Posted by Bert Fukuda on February 16, 2010 at 11:40 PM
I was out at Mayflower Gulch last weekend and it was so cold my camera had issues firing. I was wondering what techniques everyone else used to keep your camera warm when shooting in not so comfortable conditions.
Mahalo,
Bert
Posted by Jesse Speer on February 17, 2010 at 12:34 AM
I like to keep one hand warmer in each coat pocket during cold days. Apart from frequently warming up my fingers, I also use them to warm batteries ... rotating batteries in/out of these pockets as needed. This technique definitely prolongs battery life in extreme cold. Poor battery performance could be the cause of your troubles. But I'm not sure. Could also be your mirror freezing up. You could also keep your camera body on a neck strap inside your outer coat - using body temps to help fight potential mechanical and sensor issues. I do that often, but don't keep it sealed up in a coat too long (condensation can form).
One reason I was attracted to my old Nikon D2x is that it performs the same whether its 80 degrees or -20 degrees.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on February 17, 2010 at 1:41 AM
Bert, I've just been carrying an extra battery in a warm pocket. However, I've not had the need to use it with a fully charged Canon 1Ds2, but the coldest was ~ -5 F. How cold did it get up in Mayflower?
Posted by Bert Fukuda on February 17, 2010 at 8:25 AM
After hearing your thoughts and rethinking what I was experiencing, I think I had a little mirror freeze and battery issue but not at the same time. At times the batter indicator would blink telling me I had less that 1/4 battery left, other times I would initiate the shot, hear the mirror go up and that was it. I had to hit the trigger again to get the mirror down.
~Bill: I didn't think it was that cold temperature wise (maybe in the teens) but very cold because of the howling winds.
Posted by Jeff Beard on February 17, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Speaking to Jesse's mention of condensation, if you shoot on the way to the trailhead make sure you keep the car cold. Otherwise, by the time in you get back into the cold, there might be condensation which can freeze.
FWIW, I've never had any issues shooting all the way down to -15 with my 40D or my 5D. I do swap my batteries out and keep them in the front pocket of my bibs.
Posted by Bert Fukuda on February 17, 2010 at 8:11 PM
I'll keep the battery swapping process in my mind when I'm out next. Thanks for the advice.
Discussion
5 repliesMahalo,
Bert
One reason I was attracted to my old Nikon D2x is that it performs the same whether its 80 degrees or -20 degrees.
~Bill: I didn't think it was that cold temperature wise (maybe in the teens) but very cold because of the howling winds.
FWIW, I've never had any issues shooting all the way down to -15 with my 40D or my 5D. I do swap my batteries out and keep them in the front pocket of my bibs.