Travel Photography / Environment Questions

James79 · May 23, 2006

Hi, some newbie questions here, hope this hasn't been asked a hundred times before or is inappropriate to this part of the forum :

I am currently on an extended period of travel, and during this time I've been trying to improve my photography generally and, well, end up with some images to be proud of at the end of it all. I'm currently using a pretty standard point-and-shoot digital, but having used film SLRs at home (though not in much depth), I am considering taking the plunge and purchasing something like a Nikon D50/70 or Canon EOS 350D. I don't know if a camera of this sort is too much for my needs, but I am getting increasingly frustrated with the limits of the one I'm using at the moment. Also, I'm unlikely to have the opportunity to take photographs of this sort for a good long while after I'm finished travelling !

In any case, I am in South East Asia, travelling on to Australia and South America - the climate here is on the whole quite humid (not always possible to stay in hotels with air-con), and I am wondering if this will have an effect on the lenses / electronics in a camera if I'm swapping lenses etc. Obviously direct heat and sand are also potential killers. I would obviously like whatever I buy to last a good few years anyway - will environmental conditions have a significant effect on this ? Will it affect any warranty on it ?

Any advice greatly appreciated !

Thanks, James

Rob · May 23, 2006

DSLR cameras are pretty robust, but as you say, humidity and sand generally don't help. IMO as long as you're careful and change lenses in sensible environments you should be fine with any of the cameras you've listed. I'd say, go for it!!

Rob

Big Mike · May 23, 2006

Welcome to the forum.

While not an extended period of time, I did take my Canon 20D to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks last fall. Besides being hot, it was the rainy season and it was constantly rainy or extremely humid.

At one point, I couldn't take my camera bag with me and got myself and my camera completely drenched in the rain. It fogged up a little but kept on ticking.

Besides some common sense things (don't change lenses in a sand storm), there are things you can do to make it easier on your gear.

Get a good bag. I bought a Lowepro bag with "AW"...that being their All Weather line of bags. It has water resistant fabric and an attached water proof rain cover.

I always keep little bags of silica gel in the bag. They absorbs moisture.

The most important thing, when in hot humid climates...is to prevent condensation. Condensation happens when you go from cool dry air, to hot humid air. From an air conditioned hotel room to outside (hot tropical) for example. To prevent condensation, you have to let the camera/lenses warm up gradually or isolated from the moisture. You could put the camera into a zip-lock bag, then let it warm up, then take it out.