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11/21/2008 11:10:51 AM · #1 |
I would appreciate advice from experienced cold weather photographers.
Today it is -21 degrees outside. Yes, negative 21 and this is pretty normal for our winters. Should I just forget about shooting outside when it is this cold? I have heard about techniques to slowly waarm up your camera after shooting on a cold day, but these are usually in the context of shooting in the teens above zero.
Thanks for your help.
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11/21/2008 11:32:54 AM · #2 |
The same things apply, only more so.
You'll want to have 2 batteries and keep one inside your jacket and switch them back and forth as they get cold.
You should also check with Nikon on the specs for the lubrication they use in the camera. When I used to shoot film and cameras had lots more moving parts, If we were shoting in real cold, we'd have all the lube replaced with something that wouldn't turn into a solid at those temps. Since the air is really dry when it's that cold, if you used a motor drive, the film moving quickly across the pressure plate inside the camera could generate static electricity that would fog the film. I'm pretty sure that's not going to be a problem, but you still might want to be careful about static. |
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11/21/2008 12:17:23 PM · #3 |
Spazmo99
Thanks - I hadn't thought about contacting Nikon regarding any lube specs - good idea. The last time I shot outside it was around zero and the camera just seemed to be working so hard that I was afraid that I would hurt it. It is also really hard to accomplish a slow warm up when I go from -20. Even if my car is only +30 everything seems to fog.
Thanks again for your input! |
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11/21/2008 12:21:50 PM · #4 |
As far as warm ups go, in standard cold leaving your camera zipped in the camera bag (assuming the bag was also out in the cold) is good enough.
For deep cold, I'd get some gallon Ziplock bags and take one outside in my pocket with me. When you're ready to come in, open the bag up in the cold air and put the camera in, then seal it. Then bring it inside, leaving the camera zipped inside for several hours, until the bag and camera slowly come up to temperature. This way, any condensation will form on the outside of the bag, not on your camera.
I've used the Ziplock method before, and it works well, although I usually just use the camera bag method - but then again, I don't go outside when it's that cold!
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11/21/2008 12:52:40 PM · #5 |
If it is really cold, I've read that leaving the gear outside (minus batteries and memory cards) is sometimes needed.
This was in a story from NG where a group was shooting in the Arctic. Even with that precaution, someone's 600mm lens cracked. OUCH!! |
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11/21/2008 12:56:42 PM · #6 |
I have used my D70 at -13F in Finland during dog sleigh runs of 12 hours+ and in the Ural mountains at -49F. No problems with the camera in the cold. The AF slowed down on one of my lenses, but the battery did pretty well. Just don't breathe on any moving parts and the camera has to be dry when you take it out. Just carried it in a simple shoulderbag on my shoulder or in the sleigh.
After going in a warm place I simply left it in the bag for some hours. Plastic bag option seems to work too, but I never used it.
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11/21/2008 01:04:09 PM · #7 |
Thanks everyone - I am feeling a lot better about taking my gear outside. I have some good, preventative tips here.
Azrifel - I have probably been noticing the slow down in the AF - I can actually hear the adjustments happening. Glad to hear this is not hurting the equipment.
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