Cold weather photo gloves

I am hoping to do some photography in cold places (unlike where I live in Berkeley, California) but my fingers get incredibly cold. I've tried fingerless wool mittens with the flap that goes over them, but my fingers get cold very quickly when exposed. I'm wondering if y'all, especially if you live in a snowy place, have any good tips. Online I've seen some battery heated gloves...anyone have any experience with these?

Those aurora photos are beckoning.

Thanks everyone.

Kathy, layers are the best solution, with chemical handwarmers like Grabbers or HotHands as a backup. I usually wear light weight fleece gloves that are thin enough I can operate the camera. When not actually shooting, I use heavy mittens over the gloves. I keep the mittens on "idiot strings" so I don't have to fuss with stuffing them in a pocket or dropping them on the ground when I pull them off. The REI store in Berkeley used to carry a decent selection.

As a backup, I use chemical handwarmers made by Grabbers[/url or [url=http://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Hand-Warmers-Pair-Value/dp/B00D7H9LIA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420483049&sr=8-3&keywords=chemical+handwarmers]HotHands. They're good for 2-3 hours and stay in the mittens pretty well. They're a backup, because they are a one use product and I don't like to make too much waste. But they are much, much more effective than the reusable ones.

I've never tried the electric handwarmers. My long distance mushing buddies dislike and don't use them. The batteries run down pretty quickly, especially if they get cold, and they don't seem to be very rugged.

Kathy, I'm a big fan of finger mittens, I just got a new pair from LL Bean and although they have a slit for the thumb which I glued closed, they are pretty good. They are three-layer, a layer of water proof something sandwiched between fleece. The trick is to put the chemical handwarmers in the the mitten part so when you don't need your fingers exposed they stay nice and warm. The mittens will also let me expose only my index finger to make camera adjustments, so I only have one cold finger. When it is real cold, I wear a thin pair of liners inside the mitten gloves so my fingers are always covered. Costco has a box of 40 sets of hand warmers for about $12, which is a great deal, I see them sold individually for around $2.00. They stay hot in my gloves for about six hours.

Hey Kathy,
I am a Master Scuba Diver and have been active since I was a teenager and I can assure you that diving gloves are a sure bet for warmth, flexibility and use of your fingers for camera operation (a proper fit is skin tight) and if they get wet, they are even warmer.
Here is the link to Leisure Pro's (major scuba supply house) gloves, they carry all major brands.
http://www.divers-supply.com/scuba/gloves.html
The 5 mm or 7 mm are the warmest but the 3 mm has more flexibility if used under regular gloves for layering.
If you have a local Scuba store near you, stop by and try on a pair to confirm my suggestion. Let me know if you have any questions, glad to help,
Mike

Some great suggestions I also appreciate - thanks to Kathy for asking and to all who shared their knowledge. The last time I was in Yellowstone in the winter I got a touch of frost-bitten fingers.
Sure don't want to repeat that.
Sandy

I wear merino wool liner gloves (Smartwool at the moment) until 25 or 30F. I can operate the camera fine wearing these. They've even kept my fingers warm cycling down to 30F.

I have some LL Bean primaloft packable gloves I'll wear over those, but take them off to operate the camera.

When it gets cold cold (below zero...or standing around a lot) I add these ridiculously warm mittens: http://hpsheepskin.com/mittens.html I have the blizzard hat and slippers as well. All awesome products.

I spent all day out in the ice caves at Apostle Island one day last winter and those mittens kept my fingers toasty.

For boots...I know you asked about gloves, but toes get cold too...can't go wrong with some Baffins. They are really plush. But they also feel lighter than the equivalent Sorel's I've had. Don't know if they are...but I find the Baffins easier to walk in. And they keep my feet toasty even staying in one spot for awhile.

I have often done photography in winter in central Maine, where I live, and also in northern Maine, Canada, and Yellowstone NP in winter where temperatures may hover around zero F or minus 18 C during the day. I use thin nylon or silk gloves that allow for good finger sensitivity on camera controls. These are no-where-near warm enough in themselves, but allow for handling of camera controls for short periods. I quickly put my glove-covered hands back into my warm, expedition rated mittens with windshells. In these mittens I have put chemical hand-warmer packets. These one-use packets are cheap, and work very well. The mittens are attached to my wrists by string loops so they don't get dropped in the snow. Well-insulated boots are also needed, and should be big enough to be used with chemical warmers. Ron Davis

Kathy,
If your looking for Boots, the Sportsman's Guide has the biggest selection at the best prices, here is the link to the Women's Boots page on the web-site:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist?k=womens+cold+weather+boots

I will put my two cents in also. I was out shooting in 28 below the other morning and 0 the other evening. I use a pair of polartec power dry liner gloves from Cabellas and a pair the finger mittens. I have two pair of mittens. One is wool knit and the other made of fleece. I can fold the mitten back to set up my camera and then pull the top back over my fingers to shoot. I use a remote shutter release which is easy to use with the mittens on. They don't keep my fingers perfectly warm, but neither do my fingers get really cold. If they start to get colder then I want I just stick them in my pockets for a couple of minutes and that really helps. I also have some hand warmers.

Thanks so much to everyone who has shared their solutions for cold fingers while taking photos. I have lots of wonderful ideas and should never suffer again!

Kathy

I like Mountain Hardware glove liners in moderate cold, with mittens over the liners in very cold weather. I can operate my cameras with the liners on.

Jim, may I suggest this topic be made a "sticky" that remains among the permanent threads ?
Invaluable info here.
Sandy