Cold weather camera protection (Canon, DSLR, lens, process)

[Brill]

I have a canon 40d. I was wondering what some good cold weather protection measures are? The two things I plan on photographing are Christmas lights and skiers.

For Christmas lights I've been waiting to see if the weather would warm up a tad, but it's not. Now that it's Christmas week, I'm out of time. It'll likely be single digit temps when I am out shooting(maybe temps in the teens at best).

I'd also like to take my camera skiing with me. I'd love to sit by the terrain parks and gets some shots of the skiers and boarders doing some freestyle stuff. Would a backup be good, or would one of those packs that strap around the waist be better?

[kdog]

The biggest thing to worry about is condensation which forms when taking a cold camera into a warm place like the lodge or your house. There's a real simple way to prevent this. Simply place your camera with lens in a plastic bag before bringing it inside. A ziploc or small trash bag with a tie will do. Wait until the equipment warms up inside the house before taking it out of the bag.

Other than that, just watch your battery situation as they don't last as long in the cold. We just had a discussion about that in another thread. Keep a spare in your pocket so that it stays warm. The suggestion was also made to keep chemical hand warmer packs in your pocket with the batteries. I actually used hand warmers in my pockets while shooting in the early AM at Bosque del Apache and they were a blessing for warming up my hands.

Other than those two tips, you can shoot well below zero with no troubles.

[FedupWNY]

IDK if this helps but I have room under my coat for my XSi. When not in use it stays warm with hardly any condensation. Though, I don't stay out long in cold conditions.

[PhotogGal]

I just posted something similar to your plastic bag tip, Kdog, on another thread before I saw this one. I was so glad when they came out with those jumbo Ziploc bags which work great for the bigger DSLRs.

[perfectcolor]

Thanks for the tips.. I've been looking for some ideas regarding this...

[Brill]

Thanks for the info.

[Photopenny]

Check this out. At least would keep hands and camera warm.
[url=http://www.photographersedge.com/Camera-Protector-for-Digital-SLR/productinfo/A1349/]Camera Protector for Digital SLR-Photographer's Edge[/url]

[mathjak107]

keep all spare batteries close to your body not in a camera bag.

[SityData]

I live in a city in which it is below zero 8 months out of every year.

I live with Eskimo's in the upper Arctic of Alaska - the city is Barrow Alaska.

temps can plunge as low as 50 below and colder !! I have used more than a dozen different types of cameras over a 30 year span.

My camera(s) sit on a tripod outside for two months! IN the most brutal weather immaginable.

For two months every year - the village(s) move many miles out on the ocean ice pack of the Chukchi Sea. This is where we hunt for food.

I have been 'active' in over 70 different forums on PHOTOGRAPHY. Every forum has this same exact question; The answers are pretty standard.

Use a bag to insulate your camera before you bring it in to the warm (area) such as a house.

In 30 years time; I have NEVER DONE THAT !!



I take the camera (as shown) and bring it directly into the house; I place the camera on a table; then I get an absorbent towel to place the camera on - and I let the condensation process BEGIN.

I prefer to call it - "sweating" because as I wipe the water off the camera, it sweats some more - and continues to do so for many hours.

This is a time well spent - cleaning the camera!!

Under no conditions do you ever open the back or remove the lens; until the process has run its course.

I began documenting the Inupiaq way of life in 1981. I used 100 rolls of film the first year & 500 rolls of film the next year. I processed ALL COLOR FILM - by using SNOW as I had no source of water.!!

I am happy to say; not once in 30 years have I had a camera malfunction.

ALL of my film is still in pristine condition 30 years later!!

My favorite camera to use is a studio camera; it is a mechanical camera; which requires no batteries. MAMIYA RB 67

My cameras become encased in ice and they still function.

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by Photopenny

Check this out. At least would keep hands and camera warm.
Camera Protector for Digital SLR-Photographer's Edge

here is a link for the same camera protector for half that price..only $20 ...they also sell a small dry bag like the large kind you use for kayaking....if you see something on this site though...buy it....when it is gone it is gone and lots of time not carried again....
Bags, Cases & Straps | Camera Accessories | Photography | LinkDelight Limited