I am headed to the Canadian Rockies this week and it's gonna be freakin' cold. Like between -20 to 10 degrees F. I have never used a camera in those conditions, but have read some references to cold weather challenges.
Does weather sealing make a difference? I have a 5D2 and 24-70 v1, but was really hoping to just take my Olympus EM5 and primes. Thanks for any advice, even if it's "your camera won't work."
The colder it is, the poorer battery performance will be. (Fact of chemistry/physics.) When working in real cold, I keep spare batteries inside pockets close to skin to help keep them warm. I've not shot with with either of the cams you have listed, but with a 1DsII battery life dropped way off. I also had to use gloves which was awkward. One of the biggest problems is transitioning from cold to warm (and vice versa).You'll need to deal with the condensation as the camera warms up. (plastic bag maybe) I can't think of any reason that the Oly wouldn't work as it is weather sealed though I don't know about the lenses. Given fewer moving parts the OM-D might actually work better than a traditional DSLR. Let us know what your experience is. One thing for sure, at -20ºF EVERYTHING moves slower.
Robert has detailed the two basic issues with shooting in extreme temperatures with the battery life and condensation problems.
I find that a bigger problem is keeping myself comfortable in exteme temperatures and if you don't dress for those temperatures, your camera will outlast you in the outdoors. Warm and non constricting footware is a must. A very warm woolen hat is a must. I use two layers of gloves. An inner glove that allows me to use the camera and controls without taking the glove off and a much thinker outer mitt and provides the insulation from the cold. As soon as you stop shooting, put the outer mitt on overtop of the inner glove. Also get some of those disposable pocket warmers as they do help once your hands get cold.
Good luck and have fun. It might be wise to rent some snow shoes to allow you to get into places for better compositions.
I used my MkII also in cold outside temperatures (not as cold as what you will face but still). I never observed an issue with the camera or lenses in the cold. As Robert and Harry above pointed out correctly, main issue is condensation when you bring your gear back from the cold inside warmer temperatures. I recommend wrapping camera and lenses in Ziplog bags and keep you gear inside a camera bag for a few hours when you are back inside to let it slowly warm up (good idea at this point to remove the memory card out of your camera before you bring your gear back inside that you can work on the photos while the camera gear is warming up inside the bags).
More challenging is how to operate the camera while being outside in the cold. I have several pocket warmers which are reusable (they contain an acetate compound which crystallizes and releases heat in this process. This can be reversed when back home by putting the warmers into boiling water to liquefy). I recommend getting a pair of runner gloves which protect well from the cold, some of them come with a covered finger tip to use it with smartphones etc. This also helps to operate the camera buttons without removing the glove. I also keep spare batteries in one of my inner Northface jackets to keep them warm if battery replacement during a trip outside is needed.
I live in MN and shoot throughout the winter. I've been doing this since my film days (late 80's and 90's). A lot of people fear cold weather shooting and thus stay home. This is one of the best times to photograph landscapes and wildlife. I have shote in -20 F weather with little (if any) problems. As mentioned before…
1: buy multiple spare batteries. Keep the batteries on your body between you and your jacket. Be prepared for 25% performance. When you re-warm you batteries, they will be fine. I alternate batteries frequently.
2: condensation is a bummer as you move from cold to warm environments. You can do what many suggest… place your camera in a plastic bag prior to going inside. Squeeze all of the air out and tie the bag. The condensation will form on the plastic instead of the camera. BTW, I almost never do this. I simple place my camera in my camera bag. I zip my pack up, bring it inside and allow the bag & camera to acclimate over the course of hours.
New tips…
1. Dress warm, in layers and have under gloves and over gloves. You will reach a point where you can not manipulate your camera switches. The over gloves will warm things up so that you can return to shooting.
2. Choose a lens and stick with it. I use two bodies and I leave for a shoot with a lens on each and don't change lenses in the field. When it's cold, it is a challenge to line dots up, attach a lens and put another away. I've dropped many body and back caps into 2' snow drifts… not fun.
3. Be prepared to work slowly. Everything about our biology seems to slow in the cold. If you work slowly and deliberately, you will increases your productivity in the cold.
I live in Juneau, AK and shoot in cold weather a bunch. Bruce and others pretty well sum it up. I just want to re-enforce dressing properly for your comfort and enjoyment, carrying spare batteries in an inside pocket and being careful of condensation when going back indoors.
Truth be told, I don't necessarily like shooting in really cold weather but a photog's gotta do what a photog's gotta do. Heck, it's gonna be 19 F here today with 40 MPH steady winds where I'll be. Yikes. Anyway, I find the liberal use of chemical hand, foot and body warmers makes a huge difference. I put a handwarmer packet in the palm of each hand under my gloves. Once you get used to them being there they don't at all affect your shooting or any use of your hands. I also use foot warmer packets that attach to your socks and are surprisingly not uncomfortable. And if it's really cold I put a large body warmer packet in each of my front pants pockets and maybe one in an inside pocket of my jacket. It may sound like over-kill (and for lots of folks it may be) but for me, boy does it help keep me comfortable/functional and having fun instead of thinking about and dealing with the effects of the cold.
I've shot a 5D2 in Yellowstone at -20 degrees F for several days with no problems, not even battery problems.
I use gloves from Cabelas, with with thumb and finger tips that fold back to open and close. I expose only my shooting finger tip, and fold it back over when I'm done.
Damondean wrote:
I am headed to the Canadian Rockies this week and it's gonna be freakin' cold. Like between -20 to 10 degrees F. I have never used a camera in those conditions, but have read some references to cold weather challenges.
Does weather sealing make a difference? I have a 5D2 and 24-70 v1, but was really hoping to just take my Olympus EM5 and primes. Thanks for any advice, even if it's "your camera won't work."
Damon
#1: Do not take out the camera out of the bag or case after you have used it out in the cold when you come into a warm interior or vehicle.
#2: do not breathe on the lens or filters
#3: keep extra batteries warm in your innermost layer next to your body.
I love shooting in cold weather, the air is crisp and clear a lot of the time with excellent visibility day and night (great for stars and auroras). Sunset and sunrises can be spectacular and inversion layers can add some awesome undercast in some locations. The sun is at an angle so it creates interesting light most of the day. Also, bodies of water are usually warmer than the air so you get awesome fog rising out of the water in cold conditions.
Last month I bought this excellent REI jacket for my winter visit to Iceland and it proved to be ideal for photography. It can withstand temps as low as -25 degrees C (with appropriate layers underneath), but for photography the clincher was the big front pockets. I could put away filters, batteries, glove liners, cable release etc and retrieve them without fumbling around.
Don't worry about weather sealing. It's nominally designed to protect against water, and there isn't a lot of water around at -20F.
I would echo everything mentioned above, plus a couple extra. First, at those temperatures fine snow is an excellent abrasive. So when cleaning the snow from the lens think of it as being like sand and act accordingly. And if it is windy, a protective filter might be wise.
Second, if you are hiking or skiing any distance, take a spare pair of gloves cos you will probably sweat into them, and then your hands can get cold very fast when you stop for breaks. A dry pair of gloves can help a lot with this.
Enjoy the trip, and remember that keeping warm is your number one priority: You can replace a camera or lens much easier than you can replace a finger or toe...
15Bit wrote:
Don't worry about weather sealing. It's nominally designed to protect against water, and there isn't a lot of water around at -20F.
I would echo everything mentioned above, plus a couple extra. First, at those temperatures fine snow is an excellent abrasive. So when cleaning the snow from the lens think of it as being like sand and act accordingly. And if it is windy, a protective filter might be wise.
Second, if you are hiking or skiing any distance, take a spare pair of gloves cos you will probably sweat into them, and then your hands can get cold very fast when you stop for breaks. A dry pair of gloves can help a lot with this.
Enjoy the trip, and remember that keeping warm is your number one priority: You can replace a camera or lens much easier than you can replace a finger or toe......Show more →
Totally agree with 15Bit regarding spare clothing. Last year I was X-country skiing by myself and had an accident where I severely tore my hamstring. It was evening, no one else around. I could barely walk, side stepping only. I had a 7km walk to my car and it took me over 4 hours. I was really fortunate ( well actually good planning ) that I took spare clothing ( wool sweater, hat and gloves ) as without this spare clothing, I would have had a very cold experience, possibly hyperthermia, maybe death.
The cold is nothing to take for granted and any accident out in the cold elelments could mean disaster. Always take extra clothes, even if you don't think you'll need them. Take extra food for energy and if going way off trail, take one of those GPS messaging devices which could save your life. Cell phones are usually useless in the Rockies as there is very little coverage.
Plan for the worse, hope for the best is a good model to follow.
All really good suggestions! Since it's -30F right outside my door at the moment. The only things I would add to the list are something to cover your face like a cheap neoprene ski mask which protects your nose, mouth, cheeks, especially if the wind starts to blow. A fleece (polar tech) neck gator which helps seal the cold out and a good headlamp. Don't forget to look for auroras!
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments everyone. Being a Texas boy, to say that I am unaccustomed to such low temps is an understatement. While I want to document the trip, I don't really plan to get off the beaten path.
Gloves, warming packets, and an extra hat are on the shopping list, I think I have everything else covered.
I've used a Nikon D300 in temps down to -42 before, and regularly shoot below zero in winter. Weather sealing doesn't mean much. My main strategy is to have three batteries. One goes in the camera, and the other two go in an inner pocket. If it's really cold, I'll carry all three in my pocket and only put the batter in when I need it. Sometimes my camera is sitting out on my tripod for hours while I wait for a train to come. I have a wool scarf that I wrap around the camera, and slip a small chemical handwarmer in next to where the battery sits. I tend to just leave my camera gear outside in my car during winter, but if I bring it in it sits in the zipped up camera bag for several hours before I pull it out. BTW, if you aren't built up to the cold and don't have really heavy clothing system (including insulated pants,) you're probably going to freeze your nuts off the first week or so.
