Long Term Storage of Cameras

will

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 14, 2004
Messages
2,597
I have a few film cameras that I do not use very much these days, I switched to a Digital SLR. I have a a few camera bags that I can use for storage. I remove all the batteries from the cameras and put on the proper body caps. The batteries go into a separate plastic box. I put the lens caps on the lenses. I bought a few rechargeable desiccant tins. The desiccant changes color when it can no longer absorb any moisture. Put them in the oven at 300 degrees for a couple of hours and they can be reused. These go in the camera bags with the equipment.

I take out everything out once a year or so and go though attaching the lenses and taking a few blank shots. I check the desiccant at that time as well. The camera bags are all nylon and not completely sealed, the zippers are not waterproof.

I was tempted to put all the stuff in sealed zip lock bags, or wrap the camera bag in a plastic bag. I am not sure if that would be a good idea or not..

I have a few cameras here in humid Florida. I keep the desiccant tin in the bag down here to keep the cameras from getting moldy.
 

will

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 14, 2004
Messages
2,597
I am re visiting this again. I have done some reading and I get a few different methods of storage. The main concerns seem to moisture and 'out' gassing. Moisture can be taken care of by a desiccant placed in a sealed plastic bag. However, that prevents any 'out' gassing from being released. So, what is good in one way is bad in others.

The reason I bring this up again is that I have a Nikon D70 digital that I have in storage. I do use it on rare occasions and the last time I went to use it, the rubber coating on the grips had started to get 'sticky'. He fix is basically to replace the grips with new ones. I did find a company that makes a treatment cream that also will make the stickiness go away. I wonder if I had kept the camera in a more open bag would have prevented this.
 
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