Cold weather is on its way. Remember to stock extra batteries. And remember that condensation can really mess up your camera.
Here are some more cold weather photo tips.
1) Bring extra camera AND flash batteries. If you are going to photograph outside in the cold, your camera and flash will go through batteries at an astonishing rate. A battery that lasted all day in normal weather may wear down in a matter of minutes in the extreme cold.
2) Keep your spare camera batteries in your pockets, not in the camera bag. They will stay warmer there.
3) Keep cameras and flash units inside your coat when not in use. This will prolong the battery life.
4) Don’t bring the camera from extreme cold into a warm room. You will cause condensation on the lens or worse inside the camera and this can permanently damage both. Allow the camera to gradually warm up or put it in a tightly sealed plastic bag and allow the condensation to form on the bag, not the camera.
5) Make sure to dress warmly. Pay particular attention to keeping your hands, head and feet warm.
Cold weather photography can be particularly rewarding if you are prepared for it. But go out without extra batteries and you will have your day cut short every time.
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This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store
Yet another very timely and useful post Scott.
Things just started to get really chilly in Tokyo, with temps in the low-40′s some days. Shooting indoors at an event two weeks ago I got over 2,000 shots on the battery that came with my D80 (using Nikkor AF 80-200mm & Tamron 17-50mm Di II lenses), but doing some street photography on Monday, taking only like 300 shots, I saw the first two bars of my battery life indicator disappear.
I will start to carry a plastic bag in my camera bag to wrap my camera in before I go indoors.
A question for everyone, I just got a $100 cash gift (actually ¥10,000 yen). Should I get a:
- monopod
- polar filter (for which lens, 80-200mm or 17-50mm or both eventually?)
- photography vest
Thanks….
One thing I never saw a warning about, but experienced personally:
If photographing in prolonged extreme cold be aware of plastic materials in your equipment. During a 10 day Alaska trip in the past I have had camera body and one of tripod latches simply crack all by themselves (as we were in the wilderness in the tents, there was no heat to cause these cracks due to heating/cooling cycle – this was cold by itself challenging the materials). Temperatures were between -20F and -40F. Thanks to the almighty Duct Tape I got some more use of both… So, bring some along…
The only camera that didn’t fail me on that trip (another fully mechanical camera mechanism simply froze) was Fujica ST701. I have a number of good night time images taken with it at as low as -42F.
Great stuff Scott!
Disposable hand warmer packs are extremely useful. They are small, cheap and last a while. Like you said keeping your batteries warm will extend their charge/usefulness. These hand warmers can even be strapped around the battery area of the camera to extend the batteries shooting time. It does affect ergonomics a bit though.
I also recommend making use of those “Hot Hands” disposable heatpacks. You can usually get a case of them at most wholesale stores for less than $20US. Tape or rubberband one on the body near the grip, and a second on the lens if you can. Even at the bottom of the body near the lens mount. This helps try to keep some of the internals warm and things moving better.
As of 9:43AM in Wininpeg…
Temperature: -26.1°C
Humidity: 62 %
Wind: S 26 km/h
Wind Chill: -40°C
The only way to shoot without getting frostbite quickly is to get those mitts with pocket holders for hand warming packs. They’re thin enough to still work with and keep your hands…well not warm, but not frostbitten either! I also usually opt for my old fully manual metal gear (pentax k1000 or something) ’cause I’m terrified of my newer, more plasticy, gear not holding up so well to the cold…
@Jason I’d go for the monopod! I’ve got an old Nikkor 80-200 and it’s a heavy bugger!
Would be worth while to buy some bulk silica gel packs as well to suck up moisture when you get back inside.
I made a little bag to hold my batteries next to my skin under my armpit. They stay very warm there.
@Scott – What about lenses and condesation / ice. When ever I’ve been night shooting, the lens gets unusable after a while as it drops below the dew point (some thing to do with the way that glass loses heat). Not sure if this is the same during v. cold shooting but how do you stop the lens from frosting. Everyone keeps mentioning batteries and not the lenses.
Also snow pants. The kind people use to snowmobile and/or we put on our kids when they go outside to play.
Was doing a shoot a couple days ago in central Ontario (hour south of Algonquin) with a buddy and when we wanted to get closer to the old/decrepit buildings we were shooting we had to venture off of the road into the snowy yards/fields and at times we were up to our waist in powder snow! We were both wearing jeans …. so our legs got cold and wet fast. Lesson learned! :)
be careful with batteries against skin and also getting sweat onto metal contacts :)
also don’t go out after drinking and if you are going on your own always let someone know your route and how long you will be gone for!!
your mobile may drain quickly also if not kept warm, be ware of that.
look after your equipment but look after yourself first :)
Yes, extra batteries are essential. A few years ago I was shooting an Easter event outside when it decided to snow and the temp dropped all afternoon. It was almost as if I could watch the battery meter drop to zero within a few minutes.
@jason: depending on the type of shooting you do, I would suggest a polarizer. The Tamron uses the 67mm. I have the Tamron and the Nikon 70-300vr and both use the same filter.
The colder the better…Your life depends on your gear. Always be ready…watch every step…and have an exit plan.
The advice about condensation applies anytime you take your equipment from a cold(er) environment into a warm(er) environment. I was recently in a desert locale which, oddly, could get EXTREMELY humid. I took my camera out of my very air conditioned room into the 100+F outdoors, and the lens immediately fogged. It was a good 30 minutes before I could do any shooting. Luckily, it doesn’t appear that the camera sustained any damage.
@ Richard- I don’t think your lens can actually drop below the dewpoint after having been outside for a while; unless I’m mistaken, the dewpoint is always below the ambient temperature, and once your lens reaches the ambient temperature of the air, it won’t (can’t) get any colder. It may be that it’s just providing a surface for whatever humidity is in the air to condense on, and then it instantly freezes since the glass is below freezing…
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Thanks for this. It was very timely advice and I like to think it saved me a lot of heartache this last week in snowy Colorado.
You want to alleviate almost all concerns and discomforts of shooting in cold & extreme cold conditions? Check this out:
http://www.cozycamerabag.com
Have a great winter shooting!!