Shooting out doors in the Cold

[CanadianMe]

I can tolerate extreme cold but what do I need to know before I head out today in the cold. I know about the ziplock baggies to seal them up when I get in the house. I have a small Lowepro Camera knapsack and I am only bringing the minimal amount for now. Anything I would need to know? I will be out for several hours. Any suggestions would be great. I am looking for a larger bag but until I figure out what other lens I am buying I will be putting it of. So you cold living people can you suggest anything so my camera equipment is safe, or is it just fine in the case. Low -13 high -6 all Celsius.

 

[Reel1]

I do not think that the mild temps we get in Toronto will cause any concerns.

 

[BYoung]

I'm from the Northwest Territories and I have taken my XTi out of my house and used it in -40 C for over 1/2 hour then brought it back inside and had no issue's. I didn't use a bag or any other form of protection (didn't think about it) I just would put it inside my hoodie while I was walking around. I figured it would be better then leaving it on the tripod.

I haven't taking my whole bag outside for long periods of time. Though I have left it in my truck for a few hours in the cold (truck was off) while I was doing other things.

I figure if it breaks I will send it in for warranty since if it can't handle cold in the land of winter it isn't worth my time anyways

 

[Big Mike]

I figure if it breaks I will send it in for warranty since if it can't handle cold in the land of winter it isn't worth my time anyways

Canon will tell you that the camera is not rated for temps lower than freezing, (I'm pretty sure it's in the manual as well), so don't count on that.

I know about the ziplock baggies to seal them up when I get in the house.

For that to be effective, you have to seal them up, before you get inside. Often, leaving your gear in a zipped up camera bag will be enough. Just let if warm up before you open the bag.

When shooting in the cold, the batteries will have a severely reduced charge...so it helps to have extra batteries and to keep them warm/close to your body.

 

[JimmyO]

When shooting in the cold, the batteries will have a severely reduced charge...so it helps to have extra batteries and to keep them warm/close to your body.

Thats true with just about everything battery operated. When i go snowboarding my phone, camera batteries, camcorder battery are all kept in the pockets in the shirt closest to my body.

Its funny walking into the lodge and watching the batteries magicly "recharge"

 

[Dubious Drewski]

We were talking about it in this thread. (After the 3rd post down)

I'll just quote what I said in there:

None of us had any protection on our cameras, we just made sure that the cameras were cold before they were exposed to the snow, that way the snow didn't melt into them. (But two of us had K10s, so we didn't have to worry as much )

See that third picture? Of the madman? That's a D300 around his neck - with a $2500 300-400mm (I think it's f/2.8) lens attached. It got soaked that day, but it's fine now.

All you do is warm it up slowly after bringing it inside again(Keep it in the camera bag, closed for a couple of hours) Then once the camera is close to room temperature, take it out of the bag and put it by some warm, dry moving air to actually dry it off. (Make sure it's warm air, not hot air!)

Doing it this exact way avoids heat-expansion damage and moisture/mold/rust damage.

Heck, I have never done ANY of these careful things with my Minolta A2 - it's been frozen/wet/scalding hot - and it's just fine. (And I've been abusing that thing for four years now)

People don't give electronic devices enough credit - they're much tougher than we think. (Unless they're cheaply made, then they really are that weak)