Any Tips To Clear Dew On My Helios Apollo 15x70 while observing!!!

[Matt2011]

Would like to ask for any Helios Apollo 15x70 or binocular owners who experience DEW on there lenses while observing, What tips can you give me to clear it, I had taken a cotton wool bud out with me the other night to wipe the eyepieces on the bins but not the main lenses but should I use a microfibre cloth to gently wipe the lenses. Any help or suggestions would be great. Thanks   

[Daniel-K]

Hi Matt what about making some DIY dew shields they wouldnt have to be that big and would maybe get you upto an extra hour without dewing. or you could have a portable hair dryer that runs of a power tank and give them a quick blast every once in a while to stop that dew

[Space Dragon]

The dreaded dew.....as Dan says, dew shields will give you longer and try to avoid leaving your bins pointing skyward when not looking through them.

I know it's tempting but it's not generally recommended to wipe the dew off the optics, best left to evaporate naturally when back in the house.

Quick blast with the hair dryer is the quickest and safest way.

If you have a break from observing, take the bins off the mount and put them in your coat for a while, this will warm them up and keep them above the dew point for a while longer.

It is a royal pain in the rear.

[themos]

I use electric  dew heater bands (around each barrel) that I made myself and they run off 12V powertank.

[BinocularSky]

A few things wihth the 15x70:

• I point them down (with rainguard on eyepieces) when not looking through them.
• I have a portable hairdrier for demisting use.
• If they do get fogged and I don't have the hairdrier, I'll either use the car vents or just hang them inside my jacket. They get lots worse very quickly inside the jacket but, once they are warmed up, they demist.

I don't use dew shields on the 15x70, but I have made one (2mm thick foam mat) for the big bino: never had a dew problem since I did.

[Matt2011]

Thanks all for your helpful advice and I did use a cotton wool bud the other night to gently circle the eyepieces on the Helios Apollo 15x70s but didn't touch the main lens and it was only when I packed up I left the caps off until the dew disappeared. I do have a Skywatcher Powertank and going to see if it is possible to get a hairdryer which could connect to this powertank and any ideas which hairdryer would be ideal. Thanks

[BinocularSky]

Re eyepieces: folding the eyecups down can (but doesn't always) reduce rate of dewing on cold nights: it allows air circulation between your eye and the eyepiece; the eyecup can trap warm moist air from your eye, which then condenses on cold glass.