Are dehumidifier cabinet and lens protector filter important?

rajul

I recently purchased f/2.8 zoom lenses and primes. Pls advice on the following:

- Do i need protector filter for all of my lenses? Which filters do you recommend that has minimum effect on optical quality. Most of my shoot will be wedding. For the last 2 years i have no incident of dropping my camera+lens.

- I live in tropical country having 65% humidity level all year round. I wonder if dehumidifier cabinet is necessary. And do you use to protect your lenses against fungus?

Thanks in advance.

ziggy53

I use a protective filter on most of my expensive glass. My theory is that I can always unscrew and remove the filter if I have to shoot in compromising conditions like strong backlight or into the sun.

Regardless of manufacturer, test the filter yourself to see the impact on the images. Do not trust anyone's opinion but your own.

Multicoated filters tend to work best, for the same reason that multicoating works on lenses. I cannot always justify the cost.

High humidity is tough on photographic equipment. I don't tolerate high humidity very well, so I run the air-conditioner a lot in the summer. I store my equipment in the living spaces, so it is always stored in relatively low humidity.

If you notice any internal fogging of the lenses, you need to act immediately to remove the humidity as quickly as possible. Gentle heat is effective.

z_28

rajul wrote:

- I live in tropical country having 65% humidity level all year round.

I live in sub-tropical County

Humidity levels are about 70-100% for half year, sometimes 3/4 of year !

Simple question - do you have and use Air Condition at home ?

rajul

Air conditioner?? i didn't know that will helps reducing humidity. What i know, it will cause condensation on the lens which is also one of the sources of fungal attack, no?

I keep my gear including and video gear in my study room with air cond but i don't switch it on all the time. That will be costly.

I will look into Nikon and Hoya filters, will check other brands as well. I don't have chance to test them coz mostly i bought them on-line. It is difficult to have these items in store in my country.

thanks ziggy53 and z_28.

More opinion pls.

z_28

There are 2 main purposes of A/C use - reducing humidity and lowering temperature - both equally important.
For me first one is even much more important.

Of course it cost - I don't know any other method.

Lens filters can't protect lenses from humidity, sorry.

sirsloop

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-1452-Outdoor-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B0001U6RAG/ref=sr_1_1/102-5092994-7156112?ie=UTF8&s=garden&qid=1191591390&sr=1-1

See where you're at! Dehumidifyers are relatively cheap compared to how much all of your lenses add up to. If you sped 200 bucks on a small unit, put it in your room with your gear, and keep the door closed that will go along way if you happen to be in a tropical area. Like others said, AC helps, but you may want to check anyways with a hygrometer.