Dew on my 550 D - what helps?! (yep , YANQ)

[uhb1966]

Hi everybody,

i am in the middle of a star photo session with my canon 550d on tripod... dew built up... i cleaned the lens... 10 minutes later it's dew all over again!

Any ideas ?! YANQ= yet another noob question.....

[Leveye]

Get an Astrozap shield and heater

[D4N]

A dew heater is the permanent solution.

You could make a dew shield, camping or yoga mats are good for this

You can also use a hair dryer to warm the objective up above the dew point.

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[Tinker1947]

A dew heater will work, my ST-80 Guide scope run with one never dews up, it regulated to 6 volts so its just warm to touch.....

[uhb1966]

Thanks guys!

* Hey, i didnt know there are dew heaters for cameras?! Cool! Err, no, in fact not cool but warm...

* I was already thinking about a hair dryer :/

[uhb1966]

Negative , no dew shields / heaters for a simple canon 550 D... they're all FAR too big :/

[D4N]

That's why I suggested making one from a mat

The lens shields do offer some protection if you have one.

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[uhb1966]

Hey wait... there is one :2001-FFR-DSLR1 DSLR Camera Lens Heater (up to 3 inch in diameter) http://www.kendrickastro.com/dew_cameracozy.html

Thanks D4n and tinker!

[hobsey]

I guess it all depends on what size lens you are using.

Here is another 3" strap,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dew-Heater-for-3-telescopes-keep-dew-and-moisture-away-from-optics-/351171014007?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51c36c6d77

[hobsey]

I should have looked here first, FLO sells quite a few different lengths.

Take your pick,

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dew-prevention/astrozap-dew-heater-tapes.html

[Tinker1947]

A Dew heater from FLO, it doesn't matter if its to long just over lap they have Velcro elastic ends, and i brought one of these for the camera.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005D47QOG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Knight of Clear Skies]

I usually check the dew point against the current temperature on FLO's excellent Clear Outside weather site. If there is a large difference between the air temp and dew point I know dew isn't going to be a problem.

Lens hoods help. Also, the closer you're pointing to the zenith the more quickly your lenses will dew up - they radiate heat to the sky but the cold sky doesn't radiate much heat back.

[uhb1966]

I usually check the dew point against the current temperature on FLO's excellent Clear Outside weather site. If there is a large difference between the air temp and dew point I know dew isn't going to be a problem.

Lens hoods help. Also, the closer you're pointing to the zenith the more quickly your lenses will dew up - they radiate heat to the sky but the cold sky doesn't radiate much heat back.

Aha! Now i know what the dew mode on my weather station is for :-)

[uhb1966]

OK - thanks everybody, i might tinker about this one: http://philhart.com/content/dew-heaters-night-sky-photography

And heres the result of 1,5 hours noob work:

one destroyed widefield pic of M31 for a good laugh:

best 125 out of 500 pics... 4 secs each at iso 1600, 35mm lens with canon 550d:

[uhb1966]

....but at least i got a nice shot of my kids tree house with the dawning moon and the Pleiades: