Gulf Coast Humidity

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Drew

Drew

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I mostly have lived in areas with low humidity (Alaska mostly and now Colorado) and am familiar with bringing cold equipment into warmer and humid environments. Where do photographers live that makes the use of dry cabinets prudent? I'm planning on going down to the Gulf coast next January/February for a few weeks and will be staying with friends or hotels. Should I be concerned about humidity and is there something I should bring to reduce moisture getting into the lens?
 
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Yes, you need to be aware of it. But do not panic about it. I have lived along the TX Gulf coast since 1978 and have survived with minimal fungus issues.

The biggest issue in the fall months is preventing lens fogging on the front element from moisture in the air on your camera and lenses that are coming from a drier environment like from a house or hotel with AC. Try and keep your equipment in a location where the temperature is as close to outside temp as possible. Use large zip lock bags for your lenses that get exposed to changes in humidity and temp. If you are driving to a location in the morning, turn off the vehicle AC and open your camera and lens bags so the equipment can acclimatize as much as possible. You may not have any issues at all with small lenses. But you likely will have some moisture buildup on a 300mm f2.8; 500mm f4, etc.

I do not have a dry cabinet in my house.

Some use a large suitcase with large bags of dessicant in the vehicle to absorb moisture that may build up. I had such bags when I was in Costa Rica that I used for my laptop and camera stuff. CR was way more humid than Texas.
 
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I'm in England, Surrey, so just outside of London. While renowned for great weather, the UK has been greatly affected by global warming in recent years. I use a dry cabinet, where humidity is controlled...I have it at 40%. outside it's about 45% as I type, and 25.9ºC (79ºF)
My cabinet isn't long enough for the z180-600 but holds nboth cameras and all the lenses,
 
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I live in SE Texas. This time of the year we wake up to 80 degrees 85% humidity. We live in air conditioning, which pulls humidity out of our homes, so no special storage needed. Right now, my family room is 75 degrees at 39% humidity and it’s 83 degrees outside at 80% humidity. Camera gear is designed to handle outdoor conditions, so no problems there either, but I wouldn’t leave any electronics out in direct sunlight. Put them in your camera bag or cover with a towel when not in use. I do shoot along the Gulf. When I get home, I take a damp cloth to wipe any salt off my camera bodies or lens bodies, but it’s not a problem unless it’s really windy with a big surf.
 
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For a trip like that the big thing as Joe posted above is to try to get your camera gear up near outside temperatures before taking them out of packs or cases and shooting. It's warm, moist air condensing on cold lenses and camera bodies that frustrates many visiting photographers that aren't used to those temperature and humidity differentials.

If I'm in a safe place like a friend's house I might set my camera packs out on the porch while I have breakfast or I might place them in a garage to warm up a bit before heading out for the day. In hotels and the like I'll keep the camera packs in the least chilled part of the room like a bathroom with the door closed but maybe a window open if it's safe to do so. In a pinch I'll lock them in the trunk of my car inside my camera pack just in the morning as I grab a bite to eat and get ready to go but I don't leave valuables in the car overnight in most public places.
 
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DRwyoming said:
For a trip like that the big thing as Joe posted above is to try to get your camera gear up near outside temperatures before taking them out of packs or cases and shooting. It's warm, moist air condensing on cold lenses and camera bodies that frustrates many visiting photographers that aren't used to those temperature and humidity differentials.

If I'm in a safe place like a friend's house I might set my camera packs out on the porch while I have breakfast or I might place them in a garage to warm up a bit before heading out for the day. In hotels and the like I'll keep the camera packs in the least chilled part of the room like a bathroom with the door closed but maybe a window open if it's safe to do so. In a pinch I'll lock them in the trunk of my car inside my camera pack just in the morning as I grab a bite to eat and get ready to go but I don't leave valuables in the car overnight in most public places.
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I should have mentioned just leaving the lenses and cameras in your vehicle if conditions are safe as that is an excellent practice to avoid fogging. That is what I did when doing Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contests in S. Texas. I was in very humid Florida last week and my cameras and lenses never left my locked SUV as I was in a very safe location. .
 
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