Minimum temperature?

[gordon_kraeger1]

The instructions for my new digital camera say that 32 degrees F is

the minimum shooting temperature. This is only freezing. Has

anyone had "real world" experiences with shooting in the cold and

what can I expect?

[john v.]

You didn't say what type of camera you have, but it's possible your camera is more delicate than most. However, most digital cameras will work fine in subfreezing conditions. If anything, the cold will likely sap your battery much quicker, so keep a spare battery inside a warm pocket to replace the in-camera battery if it dies. Here's a picture I took at the Elk Refuge at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was only about 10 deg. above zero when I shot it. The camera (a Canon G2) worked fine; it was my hands that didn't work so well in the cold.

[KenPapai]

<i>"Has anyone had "real world" experiences with shooting in the cold and what can I expect?"</i>

<p>

I seriously doubt anyone has ever used a digital camera in sub-frezzing temperatures. If they have it had to have been using special effects.<div></div>

[don_cooper]

No problems with a D70 or D2X at temps around 10deg F. As said above watch the battery and have a warm spare ready.

[ravi_swamy]

A pro class camera will probably hold up better. Here's Bjorn putting his D200 in the snow. He's got more in his D200 review.

 

http://www.naturfotograf.com/D200/D200_torture.jpg

 

Here's Ken Rockwell putting his camera in the freezer.

 

http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70-cold.htm

[leicaglow]

32 degrees is like a heatwave where I live on the high desert. No problems with my Nikon DSLRs or Coolpix in temps around 10 degrees.

[joseph_wisniewski]

As others mentioned, the battery will be problematic. One solution is to keep extras in a warm pocket and swap a lot. Another is to get a battery pack that plugs into your camera, keep that inside your coat, and connect it via ire to the camera.

 

Aside from that, here's some things to expect.

 

Your LCDs will lose contrast and respond slower. The back LCD will be harder to see, so you'll probably want a "clip on" or "stick on" hood for it. The top LCD may simply quit working.

 

The lubricants that run the mechanical drive may thicken and slow down. Lenses will focus slower. You may find yourself resorting to mechanical focus. The onboard motor in the camera may not be able to charge the shutter (wind up its springs) so your camera may come to a grinding stop. It will be fine when it warms up. I've only seen this happen around 10 below (that's F, somewhere around -25 C).

 

When you bring the camera inside from that cold, condensation may form on the lens, in between elements of the lens (where it may leave spots that you'll never get off), or between the lenses of the viewfinder (again, spots you'll never get off) or on the sensor. You want to keep the camera sealed in its case (preferably with some silica gel desiccant packs you added before taking it out in the cold) until it warms up.

[bob_champoux]

Well Joe described it all pretty well.

 

I'm just back from 6 months in Antarctica with these experiences:

 

 

At -30F, my Canon point and shoot just died outright. Was good for 1-1/2 shots.

 

My Nikon SLR would keep working all day long. As Joe points out, the batteries don't last long. I would get 1/2 of a day before having to change. I wouldn't be shooting all morning long tho. The LCD screens get sluggish. The rear screen would be next to useless but I could still use the top screen. Didn't have a problem with focusing this time around. The auto focus feature worked fine. Last time, I did have a lens that got so stiff I had to brace the camera against my leg to manually turn the focusing knob.

 

As mentioned above, it's the fingers and body that usually can't take it if you've got a quality SLR camera.

Cheers,