Acclimating LF equipment from air conditioning to outside

[jonbrisbincreative]

Here's a new one I hadn't thought of until it happened to me today while shooting 2 sheets of IMAGO direct positive paper I just got from lomography.com: my Sinar's GG started fogging up.

It does make sense since I was using the compendium as a viewing hood (but in direct sun I still needed a t-shirt to block extraneous light) and it is near 90F/32C. Since I just grabbed my camera out of my office and went out into the sun, it didn't have time to acclimate in temperature between the air conditioning and the steamy midwestern sun. Once it started fogging up, focusing went right out the window. It was a good thing I only went out with 1 holder because that's as far as I got.

When it's hot like this, how do store or manage your LF gear so that it gets properly acclimated in and out of air conditioning? I have a couple old sets of pantyhose with rice in them that I use in place of silica and I can plop my camera and lenses into a plastic baggie and zip it tight for my digital stuff. But I can't really do that on my Sinar. Wondering how everyone else does this in the summer months?

[Harold_4074]

Your best bet is probably to find a non-air-conditioned (but not hot) place to keep the camera. Otherwise, not only will your groundglass fog, but also the front and rear elements of the taking lens. And as the sun heats up the bellows, it will "distill" moisture onto the cooler parts of the interior, including said taking lens.

If you have the luxury of time and no other alternative, you can minimize the effect by sealing the camera into a plastic bag (trapping as little cool, moist air as possible) and then letting it warm up slowly.

By the way---you have my sympathy, and be glad you aren't down on the Gulf Coast!

[Vaughn]

What you experienced was probably not from going from cool to hot, but moist bellows. As the sun hit the bellows, it caused the moisture in the bellows to steam out.

This happens to me all the time -- taking my cameras from my moist coastal climate to the desert. The first time I set up in the desert sun, I let the camera warm up and steam up, remove the lens and film back to get rid of the moisture, then put everything back on and the rest of the week or so in the desert it does not happen again.

The first times it happened to me had me all confused -- focusing on a scene, getting the focus just right -- then have the image on the GG go all fuzzy on me!

[Ken Lee]

Patience is helpful, since the same thing will happen with lenses and sheet film.

Big lenses can take a long time to warm up.

If you're moving into an area where you can expect condensation, then allow enough time for everything to acclimatize.

[jonbrisbincreative]

Thanks for the advice so far! I can't really put the Sinar into a plastic bag because even a trash bag would not seal well. So what I'll probably do is pack everything in the case outside, then bring the case inside. It's padded/insulated, so should provide for a slow cool-off. I'll probably also put my rice moisture absorbers in there as well.

[jonbrisbincreative]

What you experienced was probably not from going from cool to hot, but moist bellows. As the sun hit the bellows, it caused the moisture in the bellows to steam out.

This happens to me all the time -- taking my cameras from my moist coastal climate to the desert. The first time I set up in the desert sun, I let the camera warm up and steam up, remove the lens and film back to get rid of the moisture, then put everything back on and the rest of the week or so in the desert it does not happen again.

The first times it happened to me had me all confused -- focusing on a scene, getting the focus just right -- then have the image on the GG go all fuzzy on me!

Very good to know! Thanks for relating your experience...

[jp]

Keeping gear dry in storage is great, but if you take any cold perfectly dry object into damp warm air, it's going to get moisture on it. Like a cold pint glass coming out of the freezer but not that extreme.

I never imagined it'd take multiple hours for a cold (60f) aero ektar lens to defog in warm weather, but it did. Smaller stuff warms up quicker. Once it's warm, it can evaporate moisture instead of attact moisture. I keep gear in a dehumidified garage in the summer, but not air conditioned.