keeping camera in hot car

[iNick]

i have the lowepro micro trekker Lowepro - Micro Trekker 100 would it be safe to keep my camera in my car? it gets to be about 90+ degrees here in SC. were not talking all day baking in the sun, just a few hours at a time. i don't want to risk ruining my camera but i want to bring it with me and i don't know if ill have a chance to use it.

 

[SrBiscuit]

i wouldnt. not only for heat but for possibility of being ripped off.

 

[480sparky67 66]

Put it in the trunk..... outta sight of crash & dash thieves.

 

[Kerbouchard]

I actually put mine in an ice chest when it is in my car. One, helps with the heat, and two, keeps it out of sight of potential thieves.

 

[spacefuzz]

I leave mine in the trunk all the time. As long as its not in direct sunlight, it should be ok. Unless your in death valley in July.....

 

[o hey tyler]

I actually put mine in an ice chest when it is in my car. One, helps with the heat, and two, keeps it out of sight of potential thieves.

You keep an ice chest in your car at all times? That's pretty gangsta.

 

[Kerbouchard]

I actually put mine in an ice chest when it is in my car. One, helps with the heat, and two, keeps it out of sight of potential thieves.

You keep an ice chest in your car at all times? That's pretty gangsta.

It's not in my car all the time...that would kind of defeat the purpose since eventually the ice chest would reach outside air temp. I put it in my car when I am getting my gear together if it's going to be a hot day.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

my D7000 will be in the trunk of my motorcycle during my cross country trip. It'll go through AZ painted desert and such. Will report if it survives

 

[o hey tyler]

I actually put mine in an ice chest when it is in my car. One, helps with the heat, and two, keeps it out of sight of potential thieves.

You keep an ice chest in your car at all times? That's pretty gangsta.

It's not in my car all the time...that would kind of defeat the purpose since eventually the ice chest would reach outside air temp. I put it in my car when I am getting my gear together.

Oh, I thought that's where you kept spare "refreshments" for your passengers. :lmao:

(By refreshments, I mean beer or alcohol)

 

[iNick]

I had planned on the trunk, was just worried about the temps. I usuay keep it in there but I wasn't sure if the heat damaged it over time. Thanks for the replys.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

my D7000 will be in the trunk of my motorcycle during my cross country trip. It'll go through AZ painted desert and such. Will report if it survives

Let me also add if it is heat damaged, I'll report on my customer experience with Nikon.

If if they say "the cacti environment killed your cam" that may be a fair statement

 

[ghache]

with a good bag, in your trunk you shouldnt have any problem....i left mine for days in a parked car. I also left my d7000 in a car at like -40 for like 3 days without any problem either. The first shoot i did with my d7000 was last January at like -30 outside for like 2 Hours staight. These camera have really good tolerance to hot and cold imo

 

[spacefuzz]

Camera's are well engineered devices, and honestly the temperatures that we consider "scorching" arnt much for a magnesium body with a melting point of 1200 F, even ABS plastic is 220 F. So unless you leave a bottle of water in the car and it is literally boiling when you get back.....your camera will be fine. Its rapid changes in temperature that could cause damage through thermal expansion mis-match on electronics or condensation build up in the body. Such as working in a foundry in Siberia and stepping outside in January, otherwise I wouldnt worry.

 

[KmH]

Worry about the electronics, sensors, and lubricants, not the camera chassis.

On a 90+ degree sunny day, the interior or trunk of a car in direct sunlight with the window rolled up can approach 200°. Leaving the windows open a crack doesn't help.

Summer Car Safety - Heat and Your Vehicle

If you ever park outside during the summer months, your car will heat up quickly. Heat coming in through the windows is absorbed by the interior, and the glass acts as an insulator. The temperature in your car get up to 200 degrees, depending on the temperature outside, the kind of vehicle you have, and how long it has been in the sun.

IMO, don't leave camera gear in the car.

 

[spacefuzz]

200 degrees F wont magically cause a circuit board to stop working. but if you continuously cycle between hot and cold the thermal expansion / mismatch between components can cause stress to build up in those areas. Occasionally they can pop off then, or if you jar the camera that could be enough to break them off if they have embrittled.
If your camera is in the trunk in a bag (like mine) and the trunk heats up, the air will transfer that heat via convection to my bag, this system has a low convection coefficient because well the air isnt moving. The heat then has to conduct through the bag and into the air gap and finally to the camera. We can set up an idealized model and do the math, but my engineering judgement is my camera isnt going to get exceedingly hot over the course of the day. There was some discussion of the lubricants used breaking down, and that would really depend on what teh camera manufacturer chose. If anyone has that spec, or knows what the typical lube is I would love to know.

At the end of the day, do you want your camera in your trunk and available on 30 seconds notice for that killer shot you see driving home from work, or sitting in your closet at home?