Conquer lens fog: How to keep your camera clear in humid weather

Stepping out into the scorching heat, it’s a common woe – your glasses or camera lens instantly fogging up, no matter how many times you hastily wipe them clean. But fear not, there’s a simple fix.

Recently it was a humid day when I decided to capture the moments of my daughter’s first day of 2nd grade with my trusty Nikon camera. Little did I know that my lens had chilled to the bone thanks to our cozy air-conditioned home. As soon as I stepped into the sweltering outdoors, the lens fogged up. It was a classic case of cold glass meeting humid weather, akin to a frosty beverage causing condensation on a hot summer day.

So, what’s the solution, you ask? Oddly enough, it’s to add some warmth to that lens. Don’t just give it a single wipe and call it a day. Instead, keep rubbing the lens to generate heat. The key here is to make that glass toasty. Once it’s warmed up, it won’t succumb to the pesky fog. It turns out, it’s only the chilly glass that’s prone to condensation.

In my case, I used my shirt to not only clear the fog but also to raise the temperature of the glass, preventing any further condensation from forming. And just like that, I was back to capturing the unforgettable moments of my daughter’s school journey, with a clear lens and a lesson learned about battling the humidity-induced lens fog.

The next day it was humid again, so I went outside to snap some pictures of my foggy lens for this blog post. I drew a smiley face on the lens for fun. Now I wish I shot some photographs of my daughter with this smiley face filter!