On a hot day I left my 5d3 and lens in my car's trunk...any damage?

[Northstar]

I forgot that I had left my 5d3 and L lens in my car's trunk for a couple days while the sun was out and the temps were in the 90's. When I opened the trunk, it felt like hot, but not like "inside the car" hot because obviously the trunk is dark.

I tried to simulate the scenario with a thermometer and it said 110. I know that one of the days was close to 100 degrees and sunny, so I'm thinking it might have been 120 or 130 at some point.

I've used the camera since, and the images and performance appear normal. The manual just says avoid high heat....I'm not sure if 125 qualifies as high heat. I know when I lived in the desert for a few years that it's sometime 115 degrees and sunny, which might subject your camera/lens to 130 degrees or more.

Has anybody ever done this? Do I have anything to worry about?

What about the lens, can a lens handle this type of heat?

 

[neuroanatomist]

Main risk is the Li-ion battery in the camera - heat shortens it's useful life, sometimes dramatically, especially if the battery is fully charged when exposed to 'car in the sun' temps.

 

[heptagon]

104F is maximum operating temperature specified. This means full burst operation and it will be OK, the battery gets quite a bit hotter than that in full operation and you just let it sit there. So i wouldn't worry at all... unless you meant degrees celsius.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Over a extended period, lubes may either harden, or separate and run into places where they do not belong, plastics out gas and get brittle. This would happen slowly over a period of many weeks or months.
In the short term, the battery might vent and sustain some minor damage.
I really doubt that 2 days might damage it, but it is definitely a risk if done regularly.

 

[Northstar]

celsius..no, thank god..funny.

My main worry is the coatings of the lens optics...and of course the 5d3 sensor....it sounds like i shouldn't worry, but of course i do.

 

[wickidwombat]

LoL i've used my gear in 50 degree Celcius weather and hotter and its fine

I'm amazed people even worry about this stuff really

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

celsius..no, thank god..funny.

My main worry is the coatings of the lens optics...and of course the 5d3 sensor....it sounds like i shouldn't worry, but of course i do.

I would not worry about the lens coatings, they are usually applied by metal vapor deposition at higher temperatures (150-500 decrees celsius). The sensor is safe from damage as well. It might be noisy until it cools down, but it can take the heat.
Long term overheating is the issue to avoid, and current lubes and plastics are better than ever.

 

[marekjoz]

I've used at 40C in direct sun, where it heated much more (it was hot when touched) - no problems at all.
And what about the other side of the scale? I've used 5d2 with 70-200 f4 for photo and video at -30C. It worked great and I had no problems at all. Great cooling of CMOS btw. Did it happen to you to go even lower?

 

[Northstar]

Thanks....I'm fine with it now after reading these replies.

I know little abut the technical and engineering aspects of gear but I knew CR would have many people with that knowledge/experience.

Thanks again!

Ps...I'm surprised nobody wrote in with a "horror story" about leaving their gear in the car on a hot and sunny day when the temps inside your car can reach 200 degrees.

 

[Act444]

Heat is one thing- how about humidity though? Sometimes it can get rather sticky here. (I'm not talking about the condensing type like after you shower, but the sticky outdoor summer type humidity)

 

[Richard8971]

Inside the trunk was 110? It gets that hot here just shooting outside. The cameras are made to handle being left in a car, and several of my Canon buddies have no problem leaving their equipment inside a hot car here during the summertime. In fact, they expect the cameras to survive, they were built to hold up to a lot of abuse without fail.

D

 

[TAF]

Rule of thumb - if you can survive the condition without harm, you can reasonably expect that your equipment will as well.

 

[wickidwombat]

Rule of thumb - if you can survive the condition without harm, you can reasonably expect that your equipment will as well.

Rofl I just had an image of a person stuck in the alps after a plane crash curled in a ball trying to protect their camera from the cold

 

[Richard8971]

Rule of thumb - if you can survive the condition without harm, you can reasonably expect that your equipment will as well.

Rofl I just had an image of a person stuck in the alps after a plane crash curled in a ball trying to protect their camera from the cold

That's funny.

D

 

[Wideopen]

Rule of thumb - if you can survive the condition without harm, you can reasonably expect that your equipment will as well.

Rofl I just had an image of a person stuck in the alps after a plane crash curled in a ball trying to protect their camera from the cold

Lol additional weather sealing

 

[Pyrenees]

If it's out of direct sunlight, you should be fine - unless you're in the middle of The Sahara during a hot, summer's day.

 

[marekjoz]

Rule of thumb - if you can survive the condition without harm, you can reasonably expect that your equipment will as well.

Rofl I just had an image of a person stuck in the alps after a plane crash curled in a ball trying to protect their camera from the cold

Lol additional weather sealing

It might be a good idea ;D, starting at 4:35 (it's DigitalRev - many of you have seen it already)

Canon 7D - Hardcore Durability Test

 

[Kristofgss]

Most electronics will survive temperatures far beyond what you can touch. If it's any reassurence, I've used my 7D several times in a sauna with 90% humidity and temperatures so hot that I couldn't touch the metal parts of the speedlite anymore. It's also gotten poured with rain and has survived daily abuse in a backpack on a bike. The only protection on it is a screen protector which I cut from the ones they sell for iPhones.
On a side note, the Metz flash I had on it didn't survive this abuse, the ones from Canon seem to do just fine.

 

[EchoLocation]

i'd say your 5DIII is probably damaged beyond repair. If it still works today, it is only a matter of time before the components break down and the camera becomes garbage.
I'll do you a favor and pay 1000 dollars for it for parts.
no need to thank me.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

I forgot that I had left my 5d3 and L lens in my car's trunk for a couple days while the sun was out and the temps were in the 90's. When I opened the trunk, it felt like hot, but not like "inside the car" hot because obviously the trunk is dark.

I tried to simulate the scenario with a thermometer and it said 110. I know that one of the days was close to 100 degrees and sunny, so I'm thinking it might have been 120 or 130 at some point.

I've used the camera since, and the images and performance appear normal. The manual just says avoid high heat....I'm not sure if 125 qualifies as high heat. I know when I lived in the desert for a few years that it's sometime 115 degrees and sunny, which might subject your camera/lens to 130 degrees or more.

Has anybody ever done this? Do I have anything to worry about?

What about the lens, can a lens handle this type of heat?

I could be wrong but I thought my 20D sensor showed more pattern noise after using it for days (and it seemed to stay there after, although there is a chance I just had never noticed it before so much) in palm springs where it was well 115deg.... at 10PM in pitch black! Neither of us wants to know the day time temp.