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wandering_dusk
Aug 22, 2003, 7:14 AM
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Registered: Aug 18, 2003
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Ok... so I am just wondering if anyone has any tricks to keeping an electronic camera operational at cold temps? I know it would be best to use a manual camera such as the FM-2 or something of that sort... however does anyone out there opt. for the electronic type?
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sittingduck
Aug 22, 2003, 1:04 PM
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Registered: Aug 19, 2003
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I ceep my digital camera inside my jacket so my body heath prevent the batteries to freez. It is not ideal because of bulkyness and moist. I have plans to make a system like the one Petzl uses for the Arctic headlamp where the battery hangs on my chest and a cable runs up to the bulb, where I climb it is the only way to ceep the headlamp last. The litle bag have room for two batteries so if needed there is a warm spare one. I figure that if I make a batterypack that is inside my jacket in the Petzl fashion it should be possible to feed the camera thorough a cable using the AC/IN on the camera.
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pico23
Aug 23, 2003, 4:13 AM
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Registered: Mar 14, 2003
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I prefer a reasonably manual camera for most outdoor stuff. Something that takes those little 357 watch batteries (aka. LR44) is electronic enough for me. I've never had a problem with my k-1000 or program plus in the cold and I can carry several sets of LR44 batteries with no weight penalty or bulk. If I use a winder on the Program Plus I use lithium batteries, I use lithium for the flash as well. Lithium does reasonably well in the cold. I've really never had a camera die in the cold.
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jeffers_mz
Aug 28, 2003, 5:43 AM
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Registered: Jul 11, 2002
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Two standard approaches are to use bigger batteries or to swap battery sets in and out, storing the "on-deck" set somewhere warm. A motor drive will probably be easier for either approach. The batteries will require less frequent changing, and changing 4 AA's has got to be easier than changing little buttons, especially with numb fingers.
Put your camera inside your coat where it's warm and damp, and you risk ice crystals forming on the shutter and destroying it. Not to mention having to wait for the lens to unfog for every shot.
Take a look at such all manual cameras as the Nikkormat. It will take a battery for the meter but will function with its manual shutter with no battery at all. You can keep a dedicated meter in your pocket without the cold battery/fogging issues.
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moabbeth
Aug 28, 2003, 5:51 AM
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Registered: Oct 22, 2002
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Put it inside your jacket as close to your body as possible. Heck, I was ice climbing with a guy in January whose camera kept freezing up. I finally took it and put it down my 3 laters of shirt for about a minute, took it out and it was good as new. Works every time.
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pico23
Aug 28, 2003, 6:19 AM
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In reply to: and changing 4 AA's has got to be easier than changing little buttons, especially with numb fingers.
I'd love to comment on how hard it is to change the button cells but like I said a camera has never died on me yet. Its been cold at times too. I don't keep my camera in my jacket because of consensation just leave it out or in it's case attached to your pack. To me the advantage of the button cells is the cameras that run on them are fairly manual and the buttons are light. I'll generally keep a set of buttons warm and as a precaution but I haven't needed them yet. My rule is once the camera is cold keep it cold warming the whole setup only causes minor or major problems.
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thegreytradster
Aug 29, 2003, 5:22 PM
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Registered: Jul 7, 2003
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If it's cold, keep it cold or risk disaster.
Lithium AA's work well in cold conditions. The special lithium cells that lots of cameras use won't freeze either. Never had problems with the silver oxide meter batteries either.
I have had to have a camera cleaned and winterized, (Nikkormat) If your shutter speeds are oviously to slow or the aperture blades are hanging it's proabably due to to thick a lubricant, not the batteries.
There aren't to many shops that know how to do it though.
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