Cold weather camera precautions?? (how much, buying, school)

[SityData]

RECOMENDATIONS are mentioned in every link you posted floyd

It is recommended -!! Not one link claims it to be MANDANTORY.

could you be so kind to point out where it explains the 'film' on components ?? as a direct result of condensation ???

I want to learn from your expertise !! Can you please show me where it says that the camera will fail to even function in 2-3 years ??

I have taken hours & hours to go through all the links you copied and pasted.

I do not find one place that mentions the 'film' on electronic components that will eventually ruin a camera.

I have however found dozen's of recomendations !!

[blueflames50]

some of us go by what the manufacture states
works for me anyway.
Can I use my Nikon camera in cold temperatures?

Published 12/21/2005 11:05 AM | Updated 09/17/2009 02:03 PM
Can I use my Nikon camera in cold temperatures?

Most manuals for Nikon products suggest that the temperature of the operating environment be between 32°-104° degrees Fahrenheit with humidity less than 85% (no condensation). Extreme temperature affects the moving parts of the camera. Battery power is quickly diminished during cold weather. The most urgent issue is to avoid condensation.
To avoid condensation, place the device in a carrying case or plastic bag before exposing it to sudden changes in temperature.

[SityData]

I have a sony P&S the size of a credit card

SONY STATES: the exact same numbers. working temps of camera: 32 F - 140 F

We have used this camera repeatidly @ 40 below zero - that is 70 degrees colder that what the manufacturer RECOMMENDS.

(GO FIGURE) all the photos taken over that two month period are posted.

The camera is fabulous and works like a charm - go figure !!

NOTICE THE WORDS: Most manuals for Nikon products suggest that the temperature of the operating environment be between 32°-104°

[blueflames50]

yes an that is all most people here are doing is suggesting what they do with their camera's in cold weather....others have got to be combative and harsh...I personally prefer to keep my camera as dry as possible and use plastic bags, dry bags when changing temperature environments and protective covering in "rain"...

[SityData]

Here is a quote frm a professional photographer about Cannon Cameras

SNOW AND COLD WEATHER

Cold weather conditions will not damage your camera. Modern Canon cameras and lenses are designed to function well in a wide range of temperatures including well below zero. Digital cameras actually work better in the cold compared to old film cameras, because you are not moving something through the camera as you shoot. Film used to pick up static electricity charges and would often break in subzero temperatures.

[SityData]

Here is another testimony from a very famous professional photographer about the topic we are discussing:



It is extremely rare to find any product that will endure 25+ years of heavy use, let alone one that continued to perform as good as the day it was bought until the day it was retired (when I switched to digital photography). My Canon FTb was purchased brand new in July of 1976 for a whopping $219. In the 25 years since my original purchase I subjected my camera to just about every environmental extreme possible. It spent considerable time in temperatures ranging from a frigid -10 degrees Fahrenheit to a sizzling +115, experienced humidity levels ranging from the murky dampness of a Florida swamp to the extremely arid environment of a pure desert. It has been rained upon, snowed upon, had ice form all over it, and even had dew form on it during hour long exposures in the middle of the night. It has been in sand storms, blizzards, and ice storms, often just tucked under my shirt or jacket. I’ve carried it for thousands of miles in my backpack, day-pack, and fanny-pack, and it has spent countless nights in my tent or by my side while I sleep under the stars. I’ve taken it hiking, backpacking and camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, along the rocky coast of Maine, high up in the Colorado Rockies, and just about everywhere in the Red Rock Country of Southern Utah. It has even photographed a launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. But in spite of all of this...

• My FTb never needed a repair.
• My FTb never let me down.
• My FTb never needed to be pampered.

The FTb is an extremely solid and dependable 35mm single lens reflex camera. Built like a tank, it contains a ton of metal parts… well… nearly 2 pounds worth, and that’s without a lens mounted on it. Most cameras today weigh only a fraction of that. (It nearly knocked me out once during a bumpy flight over Canyonlands.) It’s a 100% manual camera which means that you set both the shutter speed and the aperture. The photographer is the only one to blame for poor exposures, the camera only does exactly what it is told. It also has a mechanical shutter which means that if the battery fails, the shutter will continue to operate. But most importantly, the FTb is a solidly built camera that would probably have continued to work for another 20+ years.
The following collection of photos will give you an idea of what my camera has been through. These photographs will also give you a feel for the visual experiences that I have brought with me into Red Rock Country. I appreciate the beauty of nature wherever I go, but no landscape has ever touched my heart more than the Red Rock Country of southern Utah.
Winter in Letchworth State Park, New York

It was nearly 10 degrees below zero when I took this photo. Because of the close proximity of the falls, ice was constantly forming on the exposed surfaces of my camera. I occasionally took off my gloves to adjust the camera controls and I found that my skin would freeze to the metal surfaces of the camera! None-the-less my camera performed perfectly.

This pro mentions EVERYTHING I claimed that I experienced out on the ice - sluggish controls - camera had ice form all over it.. everytime I would focus, my skin would stick to the camera (upper cheek).

[akravenlady]

I'd just like to add: ENOUGH ALREADY!

[SityData]

Thank you akravenlady- I have made my point using experiences from other professional photographers who do this for a living !!

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

yes an that is all most people here are doing is suggesting what they do with their camera's in cold weather....others have got to be combative and harsh...I personally prefer to keep my camera as dry as possible and use plastic bags, dry bags when changing temperature environments and protective covering in "rain"...

That is clearly the intelligent, sane approach to using cameras in cold weather. Every camera manufacturer recommends doing exactly that, and it is of course exactly what I've been suggesting (and what a couple others mistakenly are claiming is not good advice).

Some folks are now doing cut and paste of material that is not attributed and in one case says absolutely nothing about how to deal with cold weather at all, but worse than that the other bit of unattributed text is dishonestly edited to remove the author's sound recommendation to use plastic bags to prevent condensation.

The professional photographer who said "Cold weather conditions will not damage your camera. Modern Canon cameras and lenses are designed to function well in a wide range of temperatures including well below zero." is Rob Sheppard, and the cited text can be found at

Canon Cameras and the Elements | Pixiq

Rob Sheppard is indeed a very credible source (a long long time editor with Outdoor Photography magazine), and what he actually did say about using cameras in cold weather was:

"A cold camera and lens will immediately pick up condensation
when it is taken into a warm location. This can be a real
problem, because it can result in water on inside
parts. Whenever you are moving from a cold location to a warm
location, put your camera into a camera bag that can be tightly
closed. Or, you can put your whole camera bag into a garbage bag
and close it."

Which obviously contradicts virtually everything 3 or 4 folks here have been saying, and is perfectly in alignment with all of the comments and recommendations that I have posted (here and elsewhere over a period of years) on this topic.

[RayinAK]

I don't know about Nikon, but I imagine that it makes lenses such as these made by Canon: weather resistant lenses, and regular lenses that aren't wether resistant. The wether-resistant L lenses have seals that prevent moisture and dust from getting inside. But the non-sealed L lenses can be affected by dust and moisture. The "sealed" L lenses are a lot more expensive than non-sealed lenses, so if you want a Canon lens that is sealed to the elements, you will have to pay a lot of cash for it.

When you look at these photos taken with an iPhone, scroll down the page to photo #33 and notice the Canon lens I am referring to (the camera is sealed too). I know of several local photographers who hang around dog sled races and use these lenses, and have never seen any wrapping the ice-covered camera and lens in a plastic bag. But while I don't do that with my cameras and lenses, laptop, and such, I would advise others to follow the manufacturers instructions relating to the equipment they use. Mine? I just don't worry about it. If it dies it dies (I buy another), but thus far I have never had a problem relating to the electronic equipment mentioned and cold weather.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured...e-photos/1616/

In my view we are making too much of this subject, for the instructions relating to one's cameras and lenses are provided by the manufacturer. If the OP is worrying about such things, he or she should just follow the advise of the camera manufacturer (as told about in this thread). But we should just stop streching the arguments to the end of time