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Thread: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

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    Senior Member FatalSaviour's Avatar
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    Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    Hi everyone,
    I currently own an ageing Canon EOS 300D, which I could do with replacing, but that's an aside for the moment .
    I'm going mountaineering around Fort William (possibly including Ben Nevis etc) in a few days, and have been intending on taking the 300D. I'm aware that it's rather bitterly cold at the moment (-15'C?) and am just wondering whether there are any particular precautions with regards the camera and lens that I should be taking, in light of the cold and (potential) snow that will be around?

    Cheers all!
    R
    Quote Originally Posted by Noni
    What the hell does "WTH" mean


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    Re: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    Well for starters the cold will really affect your battery life. I'm a kayaker myself, but do a fair amount of mountaineering too, and the cold saps battery life in minutes sometimes.

    I keep my camera in a Peli case, with is pretty much bomb proof, water-tight, padded and great for protecting cameras. They're built mainly for the military to ship guns and electronics about in. The foam inside does help keep my camera insulated, reducing the battery-sapping effect, but it still gets very cold. (one useful tip is silica-gel, to help stop condensation on it.

    Their only down side is they add a lot of bulk and a fair amount of weight to a bag.


    I'd check for minimum-operating temperatures on your camera and lenses just in case. The electronics probably has limits around 0*c or something, but it may work beyond that for short periods. I suppose there could be issues with the lens(es) getting brittle in the cold, and the focusing mechanisms being affected, but sub-zero isn't something that I've had issues with.
    Last edited by DevAnubis; 27-12-2009 at 09:33 PM.

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    Photographer Bobster's Avatar
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    Re: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    take care when moving from outside (-15C) into a warm room +18C, you will get condensation build up in the camera and ur glass.. make sure the body is powered off..

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    Re: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    For walking it's going to be perfectly fine - things have to get seriously cold before cameras start freezing up - think the point at which the metal becomes brittle.

    Your battery will suffer as Anubis said - if you've got a spare then keep it in an internal pocket.

    Your camera also won't be very waterproof - keep it covered if there's rain/snow.

    The other thing to watch is changes from cold-hot temps. This will cause condensation to form on the lens, misting it up, and could be a problem if water forms inside it - there's a famous case where about 8 5DMkIIs died in Antarctica that was put down to this. When you head inside from the cold keep it in a zipped up bag. The environment inside the bag will be fairly well sealed, so the camera will warm up slowly, preventing condensation.

    Enjoy your shooting - I bet it's lovely up there right now. And take a look at the main board for the free workshops in Edinburgh in the new year
    Please view my website at jaggerbramley.com

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    Re: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    Cheers guys - some really useful tips there, thank you! I'll keep my normal Lowepro case in an Exped waterproof Drybag then - hopefully that should head off any sudden temperature increases sufficiently!
    Quote Originally Posted by Noni
    What the hell does "WTH" mean


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    Re: Scotland Winter Walking - Camera Care

    Get an airtight bag (ziplock/freezer bag etc) to put your camera in before moving from the outside cold to inside and let it warm up for a few hours while sealed in the bag. (remember to seal it while still outside)
    If you really need to get at the pictures then remove your card before you go inside, the cards might be a little more resilient but you could always use a separate bag for them to warm up in, it'd be a lot faster.

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