theacguy71 wrote:
Looking in to these for camera and lens storage
Wanted pros,cons opinions and reviews on cabinets??
Brands like Ruggard or Forspark?
Thanks in advance,
Tricky. It’s one of those things where all of the remotely affordable ones come from China and (a) the brands keep changing and (b) the same brand will suddenly be used on a different cabinet.
FWIW I have three “Twaipo” 120 litre cabinets, and they are great.
Had them for three years no problem.
Only issue: on all of the. The digital humidity readout reads low.
32% is in fact about 45% which is what you want. I compared against five different hygrometers to persuade this was true.
I’d advise that with any cabinet; don’t believe the factory calibration (and don’t believe any one other device)
if I was living in a truly tropical environment and not using my gear all that much I might think about it. for me it seems to be more a toy for the neurotic.
In Nova Scotia, the humidity often hovers around 100%, especially in the spring and early summer (this is where fog is made). Normal household AC should be sufficient to protect from fungus, but most homes around here do not have central AC, including mine. I may be neurotic, but I know from experience that the dry cabinet does prevent fungus growth, and it will also halt the spread of fungus (but not remove residue). This is generally not a problem for modern lenses, but is a serious issue for older lenses which are usually unsealed (and have been collecting airborne particles for a long time), and many have balsam cement in their optical groups that is, apparently, a favourite fungus food.
I've been using an Xdry CS-151SS dry cabinet since April 2011, and it's been worth its weight in absorbent material, and more.
down here in the beautiful garden state it can and does get rather sloppy with the weather too. still have no reason to add to my collection of things a really didn't/don't need.
the avg humidity in my particular area in central NJ over the past 6 months has been in the mid 75% range. we get the misty mountain look too at times
the avg humidity using Sydney, NS and Ingonish, NS as references pretty much matches up with my neighborhood in the mid to upper 75% range
I picked up a Ruggard a while back in a BH sale. Humidity isn't a problem where I live, but I love how it seals out dust. Build quality seemed very nice.
ryankarr wrote:
I picked up a Ruggard a while back in a BH sale. Humidity isn't a problem where I live, but I love how it seals out dust. Build quality seemed very nice.
So what do you do when your out shooting to protect your stuff in use?
I run AC 9 months of the year. I didn't think VA had too high of humidity, unless you are near the coast. To start with measure humidity for a few months e.g., now to August with HVAC at usual settings and see what it is.
theacguy71 wrote:
Looking in to these for camera and lens storage
Wanted pros,cons opinions and reviews on cabinets??
Brands like Ruggard or Forspark?
Thanks in advance,
DavidBM wrote:
Tricky. It’s one of those things where all of the remotely affordable ones come from China and (a) the brands keep changing and (b) the same brand will suddenly be used on a different cabinet.
FWIW I have three “Twaipo” 120 litre cabinets, and they are great.
Had them for three years no problem.
Only issue: on all of the. The digital humidity readout reads low.
32% is in fact about 45% which is what you want. I compared against five different hygrometers to persuade this was true.
I’d advise that with any cabinet; don’t believe the factory calibration (and don’t believe any one other device) ...Show more →
If accurate humidity is important, get a calibrated, traceable hygrometer. Good ones can be had for about $1000. The cheapo <$100 ones are generally not very reliable and often will fail recalibration later on. Mechanical hygrometers are not very common nowadays, other than in consumer devices, since they provide no data record. They typically have a different set of issues.
EB-1 wrote:
I run AC 9 months of the year. I didn't think VA had too high of humidity, unless you are near the coast. To start with measure humidity for a few months e.g., now to August with HVAC at usual settings and see what it is.
EBH
June,July and August is pretty humid here, central VA!!
House has AC (theacguy71) lol
Mainly wanting a decent cabinet to help with dust and slight moisture, nothing extreme, and to store the gear, not just leave out in the open
Was thinking about a cabinet or file cabinet type setup, about same prices as a dry cabinet...
sjms wrote:
So what do you do when your out shooting to protect your stuff in use?
This is rarely closed. I consider it a toolbox
Nothing special when I'm out shooting. I have my regular kit that stays out all the time, but I have a lot of lenses I don't use that often. I don't see the issue with having a nice home for them. A $200 cabinet for $30k in gear doesn't seem unreasonable.
The ironic thing is that pelican style case your using probably cost the same as my cabinet, so I really don't understand why you're judging me. Why don't you use a laundry basket instead?
My reasoning is simple if you are out shooting often you are in the environment and everything inside and out equalizes. I am aware of the area you live in so you really aren’t making a difference to your gear. Your average humidity isn’t much different then where I live. Just a little chillier. As to the case for what I got the ones I have you still paid more if you want to really know.
a dry cabinet is primarily to supply a stabilized environment for a particular item or items. if you are constantly removing these items from the cabinet into a widely uncontrolled situation you are essentially defeating the purpose of said space. a modern home itself where you can create a reasonable comfort space delivers those needs except for some extreme locations. modern photographic equipment is designed to perform in a wide range of weather/environment. when generally cared for there should be little to no issue for these items. now again, this does not include extreme and long term locations.
I remember when such devices were and good museum grade ones still are rather pricey. certain suppliers saw an opportunity and commoditized the idea. now we have consumer grade stuff to be bought and sold.
sjms wrote:
My reasoning is simple if you are out shooting often you are in the environment and everything inside and out equalizes. I am aware of the area you live in so you really aren’t making a difference to your gear. Your average humidity isn’t much different then where I live. Just a little chillier. As to the case for what I got the ones I have you still paid more if you want to really know.
a dry cabinet is primarily to supply a stabilized environment for a particular item or items. if you are constantly removing these items from the cabinet into a widely uncontrolled situation you are essentially defeating the purpose of said space. a modern home itself where you can create a reasonable comfort space delivers those needs except for some extreme locations. modern photographic equipment is designed to perform in a wide range of weather/environment. when generally cared for there should be little to no issue for these items. now again, this does not include extreme and long term locations.
I remember when such devices were and good museum grade ones still are rather pricey. certain suppliers saw an opportunity and commoditized the idea. now we have consumer grade stuff to be bought and sold. ...Show more →
People in many areas had similar thoughts about lens storage throughout the last 100 years, and thanks to this reasoning there are tons of lenses that are in otherwise good condition with fungus and mold growing on them.
I don’t think a dry cabinet matters for people buying new lenses they are going to sell within the next 5 years. If you are the type that buys old lenses, or plans to keep lenses for 20-30 years then it can be a good idea.
I don’t have a dry cabinet, but given that they are inexpensive and are similarly priced to a normal cabinet, I don’t really see why you’d discourage people from getting one.
Jesse, I have been shooting for 40+ years. my original Olympus lenses are in excellent condition. if you are a collector of items and not using them i'll buy into that. as I am an archival photographer for the NPS in addition to my regular profession I have a pretty good understanding of such things. I handle quite a few "valued/valuable" items. I do feel that there are a those who do carry things to an extreme. Taking your equipment in and out of a dry cabinet does not an effective protector make.
EB-1 wrote:
If accurate humidity is important, get a calibrated, traceable hygrometer.
jcolwell wrote:
I used a sling hygrometer in the bad old days, to record conditions when using sextants, transits, and tellurometers for hydrographic surveys.
I don't know which one you used, but the old ones I've seen only make measurements. I'm guessing that you recorded the raw (dry/wet) data and calculated results on paper.
