extreme conditions

[erica_h]

Next month I'm travelling to parts of the Amazon rainforest in

Brazil, and I'm wondering whether my Canon EOS-1D mkII or my EOS-1V

(with slide film) will cope better with the extreme heat and

humidity? Is there a totally manual (ie. no electronic bits) camera

out there I should take as a backup?

[frank uhlig]

Are you sure the conditions will be so extreme? Under the canopy in the rainforset, you might need a light shirt/coat thus time of year.

In Colombia, when it gets hot on the beach in the summer heat, people go cool off half a mile inland into the jungle forest, you know.

 

The cameras will all do fine, it is your personal comfort you might miss and henceforth mess up with the cameras. And down inside the forest, it is verryyy dark, so take some NPZ 800 and a flash and tripod or monopod for easier handling.

[lost_art]

Erica,

 

I went to the amazon last year and my cameras had no problem at all. Please share more

details about where you are going in the amazon. The heat is not THAT extreme, but the

humidity is very high. A backup is ALWAYS a good idea, in any travel situation.

 

good luck!

[greg s]

One of the main issues to be aware of with high humidity is taking camera/lenses from an air conditioned environ outside into the humid atmosphere. That can/will cause condensation in the equipment (especially problematic for lenses and potential fungus). After your trip, allow lenses some time out in a dry environment. It's a good idea to check lenses before/after (view directly through lens with aperture fully open and look for discoloration, especially around lens element edges). -Greg-

[SteveH]

Last year my wife and I had a Canon 10D and a Digital Rebel on the Manu

river in Peru (part of the Amazon watershed). We had no problems with the

cameras or lenses in the humidity. The digital rebel got a little tempermental

at high altitude (14 K feet over the andes), but otherwise was fine. You might

think of keeping your lenses in plastic zip-lock bags when not in use. I

wouldn't use the silica dehydrator unless you're sure that the container is

airtight, otherwise the stuff just attracts water to itself.

[bill_oneill]

There is no totally manual camera body that will take your EOS lenses.

 

However, if you are willing to buy all new (old) lenses too, there are any number of wonderful all manual camera bodies from Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Leica, Contax, etc..

 

I guess all those old Canon and Minolta fans did not mind their favourite camera company leaving them high and dry. Sometimes I?m glad I chose Pentax. Even my ancient screw mount lenses will work on my new digital SLR and my latest FA* lenses work beautifully on my old MX, LX, ME super, etc.. Life is good.

[ruriks work]

Erica,

 

I just returned from a week's trip to a semi-deciduous rainforest in southern Mexico. I took my Canon 20D for the first time to this environment, and had no problem whatsoever. The main issue though was the definitive advantage of being able to change the ISO sensitivity of the camera from 100-800 depending on the condition of the light (it can be rather dark under the canopy, but then you reach a clearing and the light changes dramaically), just because of that I would take the 1d, but if you can, take both and then you have back up for watever camera you have a problem with.

 

Rurik

[ShunCheung]

Your high-end EOS cameras should be just fine in the Amazons. Make sure you have some backups, though.

 

I bought a Nikon D100 close to three years ago when it first became available, shortly before we went on a trip to Australia. The D100 worked just fine at the rainforests in Queensland and Northern Territory. The following year I went to the Arctic and the D100 worked fine over there as well. And the D100 is only a "consumer-grade" DSLR based on the cheaper $300 Nikon film SLR N80.

[yuri_huta]

I have travelled to the Ecuadorian Amazon every year for the past few years. Each time

the stay is between 4-5 weeks. I have travelled with Canon Elan IIs and Canon 10D, as

well as having two Nikon D1Xs stationed at a field research station.

 

The D1Xs are there permanently and sometimes have air conditioning (removes

moisture) but can go for over a month without any moisture removal.

 

No moisture related problems yet. All my Canon gear was in screened rooms (no AC

ever) and exposed to whatever humidity is outside. I have not had any fungus

problems. I even had my EF 300mm f/2.8L out there with both 1.4x and 2.0x

teleconverters.

 

The equipment gets moist from periodic cloud bursts and sweat. The sweat bees do a

good job of lapping liquid up, but with the ran, just have a garbage bag in your back

pocket ready to throw over your equipment when rains threaten.

 

How long are you going to be in the field?

 

Someone mentioned problems with condensation (going from AC room to the humid

outdoors) - this cannot be overstated. This is a huge problem, and is the reason I did

not keep my gear in an AC room. It is a HUGE hassle, especially if you have a properly

functioning AC unit that really lowers the temperature.

 

I have also hauled lots of film through the jungle with no problems in terms of

humidity, there are problems with prolonged heat though.

 

Definitely take a back up. We have had a shutter fail on one of the D1Xs.