What is considered "cold" cold weather for cameras?

B

benlen

Member
Hey folks,

I live in Maine where typically our winters can have temperatures in the single digits, the teens, the twenties (much more preferable) and even the low thirties or forties on a warm spell.

I really enjoy going out hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing with my friends, and have taken my GoPro out in some frigid temperatures, but with my GH3, I'm a little hesitant.


I've been reading up on how to protect your camera/lens/equipment from cold weather and condensation, particularly when you go from outdoors to in. It sounds like the "zip loc bag trick" is something universally recommended.

So my questions are, when I do winter photography/videography, should I always employ the method above?

And at what temperature range can I expect to really see issues with my camera? Is it only when you get below zero/single digits that your camera might encounter issues?

Thanks!

-ben
 
the condensation on the camera isn't dangerous to your camera, but it will require more warm-up time if it does get condensation. I bring my camera in from -40 to room temperature on a regular basis.

However, wouldn't switch lenses until its warmed up to avoid condensation on your mirror and sensor.

Im shooting Ice Road Truckers right now, and we use a variety of cameras, all of which have been working in temperatures as low as -50. Just bring extra batteries.
 
Digital cameras do well in the cold. For the most part, electronics are happy in a cold world. I'm impressed with Andrew's real world experience regarding condensation, but I have to disagree with his statement that "condensation on the camera isn't dangerous to the camera'. Yes, most materials on a camera are not affected by moisture. As everyone knows, water and electronics don't mix. Since the voltages on a camera are very low, the danger is less, but when water lands across two different circuits, and current flows where it shouldn't, bad things happen.

If you are running your camera outside and you bring it inside still running or warmed up, the heat will drive out or prevent th condensation. But if you bring a cold camera into a warm, moist area, condensation may occur on the electronics. We've seen real-world cases of this on this forum. But we have also seen that the camera recovers with time and patience waiting for the camera to dry out.
 
Actually, one problem I've encountered was a lens problem not a camera problem. Its an old lens. The iris blades were getting stuck and wasnt opening up.
It would close, but opening was a challenge at times. No camera problems what so ever.
It works perfectly fine now. Its just in the very cold, I had problems.
 
Not having any cold temperature experience, I've always wondered if the tolerances on the lenses might cause a lens to bind or have the glass crack because the metal shrunk around it.
 
If it was a tape camera, you'd have more to worry about, but in my experience, it's typically been the glass that gives the problems(condensation/fogging) more than the camera itself. I've also never shot when it was colder than in the 20's. Maybe high teens.
 
I recently went on a cold weather test for an aircraft (large indoor facility). Temps were between -35F and -40F. I was using an AC160 and Canon 5Dmkiii. I kept the camera bag in the hangar to keep the gear acclimated to the temperature. Batteries and chargers were kept inside a heated area where the engineers hung out and watched monitors :p . Battery drain was about four times faster than at normal (70F) temperatures. Also when using any LCD display in temperatures this low it will lag considerably. As in, if you pan or tilt or zoom the crystals are slow to refresh so the image displayed is a second or two behind and smeary looking. I kept the AC160 in a cold weather bag with carbon packs attached inside but these quickly wore off and the camera was cumbersome to use so I ended up removing it anyway. On the AC160 after awhile the EVF went black. The LCD although laggy stayed on the entire time. Zoom and focus on on the lenses on both cameras became stiff and slow. With a servo zoom I would suggest turning it off and using manual only unless the lens is in a warm bag, so as to prevent the motor from damaging itself. Another note, the focus on the AC160 seemed to be inaccurate. The focus readout on the LCD would indicate a much closer distance than which I was focused at. Do some tests with your gear (if you have the environment) and see what happens. I have tested fluid heads by putting them in my freezer to see how it affects panning and tilting.
 
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