FS7: Recommendations for FS7 Arctic camera jacket/cover

B

bengiles

Well-known member
I'm prepping for a trip in a couple of months - going to be shooting the FS7 at temps of -25C and below.

Anyone recommend the Portabrace Polar Bear for the FS7? Camrade Snow Coat?

Do I need a thermal cover - or shoot the FS7 naked (the camera - not me) and use a ziploc to acclimatise it?

I'm planning to buy 4 BPU-60 batteries. Not taking the V Locks, because I need to keep weight down. Will that be enough for a reasonable day of shooting in low temps?

Thanks,

Ben.
 
Hey,

Not sure about the covers you mentioned, but re: batteries, I would consider the SWIT 3rd parties as a cheaper, but equivalent, alternative to the Sony BPUs. SWIT also make this, their S-8U93, as well as their S-8U63. The 93 gives 50% [EDIT - slightly optimistic maths there - at least 33%!] more charge than the 63 (83Wh vs 63Wh).

http://www.swit.cc/productshow.aspx?id=209

Given that battery performance/charge holding is often severely impacted by (low) operating temperatures, I'd say you'll be much more assured of a full-day of shooting from 4x93s than 63s, and I believe they're the same size and weight.

Enjoy your trip Ben, what are you shooting for? - jason
 
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Something to remember... keep the spare batteries warm until you need them. In your coat next to your body or in a heated vehicle. If you get down to -40c watch any cables that have sheathing that is more poly/plastic based than rubber, they crack. Some lenses will get very stiff as the the lube thickens. Fogging is an issue as well. Good luck!
 
I shot in Breckenridge, CO last month doing all exteriors. It was pretty darn cold at times. One evening it got down to -1f. We use SWIT batts and the performance in the cold never faltered. I couldn't believe it. I had a box of hand warmers standing by but never needed them for the SWITs. We had a basic camera cover like a poncho to keep the snow off everything but nothing keeping the rig warm. The camera never flinched at the cold. The eyepiece did want to fog but I didn't use it much directly up to my eye. What really impressed me was how the camera held the highlights of the snow and still kept the blacks quiet. For what it's worth, this shoot was before the latest 3.0 firmware.

Happy shooting,
Kevin
 
Hey Ben - to add to what Jason said above - I've no experience in that extreme cold w/ my FS7. But in normal temps, my BPU-90 battery lasts 5+ hrs - usually closer to 6+ constant. And I've even done full days (when not running continuously) on that one battery.
I have the BPU-60 as well - but for a little extra weight, I might suggest grabbing one or two of the 90's.
and fyi - I have the PortaBrace RS-FS7 rain slicker... and it does protect camera well... but also makes it just a bit tougher to access pretty much everything.
 
hey ben,

i shot with the fs7 out of a helicopter in northern quebec two weeks ago at -20C. i shot with the camera naked and ran through 2.5 BP-U60 per day. We kept the batteries warm until I popped them into the camera but other than that I shot like we would in any condition. One thing I learned from this shoot: Good gloves are essential! My hands were freezing off at one point because my gloves were too thin. The sound guy gave some awesome thick mittens ($150 worth) that saved the day. I had to push the big recording button on the side with my thumb to operate, but it worked.
 
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I have shot in the Arctic often, Alert, Cambridge Bay etc. Used lenses as is, they got a bit stiff at -57c but worked fine. I would only suggest if you are using a power zoom lens you put it in manual mode first and test it.
 
So you dont need to know this.. but for reference for others.. from SmallHD site 502 spec.. which means technically it wont even work in my office this morning.


[TD="class: specs-label, bgcolor: transparent"] Operating Temperature [/TD]
[TD="class: specs-label-value, bgcolor: transparent"] 30F to 90F [/TD]

[TD="class: specs-label, bgcolor: transparent"] Storage Temperature [/TD]
[TD="class: specs-label-value, bgcolor: transparent"] 0F to 120F [/TD]
 
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Ive used the portabrace polar bear with my F5 up in Svalbard in the Arctic circle last year.. very good cover.. room for pocket warmers etc.. a bit cumbersome as all these covers are.. and in my case with a CN7 and having the EVF far forwards it was a bit tight .. but with the FS7 you should be fine.. I have one designed for F5.. I also had one for my PMW500 which was very good.. keeps your hands warm too..!! recommended .. I dont think there is any other cover out there .. some people have custom made which is the best of course..
 
Actually why does a camera need to be kept warm?

Yes batteries, but heat induces sensor noise, there are no tape transport bits to seize up etc

S
 
LCD,s crack.. your VF gets all weird .. lens fluid freezes .. its actually worse than tape or film I think.. electronics and extreme cold dont go together well at all.. and less chance of internal condensation when you go indoors.. or at least less time needed to acclimate... but they can put up with quite a bit of cold without a cover thats true.. but if its your own camera you really feel to need to protect it ! .. plus it really does keep your hands very warm .. its worth it for that alone
 
Sorry for the delay in responding, was working. I used a Porta Brace rain cover most of the time. Also carried several 6'x6' dollar store tarps and shash cord that I used when it got windy and stormy. Just make sure you spend the time to dry what you can see and touch. You might also want to pickup a hand warmer or two. You never know how small the buttons and switches on a camera are until you need to set them in Arctic temps.
http://www.mec.ca/product/5014-829/zippo-hand-warmer/
 
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