What do you store in your Dry Cabinet?

[Wai]

Other than camera, lenses, video tapes, film.....

Anyone put anything like de-odourant or chemicals which suppose to kill germs or fungus inside?

I think the previous owner of my D30 put lots of de-odourant in his dry cabinet last time, when he shows me the camera, i already can smell it before he unwrap it, and now after 3 days, the smell is still very strong...

so i wonder.....mould cannot grow in dry cabinet, but will germs corrode any parts of the camera? that's why have to spray this kind of things inside to kill germs?

btw, how do you are blow away dust on the mirror inside camera? turn the camera upside down and blow? or dun care abt it? i dun think it will affect the photo rite....but i dunno what's inside D30, so i am not sure will this dust can reach the CMOS or not...i dunno if it is safe to clean the CMOS too frequently

lastly, how do you check if there are mould or fungus in the lens? i am planning to get a few 2nd hand lens soon, what are the things that u have to check before paying?

Thanks!

 

[Darren]

heh heh, so now we know what camera you bought - congrats on your new toy.

Dry cabinets tend to have a kind of peculiar smell due to the dehumidifying agent used - its not deodarant or any other chemical. BTW, since there are no biological tissue inside your D30, its very safe to say that germs will not cause the camera any harm - but if you let someone with conjunctivitis use your camera, YOU could be infected

To blow away dust inside the camera, typically, I will lock the mirror up and then with the FRONT facing down, use a hand-blower and squirt a couple of times into the opening. Your D30 CMOS sensor may not need the cleaning, and here is how you test:-
1. Use any lens, set at f/16 or smaller
2. Take a pic of any smooth, regular surface, ie a piece of paper (use flash if not bright enough).
3. Open the JPG in Photoshop (or any other editing program) and do an AUTO-LEVELs.
4. If there are humongous "UFOs" or Dark Spots after doing autolevels, then you have dust and you may want to do some air-cleaning. If there are none, or only small "UFOs", then no need to clean.

As for mould or fungus on the lens, look THROUGH the lens at a bright spot/area and check for "spider-webs" on the inner surfaces of the lens. BTW, ALL lenses will have some dust inside it, so don't be too worked up over some speck of dust.

Happy Shooting!

 

[tomshen]

Hi kamwai, congradulations to yr d30. What lens setup r u planning?

I don't have a cabinet but a dry box, does it help?

 

[Wai]

Thanks Darren for your tips, i will try that later, now i am using a lens which borrowed from Klause, and there is some "spider web" at one end already, i dun think Klause will bother to clean it...

so i wonder, if i leave that lens in dry cabinet, will they disappear?

i am using a dry cabinet too, but it never give that nice smell to my equipment inside, i am sure the previous owner spray 'de-odorant' inside, i dun mean those de-odorant for body, it is those for home use, it can kill germs too, i use it last time to spray my smelly helmet in NS, so i remember that smell.

 

[ziploc]

Originally posted by kamwai

so i wonder, if i leave that lens in dry cabinet, will they disappear?

Nope they won't. But they will stop growing until they have moisture again.

 

[howie]

hassy 501C, 50mm, 80mm, 120mm, pola filter and PME90. also
leica M6, 28mm, 50mm and 90mm, and pola filter for leica.

 

[rueyloon]

apple, oranges and a glass of water.

 

[Goose]

Congrats on ya new purchase!!!

Me also got dry cabinet but I only put my camera stuffs inside.

 

[budiman10]

how about digi cam?? is it needed to put inside the dry cabinet?? or just leave it in open can liao?

 

[ckiang]

Originally posted by budiman10
how about digi cam?? is it needed to put inside the dry cabinet?? or just leave it in open can liao?

Put it in the dry box. My Coolpix 950 which I bring around everyday (thus out of dry box) has developed some fungus in the lens' front element, behind the built-in protective filter. I managed to open up the thing, clean it myself and close it back. No easy feat for the faint hearted.

Regards
CK

 

[budiman10]

oic thnx n will do

 

[siron]

should I get a dry cabinet too? hmmm

 

[budiman10]

it doesnt hurt ot be careful with expensive equipment mah so get it lah

 

[siron]

Originally posted by budiman10
it doesnt hurt ot be careful with expensive equipment mah so get it lah

waht can u guys recommand?? how much? where to get??
I dun need much space..just a camera and ..errr that's all!! haha.

 

[rueyloon]

I would recommend getting a Dry Cabi over a tripod anyday !

 

[ninelives]

Originally posted by kamwai
Other than camera, lenses, video tapes, film.....

cigarettes

 

[budiman10]

Originally posted by siron



waht can u guys recommand?? how much? where to get??
I dun need much space..just a camera and ..errr that's all!! haha.

get the small dry box $30 at ap n the silica gel a few buck only

 

[Kho King]

get an electronic one...you will get fedup recycling the silica gel...and worry about over drying your gears...

 

[budiman10]

umm.. dunno abt this stuff how much ah?? where to get?

 

[Kho King]

Originally posted by budiman10
umm.. dunno abt this stuff how much ah?? where to get?

CP, Fotoguide...etc. Can be as cheap as S$200. Mine is Eureka brand, with dial (H, M, L) inside, and a meter on the door showing the %RH inside. Has used it for 2 years+, still working perfectly. RM400 I bought it. Taiwan made.