How to take care of cameras and lenses when on overseas trip?


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confiden

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Jun 3, 2008
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Hi all photography Si Fus, any tips to take care of your cameras and lenses when on overseas trips (say around 2 to 3 months in another humid country)?

Besides the normal cleaning and care, is it necessary to bring along a portable dry box? Or can just keep inside the camera bag (with silica gel)?

Appreciate your valuable sharing.
 

For those normal trip just, bring a blower and len pen along. Also lint free cloth just in case.

At night at your hotel can do basic maintainece. But if the place you are going is dusty then best try not to do many len change incase dust gets in and affects ur shots
 

I'd go for the latter. It's really quite alright. Nothing special to take note of either. Just the regular maintenance that you've been doing all the while will be fine.
 

Aiyoh... cameras are meant to be used... You won't be able to fully utilize your camera if you always afraid "something happened to the camera/lens"... If you want to use it in your holiday, just bring it and use it well... Concentrate on taking picture instead of worrying about your camera... if you want to take picture of waterfall, do it even if those mist goes towards your camera. Don't let the situation prevent you from taking picture, except if your life is in danger.

Imagine those sport photographer who sometimes have to shoot in rain, in an extreme cold/hot weather... or those who bring their equipment to the middle of a jungle to take nature photos... If they always think of their camera condition, all of us will never see good nature or sport photography...

If your priority is to keep your camera always in perfect condition, put it 24x7 in a drybox and just peek every night and imagine how good the picture you can get if you take it out and use it...

Yes I am very rude in this post... But come one lah... What is the purpose of buying a camera at the first place?

My 2 cents.
 

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i try not to change lens in dusty environments overseas.also,its a hassle to keep changing lens
The only time you can clean lens is prob at night in your hotel room
i was in siam reap recently and the roads were so dusty,you can see he dust going round ad round.Luckily i was using a 18-200 so didnt have to change lenses
in countries which are "cleaner" its prob alright to change lens as and when u like
 

Are you always using yr camera during the overseas?

If yes, then no worry, else just bring a air tight box with silica gel.
 

Hi all photography Si Fus, any tips to take care of your cameras and lenses when on overseas trips (say around 2 to 3 months in another humid country)?

Besides the normal cleaning and care, is it necessary to bring along a portable dry box? Or can just keep inside the camera bag (with silica gel)?

Appreciate your valuable sharing.

Incomplete information. How to help.

At the very least, you need to tell us which country or which part of the country/region you are going to. Congo is humid, so is Houston, but how it might affect your camera will be very different.

Staying in a 5 stars hotel or a hostel will also make a lot of difference.
 

I always bring a humidity meter and few packs of silica gel during travelling. For hotel with air conditioning, the humidity level is normally around 30-60. For places with higher humidy, I will keep my camera and lenses in the safe together with the silical gels. I will take out the lenses to zoom in/out or play with the focus ring to refresh the air trapped inside the lens once every 2-3 days.
 

Thank you very much for your valuable time in giving your views. Appreciate that.

Think with sufficient silica gel in the cam bag should be able to tahan moisture/prevent fungal grow.:)

Yes I'll learn to use my cam more often than to keeping in the bag. :)
 

Silica gel exposed to humid environment can only tahan for 1 or 2 days, after that it is completely useless. Aren't u worried? ;p
 

Aiyoh... cameras are meant to be used... You won't be able to fully utilize your camera if you always afraid "something happened to the camera/lens"...

I second this! Most cameras can withstand abuse.But of course dont throw and kick your camera around...:devil:
 

Think with sufficient silica gel in the cam bag should be able to tahan moisture/prevent fungal grow.:)

Doesn't help at all. Your bag is not airtight and the little silica bags will not keep away humidity but will be 'full' quite soon. Not all hotel rooms have microwave to heat up the gel.
Stop worrying about the dust. If it was really dusty then just take a blower and give a few blows with opening pointing down and flipped up mirror at the end of the day. Enough to get rid of the dust. Don't worry about dust in the lens or at front element / filter, it won't show up in the pictures.
Beside this: As DP has asked already ... where are you going to? Without this information it's all generic guessing with limited help.
 

I always bring a humidity meter and few packs of silica gel during travelling. For hotel with air conditioning, the humidity level is normally around 30-60. For places with higher humidy, I will keep my camera and lenses in the safe together with the silical gels. I will take out the lenses to zoom in/out or play with the focus ring to refresh the air trapped inside the lens once every 2-3 days.

That's a bit obsessive compulsive, isn't it? Just use your camera. Stop worrying so much.
 

Dear Octarine & Deadpoet, the city I planned to visit was Chiangmai. Never been there before but weather information by BBC Home shows that the humidity is pretty high both day and night throughout the year.

I gathered from the valuable sharings above, for those days without dry cabby, a smiple air-tight box with silica gel should take care of it.

(But I think very high chance trip will be cancelled due to situation in Thailand now.)

Thanks once again to all for sharing yr experience with me.
 

If you use your camera during day then the daily dosage of UV from the sun should be enough for sterilization. Keep in mind that Thailand now has the dry season, main reason for the strong tourism during the Northern Winter time. That means that you'll enjoy a lot of sunshine. Enjoy your trip, I hope the situation in Bangkok will stabilize soon.
 

I've been to Chiang Rai with my friends to do a OCIP project. I was the assigned photographer, amongst other duties... My D70 performed very well there, just with the usual maintenance. Light dusting will do. The only problems I've had there were the dust, which got on the body and (oh bummer) the sensor... Blew it out with a blower.

Btw, Octarine is correct. It's dry season over there at that time, so I doubt humidity is an issue. My camera and lens survived the onslaught of dry dust too, so do give your camera and lens manufacturer some credit. They are made to be smashed, but can certainly take some heat on its own.
 

Ahh, i got a solution for u. Put your cam into a ziploc bag together with silica gel and cut a hole just nice for the opening of the filter and tape it to the filter to form a seal. Next vacuum the air out. Now you got a weather seal cam liao :bsmilie:

But u have repeat the same steps if u need to remove your CF card or change batteries.
 

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