PM
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Default Cold camera question

I have concerns about bringing my cold camera indoors after being out in the cold for a while. My concern is that warmer moist air might cause condensation inside the body or lens and damage the mechanisms.

Years ago, I was camping out over the weekend on a local river. I was using a 35mm SLR. All the pictures taken Saturday were properly focused and exposed. Sunday's pictures were all blurry and over exposed. A local camera shop said the shutter and lens both had a sluggish operation. Long story short, it was humidity that gummed up the works.

So, now when I have a cold camera I put it and all lenses used inside it's bag before going indoors and let it slowly warm shielded from the warm moist air. Anyone else have problems? Anyone else take precautions?
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Old Dec 3, 2020 | 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Frodo
I have concerns about bringing my cold camera indoors after being out in the cold for a while. My concern is that warmer moist air might cause condensation inside the body or lens and damage the mechanisms.

Years ago, I was camping out over the weekend on a local river. I was using a 35mm SLR. All the pictures taken Saturday were properly focused and exposed. Sunday's pictures were all blurry and over exposed. A local camera shop said the shutter and lens both had a sluggish operation. Long story short, it was humidity that gummed up the works.

So, now when I have a cold camera I put it and all lenses used inside it's bag before going indoors and let it slowly warm shielded from the warm moist air. Anyone else have problems? Anyone else take precautions?

Yes, this has happened to me several times over the years. The key is to gradually change the temperature (acclimate your gear) as much as you can to reduce this issue. Below is a link to a very good simple article on the issue of Camera Condensation:

https://creativeraw.com/preventing-camera-condensation/
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Old Dec 4, 2020 | 06:39 AM
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Thanks for the link. It confirms my concern for condensation and my method of limiting its occurrence. A lot of amateur photographers, and I'm an amateur myself, don't think about things like this.
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