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Re: [OM] Humidity suggestions

Subject: Re: [OM] Humidity suggestions
From: dreammoose <dreammoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 14:26:44 -0700
I spent 3 weeks in Costra Rica a few years ago. I spent a lot of time in rain forests, both costal and mountain. In those places nothing was ever quite dry. Paperback books left in the book exchange at Rara Avis would blow up to 3 times their original thickness just sitting on the shelf for a few days. Back in the forest with 1100midity plus drizzle I watched a Nik*n have an electronic nervous breakdown, sputtering, beeping, clicking, running its motors amok, etc. I doubt if it ever recovered.

I wouldn't tell this story if my OM-2n, OM-1 and lenses hadn't escaped unscathed along with some lovely photos. My strategy was lots of medium weight zip-lock baggies and lots of little packets of silica gel (much info on sources on the list recently). I took one double baggie of throughly dried gel packets. Whenever equipment wasn't being used (not between every shot!), I put it in its baggie with a gel pack and evacuated as much air as possible. The less air, the less moisture for the gel to absorb. When a gel pack lost its drying power (most turn blue), I replaced it with one from the master double baggie.

I never had any condensation or operational problems with camera or lens, nor any subsequent fungus problems. The only thing I'd do differently the next time is to make sure all my silica gel was the kind that changes color when full of moisture. You can just dry the gel out again in an oven and reuse it. I was never where I could do that, but you may be able to on your trip.

I'm sure the solution of waterproof boxes works too, but it's so big, clumsy and expensive that it doesn't appeal to me. Also, I assume it takes much more silica gel (more size and weight), since each opening of the box swirls in large amounts of damp air.

Sounds like a great trip. Enjoy yourself throughly!!

Moose

Olympus List wrote:

I'll be going to Thailand on Monday, then Hong Kong, then Taiwan for a full month!! :-) What I am concerned is humidity.



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