Cameras and Cold Climate

Pumpkinstew · 15 Nov 2012 at 10:14

I'm off to northern Sweden in a few weeks and will be taking my cannon powershot bridge camera along with me.

I was a bit worried about how the camera might cope with firstly the outside climate (could fall to -10) and secondly the transition from very cold to back into a toasty warm lodge.

So anyone here got any advice for this sort of climate?
Is there a big risk of condensation?
What can I do to prevent it?

Also any general advice for snow and night shooting appreciated.

Razor-BladE · 15 Nov 2012 at 10:28

RE condensation, let the camera warm up slowly, and by that I mean don't take it out when you go back inside; leave it in the case/bag that's been with you until sufficient time has passed.

Andy90 · 15 Nov 2012 at 12:48

Check the specifications at the back of the manual, it should give operating temperatures. As an example, the Canon Powershot SX40 HS gives an operating temperature range of 0 to 40 degrees Centigrade (32 to 104 degrees Farenheit).

Keep the Camera covered in cold weather - preferably in a padded case and you shouldn't have a problem. Obviously if it is out for hours on end in biting cold then it might malfunction.

Razor-BladE has the right idea reference condensation - leave it to warm up gradually.

Snow photography? Most important one is that most camera metering systems will be fooled into thinking there is more light available than there actually is.

As a result they underexpose by around 1 stop (ish). As a result if you are able to manually override exposure then increase the exposure value by +1 (or thereabouts, some cameras will require +1.5)

Don't forget to reset the exposure compensation back to zero after you've finished taking snow shots.

If you can, take RAW shots rather than JPEG, since RAW files give you more latitude with processing over JPEGS.

The other tip is to set a custom white balance. Most Cameras will give snow a blue cast - so you will need to set a custom white balance in camera at the location. If you shoot in RAW it will give you the ability to tinker with white balance when you do your processing with something like Lightroom etc.

There are tons of videos on Youtube, this one however is quite simple and highlights the effects of using exposure compensation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY1lljNhrYU

Hope this helps regarding Snow photography.

Devrij · 15 Nov 2012 at 14:15

Bring spare batteries. The cold slows the chemical reaction in the battery, which means if you're doing long exposures or timelapses, or just spending a day out in the cold shooting, your battery will last for a far shorter time than normal. So bring a spare!

If you want to look at your shots when you get in (I know I always do), take the memory card out before you go inside, and put your camera back in your bag so it can warm up gradually away from external moisture. Then you can still play with them without exposing your camera to the risks of condensation.

apeksdiver · 15 Nov 2012 at 14:19

Keep you spare batteries close to your body to keep them warm on you will find the cold will kill them.

Nexus · 15 Nov 2012 at 15:03

Don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but I always keep my camera inside plastic bags to allow it to gradually adjust to the temperature change so it doesn't get covered in condensation.

You can fit even a DSLR in a large zip freezer bag. Its also important on trips away to hotter environments, as likely you may be staying somewhere that has air conditioning. Take your camera outside into the warm and it will instantly fog up.

While generally you should be fine, I did kill the sensor in a Sony VX-2100 video camera some years ago. While I had properly adjusted it to outdoors, it was sat on a tripod recording for an extended period of time in temperatures below 0. It probably wasn't designed to operate at such temps without some heating.

Pumpkinstew · 15 Nov 2012 at 17:05

Thanks for all the advice. Just what I was after.

Hopefully I'll come back with some nice shots now instead of whited out images and a broken camera.

D.P. · 15 Nov 2012 at 17:19

apeksdiver said:
Keep you spare batteries close to your body to keep them warm on you will find the cold will kill them.

This is the main thing, bring plenty of spare batteries and keep them well inside your jacket, warmed by your body.

Buy a pair of high quality insulate liner gloves, so if you do have to take your hand out of the main glove you have a reasonably warm protective layer. Frost bite is a concern when playing with a camera when its really cold- people have lost a finger trying to capture the northern lights etc!
In the same vain be very careful about having appropriate clothing layers. When active in cold climates one barely needs more than a thermal base layer and a windproof jacket (I have ski toured in -20 wearing only a -shirt). but the moment you stop, your body stop producing heat and your temperature will plumet. A high quality modern down jacket, at least 800 fill or better. Go to a good outdoor shop and try and get a big puffy base-camp jacket.
However, when exercising be careful not to build up a sweat, that can be lethal- literally people have died from sweating a lot and then stopping, sweat whisk a way heat like nothing else. I tend to start out on cold morning with extra layers on which I have to remove within 10-15 minutes of exercise. I am then generally fine in a think base layer under a gore-tex shell, but the second I stop the down jacket gets put straight on, when it is really cold I sometimes don't even stop and will keep hiking while getting the extra layers out of my bag.

To be clear, -30*C is a completely different world to -3*C like you would get in the UK typically. Saying that there is rarely any big issues, you just wnt to be careful of some simple steps like not sweating and not leaving your hand unprotected for too long.

dan1903 · 17 Nov 2012 at 00:34

Loads of spare batteries and keep them in your armpits! try and avoid switching lenses outside if possible. you can buy silicon skins (like the phone cases) for a lot of DSLRs, it might be worth getting one for a little bit of extra insulation.

Interestingly, if you are doing any long exposure shots at night, the cold works in your favour. If the sensor is at a lower temperature, it will produce less random noise!