As one who still suffers in very cold weather because of minor frostbite on an Alaskan shoot many years ago ( I had to take my oversized mitten off to press the shutter release button ), I would suggest a remote shutter release, or warm, yet flexible, gloves.
lots of battery life, since they die sooner in cold weather.
a decent suplly of lens cloths, since you'll be wiping condensation off if you go from cold outside to warm car/house whatever (at your own peril considering the other implications of condensation)
those funny mitts that have the fingers that pull off so you can release without exposing your whole hand like these
Tripod, since you'll be shivering your arse off making for blurry exposures.
I shot a bunch in the cold last night, and I wish i had a few of those things :)
Besides the obvious extra layers of clothing, what do you take different on cold weather photo excursions, long or short?
Hi Ron,
I took a photo workshop at Mono Lake in California last January. Temperatures never got above 20 degrees the whole time, so here are some things that worked for me (and I subsequently learnt during the trip).
* Very warm clothing. This seems obvious, but if you're standing around waiting for sunsets, moonrises etc. as I was, you will get very cold very quickly (I was standing around on snow which made things worse). Take all the gloves, scarves, fleeces etc. that you have.
* Spare battery. Batteries may fail at low temperatures, so bring a fully charged spare (and your charger naturally). When out in the field, keep the spare in an inside pocket to keep it warm.
* Watch for exposed metal surfaces. At least one workshop participant almost got 'freezer burn' from a metal tripod. Gloves are an extremely good idea, because it only takes a second for a finger to get stuck to a tripod, or even your camera if it has any exposed metal surfaces.
* Cable release. Shutter releases can be fiddly with two layers of gloves, so a cable release is a good idea.
Finally, don't stay out in the elements longer than your really have to. My camera coped perfectly well with the cold - it's yourself that you have to worry about freezing up!
Disposable heat packs that you can buy in camping stores, like EMS, might be a good idea in case of emergencies. You can even keep them in your mittens until you're ready to shoot.
I have not seen one for a long time, and have no idea if there is something similar for digital cameras, but for the F3, Nikon used to make a remote battery pack for shooting in cold weather. Basically, it had a insert that replaced the batteries in the motor drive and that was connected by a cable to a battery pack that you would keep inside your coat to keep the cold from draining your batteries. You can also keep your camera inside your coat as well, but you may have condensation problems.
Other that shorter battery life, is there any other effects cold weather can have on equipment? I mean, I know if left outside for very long times there may be freezing problems, but what about for the not so long shoots? Say, 20-30 min in below freezing temps?
instead of worrying about condensation or wiping it off - take a ziploc bag big enough to put your camera and/or lenses in.
Before you come in from the cold, seal the camera up inside the bag. Once you come in, wait about an hour or so before you take the camera out, to let it warm up to room temp. No condensation problems then.
Also, try really hard not to breathe on the LCD, lenses or anything sensitive - it'll just freeze...
the moving from cold to warm - or vice-versa can cause condensation to form on , and IN the camera, condensation being water - truning the camera on could cause a short - or burn something up inside the camera.
its good to let the thing sit off for a while when you have drastic temp changes.
Disposable heat packs that you can buy in camping stores, like EMS, might be a good idea in case of emergencies. You can even keep them in your mittens until you're ready to shoot.
Not to be a shameless promoter *giggles* but I sell self-heating heat pads that come small enough to fit in pockets and large mittens, and large enough to cover your shoulders or thigh, etc. If you can find them they're great to keep handy. You don't have to warm them up [they generate their own heat - 120f] and they are reusable. A handwarmer pack sells for $13CND.
Other that shorter battery life, is there any other effects cold weather can have on equipment? I mean, I know if left outside for very long times there may be freezing problems, but what about for the not so long shoots? Say, 20-30 min in below freezing temps?
Thanks, Dan
I think I froze my LCD display. I have black spots now (only on the display, not images) that get bigger and smaller when the camera cools off and warms up. Don't know if they'll go completely away in summer.
Edited to add: I did this by leaving camera in car over night. Not on a short trip out into cold.
the moving from cold to warm - or vice-versa can cause condensation to form on , and IN the camera, condensation being water - truning the camera on could cause a short - or burn something up inside the camera.
its good to let the thing sit off for a while when you have drastic temp changes.
EDIT: too slow i guess./..
It is good to put your camera in a plastic "Zip Lock" bag after you come in from a cold climate. Try not to use for a coulpe of hours after!! Kind of like buying new fish in the plastic bag and letting lhem float in the water to get the right tempature.
Its good to read your owners manual and see what they say best about tempature change!!
instead of worrying about condensation or wiping it off - take a ziploc bag big enough to put your camera and/or lenses in.
Before you come in from the cold, seal the camera up inside the bag. Once you come in, wait about an hour or so before you take the camera out, to let it warm up to room temp. No condensation problems then.
Also, try really hard not to breathe on the LCD, lenses or anything sensitive - it'll just freeze...
Good advice. In addition, I collect those bags of silica gel (which you are supposed to throw away because they're toxic) and put one or two inside the bag to absorb any stray moisture.
