How To Stop GoPro Lens From Fogging Up (Eliminate Lens Fog)

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Rob Johnston

Editor & Article Writer for Outdoor Wilds

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How To Stop GoPro Lens From Fogging

I’d like to share with you some solutions to the problem of how to stop a GoPro lens [1] from fogging. Since the Hero 6 issues of lens fogging have been almost eradicated due to the later models being waterproof without the need for a housing.

There are still some instances where condensation can cause the lens to fog and that’s when you place the camera inside a protective housing to increase the waterproof depth rating to 60 metres.

I know some people also place their GoPro inside a housing for extra protection from dust and dirt when biking on a particularly rough trail. Which makes sense as these cameras are not cheap to buy and dust ingress can happen if you’re not careful.

At the lower end of the action camera market with brands like Campark and Akaso, the cameras still rely on an external housing to protect the cameras from water ingress. So lens fogging with these cameras is still very much an issue here too.

Why Does Lens Fogging Occur

Air has moisture present within itself that you can’t see. When there is a temperature differential between the surface of the camera lens and the air the dew point is reached and condensation occurs.

Action cameras can run very hot these days, especially in 4K video resolution mode. Dipping the camera in cold water will cause any moisture trapped inside the camera housing to condensate and gather in and around the lens.

This leads to your camera footage having a vignette style effect around the edges of the frame at best and in some cases distortion of the picture and blurred images.

How To Eliminate GoPro Lens Fog

My personal method if I’m going to be spending time underwater and even if I’m kayaking is to place some form of desiccant inside the camera housing. There are a number of options here that we’ll take a look at now.

Anti-Fog Inserts For Action Cameras

GoPro does offer a solution to lens fogging in the form of little tiny desiccant packets of silica gel. It’s just a matter of placing 2 of the packets inside, one each side of the dive housing and your lens fogging problems are solved in one go.

There is a cost implication here of course. You can reuse them up to 4 times.

A whole packet does last quite a long time, unless you’re going surfing every day for the season.

There are a couple of low cost or free methods on reducing condensation build up inside the lens which we’ll take a look at now.

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Do It Yourself Lens Fogging Reduction Methods

For me, I’d rather stick to paying for the dedicated anti-fog inserts. If I’ve paid for a flight to go on holiday I want to make sure my GoPro footage is not blurred and covered in mist or distortion.

The more budget conscious of you out there may decide that making your own anti-fog inserts is a more preferred method.

Make your own anti-fog inserts

It’s time to grab a pair of scissors and start cutting the kitchen towel into small striips. Fold the strips into tiny squares and for extra absorption dip them in some corn starch.

You’ll need 2 squares for the housing, 1 to be placed on each side. This method certainly does help with condensation build up, whether it’s better than the off the shelf solution is arguable.

Place your GoPro in the fridge

Place the camera and the dive housing in the fridge for around an hour prior to heading out to film some footage. The reason for doing this is that air inside a fridge is dry, in other words it holds little or no moisture.

Assemble the camera into the housing standing next to the fridge with the door open. This of course only takes under a minute to complete.

I know this sounds a little unorthodox but it does actually work and if you combine this trick with my next solution you should be fog free for at least 4 hours of surfing or whatever watersport that you’re likely to film.

Smear toothpaste inside the camera housing

This is a really old underwater scuba divers trick and has been practised long before GoPro was even around. Divers smear a very small amount of toothpaste around the inside of the glass on their face masks.

Scuba divers then wipe the toothpaste away with a cloth. This stops the mask from fogging while underwater diving.

Do the same with the underwater housing for your GoPro and it will have the same desired effect of keeping the camera lens fog free.

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve found this article useful. Share below any further tips you have with the lens fogging or just drop me a comment to tell me of your success in filming clear video footage while out surfing or in the water.