keeping camera in hot car

[flameshots]

Film cameras had to worry about the felt and oil in them. Extreme heat would break down the felt and would damage the film it's self. With digital the bodies are sealed and do not have the felt to break down, nor do you have the film to worry about. Honestly I have left my camera in my truck in over 95* heat. I would guess the inside temps were well in excess of 150*. The last time I sent it to canon for service they gave it a clean bill of health and simply cleaned her up. Maybe I am just lucky. Don't know. All I know is it's worth the risk for me. I don't ever want to miss a shot because I left my camera at home. Just saying.

 

[Village Idiot]

Should have bought a crumpler bag. They're generally not black.

 

[dmtx]

One idea I tried. Put the camera in a ice chest, ice on the bottom (gel packs also work), camera on the top on a tray. Sealed the camera in a water tight bag.

I am in Tx, where 90-95 would be COLD for summer.

 

[Derrel]

I used to have a hot car with a supercharged V-6 and a 5-speed transmission, but now I have a sensible car that gets decent mileage...I feel equally good about keeping a camera in either a hot car, or a car that gets good mileage. YMMV.

 

[MWG]

Thanks for this thread, im not keeping my stuff in my car if i plan to make long stops anymore.

 

[tirediron]

I spent a lot of time in the Middle East where daytime tempteratures routinely hit 140; my gear was in black bags and went from air-conditioned building interiors to outside as many as eight times in a day. Other than condensation, there were no problems and that body is still working fine. Don't leave it in your car on a hot day if you have a choice, but if you do, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[fokker]

Should have bought a crumpler bag. They're generally not black.

Yeah, that's not going to make any difference for a camera bag in the trunk. A black bag will only get hotter vs. a white bag if it's in direct sunlight. We're talking heat transfer via radiation, surface colour has no effect on conduction or convection heat transfer.