I have heard from my friends that if you don't use your gears for a long period of time, you should put them in a dry box away from moisture. Otherwise there will be fungus growing inside the lenses.
So I am wondering do you guys use dry boxes? If so what kind of dry boxes do you recommend?
Originally Posted by Electrolyte13
Hmmm, I think what you are trying to get is different. I want the dry boxes purely for storage (i.e. when I don't plan to use them for a long while, or the humidity is high).
i do to protect my investment.
I use pelican cases for all my equipment. For me, it's really about protection from bumps and bangs, but the weather sealing is nice. I've been caught in the rain at lots of sporting events and it's nice to look over and know everything is nice and dry inside the case.
If moisture is a big concern where you live, consider addind desiccant to your case. I think you can get small bags from B&H or Adorama.
The first question is: Do you really need a dry box?
The worry is about fungus, which attacks the coating on camera lenses and the cement between lens elements (it also used to attack the leather covers on cameras...but cameras don't have leather covers anymore).
Fungus spores are everywhere on all surfaces all the time. But they can't germinate and grow unless they have 70% relative humidity for at least 24 hours. If you can forbid fungus spores from having 24 hours of 70% relative humidity, you are safe.
So let's say you live in Indonesia and it's the monsoon season, but you live in an airconditioned apartment. It may be well above 70% humidity outside while you're shooting, but if you bring your equipment inside every night and lay it out on a table or shelf for the night, you will have broken the cycle--fungus won't be a problem for you.
A big danger, though, will be if you bring your equipment in and leave it in your bag. Then the bag becomes a humidore, retaining the high humidity from outside in the immediate environment of the equipment. You should never store your equipment in a bag or case, even if you don't live in a humid climate. Yes, you can use dissicant if you're sure you're using the right amount and if you replace it with refreshed dissicant every time you open the case. But it's easier and safer to store equipment in an area that naturally has a lower relative humidity at least several hours of the day.
You can get inexpensive hygrometers (around $3-5 USD at a home store) and check out the areas you plan to store equipment. Get three of them (they're inexpensive, so if you get three you can accept the reading of the two that agree) and place them in various areas you keep equipment.
One thing you'll find is that relative humidity can vary enormously even in one room. Usually the corners of a room near the floor will be more humid than the center of the room. Closets will also tend to be more humid. But if you have an area that is above 70% humidity, that's fine for storage.
When I lived in the Philippines (where it was so humid during monsoon season that we had mildew on the living room walls), I commandeered a kitchen cabinet for my equipment. I mounted a 20-watt electric bulb in the cabinet that I turned on at night--the mild warmth lowered the relative humidity in the cabinet, just as the heating element in a "dry box" does. I laid my equipment out on the shelves and covered them with well-washed dish towels to keep off dust.
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