Christian Gerzner wrote:
>
>
> > This discussion regarding fog control in housings has been most
> > interesting!  Having wrestled with the problem on several U/W digital
> > cameras there is a small but important fact that has a significant
> > impact on anti fog cause and control.  The primary difference between
> > analog (film) and digital cameras, with regards to fogging, is heat.
> > The digi cameras produce a tremendous amount of heat.  As the
> > hi-capacity batteries discharge while powering the internal
electronics,
> > storage media, and particularly the screen!
> (snip)


>We had the same camera, but I had a Gates metal housing and NO problem.
>After experimenting for almost the entire trip trying to get rid of his
>fogging problem, we determined that is was heat from the camera (and
>cold water mid 70'sF).  As a last ditch effort to stem the problem, I
>suggested that he turn the camera off during the dive and on only when
>he was shooting.  Problem solved!  We tried all the different
>permutations of ambient temp during loading...night before...pre cool
>the housing...I don't have time to go into all the different
>experiments, but trust me, it was extensive.

Hi all!  Well we all seem to agree heat is a problem, but how to control
it!  Go back to you Open Water class and thing of your camera housing as an
exposure suit for your camera.  Like a dry suit it keeps your camera dry,
and warm.  Some UW housings insulate better than other(a bad thing).  I had
opportunity to talk to a guy that took his new digital camera to the
Arctics and in 32 degree water his camera would shut down in the middle of
a dive because it would overheat.  He showed me some of the pics from the
trip and if you looked at the pics in the order they where taken then you
could see it overheat as the pics became distorted.  This was a few years
ago when UW digital camera where a new thing and housings just weren't up
to par, still...  Keeping the camera off when it doesn't need to be on,
especially on the boat should help.  If your on a boat between dives turn
the camera off and let it soak in the camera bucket.  If your more skilled
than I and don't need the LCD to line up a pic you can turn that off too(as
someone already mentioned).  Turn off the flash and get an external flash.
Only use as large a battery as needed, a larger capacity battery contains
more energy, therefore more heat potential.  Diving in cold water help
too...

Tim