Moisture Penetration in dSLRs? (newbie)

[RingTrue]

Has anyone heard of dSLRs (Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax) being susceptible to electronic problems due moisture infiltration? The moisture infiltration would be the result of “damp” operating conditions such as: standing on the deck of a cruise boat, sitting in a duck-hunting blind near a fresh-water marsh, walking along an ocean coastline. I’m not talking about the camera being immersed or getting coated by sea spray or rain, only that it be operated in foggy, misty or very humid conditions.

The reason I’m asking is that I went into a retail camera store recently and mentioned that I was interested in a dSLR. The fellow behind the counter (whom I later learned was the store manager) asked, “what do you plan to do with it?” I allowed as how I was an amateur who's used a film SLR for a long time (20+ years), that I've been fooling around with digital point-&-shoot toys for a few years and that I was interested in such things as improved image quality/size and reduced shutter lag. I mentioned that I was taking an Alaskan cruise in July, that I like to duck hunt in the fall and that my daughter was getting married in December. So, to me, it seems like a good time to think about a dSLR. With equal candor, he replied “I wouldn’t recommend a dSLR. An ocean cruise and duck hunting are too humid, too damp. You’ll be back in need of warranty repair or replacement within six months. Stick with a film SLR … much more reliable, much less sensitive to moisture, much simpler to repair.”

I left, empty-handed, thinking that he was right and that I’d spare myself a lot of trouble. Since then I’ve realized that most of my dSLR use (75% or more) would be under “normal” conditions for an amateur: family snapshots, sporting events on dry land, graduation ceremonies, an occasional wedding, etc. In addition, I’d store the camera in my home which is heated by winter and air conditioned by summer (I live in the upper Midwest) and I’d really only venture to “high-moisture” spots infrequently: a weekend or two a year to photograph (I no longer hunt) ducks, a week, two or three walking the ocean shoreline or on a cruise boat.

Do I really need to avoid a dSLR for fear of moisture penetration? I know these cameras are electronically dense devices. But haven’t their manufacturers designed the bodies so that they’re sufficiently water-tight and moisture-proof? Gosh, I would hope so. Or is this an unspoken about problem that affects all dSLRs?

[TheObiJuan]

I just came back from a week long cruise in the carribean. A LOT of my time was on the must deck. I was annoyed by having to wait 30 minutes for my lense to defog and shutter mirror to warm up. I found out that if I blow dry my equipment right before, the condesation goes away very fast.

Since all of the condensation was a result of air condensing from inside the ship, it was not a problem. The moisture in the air was not salt water, I never had any residue or deposits on anything. I would use a micro fiber cloth to speed the process up and absorb some of the moisture.

Funny thing is I was not expecting this, I had never heard of it. Now it is good to know. Anytime I wanted to shoot somewhere or something, I had to prearrange it, and wait outside for my gear to adapt.

So in short, I wouldn't worry It is the lenses that were affected, not the camera's electronics. Actually, even if the camera gets wet, it isn't that big of a deal, so long as corrosive salts are not in the water. These deposits tend to corrode electronic connections. The viewfinder and mirror would defog in about 1 minute, where as my 11 element, and BIG elements, since it is f/1.8, Sigma 20mm, would take FOREVER. The less glass the better. Same goes for my handy Sony P150, I would have to use it to shoot when I couldn't wait.
It has much smaller elements and far less. I would keep it in my pocket, so body heat would warm it too.

BTW, canon's L series lenses are all sealed, so I would assume they are less susceptible to fogging and corrosion, mold, etc.

[speaklightly]

As a lot of you know already, I conduct Digital Camera Workshops around the world and on a lot of cruises. In total, we have done 454 cruises in the last 8 years.

If your store manager's theory was correct, I should not have at least one dSLR that does not work. My husband and I are currently using 4 dSLR cameras (Canon, Nikon, and Pentax) and I have to report to you that all of our dSLR cameras operate perfectly.

ObiJuan has already addressed the real culprit quite well, and that is condensation. However, condensation only occurrs when leaving the warm ship's interior spaces and going out into the measurably colder outer deck areas, such as would occur on an Alaskan or Antartic cruise. It also occurs on Panama Canal or South American cruises when you leave the highly airconditioned spaces of the nship's interior and head out on deck in very warm, humid climates. Luckily the condensation problem is rather easily addressed. Place your camera in a ziplock plastic bag while inside the ship's interior spaces, then when you go outside let your camera adapt to the new environment before opening the ziplock bag. This will cut down the time greatly that is required to get your dSLR back into action once more. A good clue is this: if you wear eye glasses and your glasses fog up as you head out on deck, then be sure to check you dSLR's exposed lens surface for a slight fog film on it. This is the evidence of condensation at work on your digital camera.

If you are still worried, the Olympus E series dSLR cameras can be used in wet weather as they are thoroughly sealed. With any digital camera, if you do want to shoot in the rain, for example, shield the camera with a plastic bag, leaving only the taking lens exposed. It works out quite well.

Sarah Joyce

[Bluedog]

454 cruises in the last 8 years = 56.75 a year ... :eek: ... thats gotta be a typo Sarah.

[MissJezabelle]

granted I wouldnt reccomend this but, We gust had the grand floral parade here in Oregon. It's a pretty big deal and put on by the same folks who do the tounament of roses parade. So anyway It was nice went we went down town and was supposed to stay pretty decent weather wise. Needless to say it poured. I still took tons of pics with my D-rebel and it survived unscathed.

[Rhys]

I went to take my test photos of my 2 lenses a few days ago. I was mildly surprised that I had to wait for the lenses to de-fog but then I realised I'd come from an air-conditioned house into a hot and humid environment (the garden). That took a couple of minutes on the Canon kit lens.

[TheObiJuan]

Annoying, ain't it Rhys? :mad:

I will try the zip lock bag idea on my next cruise.

[speaklightly]

BlueDog-

Nope, that is NOT a typo, we, in truth, have done 454 cruises

Sarah Joyce.

[MrForgetable]

and here i am, not having been on one in my life.

[ekk]

and here i am, not having been on one in my life.

count me in on that 'cruise' :D

[D Thompson]

Nope, that is NOT a typo, we, in truth, have done 454 cruises

Sarah Joyce.
All I can say is WOW!!! and count me in on the no cruises list. :(

Dennis

[speaklightly]

We do digital camera workshops on cruises. That is whay the count is so high.

Sarah Joyce

[Rhys]

Does a 36 hour ferry journey from Portsmouth to Bilbao count as a cruise?