Heard of that b4. If u use it (all ur lenses) once every week or so, i don think u will need a dry cab or wat. Heard someone said b4 fungus only grows if the air in the lenses is stagnant and moist... not sure how true. If u are free to do that often, then it should not be a problem. But i guess minimum for dSLR systems, u better hav one dry cab or box to "play safe" ba. I also keep mine in a dry box, although i use it once a week...
Is dry box really necessary
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Heard of that b4. If u use it (all ur lenses) once every week or so, i don think u will need a dry cab or wat. Heard someone said b4 fungus only grows if the air in the lenses is stagnant and moist... not sure how true. If u are free to do that often, then it should not be a problem. But i guess minimum for dSLR systems, u better hav one dry cab or box to "play safe" ba. I also keep mine in a dry box, although i use it once a week...
it's very important to have a dry box as Singapore is so damn humid....I tot how much damage would it get until recently when i found specks of fungus on my kit lens....my heart was bleeding.....:mad2:
I would recommend dry cabinet though coz u are able to monitor and keep the relative humidity level constant....I had dry box once but I find a hassle changing silica gel so often (it's so damn humid here....the silica gels sucks the moisture like mad).
to end.....DRY BOX/CABINET is a MUST in HUMID SINGAPORE!
I would recommend dry cabinet though coz u are able to monitor and keep the relative humidity level constant....I had dry box once but I find a hassle changing silica gel so often (it's so damn humid here....the silica gels sucks the moisture like mad).
to end.....DRY BOX/CABINET is a MUST in HUMID SINGAPORE!
Finally, a piece of wisdom I read, rather than all the BBB me-too.
I understand from a few pro who never uses Dry-box or dry-cab for their primary slr or dslr cam. They only uses dry-cab for extra lens and secondary cam that they don't use often. They told me the reason, but I could not remember. Thanks for the reminder.
Just like a boots that we wear daily or weekly will never grow fungus, but only those that we left in the shoe cab for a few months. I can make better decision base on that. Anyway, thanks to all and thanks for no flaming (except one).
Well... are you able to ensure that the place where you keep your lenses is not a humid zone? And are you vigilant enough to keep using those lenses regularly?
I just sold off 2 fungused lenses (given to me by a friend) recently to know that Singapore is indeed a danger zone for lenses and have never kept any of my lenses out of my Dry Cab for more than a day... Call me paranoid but I dun want to risk any of my tools...
To add...
Some pros keep changing(sell) their equipment regularly to avoid servicing charges. Pros charge customers including the equipment depreciation costs. And also they use their workhorse in daily basis. If I were them, I will have no time to keep in the dry box.
If you are a hobbist, better get a dry cab.
James
Some pros keep changing(sell) their equipment regularly to avoid servicing charges. Pros charge customers including the equipment depreciation costs. And also they use their workhorse in daily basis. If I were them, I will have no time to keep in the dry box.
If you are a hobbist, better get a dry cab.
James
Just wondering why those seller such as Cathay, MS didn't use "giant" dry cabi to store/keep their cameras, lenses, etc?
Is it really safe under air con room, % RH will keep at safe level so fungus will not grow? :think: :dunno:
The humidity will be lower in an aircon room, sometimes it can get very dry inside an aircon room.
For lenses..RH<40% is the safest. Too low will have a risk of having the oil in the lens motor of being dry up if the lens is not frequently used.
In the office, my throat is a good indication of the dryness of the air. And in my former workplace, the precision tools are kept in an aircon room. The meter usually hover around 50- 70% depending on the weather and the amount of time the door is kept open. So I'm quite certain that in an enclosed aircon room, the humidity will be lower than the outdoor humidity level of Singapore.
RH<40% is the safest :think: . But you said, too too low will have a risk.... For me, 20% RH is too low, but still <40%...
.RH between 40-50% is manufacturer suggested for camera gears.
Regards,
Arto.
40% sounds too low. Usually I'll try to keep my dry cabinet between 45-55%.
p.s. I thought < is less than??
OT a bit. my dry cab spoilt recently, decided to open up the drying unit, and found that its basically some material i presume with similar properties to sillica gel and a heating element. i'm sure a lot of you all know this...but just found it very interesting as i thought it was some other process involved
air con remove moisture keeping the box content dry. further more they do not open all the time. so its ok for them.
I think, your office situation will be the same as CP or MS.
It is not in an enclosed aircon room all the time (in fact can be hotter than your office) so predicted the %RH may be around 60-70% too :sticktong
than ... "FUNGUS" ... "FUNGUS"...
The new dry cab use thermocouple or peltier technology to bring humidity inside dry cab to outside dry cab.
AFAIK, there is no silica gel inside dry cab. FYI, blue silica gel known as carcinogen agent.
Regards,
Arto.
Is the material is on the most below of the dehumidifier unit? Is the material wet?
It probably the sponge that will seal air (when wet), but capillarity bring water to outside of dry cab.
Regards,
Arto.
some ppl just did an enviroment report on my office and the rH is 45%, thats a lot lower than the 55% i set for my dry cabs! i carry a dslr and lens with me everyday and as long as you use it, it should be fine. haven't seen any problem after > 1 yr.
i don't rush to stuff it in my dry cab unless over a few days when i'm not using it. the set up stays in my cam bag each night. for the rest of my lenses and bodies, yup, they sit in two dry cabs. fungus will grow if you leave it in the open long enough.
i used to wonder abt places like CP too, where lenses are kept in a glass cabinet. even if aircon is not 24 hrs, i suppose such central airconditioning brings the rH low enough to last overnight when these units are turned off.
bottom-line is: invest in a dry cab, even if you only have a simple p&s, because you can't be using it everyday, or bringing it into an air-conditioned office everyday. besides, these are good for preserving precious tapes and other items that are sensitive to humidty.
i don't rush to stuff it in my dry cab unless over a few days when i'm not using it. the set up stays in my cam bag each night. for the rest of my lenses and bodies, yup, they sit in two dry cabs. fungus will grow if you leave it in the open long enough.
i used to wonder abt places like CP too, where lenses are kept in a glass cabinet. even if aircon is not 24 hrs, i suppose such central airconditioning brings the rH low enough to last overnight when these units are turned off.
bottom-line is: invest in a dry cab, even if you only have a simple p&s, because you can't be using it everyday, or bringing it into an air-conditioned office everyday. besides, these are good for preserving precious tapes and other items that are sensitive to humidty.
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