dry cabinet dos & don'ts - from the horse's mouth

[artyboy]

i browsed thru the forums here abt dry cabinets, and being confused by different recommendations from different dry cabinet manufacturers, thot i'd asked Canon about their recommendations. as expected, they won't commit to specific RH settings (they say its subjective, and understandably so) but here's what i found out on what they practice with their own equipment. thot i'd share.

* they store their cameras/lenses at between 40-45% RH (they are NOT specifying this but its what THEY use).
* accessories like plastic stuff (eg, flash unit), fabrics (straps, lens pouches, flash cases) & batteries should not be stored inside a dry cabinet.
* camera body/lenses should be wiped dry and aired after a shoot before storage.
* fabric/leather straps soak up sweat and moisture and recommended not to be stored in dry cabinet
* should not leave cameras/lenses in dry cabinet for extended periods as it does (slow) damage to plastics/rubber - in other words, USE your gear regularly.

these are recommendations on taking care of your photo equipment, not how to use your dry cabinets. it's probably negligible 'damage' if you've done any of the above (im equally guilty) but they do make sense, for the long-term.

 

[hvpdmg]

Thanks dude! Time to dig my flash and all the barang barang out of the cabinet lol.

 

[dOlBy]

Thanks dude! Time to dig my flash and all the barang barang out of the cabinet lol.

Same here I always keep my flash in the dry cabinet. Now I know it is a no no:nono:

 

[di0nysus]

Same here I always keep my flash in the dry cabinet. Now I know it is a no no:nono:

i'm still undecided about this. The dry air would probably keep the contacts from oxidation, but the plastics will lose their 'plasticity' faster...

my flash units are in my drybox as it saves space!

 

[artyboy]

give & take abit lor, im not 100% obedient also.
i removed my strap but left the smaller ends hooked up to the camera (the part dislodged from the quick release brackets). also left the hand-grip on. these 2 parts are tied thru the strap rings on the camera body, how to always untie/tie back when taking out camera? :bsmilie:

lens caps are also plastic but since they are non-functional accessories, if they crack after afew years can just replace them. altho i dun think they will unless u set the RH way too low.

 

[tony_teo]

Anyone know the reason for not keeping plastic stuff in the cabinet. I don't understand the reason for this. Humidity should not have an adverse effect on the plastic. If it does, woun't the camera body also be affected?

 

[shyam]

Anyone know the reason for not keeping plastic stuff in the cabinet. I don't understand the reason for this. Humidity should not have an adverse effect on the plastic. If it does, woun't the camera body also be affected?

tony has a point actually... if low RH affects plastics... wouldnt the outside of the lens assembly and the camera body be in danger of damage? (Considering that alot of lenses have plastic bodies nowadays... wouldnt this be a major issue?)

 

[Zeddy]

Hmm... I always put my spare battery inside too.

 

[denniskee]

Anyone know the reason for not keeping plastic stuff in the cabinet. I don't understand the reason for this. Humidity should not have an adverse effect on the plastic. If it does, woun't the camera body also be affected?

tony has a point actually... if low RH affects plastics... wouldnt the outside of the lens assembly and the camera body be in danger of damage? (Considering that alot of lenses have plastic bodies nowadays... wouldnt this be a major issue?)

answer to ur question

* should not leave cameras/lenses in dry cabinet for extended periods as it does (slow) damage to plastics/rubber - in other words, USE your gear regularly.

 

[artyboy]

thanks dennis
thats the point the Canon guy was trying to tell me, long-term 'permanent' storage should be avoided. thats the kind of advice we all love to get - USE your gear! its like doctor telling you every week must at least eat 3 scroops of ice cream (or whatever you fancy).

 

[Old Man Lee]

I would also add to this piece of advise

You must air your dry cabinet regularly i.e. open the cabinet door so that fresh air will be replace the old and stagnant air. if not the equipment will rot.

i browsed thru the forums here abt dry cabinets, and being confused by different recommendations from different dry cabinet manufacturers, thot i'd asked Canon about their recommendations. as expected, they won't commit to specific RH settings (they say its subjective, and understandably so) but here's what i found out on what they practice with their own equipment. thot i'd share.

* they store their cameras/lenses at between 40-45% RH (they are NOT specifying this but its what THEY use).
* accessories like plastic stuff (eg, flash unit), fabrics (straps, lens pouches, flash cases) & batteries should not be stored inside a dry cabinet.
* camera body/lenses should be wiped dry and aired after a shoot before storage.
* fabric/leather straps soak up sweat and moisture and recommended not to be stored in dry cabinet
* should not leave cameras/lenses in dry cabinet for extended periods as it does (slow) damage to plastics/rubber - in other words, USE your gear regularly.

these are recommendations on taking care of your photo equipment, not how to use your dry cabinets. it's probably negligible 'damage' if you've done any of the above (im equally guilty) but they do make sense, for the long-term.

 

[denniskee]

I would also add to this piece of advise

You must air your dry cabinet regularly i.e. open the cabinet door so that fresh air will be replace the old and stagnant air. if not the equipment will rot.

i thought opening the door when taking or putting back the gears should be enough to air the cabinet?

 

[denniskee]

thanks dennis
thats the point the Canon guy was trying to tell me, long-term 'permanent' storage should be avoided. thats the kind of advice we all love to get - USE your gear! its like doctor telling you every week must at least eat 3 scroops of ice cream (or whatever you fancy).

doctor also advice you to exercise atleast 3 times a week, dont keep youself in the house for too long a duration.:bsmilie:

 

[rawsteak]

I would also add to this piece of advise

You must air your dry cabinet regularly i.e. open the cabinet door so that fresh air will be replace the old and stagnant air. if not the equipment will rot.

But how often should this be done? Sometimes opening and closing to retrieve or put back equipment on a rainy day is enough to upset the humidity inside for a whole day! Takes one day or so to stabilize again. Hm maybe my dry cabinet is weak :bsmilie:

 

[Tumbleweed]

But how often should this be done? Sometimes opening and closing to retrieve or put back equipment on a rainy day is enough to upset the humidity inside for a whole day! Takes one day or so to stabilize again. Hm maybe my dry cabinet is weak :bsmilie:

No need to be so paranoid. Mould or fungus will take a lot longer than one day to grow in your lenses. I have kept my lens and camera out of my dry cabinet (but in my backpack) for up to two months with no evidence of mould. If your dry cabinet takes one day to reach the correct setting than I think it is not an issue. But after two or three days and there is no change in interior humidity then.......hmmmm.

 

[CS TAN]

I have been using dry cabinets for the past 10 years. Currently, I have 3 dry cabinets (total capacity is around 800L) and I have just order another 300L cabinet today.

For me, since most of the stuff inside the dry cabinet is paper based (stamps), I have a slightly different RH set compare to my camera equipments. I use a separate cabinet to keep my camera equipment and keep the RH at around 45%. For the paper-based cabinets, they are being set at 40%.

With Singapore's humid weather, it is not advisable to open the cabinet too often. Most of the time, I will turn on the room's air-con for half an hour before openng the cabinet. I will attempt to leave the door open the least amount of time, get the necessary stuff out as soon as possible and close the door. Even with quick open and close action, the humidity will rise to over 50%. Therefore, I don't agree that we should open the cabinet to let in fresh air. Every time you open the door, the cabinet will have to work that much harder to lower the RH and therefore reduce the life of the hydrometer.

I have been using AM-PRO dry cabinets but seems that they have gone out of business. The latest one I ordered is from Digihub's Digi-Cabi AD-300.

 

[masrudyn]

Recently I found that one of my precious lens (which I have not used for quite awhile) has moulds on it. How do you know if your Dry cabinet is working or not?

My dry cabinet is placed in my store-room - is that a no-no? My dry cabinet has a gauge on it and it shows 75 RH with 30degrees C - does that indicate that my dry cabinet is not working?

 

[rawsteak]

75 is like normal room humidity. Your equipment should be sitting in 40-55 range.

 

[Octarine]

i browsed thru the forums here abt dry cabinets, and being confused by different recommendations from different dry cabinet manufacturers, thot i'd asked Canon about their recommendations. as expected, they won't commit to specific RH settings (they say its subjective, and understandably so) but here's what i found out on what they practice with their own equipment. thot i'd share.

* they store their cameras/lenses at between 40-45% RH (they are NOT specifying this but its what THEY use).
* accessories like plastic stuff (eg, flash unit), fabrics (straps, lens pouches, flash cases) & batteries should not be stored inside a dry cabinet.
* camera body/lenses should be wiped dry and aired after a shoot before storage.
* fabric/leather straps soak up sweat and moisture and recommended not to be stored in dry cabinet
* should not leave cameras/lenses in dry cabinet for extended periods as it does (slow) damage to plastics/rubber - in other words, USE your gear regularly.

these are recommendations on taking care of your photo equipment, not how to use your dry cabinets. it's probably negligible 'damage' if you've done any of the above (im equally guilty) but they do make sense, for the long-term.

Before something makes sense to me I prefer to have more than one horse telling me the same
Why should plastic stuff like the above mentioned not be stored? As far as I know plastic will not lose any elasticity - simply because it isn't elastic. Rubber parts have chemical substances inside to keep them soft. Those I understand could be dried out faster. But a good dosage UV during an open air shoot will do the same. So what now?
I suggest using a bit common sense and being less paranoid. Keep in mind all equipment is built for outside usage where the conditions can be far from what you have in a clean studio. All vendors do their R&D to make sure your camera doesn't break apart after 15min outdoor usage. Many examples of old cameras still being usable tell a good story about how durable equipment is - sometimes even with less care than what is recommended.
The manual of the dry cabinet already gives some indications about what to store at which RH level. The temperature is less relevant here but merely a hint. The cooling effect of dry air can be safely neglected

 

[Octarine]

Recently I found that one of my precious lens (which I have not used for quite awhile) has moulds on it. How do you know if your Dry cabinet is working or not?

My dry cabinet is placed in my store-room - is that a no-no? My dry cabinet has a gauge on it and it shows 75 RH with 30degrees C - does that indicate that my dry cabinet is not working?

Have a look at the manual. It's described what you need to check. For the Digi dry cabinets there is a red and green LED inside. The red will always be on, the green one will light up depending on the desired RH level. The drier it needs to be the brighter the green LED will be. You can adjust the RH level using the dial. Red means "more dry", green means "less dry"
It doesn't matter much where you place your dry cab (the manual again will help), as long as you plug in the power cord