Winter shooting

[I3igcircle]

I live in calgary Alberta and it gets cold here, I tried searching this question and came up empty... With my D600 and SD extreme pro memory cards how low a temperature can I shoot with out having to worry about damaging my kit?

 

[TheLost]

I live in calgary Alberta and it gets cold here, I tried searching this question and came up empty... With my D600 and SD extreme pro memory cards how low a temperature can I shoot with out having to worry about damaging my kit?

From the manuals..

D600: Operating environment Temperature: 32 to 104°F/0 to 40°C; humidity: 85% or less (no condensation)
SD Extreme cards: Operating temperature: -13ºF to 185ºF (-25ºC to 85 ºC)

However, I've taken my cameras snowboarding in some harsh temperatures (well below freezing). The trick is to just be smart.. Use good camera bags and try to keep everything dry (moisture/condensation is harder on your gear then the cold).

Your battery will die faster in the cold... so take extra's and keep them in your pockets (close to your body) when possible.

Whooo! Winter! (its snowing HARD here in Park City, UT right now!!!)

 

[shadowlands]

I live in Texas. What is winter? It's 83 here today!!!

 

[KmH]

The biggest worry is keeping your extremities warm.

The coldest I have had a DSLR camera out in was -15° (-26°C), with the wind chill factor (47° below freezing).

It was a Nikon D90 with a Nikon MB-D80 vertical grip attached (2 batteries in the grip). I had 2 spare batteries stored in an inside pocket of the parka I was wearing to keep them warm and toasty for backup.

The camera was out for an hour and I had no camera or battery issues.

Lubricants in the camera will thicken with the cold, and battery charge is effected by the cold too. A cold battery will often perform when it is warmed back up. and may not need to be recharged. No doubt, start with fully charged batteries.
The camera can be re-warmed inside a parka too, but it takes longer than warming batteries does.

I live in Texas. What is winter? It's 83 here today!!!

It's still Fall.

Winter begins on Friday, December 21, 2012 and ends on Wednesday, March 20, 2013

 

[Patrice]

I live in Texas. What is winter? It's 83 here today!!!

How is this helpful to the OP?

You're just being a snot and bragging aren't you?

 

[I3igcircle]

From the manuals..

D600: Operating environment Temperature: 32 to 104°F/0 to 40°C; humidity: 85% or less (no condensation)
SD Extreme cards: Operating temperature: -13ºF to 185ºF (-25ºC to 85 ºC)

However, I've taken my cameras snowboarding in some harsh temperatures (well below freezing). The trick is to just be smart.. Use good camera bags and try to keep everything dry (moisture/condensation is harder on your gear then the cold).

Your battery will die faster in the cold... so take extra's and keep them in your pockets (close to your body) when possible.

Whooo! Winter! (its snowing HARD here in Park City, UT right now!!!)

Thank you, sorry I saw the manual numbers but wanted to know actual use temps people had used theirs at. 0' C would make my camera un usable almost 3/4 of the year here lol.

I took out Halloween with the kids -10C and seemed fine but upon returning home the glass etc fogged up. I wiped everything down with a cloth is there anything else I should know/try?

 

[The_Traveler]

I live in Texas. What is winter? It's 83 here today!!!

How is this helpful to the OP?

You're just being a snot and bragging aren't you?

Leave him alone; it's so rare that there is something in Texas that he can brag about.

 

[MLeeK]

Get a weather sleeve-it'll help not only the camera, but your hand
Keep silica gel in your kit to be sure to take care of condensation issues from going from the cold to the warm.
WHen you come in put it into your bag and close it. Do not open it until the bag AND contents have warmed to room temp. Do not remove the lens until it's acclimated.

 

[SCraig]

Thank you, sorry I saw the manual numbers but wanted to know actual use temps people had used theirs at. 0' C would make my camera un usable almost 3/4 of the year here lol.

I took out Halloween with the kids -10C and seemed fine but upon returning home the glass etc fogged up. I wiped everything down with a cloth is there anything else I should know/try?

You will normally only get condensation when going from cold to warm, and not from warm to cold. I usually leave my gear in the basement for an hour or so when I come in from the cold.

 

[gardy]

i have used my D90 in cold weather down to maybe 0 degrees F and have had no problems, just let it acclimate when going in or out before you use it, and as stated above, dont take the lens off for some time after coming in to a warmer environment to minimize condensation on internals

 

[TheLost]

You want condensation? Try shooting an indoor swim meet when its below freezing outside

The trick with condensation is acclimation. Don't shock your gear by going from one extreme to the other (hot -> cold, cold -> hot.. or in my swim meet case: hot -> cold -> hot/humid).

If i'm going to be shooting outdoors in the cold for a few hours i'll put my camera gear in the trunk of my car (garaged) before i leave. As i drive to where i'm going the camera will slowly chill-out. I do the same in reverse when i get home.. let the gear slowly warm up in the garage then bring it into the house

I wouldn't worry about your gear much if your just walking around town in the cold.. if your going camping in the arctic for a few days i'd be worried

 

[I3igcircle]

Awesome thank you everyone for the input.