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I currently store my gear in a mansard, which is above my flat in the attic floor, and that I use as workroom too (Computer, NAS, and so on). In summertimes temperature may climb above 30°C/86°F and stay there for multiple days (and nights). I am concerned that plastic and rubber may become brittle and break, as well as the sensor of the camera or other (lens-/filter-)coatings may suffer. So I am wondering if these temperatures may damage my gear and which environments are best to store photo gear in general?

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See also photo.stackexchange.com/questions/3719/… – ysap Jun 7 '11 at 8:09
@ysap: thanks for the link, but my question is more about where to store photo gear rather than how (in terms of boxes, bags, drawers and so on). So it is about temperature, humidity and other environmental influences that are not mitigated that much by how one stores ones gear. – el_migu_el Jun 7 '11 at 9:52
If its only the temperature you're worried about, forget it, otherwise the Arabs wont be using DSLRs... – ShutterBug Jun 7 '11 at 10:14
@ShutterBug: Good point with the Arabs :-) but who knows maybe they have some heavy A/C in place ;-) Thanks – el_migu_el Jun 7 '11 at 14:26

1 Answer

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If you see the Canon 600D specification sheet here it says:

Operating Environment 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity

If the manufacturer guarantees it will operate within those temperatures it will be safe to store it within those temperatures, especially as I believe a lot of operating specifications given by manufacturers are pessimistic, electronics will likely work outside of those temperatures even though manufacturers won't guarantee it.

That said, I would be more worried about humidity and dust than heat personally so storing within a sealed container would be my recommendation.

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+1. Mold is a bigger concern than heat, although heat can be a concern (probably at temps higher than 30°C, though). If you use a sealed container to keep out humidity, best to also include a desiccant. – mattdm Jun 7 '11 at 12:43
Thank you for your answer. As I started to get worried about the high environment temperatures I also checked the manual of my Nikon D7000. I found some notes about the operating environment as-well as for storage. Batteries: "...removing it and storing it in a location with an ambient temperature of 15 to 25 °C (59 to 77 °F; avoid hot or extremely cold locations)." - ok this one is obvious. Lens Care: "Leaving the lens in extremely hot locations could damage or warp parts made from reinforced plastic.". – el_migu_el Jun 7 '11 at 14:27
(tbc):Reading about the lens care, I was wondering why this does not apply, or at least is not mentioned, for storing the camera since it has some plastic as-well. You are definitely right with pessimistic manufacturers. However, I think you might be also right to equal operating env. with storage env., but it still leaves me with a dull feeling :-) – el_migu_el Jun 7 '11 at 14:28
@mattdm: Thank you. I currently keep my camera in my bag, which has a couple of silica gel sachets in it. You are right about the mold and the sealed container, maybe I should start using the latter one too. – el_migu_el Jun 7 '11 at 14:39
@el_migu_el It's a shame the manufacturer doesn't explain 'hot or extremely cold locations', I suspect they might do this on purpose! – ChrisFletcher Jun 7 '11 at 14:41

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