heningstepfield Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I am a month into my arctic journey, enjoying every photo op that I chance to see.....but my 5d mkii on the other hand is starting to complain. It's becoming very sluggish in the field, but returns to normal when warmed. So I was thinking I have 2 options. 1. Use it until it dies while getting the best shots I have ever had the chance to capture....or, 2. save the camera, and get a rig that can handle arctic extremes. I am looking online at some very cheap 1DS xx.s ....I'd take a reduced megapixel count if I went this route, I can see the 8 mega pixel version online for under 500 bucks. I'm tempted, I print no larger then 13x19. What are folks thinking about the older 1ds's in light of my situation. I'm here for a year or two, tons of time to watch my 5d die a normal death.....but I'd love to snag something else on the cheap,...so that I don't have to sacrifice her quickly to arctic extreme.....although she does look cute all covered in frost.... thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_m Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 <p>the greases and lubricants used thicken at very low temps so you can either try to keep the 5D 'warm' (like inside your jacket or some form of warmer (like the skiers use) or send it out to have it 'winterized' w/ different lubricants that perform better in low temps. Batteries also lose a lot of their power when very cold.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosvanEekelen Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 <p>It's probably a matter of oil freezing that's slowing the thing down. The same will happen with a 1Dx - or not. I have experienced the same with a A1 at minus 35 degrees. Returned to normal at room temperature, so did I. Nice lesson in camera technique; slow motion picture taking. <br> I haven't heard about this happening with modern cameras. The remedy used to be using oil with a lower freezing point in the mechanical parts of the camera: shutter, mirror mechanism etc. Capt. Noel already did this on the 1924 Everest expedition :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heningstepfield Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Freezing oil....hum, can it expand to the point of damage? I may just find out. I have a Canon eos1 and several hundred rolls of film as my current backup. With comedy, I have 4 Hawkeye brownie cameras and about 50 rolls of 120 on the way as well. So if my 5d Mk2 fails I can keep up the photography with a few options.....I have an f100 on its way as well. But the cheap 1DS with a 1.3 crop interests me and would fit well on my 100 to 400.turning the light into a 520...great polar bear distance...the longer and in using a 1DS, i rather lose a 500 buck camera to the cold then my 5d Mk2, which always works fine in Asia...where I like to shoot several months a year. So my question I guess comes down to, will I be happy with a 8meg 13x19 print From a 1DS old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBen Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 <p>You will freeze before the oil freezes. As the viscosity (thickness) of oil increases, its flow rate decreases until it reaches the "pour point", where it is considered to be a "semi-solid". The actual freezing point is much lower than the pour point. The synthetic oils used in most cameras, watches and other precision equipment have a pour point of below minus 40C. A camera would have to remain outside for several hours at < -40C before the oil could actually freeze. Also, the oil is used in extremely small amounts. Only a few molecules of oil are actually needed to lubricate most moving parts. Your best bet is to keep the camera warm (inside your parka or a special camera cover). Also keep spare batteries fully charged and change them often.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_6502147 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 <p>I think the tripod (if you're using one) will cease to work in arctic temps, such as -40 or so. You could use a small cooler bag with a small 12V heating pad (or even battery operated socks :>), but like all solutions, they tend to complicate the issue to a degree. That means that you'll have to haul a battery to generate the heat...and all this jazz starts to get balky....but that will allow you to keep the eq as is (w/o additional CLA). Anything specialized for the camera will be quite costly. </p> <p>Anyhoo, you need something to just reduce the extreme coldness and you're not going to fry eggs on it.</p> <p>Good luck</p> <p>Les</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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