Relative Humidity and drybox

[pcwe68]

My friend was in wellington (New Zealand), checked out camera shops there, and was surprised to find out that they don't sell drybox, sale person even say that there is no need for drybox.

Rh in New Zealand are rather high 80% and above, see below
NZ RH
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0095&link

Singapore RH
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0089

So is it true that they don't need drybox? if so, is it because of the cold temperature? Can anyone explain this?

 

[ykia]

I read that fungi needs an RH of >60% AND temp range of 15C~30C to thrive. Outside this range, they grow very slowly or not at all. There also needs to be sufficient day/night temp variation to cause condensation on the lens.

 

[pcwe68]

I was in New Zealand many years ago with my film SLR and lenses... maybe being S'porean, cannot stand the cold, so switch on the heater when indoor........during cold and rainy days, if camera is in bag, was quite ok, but my spectacles fogged when I entered the heated room.

So cannnot quite understand why NZ camera shop don't sell dry box, I know their temp is low, but defintely not below 15C all the time (eg summer time). Plus heated rooms (temp changes from outside to inside house), unless they are used to temp so don't heat up the room.

 

[wrx_sti_22b]

See see how fast a bottle of blue silical gel turns purple in New Zealand, then maybe can see.

 

[synapseman]

When I was in Australia, I discovered that people don't put their corn-flakes/cereals in tupperwares. No need to, because their foods don't "lao-hong". Yes, such temperate climates have very low RH.

HOWEVER, because of the dryness, such places present another problem that we in Sg don't have - Static. Static electricity builds up very easily, that's why walking across a carpeted floor and then touching the insides of your PC can cause damage to your system. And as for cameras, they become dust magnets, a BIG problem especially for DSLR owners.

 

[haagen_dazs]

I read that fungi needs an RH of >60% AND temp range of 15C~30C to thrive. Outside this range, they grow very slowly or not at all. There also needs to be sufficient day/night temp variation to cause condensation on the lens.

by the way, i believe that there are certain types of fungus that grows when RH<20%.
These fungus thrive in extreme dry conditions.
I know i read this somewhere.
that is why it is advisable to have the RH in the dry box at around 35-55% (or below the blue line)

my 2 cents...

 

[erwinx]

Singapore RH
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0089

The monthly averages are more important:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT002780

 

[pcwe68]

I have read an article that says some houses experienced dampness if they do not get sunlight.

Anyway, contacted a friend who is working in New Zealand, he says that it can be damp during certain months.

So looks like the camera shops in NZ are rather careless to say that drybox is not needed in NZ. And they actually don't sell them.

 

[E1g3]

by the way, i believe that there are certain types of fungus that grows when RH<20%.
These fungus thrive in extreme dry conditions.
I know i read this somewhere.
that is why it is advisable to have the RH in the dry box at around 35-55% (or below the blue line)

my 2 cents...

is 35-55% the ideal setting for lens and cameras?

 

[Ah Pao]

Yeap, actually more accurately it should be 45%-55% RH (at least according to my dry cabinate manual).

Above that get fungus attack, below that I've read (somewhere) that lubricants of the camera's mechanical parts can get dried out too.

Correct me if I'm wrong.