I have a canon rebel xti and I live where it gets mighty cold ( last weekend minus 40) I wanted to go out and take some pictures but was hesitant to go out as my manual says its ok to minus 40, but it doesn't say for how long. I was hoping someone has an idea of the length of time that is safe so I don't damage my camera.
thank you so much for a response.
Posted by Paul Wegemann on December 18, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Linette, the biggest problem I've had in really cold weather is batteries. The camera itself seems fine even in sub zero cold. Depending on where you live, condensation may be a problem when you return to normal temps, so keep that in mind. If there are things you want to shoot in the cold, I say go for it!
Posted by Younes Bounhar on December 18, 2008 at 8:18 AM
Actually you even get less noise as the weather gets colder :). As Paul mentioned, just be careful about condensation when you get back in. I usually put the camera in a ziploc bag before I go inside and do not open the bag before at least 2h to give enough time to warm up.
Posted by Jim Salge on December 18, 2008 at 9:35 AM
The problems that I've experienced with the cold are autofocus (slows significantly), battery life, and condensation.
I'd go farther than the plastic bag and get a canoe/kayak drysack, and put your camera in it when you bring it back inside to protect against condensation. Batteries won't last long in -40, but stick em in your pocket and you'll squeeze more shots out of them. I don't know why the lens focus slows, but I suspect it has to do with the viscosity of the lubricants. Other than that, I've shot very low temps for a long time with no problems!
Posted by David Prichard on December 18, 2008 at 9:52 AM
My experience with sub arctic temperatures is that both the length of time and the number of shots taken influence the battery life as well as the type of battery.
With my D2X I can get about 3 hours and 1 gig of shots. With my wife's coolpix 5400 about 40 minutes and half a gig. I prefer not to change the batteries until they are exhausted for fear the parts may become brittle from the cold and break during the change.
Breathing can be a problem at those temperatures. If you exhale while using the viewfinder your breath can condense and freeze on the back of the camera. Younes advice on bringing the camera in to a warm area should be followed.
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on December 18, 2008 at 10:59 AM
At those temperatures, you LCD screen may stop working, but your camera should still work fine as long as your batteries are warm.
Discussion
6 repliesthank you so much for a response.
I'd go farther than the plastic bag and get a canoe/kayak drysack, and put your camera in it when you bring it back inside to protect against condensation. Batteries won't last long in -40, but stick em in your pocket and you'll squeeze more shots out of them. I don't know why the lens focus slows, but I suspect it has to do with the viscosity of the lubricants. Other than that, I've shot very low temps for a long time with no problems!
With my D2X I can get about 3 hours and 1 gig of shots. With my wife's coolpix 5400 about 40 minutes and half a gig. I prefer not to change the batteries until they are exhausted for fear the parts may become brittle from the cold and break during the change.
Breathing can be a problem at those temperatures. If you exhale while using the viewfinder your breath can condense and freeze on the back of the camera. Younes advice on bringing the camera in to a warm area should be followed.
This might be helpful: http://www.my-photo-blog.com/winter-photography-8-great-tips
Ron