shooting in the cold

J

JimtheJib

Well-known member
what is the safe temperature limit for shooting in the cold?
is there any insulation or method for shooting in temperatures below the minimum temperature?


thanks
 
JimtheJib said:
what is the safe temperature limit for shooting in the cold?
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You would want to check the manual for that one - I do not know off the top of my head. But I can offer the following advice:

Climatize your camera before using it.-
If you just take your camera out and use it in the cold weather it will develope condensation as it goes from the warm inside temp to the cold outside temp. (Esp. if it is very cold out.) so what you want to do it to let the camera be out in the cold for a time, before using it. I had a friend who was shooting a hunting video up in the mountains during winter and he climatized his DVX by having it be in the case in the back of the truck during the ride up the mountian, and the when they got there he opened his case (just a crack) and let it sit for another 15 minutes or so. He then put in a tape, and went away shooting for the day. (As a side note, someone else was in the area trying to get video, and they failed, cuz they just took the camera out of their truck and tried to use it - the condensation killed them.
 
waltind said:
You would want to check the manual for that one - I do not know off the top of my head. But I can offer the following advice:

Climatize your camera before using it.-
If you just take your camera out and use it in the cold weather it will develope condensation as it goes from the warm inside temp to the cold outside temp. (Esp. if it is very cold out.) so what you want to do it to let the camera be out in the cold for a time, before using it. I had a friend who was shooting a hunting video up in the mountains during winter and he climatized his DVX by having it be in the case in the back of the truck during the ride up the mountian, and the when they got there he opened his case (just a crack) and let it sit for another 15 minutes or so. He then put in a tape, and went away shooting for the day. (As a side note, someone else was in the area trying to get video, and they failed, cuz they just took the camera out of their truck and tried to use it - the condensation killed them.
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thats great advice.
 
Condensation forms when going from a COLD environment to a WARM environment. Anyone with eyeglasses can attest to that.

If anticipating drastic temperature changes, wrap the camera (and other sensitive electronic gear) in an air tight plastic bag, then let the camera warm or cool to the ambient temperature in the air tight bag. This may take a long time, be patient (or you might be sorry). I usually leave my gear wrapped over night or at least for 4 hours.

Also remember that drastic temperature changes are not just a problem in winter. Going from an air conditioned building into a hot humid summer day can also cause problems. Air tight plastic bags and slow cooling or warming are the ticket.
 
David G. Smith said:
Condensation forms when going from a COLD environment to a WARM environment. Anyone with eyeglasses can attest to that.
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Oops, need to get my eyeglasses fixed. LOL!

You still need to "climitize" the camera, as both you and I had mentioned. Thanks for the correction.
 
You are right. Keep it air tight going both ways, warming and cooling. I read somewhere that the dangerous thing is the moisture content of the air and that keeping the it air tight during the temperature keeps condensation from forming. I'll try a search latter and post it here if I can find some info.

Another consideration when working in cold climates is keep your batteries warm. I remove them between shots and keep them inside my shirt (close to body heat). Cold weather will shrink your battery life.
 
David G. Smith said:
Another consideration when working in cold climates is keep your batteries warm. I remove them between shots and keep them inside my shirt (close to body heat). Cold weather will shrink your battery life.
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Did not even consider that. Thanks for the tip.
 
I've shot dog sled races in 50 degrees below.
Okay- that was with older cameras, but it was still cold.

You say really cold, but how cold? The lense will freeze up at a certain point, or just get difficult to focus and zoom. I kept batteries on the inside of my parka. You'll go through them much quicker, the colder the environment. That polarbear cover is a great idea. You can also get hand-heaters and keep them on the inside. Changing tapes will be a little bit of a problem. When you open the tape transpot to the outside air, it will chill the metal parts on the transport. Usually, colder air is lower in humidity too, but not always. You can get "slack" warnings.

There was one poster who had the camera up on the antarctic or something if I remember right. Waltind had great advise.
Hope this is a little helpful.

Jeff Patnaude
 
JPatnaude said:
Changing tapes will be a little bit of a problem. When you open the tape transpot to the outside air, it will chill the metal parts on the transport. Usually, colder air is lower in humidity too, but not always. You can get "slack" warnings.
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ahhh... cant wait until P2

i've shot in -30 c with my DVX wearing nothing but it's glossy finish... it worked just fine.. and the footage looked amazing..
i had one of those fatty 9hr batteries that go on your belt... and i was able to hold it in my jacket while i shot
camera woulda been fine all day but it was me who couldnt handle the elements :grin:
 
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