Equipment care at sea

[nickmo]

I'm about to go on a long ocean trip on a small sailing yacht (lucky me). It's a great opportunity for snapping, but I'm not sure how to look after my gear.

I've got a Canon SLR and some L series lenses (zooms and primes), kept in a Lowepro backpack. Obviously it's best not to let the gear get wet, but what I'm more concerned about is the overall level of humidity and salt in the air. I could put a waterproof cover on, but that doesn't help for lens changes

I'll be at sea for 3 and a half weeks. Does anyone have any ideas?

Many thanks

[Hill Country Hack]

Outside the obvious waterproof bag for storage, loads and loads of silicone packs with all lens changes done below deck (I'd go in the lav) and waterproof cover for the camera itself, I'll let those with real life experience take over. Have fun.

[mosgood]

Make sure you invest in some decent UV filters & wipe them down often after exposure to salt. I bought some store brand filters (sales staff said they were fine for any environment), & they developed a horrible film from ocean air all over them that does not come off. Go with the better brand name filter.

Also since ocean air is corrosive, make sure you clean your equipment after exposure no matter how short the exposure time was.

[Jim Bryant]

Get one of those waterproof Pelican cases to store everything in. If the boat sinks, the case will float.

[SwissJon]

Only one problem with the Pelican cases is that after 3 weeks at sea, they're likely to have developed condensation and a salt crust inside, making them worse than not having one at all.. I suggest you get insurance and worry about your own life if the boat sinks.

My memories of living on a 26ft boat is that EVERYTHING gets salty, no matter what. The UV filter idea is a good one and a CPL. don't get expensive ones, your going to damage them no matter what.. The "film" is basically the salt eating into the coating.. Better to have several cheap filters than one expensive one. You're going to throw them afterwards anyway, but it's better that the filter gets damaged than the 10x more expensive lens.

Most modern cameras are reasonably water sealed. You should be able to wipe them down with a damp cloth with fresh water regularly.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to enjoy yourself you lucky person. Wish I still had my boat. Where are you sailing?

[nickmo]

Thanks for the comments. I agree about the problem with waterproof bags - as soon as you open them, in comes a load of new humid salty air. Condensation's a killer. The silica bags sound a good idea though

SwissJon - thanks for the voice of experience. It's a transatlantic trip going east-west. As you probably know, you either need a wide-angle for shots on board or else a long lens for wildlife. Not much in between! (The world is already full of sunset shots)

[WooD]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Only one problem with the Pelican cases is that after 3 weeks at sea, they're likely to have developed condensation and a salt crust inside, making them worse than not having one at all.. I suggest you get insurance and worry about your own life if the boat sinks.

My memories of living on a 26ft boat is that EVERYTHING gets salty, no matter what. The UV filter idea is a good one and a CPL. don't get expensive ones, your going to damage them no matter what.. The "film" is basically the salt eating into the coating.. Better to have several cheap filters than one expensive one. You're going to throw them afterwards anyway, but it's better that the filter gets damaged than the 10x more expensive lens.

Most modern cameras are reasonably water sealed. You should be able to wipe them down with a damp cloth with fresh water regularly.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to enjoy yourself you lucky person. Wish I still had my boat. Where are you sailing?

Great advice.

I've done a lot of shooting on the beach, and in wet conditions. I use a large Pelican case to store my gear, but would never put it in the case after a wet shoot.

I'd take the lens off the camera's, wipe everything down with a lightly damp cloth, and let them sit on my dining room table for a couple days before putting them back in the Pelican case.

Those cases claim to be water / air tight. I figured it would be a perfect way to get a lot of mold or fungus growing in stuff put in them damp.

If on a boat for a couple weeks, I'd get a large plastic bag, and a few silica packs to dry your gear out. I wouldn't use an air tight bag.

Silica Gel Desiccant Dehumidifiers - Eliminate Moisture! - SilicaGelPackets.com

[SwissJon]

Ohh.. Transatlantic.. Now I'm seriously jealous.. Best I ever managed was a couple of trips to the Canaries from Liverpool delivering boats.. Although I lived on a cramped boat for 6 months while working at a chandlers.

The thing I found works best for keeping electronic gear dry (and cameras i guess, although I wasn't into them back then.) is a large plastic box stuffed with dry towels. You wrap the towel round the item and put it in the box.. Air cant circulate because all the space is taken up with towels, so you don't get too much salt in there or condensation, any dampness there is is absorbed by the towels... Just keep the lid on.

I would, in your position, be very tempted to get something like the 18-270 Tamron. IQ isn't the best, but since you've pretty much got all the focal ranges covered by a single lens, you'll never have to take it off, and so you're not going to risk getting salt inside.. The Tamron is pretty cheap for a lens too( compared to its competitors) and fairly light.. So you've got a fairly nice compromise.

I have to admit, I was unsure what you're going to photograph out there in the middle of the ocean, if my memory serves me, I spent most of my long journeys contemplating my navel.. Hopefully you'll get a few dolphins or porpoises swimming with you, thats a real treat, especially when you're becalmed and can jump overboard and swim with them

[Madog]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Most modern cameras are reasonably water sealed. You should be able to wipe them down with a damp cloth with fresh water regularly.

This, fresh water is way preferable to salt. Humidity inside the cabin has never been an issue for me, but I always have an oil stove inside running to provide dry heat. I often leave my camera on the dinette table for easy access, away from the open door, windows, or leaks. If not on the table I just use my regular lowepro camera bag with a handful of silica packs in it, as a precaution. The only issues I run into are after taking the camera outside, where I always wipe it down with a damp cloth afterwards. This is for 3 months at a time in SE Alaska, where outside humidity is often near %100.
A friend of mine regularly makes Atlantic crossings and he uses one of the waterproof P&S cams, that may be a good alternative if it lets you worry less about equipment and enjoy the trip more.