I froze my F1N!

<p>(but it thawed out.)</p>

<p>It was cold in Minneapolis today (1 degree F, without windchill) but a rare day of sunshine so I thought I'd bundle up and take the F1N and Tamron 100-300/F4.0 out for a walk around a city lake. The F1N had been CLA'd about 3 years ago but hadn't seen more than a few rolls through it since then -- I thought it would be nice to fire some shots off.</p>

<p>There was a wind coming off the lake which apparently drove the windchill down to around -15F and I realized I hadn't worn insulated jeans so I needed to turn around after about 0.75 miles and head back. I had taken a few shots along the way, including this mysterious walker ...</p>

<p>(We both laughed when I asked her to smile for the photo.)</p>

<p>... the story will continue ...</p><div></div>

<p>... As I continued back to the car, I noticed the snowman on the lake and I wanted to shoot the Minneapolis skyline with the snowman in the foreground. Here's the snowman from 20 minutes before when I was walking away from the car -- mediocre shot but you do better with thick gloves on. Notice there is no downtown skyline! When I stopped on my return and was going to re-frame the shot, the shutter wouldn't work! The film had advanced but no response from the fully-depressed (and apparently frozen?!) shutter.</p>

<p>(... the story continues ...)</p><div></div>

<p>... So what did I do? I pulled off my glove, took off the half-case, removed the battery door, removed the battery (without dropping it from my numbing hands!), replaced the battery door and tried again. Nope! I figured the battery had simply froze but, no, the camera simply wouldn't work -- even on a fully mechanical shutter.</p>

<p>When I got home, I had the film processed. Looks like the shutter was acting up a few minutes before the camera failed as the last two shots looked like this, with a dark band along the border. I was shooting color negative film (Ektar 100) ... what do you think happened?</p>

<p>(I expect this is not a permanent problem but I'm run a roll thought it to make sure.)</p><div></div>

<p>I'm a bit surprised the mechanical functions packed it in. 1F is only -17C, which isn't really <em>that</em> cold. Around 1980, I used to use my AT-1 and AE-1 down to about -20C or a bit colder, but around there they would fail primarily (I think) because of the battery. Nowadays I usually leave the camera at home if it's going to be that cold, particularly if it's a solid brass heatsink like an F-1.</p>

<p>I suspect the old lubricants in your F-1N are getting gummy at those low temperatures. IIRC, the maintenance manual for the F-1N had a protocol for coldweatherproofing the camera, and it involved removing all the lubrication, or at least from certain parts of the camera. I doubt if that's worth considering.</p>

<p>Just as an aside, if you were shooting an A series camera, Canon made a little-known accessory called the 'External Battery Case A' for cold weather use. It was exactly what it sounds like-- an external battery case which held four AA cells. It was connected to the battery compartment by a couple of wires about 60cm long, and the idea was you kept the case inside your jacket to keep the batteries toasty. The battery's not your problem though.</p>

<p>Dave's right, I remember hearing about having cameras 'winterized' by having all the lube removed. Living in such a cold area you might consider having an older F1 winterized permanently.</p>

<p>Reminds me of a trip to Helsinki in mid winter. At minus 35C the A1's oil froze, making it work in slow motion. I could hear the sounds of the mirror going up and down but very slow. At room temperature the camera returned to it's normal operation, without any reverse effects.</p>

<p>The reason I mentioned the CLA was to forestall the inevitable "the lubricants are old, get a CLA" comment. I had considered this into my choice of camera on this cold day (and as you say, Dave, it isn't really <em>that </em>cold, especially for Minnesota). I thought the recent CLA would increase my chances of success.</p>

<p>So ... what happened mechanically to the shutter? As the right side of the photo didn't get any light, I presume the curtains remained together for a brief time at the beginning of the exposure or (the reverse) the first curtain slowed down and the second curtain met up with it at the end of the exposure?</p>

<p>Also, as I have several F1Ns and F1ns, and two are in need of a CLA, I will send them to Ken Oikawa and ask he prep one exclusively for cold weather use, as you suggested Fred (good call -- thanks!)</p>

<p>Looking back through my Canon book "The New F1 World" that was published when the F1N arrived on the market they stated the camera from the factory is good for -30 C (-22 F) - +60 C (+140 F) with a maximum 95% humidity.They did state the lubricant used was Astro-oil developed by NASA.I doubt many CLA's are done anymore with that lubricant but you may want to ask the people doing the work.Never seen any information on the lubricant used in the lenses but I assume the L Series got a similar grade.</p>

<p>Carl-</p>

<p>The camera was in 1 degree F temperatures, forget the wind chill stuff I think.<br>

As far as I understand, only living things 'experience' wind chill.<br>

Lumps of inanimate stuff assume the ambient temperature and no lower.<br>

Regardless, it was still just too cold for the old workhorse.<br>

Jim</p>

<p>Advice: move to lovely NJ, here it's a balmy 39 today.<br>

:O)</p>

<p>I thought the F-1N will work at its low temperature limit only with the battery removed.</p>

<p>Jeff,I could not find anything mentioned about the need to remove the battery in extreme cold.I assume Canon figured most people would be using the motor drive or power winder most of the time anyway.I don't and just keep some warm batteries in my pocket.<br>

They do say there is no need for special lubricants for cold weather use because the Astro-oil they used can handle the extremes I listed above.The camera was also designed for rapid extreme temperature variations and remain fully functional within the rigid design specifications.They are very specific that the shutter assembly was designed for extreme conditions and a minimum of 100,000 exposures.Not bad for 1970's technology.A lot of effort went into the design and unfortunately as time passes a lot of that knowledge is being lost.</p>

<p>Thanks for everyone's comments. Jim -- thinking about it, I should've known better than to imply wind chill was an impact on mechanical gear. Duh. But it sure weighed on MY mind that day! ;^)</p>

<p>I agree with the overall assertion that the camera, properly CLA'd with Canon-specified lubricants (Astro-oil) should've performed. Neither the shutter release nor the shutter mechanism did. I suspect my camera mechanic made some general assumptions about my usage of the camera when he put it back to spec. It will go to Ken O as soon as I can get a hold of him.</p>

<p>Norman Goldberg's Shop Talk column from the August 1972 issue of Popular Photography may be of interest.</p>

<p><a href="/photo/17640474&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17640474-md.jpg" alt="Shop Talk PP Aug 1972 Pg#1" width="310" height="680" border="0" /></a> <br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17640495-lg.jpg" alt="Shop Talk PP Aug 1972 Pg#2" width="349" height="1500" border="0" /><br>

<a href="/photo/17640473&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17640473-md.jpg" alt="Shop Talk PP Aug 1972 Pg#3" width="316" height="680" border="0" /></a></p>

<p>Don't want to start a digital vs FD war but now I am a little curious about how the newer cameras hold up under extreme conditions.Canon recommended operating range for the EOS 1DX (their current top pro DSLR) for use between 0 - +40C (+32F - +104F) and less than 85% humidity.I own a Canon 60D DSLR ( a very nice camera BTW) and it is rated the same.I find it hard to believe these cameras have a total temperature operating range of 72F degrees?The F1N would have a total operating range of 162F degrees if you go with Canon data.Can anyone straighten this out for me or are my numbers way off base?</p>

<p>Douglas, I guess we won't be seeing any 1dx at upcoming winter olympics then. Kind of strange that a pro camera and an expensive one at that, wouldnt be rated for sub freezing...</p>

<p>There will be plenty of Canon DX1s ($7000US ! ) there and working just fine.Canon is the same company that said the LCD and backup battery were only good for 5 years in my T70s (1984) & T90 (1986).Here we are 30 years later and everything is still working like new.Nonetheless I would still rely on my F1N if I needed to explore crazy extremes.</p>

<p>With regard to "newer" cameras cold weather performance, I recall using my (then new) Canon 10D to photograph the Winterlude festival in Ottawa, ON during February of 2004. Night temperatures never got above zero, but the camera performed very well, with many usable photos taken of ice carvers and other festival activities. Batteries had to be kept close to the body for warmth, and they didn't last long, but the camera/lens performance was never an issue.</p>

<p>Great article Gordon...thanks for posting!</p>

<p>The late Galen Rowell used AF cameras in the South Pole, and he preferred AF cameras over mechanical cameras for extreme cold weather.</p>

<p>To operate the New F1 in extremely cold temperatures you need the Canon AE motor drive FN and the High Power Ni-Cad Battery Pack FN and Battery Cord C- FN to enable the camera to be powered by the Ni-Cad motor drive battery. The New F1 with these accessories will operate according to Canon reliably down to - 30° C.</p>

<p>Ben,</p>

<p>I think the presumption in Canon's original -30C claim is that the camera and winder have been maintained regularly and specifically with Canon-spec lubricant. This camera has seen 30 years of life and a CLA a few years back but I don't know whether the technician followed Canon's requirements on lubricant (does it even exist any more)? Regardless, I have the camera in to Ken O currently getting "re-CLA'd" and I know Ken will do the right thing and I bet it WILL work fine down to -30C.</p>

<p>My Leica M4-P (1981) which was CLA'd around the same time as my F1N was out in more severe cold the following weekend and performed perfectly. That camera was serviced by a guy who religiously follows Leica's maintenance recommendations (Gus Lazzari, a frequent contributor on the Leica and Rangefinders thread on Photo.Net).</p>

<p>My Leica experience reinforces my belief that if the Canon technician (Ken O) follows the manufacturer's recommended maintenance procedures and products (e.g. lubricants), my F1N will perform just as reliably as my Leica.</p>

<p>I was incorrect Carl, I have since checked and found that Canon's original claim was they would work at -20° C. but at such low temperatures you have other problems besides the battery like the film becoming brittle and breaking, not to mention that metal at such low temperatures can changes it's molecular structure, expand, and also become brittle</p>