Experience: cold weather

Just read the cold weather M7 thread, at it seems like most of the

advice is teoretical and not based on experience.

 

Well, in cold weather the camera is not your only concern - the

tripod is a concern too. When photographing a river in -20C I took

my gloves off to adjust the tripod (all metal manfrotto) -

and.....my fingers froze to it. They did not stick for too long,

but it gave me a scare...

 

So - and this is teoretical - holding a cold MP to your face can be

pretty scary thing. ;-)

The cold weather photographers I know tape sections of foam pipe insulation to the

primary legs of their tripods...jf

I worked in Edmonton, and for a period of 42 days, the temperature did not exceed -20 C, of course, lower temperatures were recorded. I was doing shift work and had plenty of time off to spend in Banff and Jasper National parks. None of my cameras failed: M6, CL, etc., because I kept them inside my coat...simple.

Yes, window isolation with tape around works well. Gitzo now has an isolated tripod. It was the head my fingers froze to.... (but I sould never have taken my gloves off....so this shouldn't have been a possibility)

The pipe insulation really works and it is cheap, plus it pads the legs for comfort when you throw the tripod over your shoulder.

not helpping much but practical: I usually skip photographing outdoor any time below -10C and will simply sit by the window drinking my tea, watching sky, and thinking my next project on a summer beach.

Stephen: I agree, that is the best solution, but you have to protect it from condensation. Tripod work is the worst - as it usually takes a while....so keeping the camera warm becomes a challenge.

<<and thinking my next project on a summer beach.>>

 

Me too, except it's 10 paces out my back door all year.

Wentong: I agree, that is the best solution! :)

While working in Alaska where the daytime high was minus 18 F and the low minus 35 F, my M6 did not fail either. And it wasn't inside my jacket at all. The only problem of course was battery failure, but a few extra batteries solved that problem. In regard to thin gloves, try to find a pair that don't shed too much. Ones made with polypropylene? are better than cotton, as the cotton lint will collect inside the camera body while changing film.

 

L.

There are tripods made of different material than metal, wood for example.

 

My Bessa T has been a great companion the few times I have been out in low temperatures. It has a plastic shell and can be operated with gloves on. I do not know how well it holds up in really low temperatures, as I tend to avoid going out much when it is really cold (-15C or worse).

LowePro, and I am sure others, make light weight knit gloves with the grip area covered in

soft dots. They are easily worn under regular mitts and are perfect for cold weather work.

<<light weight knit gloves with the grip area covered in soft dots.>>

 

Yes but if you want *red* dots they'll cost you $800 a pair.

I have not really shot anywhere that is really cold. My worst was

-55 to -60 F. Shot with an M3, F2 and 500CM in those days.

When it is that cold you wear a scarf over you mouth so you don't

freeze your lungs. Camera rests against it. I learned to handle a

tripod with mittens filled with Tonkin down. Clumsy, but you get

used to it. Two worst problems: 1. Condensation on the finder

when using a waist level finder; 2. Static discharge on the film in

the 35 mm cameras. The cameras worked fine at those

temperatures, but I think if the lub gets old you will have troubles.

 

Art

Regarding gloves: what really works are thin silk liners with woolen mittens and an extra shell. If it is not that cold I just use leather cross-country gloves under the shell. I use this setup for ice-climbing too.

"So - and this is teoretical - holding a cold MP to your face can be pretty scary thing. ;-)"

 

I agree completely. I live in Russia and shoot a lot in cold weather, and I wouldn't use my Leicas in those conditions because of that, plus I wouldn't expect the shutters to work well at low temperatures (they work poorly enough at room temperature).

 

The Bessa-R is all plastic, so won't freeze to your cheek. Plus it has a metal Copal shutter which I have used to -30C and beyond with complete reliability. To boot it's so cheap, that if you drop it off a cliff because you're fumbling with it with your gloves on, it won't be the end of the world. I think that's your best bet.

As I said in the thread of reference I would use a selenium light meter. I reccomend the Euro-MASTER II, which is still manufactured by Megatron in the United Kingdom. This light meter has been the choice of official British expeditions to the South Poles and Himalayas. I use it in the Scottish Highlands for hillwalking in winter and is very accurate. Obviously because it is a selenium light meter it does not need any batteries...

 

 

Look at http://www.megatron.co.uk/euromaster2/index.html