Cannon Rebel T6i won't work in humid environments

[williammanring]

Every year we take a beach vacation and every year our Cannon Rebel T6i stops working when we get there.  When we get back home the camera starts working.  We do not take it close to the ocean so it does not get wet, but it is very hot and humid.  This year when we got home the camera is still only working intermittently and it is humid at home right now.  Is there an issue with these cameras in humid environments?  It did go from an air conditioned house to the outdoors, but it has done that before.  Is the camera ruined or can it be repaired?

The symptoms are that the camera will not turn on, or will not take pictures.  We replaced the batteries and SD card but it won't work.  Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

Like all electrical equipment, cameras have limits to the degree to which they will tolerate moisture in the air as humidity or as water droplets.  If you are going to somewhere that is extremely humid, then it is best to take a camera designed for the conditions. 

Going from humid to cool+dry conditions will cause the moisture in the air to become precipitation, and will coat the inside of the camera in moisture.  This will eventually result in corrosion and failure of the circuits and may create fungus in the lenses.  The Rebel T6i is not, in any way weather environmentally protected, so it is likely that is what has happened if you have done this cycle repeatedly.   You could have Canon look at it, but it will not be covered by warranty and is likely unrepairable.

Really, you want a tough camera: something like the Olympus X-T5 or 6.  They are designed to survive going 10m under water.   Canon make their own tough camera the Canon PowerShot D30.

[Tintype_18]

The PowerShot D30 has been discontinued according to B&H Photo. There should be a current model that replaces it.

[Tronhard]

Thanks for that update.  Frankly, I suspect that there is nothing in the pipeline from Canon right now, as they concentrate resources in other area.  The Olympus was pretty generally regarded as the better unit and seems to have the bulk of the market share.

I have the Olympus TG-5, which is hardly any different from the current TG-6 TBH, is has a much smaller sensor than the Rebel, but at least it won't be impacted by humidity.   It does have a really good close-up capability and can do panoramas.

I actually wanted a tough camera with a larger sensor and found a brand new (discontinued) Nikon 1 AW1, that has a 1" sensor and it is a great unit.  It has a 24-72mm zoom lens that does not extend, so no issue with sealing.  Takes great photos and my go-to when I'm out in foul weather.

Both cameras do video.

[kvbarkley]

[Tronhard]

I suspect that the issue is not the actual temperature per se, but the humidity.  Scratch what's in the brackets! (Is the 85% or less supposed to be humidity? - It does not appear to be clear in this screen shot.)  I just rejigged my display and the rest of the shot came clear! Sorry about that Kevin!!!  Then certainly. that is likely to have  been exceeded if the description from the OP is accurate.

A friend of mine had that issue when they were working in Indonesia and they had to be very careful to transition their gear between the two.   If the camera stayed outside that might be safer in respect to the moisture, maybe not as far as security though!

I worked in the outback of Australia in temperatures of over 40DegC (100DegF) but it was bone-dry, so I had no issues of condensation when I worked between my air-con and outside environments.

[kvbarkley]

Yeah, the humidity spec is messed up. Ignore everything after the "or less", the rest is specification boilerplate. Can you fix that Canon?