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What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Ming-Tzu
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Right now, the forecast temperatures in northern Norway (e.g. Tromso, Lofoten) will be in the 40s at night. So maybe colder with wind?

My plan is to shoot some aurora. Should I be taking with me a LensMuff (already own) and some chemical hand warmers (to buy) to make sure no moisture gets on the lens glass when shooting? Never really took night photos in the colder weather so wonder if that stuff is needed.

Aug 25, 2024 at 08:34 AM

moondigger
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Pointing a lens at the cold night sky can lead to condensation on the front element, depending on the dew point. A lens shade can slow down the process somewhat, but if you’re going to be doing this for a while, it might be necessary to take preventative measures. What you already have should suffice.

If you want expert opinions, you might want to check out an astronomy or astrophotography forum. It’s been a long while since I visited, but the Cloudy Nights forums always served well for information: https://www.cloudynights.com/index

Aug 25, 2024 at 09:41 AM

Ming-Tzu
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Thanks!

Aug 25, 2024 at 09:49 AM

Scott Stoness
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

It's not necessarily the temperature but the dew point and the temperature. It can happen at a wide range of temperature.

At 40s I would take precaution and use chemical hand warmers if its easy, particularly if you are near water.

Aug 25, 2024 at 11:02 AM

gdanmitchell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Ming-Tzu wrote:
Right now, the forecast temperatures in northern Norway (e.g. Tromso, Lofoten) will be in the 40s at night. So maybe colder with wind?

My plan is to shoot some aurora. Should I be taking with me a LensMuff (already own) and some chemical hand warmers (to buy) to make sure no moisture gets on the lens glass when shooting? Never really took night photos in the colder weather so wonder if that stuff is needed.

I don’t think there is any special benefit to warming the lens in 40 degree temperatures. 40 degrees isn’t really all that cold.

If possible, you can allow your gear to chill a bit rather than keeping it warm and risking condensation when the warm gear comes into the cold air. (Keep extra batteries in a warm pocket.)

As to the chemical hand warmers, I guess that if you are especially susceptible to cold hands they could be nice. I would not usually use them with temperatures in the 40s. I prefer gloves. My preference is to have open finger gloves with a mitten style built-in cover.

Aug 25, 2024 at 11:07 AM

stanj
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

gdanmitchell wrote:
I don’t think there is any special benefit to warming the lens in 40 degree temperatures. 40 degrees isn’t really all that cold.

Has very little to do with cold. One of the biggest photographic screwups of my career was not using a lens heater in Florida at night in 70 degree "cold." All about the dew point. The temperature was dropping throughout the night, and I had a shot at 5am. Everything went flawlessly, except I got a big blur due to the fogging.

Aug 25, 2024 at 11:12 AM

moondigger
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

gdanmitchell wrote:
I don’t think there is any special benefit to warming the lens in 40 degree temperatures. 40 degrees isn’t really all that cold.

It depends on the combination of temperature and humidity— the dew point. As Stan mentioned, you can get condensation at temperatures well above the 40s if the dew point is (for example) in the sixties or seventies.

If possible, you can allow your gear to chill a bit rather than keeping it warm and risking condensation when the warm gear comes into the cold air. (Keep extra batteries in a warm pocket.)

You’ve got this backwards. Moisture condenses on colder items, so to avoid that happening, you need to keep the gear warmer. Hence the use of lens warmers, dew shields, and/or hot hands to keep the lens warm.

The condensation concern is when you take the cold gear from outdoors into a warm house after using it, not when you take the warm gear out into the cool night before using it.

Aug 25, 2024 at 01:46 PM

moondigger
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Ming-Tzu wrote:
Right now, the forecast temperatures in northern Norway (e.g. Tromso, Lofoten) will be in the 40s at night. So maybe colder with wind?

Forgot to mention this in my first response. So-called “wind chill” does not actually make the air or gear any colder than the nominal temperature. It will speed up the rate at which warm objects or bodies cool, but they won’t cool to any temperature below the thermometer reading.

For example, if the nominal temperature is 40 degrees F, and there’s a stiff enough breeze that the “wind chill” or “feels like” temperature is 30 degrees F, a cup of warm water placed outside will not freeze, despite the wind chill being below the freezing point. What will happen is that the water in the cup will cool to 40 degrees, but will do so at the same speed as it would if it were sitting in a 30 degree environment with no wind. But that’s where it stops — 40 degrees. It won’t cool any further.

This is relevant to your question about gear, as it means your lens will cool down more quickly when the wind is blowing than when it isn’t. But hypothetically, if the dew point is 45 degrees, and the actual temperature is 47 degrees, condensation will not form on the lens, even if the wind chill factor makes it feel like 40 degrees.

Aug 25, 2024 at 02:01 PM

Ming-Tzu
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Scott Stoness wrote:
It's not necessarily the temperature but the dew point and the temperature. It can happen at a wide range of temperature.

At 40s I would take precaution and use chemical hand warmers if its easy, particularly if you are near water.

Since I am not really sure where I'll be on vacation (e.g. near water, on top of a mountain, etc.), I might as well make the space and take some hand warmers and use em. Better safe than sorry. Thanks!

Aug 25, 2024 at 09:14 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

moondigger wrote:
It depends on the combination of temperature and humidity— the dew point. As Stan mentioned, you can get condensation at temperatures well above the 40s if the dew point is (for example) in the sixties or seventies.

You’ve got this backwards. Moisture condenses on colder items, so to avoid that happening, you need to keep the gear warmer. Hence the use of lens warmers, dew shields, and/or hot hands to keep the lens warm.

The condensation concern is when you take the cold gear from outdoors into a warm house after using it, not when you take the warm gear...Show more →

The enemy is large temperature changes.

If you take your cold lens into a warm room you may bet condensation on the front element as the cold lens drips the temperature of the air at its surface. (This is generally a minor issue as you are not likely making photographs indoors after a day of outdoor landscape shooting, and that lens will clear soon of its own accord.)

On the other hand, if you take your warm lens (potentially containing warm, moist air) outside in the cold, as the lens cools you can get internal fogging from condensation inside the lens. (this is the worst situation, since you can’t do a darned thing about it except wait fo it to clear, which it isn’t going to do for a long time or until you warn the lens.)

Basically, minimizing temperature changes to your gear will minimize the potential for fogging.

And… unless he’s going to an extremely humid climate, 40 degrees is not extremely cold.

Aug 25, 2024 at 10:37 PM

nmerc_photos
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

I pretty much slap a lens warmer on anytime I'm shooting at night.

It takes so little effort to do, and it guarantees a desirable outcome - vs essentially guessing on whether you "need" it or not.

On May 11/12 I was in Wisconsin filming the Aurora for 6 hours. The night started in the 60s or 70s I believe. Many of the other photographers I was with opted for no lens warmer. Every single one of them had their time lapses "ruined". I had picture perfect images all night long.

Why risk it?

Aug 26, 2024 at 09:20 PM

Hathaway
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · What weather conditions dictate whether you use lens warmers?

Fascinating discussion. I have never thought to use a lens warmer in 100s of night shoots I have done over the years. I mainly shoot along the coast in Northern California and only once have had an issue with lens fogging. I also shot in -40F temps in Alaska for aurora and had no issues.

Aug 26, 2024 at 11:32 PM


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