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I've recently been getting into whitewater rafting and have been using my GoPro on my trips. However, over time condensation will slowly build up inside the waterproof casing and obscure the lens (usually because I end up in the water).

Since I'm in an environment where water is present, I'd rather not use the open back casing nor do I want to open up the casing to equalize the temperature between the interior and exterior of the casing. What can I do to prevent fogging within the GoPro case when I take it out on the water?

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What can I do to prevent fogging within the GoPro case when I take it out on the water?

An important assumption that you must confirm is that the condensation is due to moisture present inside the camera at sealing time and is NOT caused by water ingress during operation. If the camera is sucking in water, then you have a problem that must be repaired.

If the condensation is due to moisture in the air in the camera it usually occurs because the outer case is cooled to below the dew point of the internal air. You overcome this by lowering the dew point of the internal air, which you do by drying it.

You can dry air with a dessicant OR by cooling it to below its dew point so that water precipitates out. So ...

Some mix of:

1 - Use a desiccant inside the camera. silica gel is one. There are others available commercially. Wikipedia is useful They note -

  • . Some commonly used desiccants are: silica gel, activated charcoal, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, montmorillonite clay, and molecular sieves. I have been very impressed with both Montmorillonite_clay and Calcium Chloride.. Both of these can make a mess by liberating liquid water after capture if arranged poorly BUT a properly designed system can capture and retain far more water than you should have inside your housing.

2 - Close case when air is as cold as possible (low RH for a given situation). If you seal the case at home or in an environment when power is available you could use a modest peltier cooler to achieve lower temperatures than you will otherwise be likely to get.

3 - Use dry air when sealing. eg pump air through a dessicant with a squeeze bulb or similar and flush inside of camera with this air before sealing. Doing this when the air is cool is a bonus.

Choice 1 can be used in conjunction with others.

Choice 3 is arguably the most "real" one as it provides air that is as dry as you can reasonably make it. Even better if it is cool when sealed as the RH will drop as the temperature rises.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ sounds like the simplest solution would be to leave the case and camera open in the fridge for a few hours, then open the fridge door and quickly snap the case shut, capturing a bubble of nice dry air. \$\endgroup\$
    – Matt Grum
    Jul 12, 2012 at 15:40
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    \$\begingroup\$ Saving the little silica gel packets from other goods is a cheap source. \$\endgroup\$
    – JDługosz
    Nov 20, 2014 at 4:29
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This is pretty common for the GoPro underwater housing. One of the larger GoPro dealers actually has custom made inserts that help with the issue. They call them GoPro Anti-Fog Inserts. This is the description:

Prevent your camera's housing from fogging, even in cold temperatures/humid environments. Great value and performance: includes 3 sets of anti-fog inserts. Each set lasts 4-5 uses and can be dried in an oven (3 minutes) and used again.

enter image description here

In my personal experience, this is just something you learn to live with for the GoPro. It isn't perfect, but I just try to acclimate the unit to the water for a time before my adventure. I've done snorkeling, scuba, swimming, and rafting this way. If you are having trouble with the outside lens fogging up, wipe some Vaseline to prevent that issue.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1: Used these in Thailand during the monsoon season (moist air) and had no trouble with fogging \$\endgroup\$
    – WW.
    Jul 22, 2012 at 8:37
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A more affordable alternative is to use the third-party anti fog inserts. I've bought a pack of FogFree for my old HERO2 and still use the same inserts almost 2 years later. They work the same as the GoPro branded ones but are much cheaper. Just "bake" them to dry and you can keep reusing them.

The fridge/air-con trick never worked for me.

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If there is room inside the case a good option would be to place a silica gel pack inside. The silica gel will lower the moisture level inside the case, which will help to prevent condensation.

You can also get reusable packs that can be baked to renew. Look for "indicating silica gel" (Example).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The casing is pretty tight as is (to hold the camera in place) so it'd have to be pretty thin. I'll check it out though and give it a try. Thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – user4152
    Jul 12, 2012 at 14:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ This is the same stuff that you find in shoe boxes... it comes in many shapes and sizes, so you should be able to find something. \$\endgroup\$
    – chills42
    Jul 12, 2012 at 14:20
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The official anti-fog inserts work well, but are easy to lose during a quick change. And never at an easy time to replace them. At a fix, I've overcome fogging on a number of adventures in South East Asia by simply tearing off strips of tissue paper. For a recent dirtbike trip up into the mountains of Cambodia, the fogging got particularly bad, and we were out of inserts. We ended up simply tearing up some of the local currency and packing the front, sides and back with it.

Not an ideal fix, but it worked, presumably with the conditions being such that the moisture vapour was more readily absorbed into the porous material then they were to condense on the lens dome of the case.

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What can I do to prevent fogging within the GoPro case when I take it out on the water?

The GoPro line of cameras has evolved quite a bit since this question was asked six years ago. The current crop of GoPros are all waterproof, so there's no need for a waterproof case unless you plan to take your camera diving. Without a case, condensation is only a problem if the camera is cold and in moist air, and in that case the easiest thing to do is to just wipe the lens or dip it in the water.

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Yes, you can buy the inserts. They aren't great. Your best bet is to cut a paper towel down to 3/4" strips by 2-3 inches long. LIGHTLY dust it with cornstarch and shake off. Fold it tightly like a rectangle. Insert appropriately. I also use an anti-fog spray or toothpaste on the inside of the case. Don't be a nimrod. Buff it out until it's clear. You won't have any issues. I also have been known to soak my camera (in the waterproof case) in whatever water I am getting in. It tempers the case and camera, therefore minimizing condensation.

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I found that using a dry(as opposed to wet) face tissue paper inserted in the gaps between the waterproof housing, and the actual camera works wonders and doesn't cost as much as the other action camera focused desiccants.

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have a look at my article you may find it helpful, it covers how and why condensations occurs, what you can do to reduce or eliminate it.

http://underwaterwillett.com/housing%20condensation.html

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    \$\begingroup\$ What does the article say? Can you summarise? That link might die. \$\endgroup\$
    – osullic
    Apr 2, 2021 at 13:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ Hi Andrew, welcome to Photography Stack Exchange! You have posted a link-only answer. So by itself, readers have no way of knowing whether this answers the question, or if the information found at the link might be useful. Please see the Meta question, Your answer is in another castle: when is an answer not an answer?, and edit your post to summarize or highlight the “takeaway” of the link you provided. Thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
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  • \$\begingroup\$ In case you didn't see this at the other answer you posted: please follow the instructions at the Help Center page, I accidentally created two accounts; how do I merge them? \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
    Apr 4, 2021 at 22:42

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