Fog / condensation appearing inside lens during flight

[gezzamondo]

Ive had my drone for a few months and only had it in the air a few times. During the last 2 flights the lens has been getting covered with fog / condensation after about 5 /10 mins in the air which is ruining the footage and is unusable.

On both occasions it has been quite cold outside, but even still surely this should be happening

I contacted DJi online and they seem to have standard response which is send it to them for repair, even though it's only a few month old.

Has anyone experience this and how have you fixed the issue? Is it possible that I have a faulty drone?

I've attached some photos of how it looks

 

[james_mav]

I've seen a few other threads on this issue. It seems like your best bet is to sit the drone outside before you fly to minimize the temp change. Its worked for some.

 

[ProfPaul]

With my rotorless cameras, I keep the cameras in a Ziploc bag with a rechargeable dehumidifier (desiccant) cartridge - summer & winter - to minimize condensation. In the summer, when going from AC to humid heat, I let the camera temperature match the ambient temperature before opening the bag. The same concept should work in reverse in the winter. I'm going to do this with my Spark & Mavic.

 

[pixl]

The fact that the condensation is happening 5-10 minutes into the flight as opposed to right away may indicate that the outer seal on the camera may be faulty.

I use the same methods as above from @ProfPaul and @james_mav. They prevent condensation when going from warm to cold (and reverse) where the condensation would otherwise appear right away, but I'm not sure they apply in this case.

Perhaps @Thunderdrones or @msinger could chime in with their experience.

 

[ProfPaul]

The fact that the condensation is happening 5-10 minutes into the flight as opposed to right away may indicate that the outer seal on the camera may be faulty.

Thank you for the clarification. I will watch for this effect, especially as I plan to fly this winter in the Buffalo/Niagara area when the temperatures are not below the operating range of the batteries. But I still think using the desiccant in a sealed bag can't hurt. It removes residual moisture from the device following the transition from cold to a humid and warm environment.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I wonder if a filter like an NC-UV might help insulate the camera lens a bit ?
The filter may fog up then though, if an environmental issue.

 

[Khristian]

I had exactly the same issue here in Brazil. Travelled to the beach, slept with AC on and then it happened. I tried to dry it with a hair blower. The fog went away but then returned. So I tried to use some rice inside the lens cover. Let’s see if it works

 

[ICHOTT]

During the last 2 flights the lens has been getting covered with fog / condensation, see pics, after about 5 /10 mins in the air which is ruining the footage and is unusable.

On both occasiorns it has been quite cold outside, but even still surely this should NOT be happening

I contacted DJi online and they seem to have standard response which is send it to them for repair. . .

I've attached some photos of how it looks

View attachment 24022 View attachment 24023

Getting this too, aircraft is house room warm about 20 degrees, go outside in cold eg 5 degrees and the misty dot appears on camera lens. This should normaly ONLY happen when going from cold to warm where the warm moist air condenses on a cold surface, but other way round???

I’ll contact DJI with the query . . .

 

[pixl]

Getting this too, aircraft is house room warm about 20 degrees, go outside in cold eg 5 degrees and the misty dot appears on camera lens. This should normaly ONLY happen when going from cold to warm where the warm moist air condenses on a cold surface, but other way round???

I’ll contact DJI with the query . . .

You can get condensation the other way around depending on humidity, not temperature.

 

[ICHOTT]

You can get condensation the other way around depending on humidity, not temperature.

Interesting thanks, I’ll experiment with allowing the MP to cool down for a while, ie acclimatise, keep the batteries warm of course and see what happens, cheers

 

[maven4336]

Iv been flying in cold now many times, even got unexspected rain and never have seen no condensation happen yet, just so you now

 

[ac0j]

I hate when that happens to my eyeglasses as well. Until the glasses get closer to the new temperature.
I feel like there is moisture inside the lens. It should be completely sealed and dry. The fact that it condenses on the INSIDE of the lens, I think it might be a defect.

 

[meens]

I just had this problem yesterday for the first time. It was just after a firmware update so the drone was inside and quite hot. The outside temperature was about 5° and I believe the change between the inside temparature and the outside caused the problem. On any other occasion I have to walk for about 10 mn to my flying spot so the drone is at outside temperature and that never happened. Yesterday I stopped the drone and brought it back inside, the fog disappeared in about one minute. I went outside again and everything worked fine from this point.

 

[FlynRyanD]

Same here. Today I took the drone outside and let it sit for 5 minutes and acclimate (battery removed). Put battery in and flew for 10 minutes in 15 degree temps without any fog in the lens.

 

[ICHOTT]

I've seen a few other threads on this issue. It seems like your best bet is to sit the drone outside before you fly to minimize the temp change. Its worked for some.

This is it!
Just done quite a lot of reading on condensation and the issue we are discussing is indeed Normal!

I thought keeping the MP warm would be the answer but it isn’t, it’s getting it to equalise with the outside air temp.

The reason for the condensation on the ‘inside’ of the lens glass is simply because the air inside the lens is warm and hence has ‘some’ moisture content,( it would have to be in a vacuum not to I believe)
Anyway, as soon as you take it outside to the cold air, the outside surface of the lens glass gets very cold very quickly, because the glass is so very thin, all the glass gets cold, including the inside surface and the warm ‘moist’ air condenses immediately on the inside surface, voila!
Experiment tonight: put the MP in the very cool, 8 degrees, conservatory for 30 mins, took it outside, 4 degrees, for a short hover and videoed - perfect. Problem understood!

In future I’ll keep the batteries warm and in the car etc, but ensure the MP is accordingly ambient cooled.

Hope that helps . . .

 

[ac0j]

My rifle scopes and binoculars never condense on the inside. That is because they are sealed and charged with some type of gas to prevent it. They must not do that on the Mavic cameras.

 

[ICHOTT]

My rifle scopes and binoculars never condense on the inside. That is because they are sealed and charged with some type of gas to prevent it. They must not do that on the Mavic cameras.

Indeed, most double double glazing window units are also sealed and filled with argon gas, thus no condensation despite Temp differences.

 

[Turn11]

some type of gas

In most cases, it is Nitrogen

 

[Turn11]

The reason for the condensation on the ‘inside’ of the lens glass is simply because the air inside the lens is warm and hence has ‘some’ moisture content,( it would have to be in a vacuum not to I believe)

Nitrogen in most cases

In future I’ll keep the batteries warm and in the car etc, but ensure the MP is accordingly ambient cooled.

You can use heating jells or a heated hand warmer like motorcycle riders use in cold weather. Attach to the cigarette lighter with plug

 

[NelsonFrostJr]

I have been seeing the fogged lense here in Maine taking the Mavic outside from the warm house into cool air. First five minutes or so of video are foggy. It does clear up after that. I'm going to try desicant packs in the hard case during storage. Getting time to equalize temp should take care of any condensation. I'll let you know if dessicant shortens the time to equalize.