Nikon D50 Shooting Outdoor in Winter

blazer

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I purchased the d50 last fall and I am wondering what precautions I need to take when taking pictures outside in the winter with this camera. I didn't take pictures outside last winter because I was woried about damaging my new camera. This year I am planning on heading out to get some shots of the winter wonderland that surrounds my house. Any advice on how to protect my camera from the cold would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't think there's too much to be worried about with the cold. Well I guess it depends how cold. If you're planning on taking it to Antartica... you might want to read the manual first. ;)

I would think your two big concerns would be condensation inside the camera, LCD, lens which if you warm it back up slowly shouldn't be a problem. I thought I heard others on here say they've had condensation inside the cam before and after a bit it clears itself up. But still... I'd be cautious of that.

The other thing would be battery life. I haven't had much experience personally (yet) but it's common knowledge that cold weather kills batteries so you might want to plan the shots out to minimize time outdoors, get a spare battery or keep the battery in a pocket that's close to your body while not shooting.

Besides those two relatively minor things... I don't think I'd be concerned.
 
That is good advice. The cold will make the batteries die much faster...so keep spare batteries warm. Condensation will form when you go from the cold air into warm moist air...like in a car or house. So keep the camera covered or in a bag until it warms up.
 
Biggest advice I can give is if you shoot and travel to another place to shoot. Do not put it in the warm area of what ever your traveling in. Say if you drive. Put it in the cold trunk. If you don't even a short time inside a warm car will cause it to fog up. And you will have to wait to be able to shoot. Basically if its cold keep it cold until your done shooting. And definately carry a spare battery or two in a warm place.
 
I was wondering the same thing awhile back (I live in wisconsin) and read somewhere that a good idea is to seal the camera in a plastic garbage bag to let it warm back up...
 
Yes, if you can seal it in a bag (big zip-lock will do)...then that will prevent most condensation from forming on/in the camera. But you must seal the bag before you come into the warm moist air....and let the camera warm up before you open the bag.
 

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