how to protect your optics from moisture?

[Olivier Gresse]

Hello,

I live in a country where humidity is very high and I would like to be able to protect my optics at best.

Some say they must be stored in a box with anti-humidity, others that must be left out without caps?

What do you recommend ?

For now, mine are stored in a waterproof box with anti-humidity and I try to get them out to light as often as possible, but I feel that this is not the ideal solution ...

Thank you

 

[Zack Birlew]

Not much you can do if you're in a humid area, just have to be sensible and keep an eye on your lenses. First off, always use a protective UV filter and always use a good one! That alone cuts off a lot of exposure through the front element. Storage is the real challenge and I use some of those rubber seal storage containers, usually the ones with the pull lock top and not the round button press ones, and I toss a silica gel packet or two in there. The containers are clear so light gets in and they seal tight to keep out dust and excess moisture so fungus doesn't have a chance to grow. This keeps the lenses perfectly well and safe, other than being dropped or banged around so do set them somewhere they won't be knocked over. In my experience, depending on the lens and how it was used and even what age and type, haze can still come up but it's usually easy to clean if you get to it quick enough. Usually I see it form between the UV filter and front element so it's just a simple wipe down and maybe putting on a higher quality UV filter that will fit more securely (ie. from Quantaray to a B+W or Hoya). But since I've monitored the lenses for a while, this hasn't been a problem so maybe it was how the lens was before I bought them as I do tend to get used lenses, some older than others. Since you're in a humid climate, I wouldn't simply store your lenses in tight lens bags our pouches or put them down in the basement or a dark closet, that's just asking for fungus trouble. Fotodiox also makes clear rear caps that makes protecting sensitive rear elements easier as you also allow light to go through them but it depends on what lenses you use as they only make those caps for a select few mount types.