Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Can vibration damage my camera?


Sometimes I run/hike with my dog. I was planning to take my camera with me, however I'm afraid that running with a DSLR camera can damage it. Is it true? Are there any steps I could take to ensure my camera is safe? To be more clear, I assume that environmental conditions are not severe (temperature, pressure are okay, no sand or perspiration). So, the only factor I want to discuss is the vibration.



Answer



Having the camera on your body while running will subject it to relatively low frequency vibrations (1 Hz or thereabouts). That's way too low to hit the resonance of any part inside the camera. The issue is therefore just force due to accelleration. At such a low frequency, that will be small, probably not more than ±2g, which the camera should be able to take pretty much indefinitely.


The real threat to the camera is you falling and the camera hitting the ground suddenly, especially if it's a hard surface like asphalt, concrete, or rock. You should be able to run with your camera bouncing along with you all day long, but just a single 1 m drop to hard ground could cause serious damage.


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