Film SLR in the cold?

[Cricketboy]

I have a noob question. Is it safe to bring a pentax K1000 out into the cold to take some long exposure shots of the night sky? I'm want to do some constellation and star trail shots. The temperature right now is 7 degrees F. We'll be in the negative single digits for the rest of the week. I'm mostly worried about condensation when I bring the camera back in side. Will it rust, or damage the camera?

 

[DerekMellott]

Put the camera in a ziplock before you bring it inside. if there is any condensation it will form on the bag not the camera.

 

[molested_cow]

From my experience, it's not really a problem.

I've had sticky shutter in cold before, but that's because of worn out parts and needed repair anyways. If your camera uses AA or AAA battery, I suggest getting lithium ones. They work much better in low temp than regular ones.

I am not sure how the negatives react differently in the cold though.

Condensation wise, it will only happen if the humidity inside the house is different from the outside. I lived in Michigan for 6 years and the air humidity is generally close between environments. I did get a ton of condensation when I want into a green house once in the winter. Well in that case, it's impossible to avoid. It's like going from a dry cold winter right into a sauna. Now in this case, try not to remove the lens. The moisture won't get inside the camera quick enough to form the condensation. At most you will have vapour on the outer most lens element and the glass view finder. Just wait for it to disappear. Don't try to wipe them, it will just get worse.

I miss the days of sitting butt cold in the night trying to get star trail shots. Ts and shorts for me here in s.florida!

 

[Cricketboy]

I am not sure how the negatives react differently in the cold though.!

Not sure what you mean by that.

Thanks for the tips! I have plenty of extra batteries so that won't be a problem. I don't even think I'll need the batteries as it just powers the light meter only. I'm also worried about it warming up/cooling down to fast when I change environments. Going from 75 to -10 degrees is a harsh switch. I'm thinking leaving it in the camera bag and letting it warm up/cool down would be the best idea. What do you think?

 

[Josh66]

Going from 75 to -10 degrees is a harsh switch. I'm thinking leaving it in the camera bag and letting it warm up/cool down would be the best idea. What do you think?

When I used to do a lot of astronomy, I'd always set the telescope and lenses outside a few hours ahead of time so the temperature could equalize. I don't think it would be much different with a camera.

Batteries would be my only concern with a camera, but if you're not going to use them - it's a moot point.

 

[Torus34]

A problem which can occur with a film 35mm in the cold is static electricity occurring when the film is pulled rapidly from the cartridge. Wind each new frame slowly.