Are you looking to keep your hands warm while still being able to use touchscreens? I tried a pair of Vallerret Power Stretch Pro Liner Photography Gloves to see if they were up to the task.
Pros
- Does exactly what the description says
- Moisture wicking
- Keeps hands warm around 45° F (7° C) and for me, most likely temperatures down to at least freezing.
- Well-made
- Comfortable and fits well
- Touchscreen works flawlessly
Cons
- Difficulty feeling dials and buttons requires some adjustment (not really a con since all gloves would have this issue)
Technical specifications
- Package weight: 0.165 lb
- Box dimensions (LxWxH): 12 x 4.65 x 1.2
- Color: Black
Mild winter or early spring days
Vallerret manufacturers a number of different gloves. The Vallerret Power Stretch Pro Liner Photography Gloves are designed to keep your hands comfortable for mild winter or spring days.
I tested them in arid slightly breezy 45° F (7° C) weather for two days, which is admittedly not very cold. They were often slightly too warm for me. However, I tend to keep warm quite a bit, so I don’t think they would pose an issue for a lot of people at this temperature.
These are not thick gloves, and would not be as effective for cold, harsh weather. I believe I could use these gloves at temperatures around freezing if it weren’t windy while still feeling warm. Much past that and I would think I would want warmer gloves.
For these temperatures, I sometimes use compression gloves. These are much thinner and have the fingers exposed, so they’re not nearly as warm. But like I say, I tend to run a little “warm.”
Moisture wicking
They also have moisture-wicking Polartec dual-knit fiber. While I did not test them by touching wet objects, I did notice that my hands did not ever become sweaty. They apparently wick away moisture from the interior, which would keep your hands from being clammy.
Touchscreens
The Vallerret gloves use conductive suede on the thumbs and index fingers. These allow you to use touchscreens without you needing to take the gloves off. As the fingers do not peel off like some of the other Vallerret gloves, you won’t miss it for that at all.
The gloves worked flawlessly with my iPhone, and seemed to work as well with the gloves on as when they were off. Very impressive.
Liners
As the name implies, these gloves can be used as a liner for other gloves. These of course include other Vallerret gloves.
Comfort
These are very well made and very soft. Upon closer examination, the gloves appeared to be very well-stitched. I used the large size, and they fit my hands … well, like a glove. That is to say, very well. Furthermore, the exterior seemed to be soft enough that you needn’t worry about scratching surfaces either.
Manipulating buttons on the camera
I had no problem using the camera dials and buttons. However, I sometimes found myself craving that tactile response. I sometimes found myself wishing that I could take them off for that purpose.
Now, I am sure this would be the case with all photography gloves unless you can remove the fingertips. I think one probably simply needs a short adjustment period.
Sound pretty good gloves. Perhaps fold back index finger and thumb would be helpful for using dials?
It might be. I get that they don’t do that because it wouldn’t be as warm. But these gloves do exactly what the manufacturer states, doing so quite well.
I love the photo of the old van. But “freezing” is only the starting point here in Minnesota :-)
I was shooting outdoors last night in the low 20s, and used some “photography” gloves with finger tips that can be removed and folded back. They worked pretty well. You definitely want some sort of photo gloves if you’re shooting in cold climates.
Also – I’m not a big booster of FF, but I had my FF camera with me last night and the bigger body is appreciated when wearing gloves.
Freezing is just the beginning sometimes. I just photographed in West Virginia during this last cold spell, and that was “fun” too. And I did have some thicker photography gloves that I had just received as a gift (and yes, a review is forthcoming). Like you say, you definitely want some sort of photo gloves with cold climates. I do like the larger camera bodies in general, but part of it is because I have large hands. It just feels right. I switched to FF around 2014. Back then, there was a rather large difference between APS-C and FF. Since… Read more »
There are a few ways to keep your fingers warm with gloves. Warm your hands before wearing gloves. Keep your hands warm with gloves. Wear disposable chemical hand warmers inside the gloves. Use battery-powered hand-warming gloves.
Yes, those should all work, along with moving around and staying active.
Winter weather has become more unbearable over the years, especially when climate change occurs. Or it can be uncomfortable because where you live, winter is already relentless with wind and snow.
We have definitely been experiencing wilder shifts in weather too, and with that, if we want to photograph outdoors, it’s helpful to get some appropriate clothing.