I have a bunch of trail cams going at my ranch. I love them. We are two weeks away from the start of bow season. Picture clarity is more important now then ever.

An issue that arises for me is that I get moisture on the outside of the lens after rain or fog. Sometimes even after a heavy dew. This clearly effects those cameras in a more open location the most. Of course, as soon as the sun comes out, this goes away fairly quickly. Regardless, those pictures taken until it had cleared are of limited usefulness.

Does anyone have any tricks for reducing this exterior moisture?

Thanks!

Try placing a tube, may be an inch or so long, around the lens.

This will at least stop direct raindrops from the lens, and might actually reduce the moisture forming on it.

keep them in the shed?

Bend a piece of sheet metal or tin into an L and place it over the camera, it will act as a roof. That should keep dew and rain off of the lens.

Or maybe try Rain-x on the lens, not sure if it will damage the plastic or not.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
keep them in the shed?

Not following you on this one. Could you clarify?

I don't remember the name or brand but I tried some anti fog towelettes for cleaning eye safety glasses. They worked really well for a while. Been so dry here, moisture has not really been a problem!

I am having the same problem. It’s raining now, 1/2” yesterday, 1 1/2” the day before. Cam pictures basically fogged but can’t find a solution. Oh well, I can at least tell bucks from does....

quote:

Originally posted by cjfoster:
Bend a piece of sheet metal or tin into an L and place it over the camera, it will act as a roof. That should keep dew and rain off of the lens.

Or maybe try Rain-x on the lens, not sure if it will damage the plastic or not.

I think the Rain X might be a problem based upon what I am reading.

I have a roll of flashing sheet metal. That might be workable. The question is how to keep it on in windy conditions?

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
I am having the same problem. It’s raining now, 1/2” yesterday, 1 1/2” the day before. Cam pictures basically fogged but can’t find a solution. Oh well, I can at least tell bucks from does....

We have a tropical disturbance on the way. We might get more. A lot more.

"The question is how to keep it on in windy conditions?"

Put a couple of holes in the bottom of the "L" and attach a bungee cord and go around the tree. If the cameras are on a wooden fence post, use nail or screws.

If the flashing that you have is flimsy, bend it in the shape of a peaked roof to stiffen it.

Edited to add, If you make the bottom of the "L" long enough, you could put some slots in it and run the strap that comes with the camera thru those slots and tighten everything down.

Most of mine are on pine trees. A complicating factor are the antennas which transmit the pictures. I am sure I can make it work with a little trial & error.

Trailcam Junkie pretty much explains condensation and dew points as culprits you cannot control. They suggest Cat Crap, Rain-X, etc. Here's part of the linked article:

What Causes Condensation?

Condensation is a fairly simple concept to understand. It basically occurs whenever the weather changes rapidly, and the temperature of your camera is cooler than the air. Think of what happens when you pour yourself a cold glass of sweet tea in the middle of the summer. The outside of the cup begins to sweat, or condensate. You get yelled at to use a coaster, and when you go to lift the cup up, the glass is noticeably colder than the surrounding air. The reaction between that cold glass and the warmer surrounding air is what causes condensation.

The same principle often occurs with trail cameras, typically in early mornings. Throughout the course of the night, temperatures tend to drop, cooling the surface temperature of your camera. The last few hours of morning darkness tend to be the coolest of the day. Once the sun begins to rise, the atmospheric temperature rises quickly, but the trail camera’s surface temperature is unable to warm at the same rate, causing condensation to form.

In photography this is a common occurrence. If you have ever watched a professional photographer work a wedding, going from an air conditioned building to taking photos outside, they deal with the same condensation build up on their lenses.

Dew Point

While quick temperature changes to solid surfaces has an immediate impact on condensation, the other factor that creates water build up is dew point. Likely you have heard your local meteorologist mention the dew point temperature, and if you are anything like me, you never gave it two seconds of thought about what it actually means.

The dew point temperature is the actual temperature in which the air would be saturated with water. For example if the dew point temperature is 60 degrees, and the actual temperature is at 70 degrees, you will be able to feel humidity in the air, but it is not physically wet. If the temperature falls to 60 degrees, the air would be saturated, creating a humidity of 100%. Any decrease in temperature, or even increase in water vapor from evaporation, the result would be condensation. This is often experienced during morning hours when you can physically experience the dew on surfaces such as grass or your vehicles windows.

The condensation that is created from dew point will have the same affect on the lens of your trail camera as the condensation that is formed with the difference in surface temperature and air temperature.

quote:

Originally posted by erict:
Trailcam Junkie pretty much explains condensation and dew points as culprits you cannot control. They suggest Cat Crap, Rain-X, etc. Here's part of the linked article:

What Causes Condensation?

Condensation is a fairly simple concept to understand. It basically occurs whenever the weather changes rapidly, and the temperature of your camera is cooler than the air. Think of what happens when you pour yourself a cold glass of sweet tea in the middle of the summer. The outside of the cup begins to sweat, or condensate. You get yelled at to use a coaster, and when you go to lift the cup up, the glass is noticeably colder than the surrounding air. The reaction between that cold glass and the warmer surrounding air is what causes condensation.

The same principle often occurs with trail cameras, typically in early mornings. Throughout the course of the night, temperatures tend to drop, cooling the surface temperature of your camera. The last few hours of morning darkness tend to be the coolest of the day. Once the sun begins to rise, the atmospheric temperature rises quickly, but the trail camera’s surface temperature is unable to warm at the same rate, causing condensation to form.

In photography this is a common occurrence. If you have ever watched a professional photographer work a wedding, going from an air conditioned building to taking photos outside, they deal with the same condensation build up on their lenses.

Interesting. I was unaware of this website. Thank you.

Most of my issues are from rain or fog. Condensation is less of an issue.

I don’t have a cat to collect any crap, so maybe I should try RainX.....

build a bird house for the camera... you know a shed.

Got it.

Yes and no I had problems with both I had it rain so hard the seals failed and the cam filled with water ruining it.

I am mighty temped to build and use some type of roofing device.

I thinking a simple sheet metal roof attached by a screw above each camera would work well.

Get some “Crete Sleeves” from a building supply store. They are fairly inexpensive. They are round and come in any size you would need. They have a flange around the bottom. Cut off the top at the desired length and fasten them to the tree with a couple of screws.