Any tips on reducing lens fogging?

[bubstang]

I live just north of Houston and the humidity is quite high. We have quite a few squirell and the occasional woodpecker outside. When I open the back door to slip through the crack for a pic, my lens fogs up immediately.

Do you have any secrets to reducing this effect. Anything out there along the line of fog reducing lens cleaner?

Thanks!

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by bubstang

I live just north of Houston and the humidity is quite high. We have quite a few squirell and the occasional woodpecker outside. When I open the back door to slip through the crack for a pic, my lens fogs up immediately.

Do you have any secrets to reducing this effect. Anything out there along the line of fog reducing lens cleaner?

Thanks!

Nope, I even see this just getting my gear out of the car if it's cooled down. You might try keeping it in an ice chest that's warmer than your room temperature.

[bondarnes]

When humidity is high here I blow on my camera and lens with a hair dryer for about a minute or so. Seems to work for me.

[venchka]

I lost at least an hour waiting for the fog to clear from my 70-200 the first time I took it from a cold house to the beach in Destin, FL. After that, I left it in the foam padded Tamrac bag on the porch. No worries the rest of the trip. So, try to keep the lens as close to the outside temperature as possible.

Good luck! Show us some woodpecker photos.

[bubstang]

Thanks for the tips. Maybe I need to keep it wrapped in a heating pad or on the fridge when I'm home

Here's a pic...
(not great but convenient)

[Patti Edens]

Originally Posted by bubstang

Thanks for the tips. Maybe I need to keep it wrapped in a heating pad or on the fridge when I'm home

Here's a pic...
(not great but convenient)

That's a very nice shot. I'd love to have woodpeckers in my yard but all we get are tons of sparrows, grackles and doves. Occasionally we do get some cardinals and blue jays and rarely a Carolina Chickadee. But no woodpeckers

I agree with the idea of keeping your camera outdoors if you can - maybe locked in the garage?? I had the same problem when I went to Matagorda Island State Park (before they closed down the barracks) last summer. I was there for 4 days and the first morning I had to wait forever for the fogged lenses to clear. After that I just left my camera outside. There were hardly any people there, so I didn't worry (too much) about it getting stolen.

Patti

[venchka]

A red belly! My favorite. I have a pair and a youngun that frequent my backyard. I put out gourmet woodpecker mix in the feeders and they prefer the corn in the deer feeder. Go figure! A pair of pileateds come through occasionally. I can hear them but rarely see them.

Thanks!

[L Stegall]

I have heard that sealing your camera and lens in a ziplock bag when moving from a/c to a hot/humid climate helps prevent fog, but I've never tried it. I'm taking a box of big ziplock bags on my upcoming trip to Thailand for this purpose.

[Daniel Bates]

This thread had some good advice in it.

[L Stegall]

Thanks Daniel,

Checked it out and now I'll pick up some hand warmers - they may look funny in tropical Thailand, but who cares. I've had lens fog in Mexico before and it is definitely a bummer having to wait for the big thaw. Glad to see someone else had heard of the ziploc bag idea. I'm giving that a shot too. Oh, and just FYI, I never was a forum lurker - jumped in posting from day 1.

[Daniel Bates]

Oh, and just FYI, I never was a forum lurker -

Me either... ;)

[LadyShutterBug]

Originally Posted by L Stegall

I have heard that sealing your camera and lens in a ziplock bag when moving from a/c to a hot/humid climate helps prevent fog, but I've never tried it. I'm taking a box of big ziplock bags on my upcoming trip to Thailand for this purpose.

at some point, thoguh, you have to take that lens out of the bag unless you're shooting through the baggie.

i was driving to galveston for a sunrise shoot this weekend. when i got to the bridge, i just shut off the AC and rolled down the windows, go tht ecamera out of the bag so it could warm to ambient air temp. it takes a few minutes, so leave the lens cap on and warm the barrell of the lens with your hands. if you're patient, you can avoid the fog.

[huxley]

why wait for your lens to unfog? i kinda like the effect that it can give you... i took this with a foggy lens and i like it better than the other junk i took as soon as my lens cleared. am i wrong? but i think this is cool!!!!

[bubstang]

Thanks for all the tips and dialog.

Hux, i like the fogged pic, but what is it?

AA

[moffo]

I'm not so sure the ziplock buys you much since the humidity is in the outside air and once you open the baggie you get condensation anyhow. Only thing that does make sense is to keep the lens temperature at or above the dewpoint temperature.