I'm setting up some Dahua IPC-HFW5231E-Z12E cameras and a little worried they will have condensation on their lenses from dew in the morning. Do the lenses have heaters in them to keep moisture away and is that something I can control?
Heaters in the Lens to Prevent Condensation?
- Thread starter brightnight
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fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
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No they dont. The will not have condensation unless its defective. 99.9 percent of cameras dont have heaters in them and dont have condensation.
awsum140
Known around here
It was a foggy morning here and none of my cameras, Dahua or even the cheap junk, had any condensation on the lens. Blowing rain and snow is more of a problem if you want to call it a problem.
Thanks for the response! That's interesting, I'm surprised by that. I wonder if it's because the cameras are up off the ground near a house or if there's another reason. I will have my cameras down on ground level (long story) so hopefully I don't have any issues. Recently I had had some wildlife cameras out and there was some lens fogging when the snow was melting, I missed some incredible footage because of it. I assume people don't put anti-fog gel on the lenses, they just put the cameras out and don't worry about it.
awsum140
Known around here
My cameras are about eight feet off the ground and I have never had lens fog. There has been some snow accumulation and rain, but only under extreme conditions. At least extreme for down here.
IAmATeaf
Known around here
You’d only get condensation if there is a sudden change in temperatures surely? So a cam outside will change temps with the ambient temps and even though the innards may be a few degrees higher that won’t be enough to cause condensation. Or do I have this completely wrong?
I think that's mostly right but cameras located on or near the ground or in specific circumstances would fog up. If you have a large mass like a big battery with the camera it might keep the case cold longer then the ambient temperature. I definitely have wildlife cameras in the woods around my house that fog up at different times of the year.
I've had Dahua cameras fog up before due to water ingress. One, a SD49225T-HN PTZ which was subjected to high speed winds combined with rain or snow. The camera's anti-fog function had little effect (maybe it doesn't actually have that function and was just shown in the firmware due to a bug).
The other, a IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 (varifocal starlight) which developed the problem last year due to being constantly soaked by water dripping from the roof above it. It cleared up on its own after a few days, but 13 days ago the problem came back and hasn't gone away on its own. I think I'm going to have to take the camera down, disassemble and clean it, then put it back together and maybe smear some hot glue in places.
The other, a IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 (varifocal starlight) which developed the problem last year due to being constantly soaked by water dripping from the roof above it. It cleared up on its own after a few days, but 13 days ago the problem came back and hasn't gone away on its own. I think I'm going to have to take the camera down, disassemble and clean it, then put it back together and maybe smear some hot glue in places.
awsum140
Known around here
@brightnight When you say "wildlife cameras" exactly what brands and models are they? Are they the tree mount stuff from Cabellas or actual PoE cameras?
The reason I ask is that the IR in the PoE camera will produce more heat, as well as the power supply producing extra heat, that is not present in the battery operated, hunter style, stuff. That, in turn, as IAmATeaf said, will keep the camera slightly above ambient air temperature and mitigate, or even eliminate, the lens from fogging no matter where it may be mounted.
The reason I ask is that the IR in the PoE camera will produce more heat, as well as the power supply producing extra heat, that is not present in the battery operated, hunter style, stuff. That, in turn, as IAmATeaf said, will keep the camera slightly above ambient air temperature and mitigate, or even eliminate, the lens from fogging no matter where it may be mounted.
I've seen cams fog up internally from being exposed to too much moisture that gets in somehow. Also seen it in some new cams that may have been just shipped
from a more humid climate and the bag of silica inside has yet to equalize the moisture differential. Usually clears up in a day or two. The silica gel packs can be replaced or baked in a low oven
to restore their drying capacity if needed, but if water is getting in, best to move the cam to a drier location or seal it up with something...
from a more humid climate and the bag of silica inside has yet to equalize the moisture differential. Usually clears up in a day or two. The silica gel packs can be replaced or baked in a low oven
to restore their drying capacity if needed, but if water is getting in, best to move the cam to a drier location or seal it up with something...
awsum140
Known around here
Shockwave199
Known around here
This problem is a risk with dome cameras. The camera itself can get pretty warm. At certain times of the year with just the right outside temperature difference, fog can build up inside the dome. Over time that can lead to internal water build and severe humidity inside the dome. You can change out the dry pack inside the camera but in my experience with domes that develop the problem, it's a persistent problem that never corrects. And once you open them outside and close them back up, you lock in whatever the air consistency was on that day. Best to open domes on low humid days and not cold. You're better off with ball cameras in this respect. It can happen to them too but it's much less likely.
Here is one of my PTZ's that had condensate in it.
It was last year, a very hot day with very high dew point. This camera must of had issues because my other ones didn't have any problems that day, and never have. Most of the PTZ's do have a small heater in them but this one does not.
It was last year, a very hot day with very high dew point. This camera must of had issues because my other ones didn't have any problems that day, and never have. Most of the PTZ's do have a small heater in them but this one does not.
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Yes I mean tree mounted cameras or cameras on the ground such as cameras made by Browning (Cabelas sells them). They aren't POE, all battery powered cameras that turn on and take a picture only when motion is sensed. Most of the time they basically aren't using any power (20uA), compared to these POE cameras which are 1A at night or ~500mA during the day based on my experience.
awsum140
Known around here
I think you'll find that these "power hogs" won't fog up, or at least be not as prone to fog up as a trail cam. Keep us posted, though, it is an interesting situation.
Cleck
Getting the hang of it
I had an issue w/ this happening in some cheaper cameras I bought for my system. All the cams came from China and both of them did it right out of the box. I contacted the company and they sent 2 more to me, which did not do this. Might have been a batch issue. I basically took the cap off the defective ones, cleaned them up real good, applied rain-x to the inside and outside of the lens, and then sealed them up tight with a little silicone (I think) in the threads. I haven't had a problem since. Maybe I got lucky, I dunno. Either way, it could be the cam and if you're going to replace them, can't hurt to try what I did. Can't say it'll 100% work for you, but it did for me, and they've since been through a ton of wind, rain, and snow with zero issues.
haha I had a feeling...Thanks for the info about the Rain-X, maybe someone else will try that, too. Seems to be working well on your cameras, I couldn't tell the other night when I was messing with them.
Cleck
Getting the hang of it
I cleaned up that one out front as well. There's definitely a lens flare there from the front light, but it was also in need of a little cleaning, there were some spots.
