Dry Cabinet Queries - Aipo's Reliability & Hygrometer

[The Rain Man]

Hey all!

I'm relatively new to this forum and have some queries with regards to dry cabinets. I bought a Canon EOS 650D two days ago and one of the freebies that came along with the camera is an AIPO-26L Dry Cabinet. I've been reading quite a lot of threads on the forum pertaining to dry cabinets but still have some concerns and queries that come to mind:

1) The reliability of AIPO cabinets seem to be questionable with many saying that fungus still grows on the lens despite storing the camera in the boxes
2) Some have brought up that the digital hygrometers inside AIPO cabinets are unreliable and tend to spoil relatively quickly
3) Most have recommended getting a Digi-Cabi as it is more reliable.

Being a new user the world of DSLR's, I can say that I am a little more paranoid. I guess the questions that I would love to have answered are as follows:

• Should I continue using the AIPO Dry Box?
• Should I buy a second Hygrometer to test the accuracy of the one already installed in the AIPO Dry Cabinet?
• Where can I find a reliable and affordable Hygrometer?
• Should I just store my Canon DSLR in the EOS Bag for the time being?

Any responses to the above questions would be greatly appreciated! I'm sorry if the post is a little long or confusing. Thanks so much guys

 

[Octarine]

First of all, stop being paranoid. Borrowing a phrase by a fellow member: "Your cameras is not made of tofu". They are made to stand tough outdoor conditions, they won't crumble to dust within days ... And even fungus needs time.
If you live in Singapore then controlled humidity is essential for the time when you don't use your camera for a longer time. These are the key words. If you use your camera every day then you can skip the dry box / cabinet. If you see that there will be weeks without using your camera then get something that offers reliably controlled humidity. Now look at these boxes where you need to buy and change the Silica gel. Are you meticulous enough to check it every few days? Can you do this? (Do consider times of absence where you don't take your camera). A second detail to consider: you will get more equipment, trust me on that. A dry cabinet offers storage space for more items, everything neat and tidy in one place.
Getting a second hygrometer is a good idea, check Sim Lim Tower shops for that. Search for threads about 'Salt Test' to determine the accuracy and offset.
For the next days, just keep your camera in an open shelf, well aired. Fungus likes to grow in dark, humid places with stagnant air - that's exactly what your EOS bag provides.

 

[Shizuma]

spend more time shooting and enjoying the craft.
spend less time and money thinking about maintaining your gears.

and remember if you shoot more in daytime, your camera gets a nice UV bath, the working parts inside, and your lenses too.

 

[kklee]

• Should I continue using the AIPO Dry Box? Yes. You may consider to get a spare AC Adaptor if you worry it will fail. But yet, get a spare dry cabinet or dry box.
• Should I buy a second Hygrometer to test the accuracy of the one already installed in the AIPO Dry Cabinet? No & Yes. They might not be accurate to begin with. You could get one to serve as a reference so that you will know when the in-build one fails.
• Where can I find a reliable and affordable Hygrometer?
• Should I just store my Canon DSLR in the EOS Bag for the time being? No.

See above in RED.

 

[snowc]

Would suggest that you get a second hygrometer and most DIY shops should carry it.

I used to have an Aipo cabinet in the past which is set to 40%. I got a second hygrometer to test it which actually read around 55%. Also, the AC adaptor's cover came off soon after that. Now have switched to Digi-Cabi.

 

[daredevil123]

If you are worried about the reliability of the dry cab, you can get a standalone hygrometer. Test it using the salt test to determine how accurate it is, noting the offset. Put that standalone hygrometer in the dry cab so you can have a good frame reference of how your dry cab is holding up.

I have a small 50L digicabi and several Akarui dry cabs. All are working strong.

 

[Bukitimah]

My Digi Cabi is more than 2 years old. The hygrometer is not accurate but I have another analog one to double check. Actually, in my humble opinion, anything between 40 to 60 RH should be Ok.

26L is a bit small but for a start OK. Once you start building up your lenses...