D7100 in cold weather

CalicoKitties · Oct 2, 2014

Hey guys!

Just wondering: is it okay to shoot pictures with the Nikon D7100 in temperatures lower than the lowest temp suggested by Nikon (32°F)?

I haven't even gotten the camera yet because my life has been crazy lately (I'm moving), but I still plan on getting the D7100 soon.
However, I recently read that the operating temperature for this camera is 32°-104°F. I'll be in Pennsylvania, and it gets much colder than 32° during the winter. So.. Is it still okay to shoot in these lower temps w/ this camera? I read that you can put the camera in a ziplock bag before coming back inside to prevent condensation; is this right? Any more precautions I should take if I shoot in cold weather?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

tirediron · Oct 2, 2014

Absolutely - unless you're into temperature extremes (think sub-arctic) it will be fine. You will notice that your battery life will be reduced since the colder the temperature the slower the chemical reaction in the battery, however that returns to nomral when the battery returns to normal temperatures; keeping a spare battery warm under your jacket is a good way to get around this. In very cold temperatures, you may notice shutter lag, aperture sticking etc, due to congealed lubricant, this again will return to normal when the camera warms up. Your only real concern will be condensation; ensure that you allow the camera to acclimate to it's "new" temperature for a while before trying to use it. This can take up to 45 minutes when going between temperature extremes (ie +72 inside to -20 outside).

DevC · Oct 2, 2014

CalicoKitties said:
Hey guys!

Just wondering: is it okay to shoot pictures with the Nikon D7100 in temperatures lower than the lowest temp suggested by Nikon (32°F)?

I haven't even gotten the camera yet because my life has been crazy lately (I'm moving), but I still plan on getting the D7100 soon.
However, I recently read that the operating temperature for this camera is 32°-104°F. I'll be in Pennsylvania, and it gets much colder than 32° during the winter. So.. Is it still okay to shoot in these lower temps w/ this camera? I read that you can put the camera in a ziplock bag before coming back inside to prevent condensation; is this right? Any more precautions I should take if I shoot in cold weather?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I live in PA myself. NO problems with my d90 as of yet , and its been through~~4 snowstorms!

Nevermore1 · Oct 2, 2014

What part of PA will you be in? The "average" weather can vary depending on where you are.

bribrius · Oct 2, 2014

should be fine but i dont believe they are submersible beyond 20 meters

dannylightning · Oct 2, 2014

It is said to be a cold winter this year in ohio and we are not far from PA, There saying it will be worse than last winter which was brutal cold. Not sure how they would know that but I hope that is wrong.

CalicoKitties · Oct 2, 2014

Thanks for the responses everybody! Glad to hear it's okay to use the camera in cold temps.

Yeah, I've heard that it's supposed to be a pretty horrible winter this year.

What's worse is that I'm used to heat because we've been in Texas for the past three years, so I'll be freezing my butt off when we move back up to PA. Lol.

dannylightning · Oct 2, 2014

I lived in AZ or a few years, The day i cam back to ohio it was extremely cold and windy, i though i was gonna freeze to death when i stopped to get gas.

I would probably try to keep the camera some place kind of warm while not in use if i needed to use it on a really cold day. maybe throw a few of those hand warmers in the case or something and wrap the camera in a towel or blanket if its much below 30o

I am sure the cold can effect your camera but at what point I do not know.

SCraig · Oct 2, 2014

dannylightning said:
I would probably try to keep the camera some place kind of warm while not in use if i needed to use it on a really cold day. maybe throw a few of those hand warmers in the case or something and wrap the camera in a towel or blanket if its much below 30o

You'd be a lot better off just letting it adjust to one temperature and not keep going from cold to warm to cold to warm to cold to warm. Let it get cold and it will be fine. Put it in a Ziplock before going back inside. Going from cold to warm is when condensation normally occurs.

dannylightning · Oct 2, 2014

you have a good point there, I know allot of folks that do that with their electronic stuff wen they need to use it in the winter when its really cold. cameras may be a bit different though.

tirediron · Oct 2, 2014

SCraig said:
You'd be a lot better off just letting it adjust to one temperature and not keep going from cold to warm to cold to warm to cold to warm. Let it get cold and it will be find. Put it in a Ziplock before going back inside. Going from cold to warm is when condensation normally occurs.

^^ This! Most of my experience has been on the opposite end of the scale; UAE, Qatar, and so forth, but the theory's the same. Once my camera was warm, I'd leave it outside as long as possible, (quite often overnight). Once it's temperature-stable it's going to be fine.

cgw · Oct 3, 2014

If it's too chilly you, it's too cold for the D7100. I shoot in southern/central Ontario and have never had a freeze-up with film or digital bodies. Follow the above tips about cold/warm transitions and condensation busting. Do get a spare battery and keep it warm. Be careful swapping a battery in the snow. They're heavy for their size and will burrow into oblivion in soft stuff. A friend lost an EN EL-15 in a drift last year--dug for half an hour and never found it.