dSLR's in high humidity (OK, I have a D80)

[alight]

Hello. I just purchased a D80. My main use is for hiking-shooting and for

going to all kinds of wilderness locations during vacations (hiking, canoeing),

thus encountering all kinds of weather. It is very likely that I will

encounter very high humidity, fogs, etc (I'm not worried about rain - that's

easy). I've heard of even pro cameras failing in those conditions(?). What

are my options, and what is the cost of those options? I have only one lens,

Nikon 18-70mm DX, and that's enough, so lens swapping is not an issue. I'd be

very grateful to hear especially from photographers with real-life experience

in these situations. Thank you for your time.

[alight]

BTW, buying a supposedly weather-sealed D200 is not a budget option in my case...

[carl_johnson3]

I've used my D70 in many humid nasty ucky places and it's survived.

[Peter_in_PA]

I've even used my D50 in light rain, wiped it off as often as I could... no problems. I think I

might've gotten lucky, though.

[briany]

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if weather sealing doesn't do much in these circumstances - moist air is definitely harder to keep out than water. If a camera were air-tight, you could swim with it. I've used my D70 is the humid rainforest, left it outside during a tropical storm where it was drenched, had snow melting on it, condensation covering it, etc. Zero problems. "what are my options" - insurance is probably your most comprehensive option. Your cheapest / lowest probability-weighted cost is very likely just to not worry and keep clicking away.

[alight]

Thank you, guys, for the answers. I know that certain circuit boards are coated with a sticky stuff to prevent moisture from getting to the components. I don't know if this applies to dSLRs... Michael Reichmann of Lumious Landscape reports about 50 photographers shooting

in moisture saturated air in South America and they had even 1D series cameras fail (5 of them - out of 40 or so) and that's some heavy-duty gear (also some lenses). I posted this question to learn

from those that already experienced such conditions.

[iancoxleigh]

I wouldn't be too worried about using a my camera for short periods in a high-humidity environment. However, I would want to store my camera in sealed case/bag/housing along with a few silica packets so the camera can dry out between uses.

 

I am a happy user of pelican cases. But, a ziploc bag would also work if you were not also looking for protection etc. There are also water-proof housings including one for the D80 -- they are pricey, but, you would also be getting a water-proof housing that you could use for underwater shooting.

[elliot1]

this might help.

 

http://www.adorama.com/CSCASNKD80.html?searchinfo=camera%20armor&item_no=2

[bsd230]

The main thing you have to watch out for in high humidity areas is taking your camera from air conditioned indoors into the high humidity and heat of the outdoors. It's best to allow your camera to warm up gradually closed up in your camera bag once it reaches the outdoor temp you should be fine, well at least you shouldn't have major condensation. And silica packages definitely wouldn't hurt.

[jose_angel]

In real high humidity conditions, the main problem I have experienced were steamed up lenses and finders. I have experienced it in caves and in very cold conditions (after night inside a tent). It can make your camera useless for several hours.

 

It looks like cold (extreme cold weather) could be the first cause to jam digital camera circuitry, rather than humidity.

[bill_keane2]

Cameras were made to be used, and if you use reasonable care, you should be fine. Try to avoid having the camera go through wide temperature changes in a short time. (from A/C into 90 degree/high humidity). A case with lots of renewable silica gel packs is good, and if you can leave the case exposed to the general conditions (not in direct sunlight) your camera will be acclimatised for use. You take it out when it's roughly the same temp as the surrounding conditions.

[mark_garlick]

I was using my D80 a couple of weeks ago in Thailand. I looked through the viewfinder to take a shot of a street and it was all foggy. Took off the polariser and the objective surface was covered in condensation. Thailand is very humid. The moisture got in because the camera had previously been in the aircon, then abruptly brought outside. Fortunately the condensation went quite quickly, within seconds.

[alight]

Thank you very much for your answers.