DSLR Dew Guard Needed?

[Guest Mark]

If taking pictures of the night sky with a DSLR only. i.e. not attached to a scope or eq. mount would I need a dew guard? I'm brand new to the hobby and before I fork out on a scope and mount I'd like to get used to my camera operation and some of the software packages (Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, etc,) as eventually it's the astro photography side I think I'll concentrate on.

I have the Nikon D7000. If aybody has any tips on homemade guards or where to buy if I do need one it would be appreciated.

[Perkil8r]

It will depend an awful lot on the conditions on the night to be honest. Some nights you might go hours without even the slightest hint of any dew, others it may take a matter of minutes. A dew sheild will help a lot. There was also something on the net somewhere, where somebody had used a couple of those gel type hand warmers around the lens to heat it slightly. I'm not saying this is a tried and tested method, nor am I saying do it, but have a search on the net, this article said it worked well. Be very careful though as you really don't want to get the lens too hot and cause damage! Another method could be to use a hair dryer between shots to just keep the front of the lens that little bit warmer.

[glider]

I use the Hitec Astro controller and a 2" Eye Piece dew band.  Costs money but never fails.When you get a scope and mount they will still be useful so money not wasted.

 

I've used dew guards, they certainly do delay the inevitable by a few hours but that's all.

[Guest Steve]

I've made up a Dew-it-yourself binocular kit and will use one loop for my eye-piece and one for the DSLR.