Find out how the weather can affect your equipment and your insurance coverage.
Hello!
Good to have you here in another #MondayBlog!
The subject today is a little out of the usual scope, but it is very interesting and we do not see this subject being discussed in many Brazilian sites, either they sites about insurance or about equipment.
Therefore, we at Prospecto are excited to talk about your equipment, how the weather can harm it, what are the coolest tips practiced by professionals around the world to prevent damage and why, all this has to do with insurance for the your equipment.
Everyone knows that an insurance contract is accompanied by several terms, known as conditions, as we talked a little bit in the last blog, when we explained the general, specific and particular conditions. And these conditions govern the insurer's reaction to the damage that may occur to your insured property during the term of your insurance.
What almost no one does is study that extensive document sent with the policy and find out what is excluded from your insurance, and what may become ineligible for compensation in the event of a claim, based on how you handle your insured property.
Today, we are not going to talk about extracting the good. Our objective in this post is the care you must take with your cinematographic equipment, throughout the term of your insurance, so that, if something unexpected happens, the manifestation of an excluded risk is not perceived at the time of the regulator's inspection of loss.
For example, did you know that your equipment can be harmed by weather changes during its use?
Few people realize that the most extreme cold, or very extensive heat can indeed cause damage to your equipment, which will not only interfere with its operation, but may also, in the long run, cause its operation to cease.
It is often simple to imagine equipment being damaged by floods, storms and/or any other catastrophe situation, such as natural disasters.
But often, because we are dealing with machines, we forget about their internal components, and what can happen inside your camera or camcorder, for example, when you film or photograph for hours under the noon sun.
Know that, dear reader, if during your insurance, your equipment stops working and it is found the presence of erosion, corrosion, rust, oxidation, encrustation, fermentation, etc., the insurance company will not indemnify you, as it is one of the first clauses present in the general conditions under the heading “Excluded risks”.
There are many other excluded situations, but our focus today is the climate, because this cold weather that arrived in Brazil is no joke, and it can, indeed, harm your cinematographic equipment.
So let's know some tips and situations where the weather affects your equipment.
And why are we going to talk about it? Because taking good care of your equipment is beneficial to your pocket, your mental and financial peace of mind, and it fulfills your side of the “insured's duties” in any insurance for various risks.
HEAT AND HUMIDITY
It's important to know that a little water, sand, or extreme temperatures can cause your equipment to malfunction, or even permanent damage. That's why it's so important to know how to take good care of these equipment.
Did you know that your camera sweats just like you? Your camera absorbs heat from the sun very quickly. So if filming is taking place when the sun is strong, it's a good idea to bring a light-colored towel to cover your camera during breaks, and leave it in the shade to give it a cold.
Intense heat coupled with moisture can cause permanent damage to the internal components of electronic equipment. It is always a good idea to check your product's manufacturing manual for the temperature limits supported, in addition to the humidity levels.
Try not to cause temperature shocks to your equipment.
Taking the video camera, for example, from inside an air-conditioned environment to extreme heat can cause condensation almost immediately. Condensation and moisture are ideal for mold formation, erosion, corrosion, rust and oxidation on your equipment.
Try using a padded camera bag as protection from the hot, humid summer air, and add silica packets to the bag, changing regularly, they're great for pulling moisture indoors.
And after filming or photographing in situations of heat and humidity, clean your equipment thoroughly before storing, thus avoiding the accumulation of any dirt that could interfere with its normal operation!
Oh, and never place your camera facing directly into sunlight. The lenses work both ways and with the incident sunbeam, the lens can work like a magnifying glass and create a hole in your shutter and eventually your image sensor. And remember, all electronics have plastic components, so extreme heat, places where fires are raging or volcanoes are erupting can melt your equipment, so use common sense.
And finally, never leave your equipment cooking in the car! This kind of extreme heat can cause mechanical and electrical damage that can destroy the images you have captured.
RAIN
As we talked about heat, humidity is the number one enemy of both your camera and any electronics.
Rain is also a major risk factor, as water can not only penetrate the electronics of cameras, flashes, lenses and other accessories and cause a short circuit, but can get trapped inside the case, causing condensation and eventually mold.
To avoid this, consider purchasing a protective rain cover for your camera. You can find them in disposable and reusable versions. And keep a clean, dry cloth handy to wipe off any water that condenses on the outside of the camera.
In case the camera gets wet from the inside, it is a good idea to remove the lens and place all affected parts near a warm (not too hot) heater. Remove the battery and memory card, open all doors and together, and place the camera face up and lens face down to allow water to evaporate from the openings. Less sensitive accessories can be placed in a bag of dry rice, which will absorb excess moisture.
SAND
In addition to moisture, this is probably the most common cause of equipment malfunction. Everyone wants to take their camera to the beach (or maybe the desert), but as anyone who's ever tried a beach picnic knows, sand can go anywhere. At best, it can get stuck inside the lens and cause blurry images. At worst, sand will get into the gears and seriously damage moving parts such as the shutter or auto focus motor, or scratch the lens or image sensor.
So, left the beach or desert with your camera? Extra care and attention when cleaning it.
COLD
Did you know that the cold also harms the functioning of electronics? It is proven that in extreme cold situations, a device will work more slowly.
Therefore, if the filming takes place in a cold climate, take care to keep your camera stored as much as possible and take breaks during filming in order not to leave the equipment exposed to the cold for a long time.
Keep one hand over the camera or camcorder throughout the cold exposure, your body heat will prevent the equipment from freezing, and consequently it will also make your battery last longer.
If possible, tape those hand warming pads to your camera to prevent the internal freezing of your property.
Whenever you're shooting in the cold, snow or not, take extra batteries and memory cards with you, because as incredible as it may seem, the cold will make your battery last a lot less than usual, and your card. memory may have problems saving the captured image.
WIND
Wind is dangerous when you drop your equipment, so we advise you to use sandbags or any other practical means to anchor your tripod and therefore protect your equipment.
A camera that is brought down by the wind can take incalculable damage. A camera that takes a gust of wind combined with sand, can mean very scratched lenses and more damage, in addition to capturing images completely unusable.
Cameras, camcorders and other electronic equipment are usually built to withstand temperatures between -10º C and 40º C. But all our equipment today is made up of batteries, and that's where it gets complicated, as temperature changes interfere with the battery chemistry and can in the long run destroy your electronics. So, keep an eye on the mood before shooting and take the necessary precautions, ok?
Did you already know these tips and how much the weather can harm your equipment?
We hope this knowledge will be very useful in your day-to-day and we are counting on you next week for another #MondayBlog.
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See you next week, lovers!
Prospecto Seguros
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