question about cold weather.

[fightin14]

This may be a dumb questin but whatever. I have been known to leave my camera bag in my car overnight when the temp gets down into the 20's. If this is done repeatedly, can there be any permanant damage done to any of my equpiment. I do think about when it gets down into the single digits for sure and bring it in, but if i don't get the o **** factor when I step out of my truck i usaully forget about my camera. Am I tempting fate?

 

[Big Mike]

I wouldn't worry about those temperatures. Just watch out for condensation when you bring cold gear into a warm environment...keep the gear sealed up until it's had a chance to warm up.

 

[fightin14]

Thanks that is what I figured but, I thought I would ask the group that has much more knowledge than I

 

[mrodgers]

Food for thought. It is recommended that you seal the camera up to let it warm when bringing it inside. That's a no brainer. But, I'm wondering if it would be different flat out leaving it outside.

Cold air is dry. Yet, why when it is cold, why do we have frost completely covering our windows of our cars? It hasn't risen above 20 F for a couple of weeks (except for 2 days last week) and my car is completely covered in frost at 5 am when I am leaving for work.

There have been times where my CD player was giving me an error. Upon ejecting the CD, I find it completely covered in frost.

I think using the camera and having the camera outside may be a bit different than flat out leaving it outside in the car overnight. I think I wouldn't take the chance and would bring it in the house, sealed in a plastic bag until it warms up of course. Then again, it does have some protection with it being in a camera bag if that's where it is.

 

[Garbz]

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/154153-camera-extreme-cold-result.html

This thread is about a camera in cold conditions. None of the damage was permanent, but your batteries would die, so don't plan to use it straight out of the car.

 

[slapshot™]

Am I tempting fate?

Of your gear getting ripped off? Possibly!

Good suggestions from the above posters. Also, it doesn't hurt to leave desicant at the bottom of your camera bag as well.

 

[fightin14]

I am not worried about getting broken into. But it would not be a bad thing I have good insurance on my camera gear. A d300 would be nice but not nice enough to up grade from a D200 for no other reason besides wanting.