Camera choises for extreme temps

I know this has been covered before, but technology changes, so ...

 

Anyone have suggestions for both an SLR (film or digital) and a P&S

(again, either film or digital) that work well in extreme heat

and/or cold?

How extreme are we talking about?

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Almost any well-built purely mechanical camera will do ok

in any temperature extremes found on Earth in nature.

Extreme temps are hard on batteries, so it's best not to

use them, or if you use batteries at all, use them only

for metering and don't depend on them.

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Besides the battery issues, LCD displays have pretty

restrictive temperature limitations, so most digital

cameras aren't that well suited to temperature extremes.

Canon F-1N

 

Canon rated it for -30C to 60C or -22F to 140F at 95% humidity. NO digital will hold up to that I have ever heard of. The only issue is that with cold weather you need to look after the battery changing it often to keep a warm one in the camera or better yet just use a battery pack you keep in your cloths to keep warm.

 

To see the page from the Canon New F-1 World book that describes the temp service range go to:

 

http://www.canonfd.com/newf1world/nf1w_p160.jpg

 

The rest of the book can be found at:

 

http://www.canonfd.com/newf1world/f1worldind1.html

 

pages 159 160 and 161 are what you are looking for.

As far as I know no digital SLRs have severe problems with temperatures which are found on the planet earth and can be survived by humans. Batteries may die fast at lower temperatures and LCDs may stop working, while at high temperatures image noise may go up a bit, but that's all. I suppose if you were shooting in death valley at noon when the temperature tops 140F your DSLR might overheat, but so would you...

 

I know of people who have shot with DSLRs in the Antarctic at 30 below zero and in Africa at well over 100 degrees without experiencing any unusual failures.

 

I'm not saying that DSLRs are immune to temperature problems, just that if you can take the heat (or cold), your DSLR will probably be OK!

 

In extreme cold the film may suffer more than the camera. It can become so brittle that it cracks and breaks, especially if you try to wind it fast.

Joe,

 

I think you will be much more challenged in plus 140 degrees F or 60 degrees C; or at minus 60 degrees F or minus 60 C than any camera will be. Just use Lithiums in extreme cold and you should be set until you personally expire in those extreme temperatures.

 

Good luck, though. Where are you going? Into the mouth of a volcano, no doubt, or to Siberia for the duration?

How do digitals do with 140F at 95% humidity it's not the heet that will get you it's the humidity!

 

And the New F-1 will gladly operate without a battery at B, 1/90th, 1/125th - 1/2000th shutter speeds.

 

I dare say NO digital can do that!

 

And sitting in a car at 100` F can easily take your camera to the 140F range wiether you are using it or not.

 

From the Canon USA web site:

 

The operating range of the EOS 1Ds, EOS 1D mark II is:

 

Temperature Range 0 - 45?C/ 32 - 113?F

 

Humidity Range 85% or lower

 

The operating range of the EOS 10D and Rebel 300D is:

 

Temperature Range 0 - 40?C / 32 - 104?F

 

Operating Humidity Range 85% or lower

 

 

Which as you can see is very good although not up to the Canon F-1N

 

I don't dispute that photographers have used these cameras outside of the Company specs, But then I guess one could assume the F-1N would also have this margine as well.

 

 

OH and by the way Death Valley is on my list for this year I'l sure both of my F-1N's will be most happy their.

 

As to film problems when cold well what did we ever do before digital saved use??? Seams to me like film has done quite well in the warm and cold for many many years.

All I know is what my camera has been through (Canon 10D). I took my camera (via snowmobile) in temps of -16F (not including wind chill factor), and up to +90F on sunny days and have had no problems (yet).

 

Wait I did have problems, the -16 my hands froze and my face got wind burn also batteries lasted half there usual life.<div></div>

I'll cast a vote for the F1N. Last November I had to catch a few hours shut eye in the car at a rest stop on the way to Denver. I overslept, and I found out later that the temp overnight had dropped down to 5 above 0. My water bottle was solid, my dive watch froze into oblivian and the car wouldn't start. So I grabbed my camera to see if it would work for a sunrise shot.

 

It did. The car, unlike the camera, didn't work until later.

 

That camera has been a trooper. It even survived a tumble from the tripod onto the snowy rocks on that same trip when frozen-fingers me couldn't keep a grip.

The F-1's were great! I had three of them but they have all given up the Ghost

now. I currently use EOS 1N's and a 1N RS. I've shot with them at -32F ...the

cameras functioned without a problem...the batteries drained considerably

faster than normal. I live in South Central Texas and Temps are regularly in

the low 100'sF during August & September...never had a problem.

Anything will be fine for a short trip; however, for extended use a mechanical camera is the way to go. There are three issues you need to be concerned about.

 

First, is batteries. Batteries do not function very well at low temperatures. One solution is to switch the batteries out for lithium. Another trick is to alternate batteries between a pocket inside you jacket and the camera.

 

Second, is the camera's lubricant. Any SLR has some lubricant for it's moving parts. In cold temperatures this lubricant can thicken. It used to be that you could have your camera overhauled with lubricant designed for colder temperatures. I personally never noticed a difference.

 

Third, is humidity. The problem is not so much when you are out and about. Instead, the problem is when you go from outside into a warm tent or cabin. When you go inside condensation can occur on your camera's surfaces. This includes the inside of the camera and lenses. The solution to this is to seal your camera inside a ziplock bag until it reaches the temperature of your tent's interior.

 

As for actual cameras. Digital is out due to battery problems. FOr film you have several choices. My favorite is a Nikon FM2n. The newer FM3a would also work great. Canon, olympus, konica, and pentax all have good mechanical alternatives.

 

For point and shoot I don't have a clue. Yashica makes a nice P&S. Olympus also made a nice P&S with a decent lens.

Thanks for all the great replies.

 

Basically, I want to leave an SLR and a p&s in the car and don't want to have to worry whether I'm in Arizona in August or Manitoba in February.

Oh by the way, I'm leaning toward manual film cameras; i.e. Nikon FM2n and Olympus XA. I haven't checked them all, but many of the digitals have an operating range of 32-100f, which ain't gonna cut it. BUT I'd prefer digital so that I can grab a few shots and not have to process a whole roll of film. Must be the Scot in me, but ten bucks is ten bucks. You know?

 

Thanks again, y'all.

I'd take "operating range" numbers with a grain of salt. It's probably mostly a CYA action by manufacturers, not a realistic and tested set of numbers. It's quite obvious from user reports that many digital cameras operate perfectly fine well outside their quoted "operating range".

 

Older, fully mechanical, oil lubricated cameras and lenses didn't always to that great either. At cold temperatures oil gets thick and many lens apertures started to stick and focusing became very, very stiff. At high temperatures oil could flow very easily and sometimes contaminated the optics or diaphragm blades (causing them to stick again, especially if they then got cold!).

Something like an A2 that has an optional remote battery pack (instead of one that attaches to the bottom of the camera) may be a good choice for cold weather. The battery pack for the A2 holds D cells and will mount on your belt instead of being out on the cold. Normally it would be an inconvenience but for cold weather it might be handy.

For 35mm, I've used both a Nikon N90s and now an N80 here in SD. I've had them out in -42 F temps on the low end, and 110 F in the summer. I keep my cameras in my car/truck through out the winter and never take them indoors. Never had a problem. I do keep spare batteries in an inside pocket when it's below -5 though. I take most of my photos in the winter so winter performance is important to me.

 

 

Kent in SD

My Canon 10D has worked without problems well above and below the mentioned temperature limits and worked long periods also. However with any camera or lens, remember: Keep your camera and lenses in a closed bag (even tight Lowepro style back bag will do enough temperature insulation) a few hours after coming from very cold into room temperature! Ordinary camera gear is not nitrogen filled, so condensation can become even bigger threat than rain pouring over your camera.

Joe---NOBODY leaves a camera inside a sealed vehicle here in AZ...I've seen windshields shattered and/or "pop-out" on cars left in the wrong location....

Scottsdale AZ

Ok, my responce a little bit late, but IMHO:

 

Handling cameras in extreme weather can be a difficulty on it's own. It has to have a large shutter button to press it in gloves (when I took my hand out to press shutter at -40 its metal surface burned by fingers pretty badly).

 

Plastic tends to becomes fragile at such temperatures, so if it's just to cover the metal base it's good, if it's a plastic body can be bad news.

 

Batteries can do just fine, but can die instantly, depending on type.

I don't know the types known not to have problems.

 

DSLRs do just fine, as well as some digicams - I had Sonys (starting with f707) and they did fine, but they are not envir. sealed.

 

What are the climate's specifics ?

Okay, Mark, I get the point. :)

K -

 

Just looking for something to leave in the car: a p&s for snaps and something a bit more serious for, well, more serious photo ops. As I said, I'm leaning toward an XA and FM2n, maybe with a 28mm and 80-200mm lens (plus accessories). Or maybe an Oly D-560 and a digital Rebel.

 

Temps from -10f to +150f. That doesn't mean that the equipment will be exposed to these conditions on a regular basis. I'm thinking +10f to +120f. These are the conditions inside a car in the southeastern US where I live. But we have been skiing and my wife refused to leave the condo until it got above 0f and we have been in Arizona in the summer, so ...