Dry Cabinet

[FallingHorse]

Well (hopefully this is posted in the right section) - with the wet season well & truly being here and all I have pondered the question as to wether I should invest in a dry cabinet. Our humdity is constantly above 80% and regularly in the 90's - has anyone else used a dry cabinet, are they worth investing in. I did hear of one local photographer who had a dry cabinet and still got fungus in his gear :confused013

[Bear Dale]

Pretty cheap insurance IMO against fungus.

Spend some time on say a Singapore/Malaysian photography site and they're as common as anything.

[kiwi]

id wonder how prone lenses arre to fungus, or the length of time it would take.....I just never hear of it being an issue apart with really old lenses...maybe it is, I just ponder

[FallingHorse]

Thanks Jim & Kiwi - I have wondered the same too Kiwi although the only person I actually know who got fungus in their lenses kept them in a dry cabinet. I have heard some horror fungus stories but haven't actually owned anything long enough to see any myself. If you leave your car unused for a few weeks up here you are likely to get fungus growing inside :( Just wondering what other peoples experience are with/out a dry cabinet especially in high humidity areas.

[DassM]

I'm in a similar position to you.
I've had fungus in my lenses a few times now but can't say I know of a
particular incident that caused it. Don't take my gear out in the rain etc.
Just the other day I had to take my 35-70 f2.8 in for a clean up. Ouch $$.
The last time admittedly the lenses weren't used for a very long time.
The solution for me could be a hard case.
I've seen Pelican cases and Vanguard hard cases of varying sizes, on the net,
waterproof/ dustproof etc with removable foam inserts to customize for your gear.
Any other ideas?

[ricktas]

I'm in a similar position to you.
I've had fungus in my lenses a few times now but can't say I know of a
particular incident that caused it. Don't take my gear out in the rain etc.
Just the other day I had to take my 35-70 f2.8 in for a clean up. Ouch $$.
The last time admittedly the lenses weren't used for a very long time.
The solution for me could be a hard case.
I've seen Pelican cases and Vanguard hard cases of varying sizes, on the net,
waterproof/ dustproof etc with removable foam inserts to customize for your gear.
Any other ideas?

A hard case and a dry cabinet are two different things. A hard-case will not protect your gear from fungus in humid environments. Lots of silica gel packs will assist.

[FallingHorse]

I have lots of silica gel saved packs from packaging in shoes etc and usually keep them in my camera bag, we also get these things called "Closet Camels" which are supposed to suck up all the moisture in your cupboard (probably made of silica too. I think they are sold at hardware stores as well as the supermarket. Might put a few in the cupboard and see how they go.