Protecting Camera Gear in Rain and Cold

Some of the best light happens in the worst weather: clearing storms, snow, mist, crashing surf. Gear can handle much more than people fear, if you prepare.

Rain

• Weather sealing helps, but only when both camera and lens are sealed, and the lens has a rear gasket.
• A rain cover (or even a plastic bag with a hole for the lens, secured with a rubber band) is cheap insurance.
• Use a lens hood: it keeps drops off the front element when shooting away from the wind.
• Carry several microfiber cloths in a dry pocket. Shoot, wipe, shoot again.
• Shoot with your back to the wind and rain whenever composition allows.

Waterfalls and spray

Spray behaves like rain from every direction. Compose first with a cap on, remove it only for the exposure, and check the front element between frames. Waterfall tips are in the waterfall season guide.

Salt spray at the coast

Salt is the real danger at the ocean. After a coastal session:

• Wipe the camera body and lens barrels with a cloth lightly dampened with fresh water.
• Rinse tripod legs with fresh water, especially if they stood in surf, then extend them to dry.
• Clean filters with a lens cleaning solution — salt leaves a haze that ruins contrast.

Cold

• Batteries lose capacity in the cold. Carry spares in an inside pocket and swap them; a cold battery recovers some charge when warmed.
• LCD screens become sluggish below freezing; that's normal.
• Avoid breathing on the lens or viewfinder — your breath freezes on the glass.
• Wind makes everything colder for you, not the camera; check the wind chill calculator and dress for it. See winter landscape photography.

Condensation

The most common cold-weather damage happens indoors. Moving a cold camera into a warm, humid room makes water condense inside it.

• Before going inside, put the camera in a sealed plastic bag or a closed camera bag. Let it warm up slowly (an hour or more) before opening.
• Remove memory cards before going in, so you can copy files while the camera warms.

Dew on the lens at night

During night shoots, lenses cool below the dew point and fog up. The dew point calculator shows how close you are. A USB lens heater band powered by a small power bank solves it for the whole night.

Drying out

Open battery and card doors, remove the lens, and let gear dry at room temperature in a dry place — never on a heater or with a hairdryer. Silica gel packs in the bag help. If a camera got truly soaked, remove the battery immediately and don't power it on until it's fully dry.