Humidity and HDV video cameras

Chris,
You know thos silicon gel tabs you get in clothes? Put a couple of those in a big zip loc baggie with the camera. I’ve done that with my DSLRs. Be safe.
Cheers,
Bill.

Put it in a plastic bag and allow it to acclimatise to the temperature, preferably at least an hour before and as Bill suggests add a bag of silicon gel
All the best and stay safe, Gary

I’ve been to the Persian Gulf several times. Try keeping the camera outside on deck in a Pelican case to get it acclimatised to the temeperatures. The biggest problem with some electronic cameras is taking them back-and-forth between the air-conditioned ship and the humid outside air. We had one video camera (a Panasonic, I think) that absolutely refused to work because it was so humid. The good thing about the Gulf is the weather. At least you won’t get seasick. Enjoy your trip!

Some pics from the Gulf: http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/galleries/winnipeg_gallery/winnipeg_slideshow_main_7.htm

Sgt Frank Hudec
Cameraman/Canadian Forces Army News
www.army.forces.gc.ca
www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca
www.frankhudec.ca

OK. Just so I’m clear, keep the camera in its bag outside, with at least the silicon gel tabs and plastic bags. Is that right? My problem before was taking it from the air conditioning inside to the outside humid air. If I have the tabs and the bags, and let it acclimatize, that should be ok, right?

thanks,
chris

What some Canadian ships crews do with their video cameras (which are used to film naval boardings) is keep them outside in a Pelican case on the bridge wing all the time. The cameras are not brought inside the ship. You may not have that luxury if you only have one camera and need to film activities inside and outside. Also, a trick that helps (for stills) is using a small digital camera like a point-and-shoot. Since it has such a small lens surface area, it will be fog-free much faster than say a DSLRs 80-200/2.8 with it’s large glass. Some large DSLRs can take up to 20 minutes for the condesation to dissipate. If you are following action (like a boarding) from inside-to-outside, this may be something to consider. One item I carried with me ALL the time in the Gulf was a leather chamois for the lenses.

Sgt Frank Hudec
Cameraman/Canadian Forces Army News
www.army.forces.gc.ca
www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca
www.frankhudec.ca

Awesome, thanks for the tips. It’s a video camera and I was on the stennis two months ago, and I missed some great shots from the flight deck of F-16s taking off because the camera started freaking out on the condensation warning and shut down. If it does that again, I should leave it outside in the humid weather and let it equalize, right?

thanks,
chris

Depends on the make of video camera I suppose? A camera that has worked for us consistently in the past in the humid conditions in the Gulf has been the Sony PD-150/170 : http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/netpub/server.np?find&catalog=photos&template=detail_e.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=23873&site=combatcamera

More Gulf pics here:
http://www.frankhudec.ca/apollo_gallery/apollo_frameset.htm

Sgt Frank Hudec
Cameraman/Canadian Forces Army News
www.army.forces.gc.ca
www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca
www.frankhudec.ca