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01/23/2011 08:09:33 AM · #1 |
Qustion: Is it safe to take my camera out in -30C weather (for those functioning in F its about -19)??
Can the freezing temperature actually hurt my camera in any way? Do parts become brittle in such cold? I am supposed to photograph exterior architecture of some buildings outside, but I am not sure if it is doable as it is so brutally cold.
Any tips/suggestions. Many thanks. |
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01/23/2011 08:20:48 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by timmi:
Qustion: Is it safe to take my camera out in -30C weather (for those functioning in F its about -19)??
Can the freezing temperature actually hurt my camera in any way? Do parts become brittle in such cold? I am supposed to photograph exterior architecture of some buildings outside, but I am not sure if it is doable as it is so brutally cold.
Any tips/suggestions. Many thanks. |
Having lived in Alaska, and been out shooting in -3 F degree weather, I find the only problem was that batteries die after about 5 shots.
Take at least half a dozen batteries...and keep them inside your jacket as close to your body as possible. This will keep them from becoming too cold and becoming dead. When one dies out, put it inside your jacket - close to the body and it may rejuvenate enough for a couple more shots.
The other concern is not while you are out in the cold, but when you return to the warmth....do NOT open your camera bag, and take your camera out until it has sat in warm house for 2-3 hours and gradually come back to a warm state. This will keep condensation from forming in your lens and camera.
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01/23/2011 08:30:50 AM · #3 |
I would think that your manual would tell you what temperatures are safe. -30C is pretty damn cold, but you're probably fine. I think one of the main concerns is condensation forming inside the camera when you change between temperatures. I've read that you should bring the camera back up to room temperature slowly. And of course your battery will also die more quickly in extreme cold.
...everything that  ShutterPug said much quicker than I.
Message edited by author 2011-01-23 08:32:48. |
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01/23/2011 08:59:37 AM · #4 |
| I occasionally shoot in sub 0 F. temps during winter. While our cameras have a recommended operating environment of above freezing, it's usually not a problem to shoot in much colder air. As mentioned above, moisture condensation is the biggest issue going from outside cold to inside warmth/moisture. Also, if you accidentally breathe on your lens' front element in very cold conditions, your lens will fog and it won't clear easily. Sometimes, I will accidentally breathe on my neutral density filters and my lens. A soft camera brush or air blower is much better always for removing dust from surfaces in cold air. Most of the time, your camera will be able to take cold exposure longer than your hands, nose and ears. I've never allowed my camera to chill down to a super cold ambient temp. I would expect some mechanical problems from that kind of exposure. But, that's not going to happen quickly if you keep your gear in a good camera bag until you want to shoot. |
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01/23/2011 09:06:25 AM · #5 |
| I have shot in cold weather many times without too many problems. The only time I had a problem was when I was shooting a ski race in -40F weather. After about an hour the camera started to freeze, by that I mean the shutter wouldn't work. Once I got back inside and the camera thawed it worked fine. As said before just keep it in your bag when you come back inside. Another trick I have used is let your camera bag and camera sit in a cooler room for a while before you go outside, this will also help protect from moisture building up. |
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01/23/2011 09:28:26 AM · #6 |
I have shot in -20C and the batteries performed quite well with the 40D. With the 10D (older camera) I would have to change the battery a couple of times over the same period as one battery covers on the 40D.
The other issue I've had once is that frost would build up on the lens to camera contacts causing an error. This is easily resolve by taking the camera into your car, removing the lens, cleaning the contacts to remove the frost and remounting the lens.
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01/23/2011 07:12:43 PM · #7 |
Until recently when it began to get very frickin cold, I would take the camera with me to work and leave it in the car, thinking the bag's padding and blanket atop would provide enough insulation to keep batteries warm enough to allow me to get shots en route. Uhmm nope. So stopped taking camera to work (where I work, no truly safe place to leave camera) and resumed usual practice of rotating batteries. They are both Nikon brand, exactly same age and amount of usage. For a few shoots I put both batteries in the booster but they had clearly both suffered from the cold, so started to use them individually though still in booster.
So today we shot outside for probably an hour in -34 degrees temp with windchill factored in. The one battery I used in the booster performed very well, freshly charged. It started at a fully charged 100%, 5 bars and went down to only 3 bars. So quite happy with that battery!
Hoewever 2nd battery - well to be frank, it sucks balls. I put it in the camera two nights ago. Didn't even take camera outside. Didn't even shoot with it, period. This morning that battery was completely dead.
Bought both batteries when I bought camera probably close to exactly 1 year ago (though did pay for extended 5-year warranty).
Curious as to whether I should return bad battery for new one as it should still be under warranty. Any helpful hints/advice/suggestions would be great. |
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01/23/2011 08:12:05 PM · #8 |
| I rarely shoot in cold weather but now that I think of it. Wonder if it would be safe or even effective to put one of those hand warmers in the second battery slot of my grip to warm the battery. Just an idea though, yeah cold and batteries don't mix well. |
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01/23/2011 08:21:40 PM · #9 |
| Who the heck wants to go outside in -19 weather???!~!!! |
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01/23/2011 09:18:37 PM · #10 |
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01/23/2011 09:42:36 PM · #11 |
No idea about how the camera operates in cold weather, but I'm a font of useless information! Today's lesson, hand warmers:
The handwarmers work by a chemical reaction which requires exposure to air... I think limited airflow in the battery compartment would keep them from being effective. As for the safety of it... I believe most of them have iron shavings in them, which isn't exactly what you want to be cramming in your camera, they're probably safe if the casing stays in tact, but if you tore it or pinched it in something, it might wind up being problematic.
That being said... if you somehow attached it to the outside of the battery grip (rubber band?) it might be rather effective at keeping the battery warm. If you try this, be sure to wrap it in cloth of some sort. Since they're designed to operate inside gloves, they can overheat to a skin-burning level if exposed to too much open air (also, the cloth acts as a shield for the wind, keeping the warmth near the camera instead of just blowing off in the freezing air).
- Justin |
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01/23/2011 09:46:56 PM · #12 |
Well...the wind chill where I'm supposed to be is supposed to fall to about -45f. THe regular temp is supposed to be about -35f.
My camera seems to work just fine (not counting the batteries not liking it much).
However, I've also had my camera in burning buildings and it REALLY didn't like that. Good thing it was still under warranty (it was less than a month old). LOL |
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01/23/2011 10:35:56 PM · #13 |
snaffles, If you want to take the camera to work and leave it in the car, take the batteries with you and keep them warm, either inside your coat, or near a light or in some other warm spot until you are ready to drive home. Then, you can put them in the camera if you see something you want to shoot, and the battery will be ok. It's a bummer about your one bad battery. I don't what to say about warranty, but I guess it's worth a try.
Another cold weather option is that yellow pushbutton foam insulation stuff, and a remote. Put the camera in a box with a hole for the lens, and fill the box with the foam. Use the remote to shoot, and don't forget to turn the camera on before foaming the box. It ain't pretty, but it stays warm for a long time.
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01/24/2011 04:13:29 AM · #14 |
| There was an article in one of the latest photo magazines about this issue, I'll try and locate it later on today. |
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01/24/2011 07:49:17 AM · #15 |
I took my Rebel XT out for some photos in -25C a couple of years ago for about 45 minutes to an hour. No issues with the battery or anything else. I didn't use it for a couple of hours after returning home, but once it acclimated I didn't have any problems.
As for wind chill, that won't affect your camera anyway. The photographer on the other hand, is a different story!
On a related note:
The bad news is that it is a nice balmy -29C for the drive to work this morning
The good news is that that is 2 degrees warmer than the forecast 8-) |
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01/24/2011 09:03:29 AM · #16 |
| I just got back from a weekend backpacking trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Northern MI. Average temp was about 8F with the windchill next to Lake MI dropping as low as -22F. I took my Canon D10, which is supposed to be waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof. For the most part it is and the camera worked as advertised. When I was hiking or snowshoeing, I kept the camera in an external pocket and at night I put it inside my backpack, which was under the tent's rainfly, but still exposed to the cold. I brought two batteries for the trip, one was the original Canon and the other a "DigiPower" brand the supposedly has a higher mA-Hour rating. The Digi-Power battery was initially in the camera and both had been fully charged the night before. Halfway through the first day, the camera powered down and I got he "Change Battery Pack Now" message. I replaced the Digi-Power with the Canon Battery and that powered the camera through the rest of the trip, even during the coldest conditions we experienced. |
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01/24/2011 10:34:41 AM · #17 |
I shoot quite regularly in temps like that in the rocky mountains west of Calgary and haven't had any issues yet. Battery life is reduced a bit but with some planning and taking extra batteries and as mentioned, put the spares in an inner pocket and you will be fine. BUT when going back in to a warm building either do as mentioned by leaving your camera in your bag for a couple hours to climatize or take a large enough ziplock bag to put your camera in BEFORE you go back inside to keep water from condensing inside and outside of your camera and pul your card out and put it in an inside pocket before you go inside as well.
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01/24/2011 12:44:39 PM · #18 |
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01/24/2011 12:48:32 PM · #19 |
| I have a question, when ever i come in from a cold shoot, into warm, my lens gets condensation.. I've always seen this as bad..is it that bad? |
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01/24/2011 01:44:17 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by hojop25:
I have a question, when ever i come in from a cold shoot, into warm, my lens gets condensation.. I've always seen this as bad..is it that bad? |
In the old days, we were always warned not to install computer equipment (CPUs, drives, etc.) where the differential between temperatures was great the last place the equipment was. In other words, don't install that new hard drive right after getting it off the delivery truck on the coldest day of the year. Wait an hour. Micro condensation on the contacts may short the equipment, possibly damaging it permanently.
Your fear maybe stems from a concern like that. There is no impact on the lens coating, because the condensation will dry (though it might leave a film of dust). There might be condensation on the contacts, but I don't think it's a serious problem. I've never heard of a lens not working after experiencing an extreme temperature differential. |
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01/25/2011 03:30:22 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by PhotoDave:
I shoot quite regularly in temps like that in the rocky mountains west of Calgary and haven't had any issues yet. Battery life is reduced a bit but with some planning and taking extra batteries and as mentioned, put the spares in an inner pocket and you will be fine. BUT when going back in to a warm building either do as mentioned by leaving your camera in your bag for a couple hours to climatize or take a large enough ziplock bag to put your camera in BEFORE you go back inside to keep water from condensing inside and outside of your camera and pul your card out and put it in an inside pocket before you go inside as well. |
Learned that somewhat valuable lesson about leaving camera in bag (if you have one of those little packs of silica moisture-absorbing thingies, all the better) last year during winter shoots, though it does mean some agony as you probably want to at least chimp through your images as soon as you get home!
Also, think I have finally figured out why my batteries seemed to be tanking. I had turned, and left on, that vertical-shooting mode switch on the booster, so even though the camera body itself was turned off, the booster was still drawing power. D'OHH!! Stoopid high-tech devices! :-) |
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01/25/2011 08:09:28 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by hojop25:
I have a question, when ever i come in from a cold shoot, into warm, my lens gets condensation.. I've always seen this as bad..is it that bad? |
To prevent this, put the camera in a plastic bag while you are outside, and then leave it in the bag for a couple of hours once you bring it inside until the camera warms up. This prevents the warm moist air from condensing on the camera. Once it acclimates, there is no longer any problem.
Some good advice from someone who seems to know what he is talking about here. |
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