Can a camera bag prevent condensation when coming indoors from the cold?
Asked 1/6/2011
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When moving camera gear from very cold outdoor conditions into a warm room, many photographers seal the camera in a plastic bag to prevent condensation while it warms up. Is a separate plastic bag really necessary, or can a tightly closed camera bag do the same job? For example, would a waterproof or well-zipped camera bag be enough, and does adding silica gel help?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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You only need to protect your camera when coming in from the cold. If you seal up your camera perfectly airtight all the time you are outside, and then come in and open up the bag, you will still get condensation on it. If you like, carry a ziplock bag around with you, seal up the camera just before you come inside, and wait until it warms up. You should see no condensation.
EDIT:As far as I can work out the amount of condensation is proportional to how much high-humidity air gets in contact with the camera before it heats up. Putting it in any bag before coming indoors will reduce that - a tightly zipped bag with little airspace will be better than a loosely closed one with lot of airspace; a watertight bag will reduce it more, and an airtight bag all but eliminate it. But only the period while the camera is warming is important.
Originally by user1546. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1546
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — a tightly closed camera bag can help reduce condensation, and absolute airtightness is usually not necessary. The key is to limit how much warm, humid indoor air contacts the cold camera before it warms up.
A sealed plastic bag works well because it minimizes that contact. But a normal camera bag or backpack with a zipper closed can also be sufficient in practice, especially if it is fairly snug and doesn’t contain a lot of extra air space. A tighter, smaller-volume bag will work better than a loose one; a watertight or nearly airtight bag reduces moisture even more.
The important timing point is to close the bag before coming indoors. If the gear has already been exposed to humid indoor air, condensation can still form.
Silica gel can add some extra reassurance, but the main protection comes from slowing the exchange of humid room air with the cold gear. So while a ziplock bag is the most effective simple option, a well-closed camera bag is often good enough.
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