Cold (or hot) weather and camera gear.

[crimbfighter]

Given the current season change, I thought I would pose a question, which I'm hoping might help more than just me.

What concerns are there when taking camera gear out in cold weather?

Now, I have a thorough understanding of the potential dangers of thermal shock to any piece of equipment. Especially to equipment that contains mechanical components and different materials that expand/contract at different rates. I also understand the affect on things like the functionality of complex electronics in cold temperatures, ect.

Obviously there are some common sense things I follow. Such as letting camera gear, and other things, cool down and warm up at ambient temperatures, never rushing the process.

Are there any specific failures which can occur from cold exposure? Are there any other best practices when exposing your gear to extremes in temperature? I guess I got thinking about this because I worked a football game today and was watching all the photographers run around in the 25deg temp. I've also seen some used equipment for sale that specifically said "never exposed to cold weather". Can anyone chime in on this one?

 

[Overread]

I've also seen some used equipment for sale that specifically said "never exposed to cold weather"

Remember some people will "say" anything if it helps to push a higher sale price

As for the hot/cold it depends - the most apparent change is that in cold weather the battery life drops - You get around this by keeping a spare with you and close to your chest/body (to keep warm) You then switch between the two as the cold knocks out one and body head restores the other a little bit more.
Also, though not always easy to see, camera sensor noise on your shots will be less (for the same exposure and ISO setting) when in cooler environments than hotter ones. This is because noise is partly caused by heat build up at the sensor.

 

[crimbfighter]

Remember some people will "say" anything if it helps to push a higher sale price

Ha, ha, very true! I hand't seen that sort of thing mentioned on here, so I figured it was hog wash, but it always sorta sat in the back of my mind.

Also, though not always easy to see, camera sensor noise on your shots will be less (for the same exposure and ISO setting) when in cooler environments than hotter ones. This is because noise is partly caused by heat build up at the sensor.

That's really interesting, never would have thought about that!

Here's another question, though. Should one let all their gear be at the same temp? For example, if I were outside in 20deg weather, then I ran back to my warm car and pulled out another lens and attached it to the camera which is at ambient temperature, is that going to affect my images? I'm not concerned it would hurt the camera, but could it hurt the images until they equalized?

 

[Overread]

I know from experience that lenses have to wait till the glass is acclimatised to the temperature -otherwise they fog up. You can try shooting, but you'll get a very foggy shot as a result. You can try cleaning the lens front element to speed things up, but its normally safer to just wait it out (since most times it will either fog up again).

Further I've not experienced it, but I would assume that in more extreme temperature shifts the glass on the camera sensor might also be susceptible to fogging - again its a case of wait till the gear is ready before shooting. It shouldn't take all that long either so most times you'll not be hard pressed

 

[Big Mike]

Back in the days of film, cold dry air could cause problems with the film moving through the camera. It could build up a static charge and even spark, which might expose parts of your film. And at extremely cold temps, film gets brittle and can break under the stress of the winder.

That obviously doesn't apply to digital but there are of course some issues. The screen is LCD...L as is liquid and it could freeze solid. I've never actually heard of that happening though. The mechanical movements in the camera or lens probably have some sort of lubrication which is likely to get less viscous in the cold.
But before any of that really happens, it's more likely that the battery will die. Cold temps kill these batteries very quickly.

I still think that the biggest issue when dealing with weather or temp extremes, is condensation. As mentioned, lens glass will easily fog up when you go out into the cold, but when you bring cold gear back into a warm & humid environment, you will get condensation everywhere. This also happens in hot climates when you go from an air conditioned area into the heat.

So as you know, letting the gear warm up gradually is key, and keeping it away from the humid air is also recommended. I also snag any little packs of desiccant (silica gel) and keep them in my camera bags to absorb moisture.

 

[uniqstyle-power]

Ha, ha, very true! I hand't seen that sort of thing mentioned on here, so I figured it was hog wash, but it always sorta sat in the back of my mind.

That's really interesting, never would have thought about that!