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Avoiding Condensation (2)
I’m shooting a live event at a ski lodge this weekend. Most of the shooting will be inside, but I also have to go outside into the 15 – 20 degree weather for an hour or 2, several times.
A member of DVXUser wrote “make sure your temperature changes are gradual. I let my camera sit in my bag in my garage overnight before bringing it inside. Bringing a cold object into warmer air is where you’ll get the worst condensation. That’s where you need to pay attention.”
So, is it a big problem that I’ll be going outside and back inside a few times, and will only have 30 minutes or so to let the camera adjust? I have a Petrol camera bag – I dont know if it’s insulated – it’s just a normal bag. Am I OK with bringing the bag outside, leaving the camera in the bag for a half hour, shooting, putting it back in the bag, waiting a half hour and then going back inside? Or does it need hours to adjust?
Should I put hand-warmers in the bag or no point?
Also, is this the sort of thing that would cause permanent damage, or just cause the camera to not perform perfectly while its getting used to the temp?
I’d appreciate any advise– I’m leaving Thurs night
Thanks very much!
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8 Replies
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Tape or p2?
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Oh, sorry–
P2. I have the HPX170
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While some condensation can form on the lens, it’s more the tape heads you would have to worry about. Since you don’t have any tape heads, I’d be less concerned.
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Thanks very much. Thats a relief. Thanks for the quick reply.
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Isaac:
You should know that your focus ring and zoom ring on your HPX170 lens will become very crunchy and basically close to unusable in sub freezing temps. I shot in Copenhagen in December in mostly 20F cold and focusing and zooming became very difficult, if not impossible. This is a known issue and there is nothing that can be done to remedy it although you could try blanketing the lens housing with a couple of hand warmer packs. I highly suggest you think about a Varizoom or other external zoom and focus control.
I didn’t have any problems with condensation and I too was shooting interiors and then running outside for an hour. But the lens thing was a challenge.
Dan
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Hi,
Thanks for the tip. But this crunchiness doesnt harm the camera does it? I guess I’ll just shoot on a wide angle when I’m outside.
Incidentally, should I be storing my P2 cards in their cases, or is it OK to keep them in the camera at all times?
Also, after transferring footage off the cards, am I supposed to reformat the cards or just delete the clips?
Thanks again
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Dan said that your zoom and focus will be almost unusable.
[Isaac Brillant] “should I be storing my P2 cards in their cases, or is it OK to keep them in the camera at all times?”
You can keep them in the camera[Isaac Brillant] “am I supposed to reformat the cards or just delete the clips?”
Reformat cards in the camera. Deleting clips is not recommended.Read your HPX manual to get yourself familiar with the camera.
Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Vice President
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group -
I am not sure if forcing the focus and zoom would physically harm the camera but I suspect it could. When subjected to sub-freezing levels, the focus and zoom bind heavily and cannot be turned. Autofocus still works and an external focus and zoom works fine. Something to do with the lubricant Panasonic decided to use. HVX200 did not have this issue at all.
Storing in the camera should be okay, I see no reason why that would affect anything. Loose cards should always be kept in the plastic case with the rubber cap attached.
P2 cards should always be re-formatted after media download, verification and backup. I don’t broom a card until the files are on at least two drives so when I shoot, I am downloading cards, then immediately cloning the cards. I have ShotPut Pro but there were some software clashes that supposedly have been resolved but I have not had time to try it out again. Supposedly ShotPut Pro makes life a lot easier as it can download to up to three drives at the same time.
I use P2 Formatter, the free software from Panasonic, works great because it labels each card with the card’s serial number. So when the card is inserted into the laptop, instead of it showing up as “No Name”, it shows up as the card’s serial number. Much better for workflow and logging, especially when shooting with a P2 Tech.
D
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