Investing In a Dry Cabinet (A Good One!)

[starman1]

Hi All,

This post is about getting some good advice on storage of camera gear - basically anything that takes damage because of fungus or other humidity related issues (if any). Any inputs on general proper storage of camera gear are appreciated. I am also looking for recommendations of manufacturers of these dehumidifiers or dry cabinets (which one is reliable for long term storage) and some inputs on the basic science behind it - what amount of humidity causes problems w.r.t fungus and what amount of it is acceptable for no fungus growth. Something I have always wondered and wanted to understand better.

I currently store things in a metal bookshelf with glass doors (typically available anywhere) which I have sort of optimized to stay dry (with inserting many silica gel pouches). My binoculars' objectives seem to have finally got fungus growing on them now - they stayed clean for many years, but this problem is now a reality for me.

Kind regards,
Udayan

[raul]

I had very very bad experience with DYI's, long story short, if u can afford one, buy one asap

[starman1]

Yes, DIY'ing it needs proper attention and care to the method of making/building one.

However, I just want to avoid the hassle of it altogether now and have one robust main storage space which is tried, tested and reliable 24x7x365 (more or less). Once that is done, I can get into DIY'ing a dry box or two after studying how it is built. :)

Cheers,
Udayan

[raul]

There are lots of factors on DIY's which depends on country, city, weather conditions, even on what floor one lives on etc & then to maintain the numbers one has to check the DIY's frequently & after sometime one loses count because of other priorities, dry box overcomes all of that, I researched / spoke to few about few brands & later found our the most of them are same & the prices are just more or less depending on the brands, so I got myself an Andbon 125 for 18.5k last year after I lost 3 of my big boys to fungus which was a huge financial blow.

[Nishit Dave]

If you cannot afford a dry cabinet, or if you have too much gear that you don't require frequently, you can store it it an airtight Tupperware 20 litre rice container. Remember to open and close it only in an air-conditioned room and keep silica gel packets inside.

Needless to say, don't put anything that's already fungus-infested inside.

[raul]

If you cannot afford a dry cabinet, or if you have too much gear that you don't require frequently, you can store it it an airtight Tupperware 20 litre rice container. Remember to open and close it only in an air-conditioned room and keep silica gel packets inside.

Needless to say, don't put anything that's already fungus-infested inside.

I lost 3 lenses with this DIY

had Airtight Tupperware transparent container with Silica Gel, Hygrometer to keep check on the temperature & humidity

[Nishit Dave]

I lost 3 lenses with this DIY

had Airtight Tupperware transparent container with Silica Gel, Hygrometer to keep check on the temperature & humidity

Sorry to hear that, but storing lenses in airtight dry boxes has been a good way for their safekeeping - I have stored extra lenses and binoculars in this way. Your lenses might have ingested some spores beforehand.

[raul]

Sorry to hear that, but storing lenses in airtight dry boxes has been a good way for their safekeeping - I have stored extra lenses and binoculars in this way. Your lenses might have ingested some spores beforehand.

Lets not speculate anything & judge each other, my only point is that DIY is temporary & not full proof, anyone who thinks its cheap & safe will eventually end up with "BAD" experience, just matter of time !!!

if u can afford one, please buy.

[chrome]

If you cannot afford a dry cabinet, or if you have too much gear that you don't require frequently, you can store it it an airtight Tupperware 20 litre rice container. Remember to open and close it only in an air-conditioned room and keep silica gel packets inside.

Needless to say, don't put anything that's already fungus-infested inside.

I lost 3 lenses with this DIY

had Airtight Tupperware transparent container with Silica Gel, Hygrometer to keep check on the temperature & humidity

With passive DIY solutions, one has to check the humidity from time to time. For me I have to recharge the blue silica desiccant around 2-3 months during winters and every month during the rains. I had fungus growth on one of my lenses when I did not check the silica during the monsoon season. After that incident, I checked on a monthly basis.

While you save on money with DIY solutions, you give up your free time. Up to you which is more important.

[raul]

With passive DIY solutions, one has to check the humidity from time to time. For me I have to recharge the blue silica desiccant around 2-3 months during winters and every month during the rains. I had fungus growth on one of my lenses when I did not check the silica during the monsoon season. After that incident, I checked on a monthly basis.

While you save on money with DIY solutions, you give up your free time. Up to you which is more important.

I had 2 20 liters airtight containers & I used this DIY for 3-4-5 years & noticed that only brand new silica gel lasted longer compared to the used one which we recharged & its discharge rate was faster & then it became a headache after few months, later I realized that I had collected almost 4-5 KG's of silica gel, when u recharge them, almost half of it gets discharged while it cooled down, no matter what method use, gas or oven. Repeat this exercise after every 10-15 days for 2-3 hours, lose time & money in this process. After getting the dry cabinet I have a peace of mind & the electricity cost is quite minor, I only repent if I had done this pre-covid when things were cheaper & I would not have lost my lenses.

What did I save with this DIY, nothing. So instead of judging "THEY MUST NOT HAVE DONE IT RIGHT", save your gears.