Hi need tips for keeping my lens working in -20 temps

I put this in the shooting in the rain forums but I guess it really does not fit there and seeing as winter will not be over for a few more months I could use a little advice! Hi all, I made my own Gore Tex rain covers for my camera and lens's using french seams to keep them water tight because I lived on the rainy coast of B.C. and they worked great. My new problem is we recently moved to northern Alberta and yesterday while out shooting in -29 with wind chill of -35 my lens after 3 hour's out shooting were getting very stiff and hard to even manually focus.Any tips???

Short answer...no, the viscosity of the lubrication of the moving parts really slows things down and zaps energy at those temps. Manual focusing is best for rough focus, and only let the af fine tune. Just wrote a two part bog about extreme cold...click my blog link below for some other cold tips...

Hi Lorna. Welcome to N. Alberta, I'm in Hinton. My advice is to just send your lens in to the manufacturer for a clean and adjust. The cold temps are unavoidable but if the lens is full of moisture and gunk it will seize up. Good peace of mind to do a bit of preventative maintenance and have your gear clean, lubricated and working at its optimum. I just went through this with a telephoto lens and the cleaned lens works beautifully regardless of temperature again. Turn around time and service to Nikon was amazing!!!

(Oh, what lens are you referring to?)

Thanks Guys, It is my 70 -300mm lens that does not like the cold so much. Will look in to getting it cleaned ,I am in Sherwood Park ,east of Edmonton. I will check out your blog Andy.Thanks again ,Cheers

Great tips Andy , It is very dry here in the winter and I do leave my camera in my bag for at least a half hour before taking it out to shoot ,also once it is out it stays out until I am ready to go home then back in the bag before entering the house and stays there for a few hours before I touch it again. Will continue to do this and look at getting it cleaned.Cheers

The 70-300mm is a fairly long lens and there is more resistance in it for focus. Carry three camera batteries with you. One in the camera, two in an inner pocket. The 300mm lens isn't considered a pro lens by Nikon, and may not have had the low temp lube put in it. BTW, windchill has no effect on camera gear.


Kent in SD

Thanks Ken, Wind chill may not effect the lens ,but it sure makes me wonder what the heck I am doing being out in it !!! ; ) Cheers And sorry my lens is an Olympus Zuiko 70- 300mm

Internal combustion?

Guess not. B-R-R-R-R !!!!