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01-06-2017, 08:55 AM   #1
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IBIS failure at -28C temp

How is your K-1 working in the cold? Yesterday the IBIS unit failed completely after being exposed to ~ -28C for 4 hours or so. PS would not start exposure, sensor shift did not respond to controls and shake reduction did nothing. It started to work again today after warming up in the bag overnight. It did this with full battery as well.

I would like to know if your unit works properly.

01-06-2017, 09:01 AM - 2 Likes   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by MJKoski Quote
I would like to know if your unit works properly.
I think yours does?
01-06-2017, 09:12 AM   #3
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I forget, with the K3 it's only rated down to -10C. I've never had it fail, but -28C is pretty hard on gear.
01-06-2017, 09:13 AM   #4
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I'm afraid there is currently nothing in the regular market spec'd to work at -28C. K-1 is even advertised to work up to -10C, so I suppose that's considered better than usual. It would be interesting if it was maybe just a high impedance of the accumulator, did you by chance try to switch it out for a warm battery? Maybe keeping a good old film camera as a spare is a good idea when it actually gets cold.

01-06-2017, 09:26 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by JensE Quote
Maybe keeping a good old film camera as a spare is a good idea when it actually gets cold.
they have their own problems, don't they? - like film getting brittle..
01-06-2017, 09:36 AM - 8 Likes   #6
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@-28C (-18F) I've stopped thinking about the camera and started thinking about whether my own IBIS* system will stop functioning.



*In Body Intelligence Stabilization
01-06-2017, 09:41 AM   #7
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I shot mine in below zero temps for a while (F) and the main thing I noticed was the shutter sound changed, becoming louder. It was the first time I've ever had a camera affected by the cold, so it concerned me. I shot Olympus DSLR's for years in Alaska and never noticed much in the cold. But four hours is a very long time for that kind of cold, and of course it's way below the camera's rating. Granted, most of us in the North ignore the ratings and just shoot.

01-06-2017, 09:43 AM - 1 Like   #8
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I was able to continue shooting without those functions. That did not stop me but ruined a sensor shift panorama for one scene.

I stop photography at -40C if wind picks up. Not fun anymore after that.

And yes, shutter sound changes somewhat. It becomes hard "clack" with sharp accent. 1Ds3 did the same.
01-06-2017, 09:46 AM - 1 Like   #9
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Given the tight mechanical tolerances in the IBIS system, it's not surprising that the mechanism might lock up if the temperature gets that far below the rated temperature. It's also possible that it's an electrical issue -- the properties of electrolytic capacitors shift in cold temperatures, changing the behavior of the circuits they are in and potentially making them non-functional. I'd also not be surprised if the AF fine adjustment changes somewhat at very cold temperatures caused by relative differences in the thermal contraction of the reflex mirror, AF mirror, PDAF sensor, mount, and main sensor.

You really need to find a way to keep the camera within the rated temperature range.
01-06-2017, 09:51 AM   #10
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Not surprising. It is outside the operational specs of the camera. At that temperature I turn off as much as possible, stick to manual mode, use lenses with aperture rings and manually focus them. This helps preserve battery life by eliminating as much drain as possible. Of course at my age I tend to avoid temps that cold in the first place. They just aren't as much fun as they used to be.
01-06-2017, 10:26 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by MJKoski Quote
I was able to continue shooting without those functions
Leaving a camera exposed to -28C for four hours and then finding out pixel shift is not working suggests that you are a super optimist who doesn't think things through.
01-06-2017, 10:36 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by MJKoski Quote
How is your K-1 working in the cold? Yesterday the IBIS unit failed completely after being exposed to ~ -28C for 4 hours or so. PS would not start exposure, sensor shift did not respond to controls and shake reduction did nothing. It started to work again today after warming up in the bag overnight. It did this with full battery as well.

I would like to know if your unit works properly.
Infos like these are always good to know.
I say keep reporting these failures !
They are interesting reading :^)

---------- Post added 01-06-17 at 11:38 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by JensE Quote
... Maybe keeping a good old film camera as a spare is a good idea when it actually gets cold.
At those brittle temps, the only reasonable backup would be a cell phone :^|

---------- Post added 01-06-17 at 11:43 AM ----------

I wish for summer so we can see how the camera performs after four hours spent dragged by a mule through desert terrain. Perhaps some southern hemisphere folks could test their cameras in awful summer conditions? I think the acid test is changing lenses in a midge storm so we can see if any inadvertently ingested midges gum up the IBIS. Any Scots interested in doing the midge test ?
01-06-2017, 10:56 AM - 2 Likes   #13
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I suggest turning IBIS off when exposing the camera to long periods of extreme cold. I would also suggest that a conventional approach to pano work might be more satisfying than using sensor shift for that purpose. You might also want to consider taping a few hand warmers (either battery or chemical) to the camera body. I am friends with a pair of long-time wildlife photographers who have been using that solution for extreme cold going back to the early 1980s.

QuoteOriginally posted by JensE Quote
Maybe keeping a good old film camera as a spare is a good idea when it actually gets cold.
Film simply breaks inside the camera under those conditions and most shutters/film transports will jam unless the body has been winterized.


Steve

(...have shot film down to about -5 F, but no colder...brrrrrr)
01-06-2017, 11:14 AM - 5 Likes   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by MJKoski Quote
IBIS failure at -28C temp How is your K-1 working in the cold? Yesterday the IBIS unit failed completely after being exposed to ~ -28C for 4 hours or so. PS would not start exposure, sensor shift did not respond to controls and shake reduction did nothing. It started to work again today after warming up in the bag overnight. It did this with full battery as well. I would like to know if your unit works properly.
The K1 has a IBIS defrost mode: press the LV button situated top left side of the viewfinder and wait for 5 minutes or more, assuming you've got fully charged battery or a grip, the sensor should be able to warm the surrounding parts and IBIS an PS should work again. When I take photos by -40C , that's what I do: I press LV (defrost mode) before shooting.
01-06-2017, 11:15 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Film simply breaks inside the camera under those conditions and most shutters/film transports will jam unless the body has been winterized.
With a film camera, depending on the size of your lens, it might be convenient to keep it inside your coat until you actually want to take a picture. You could do the same with a DSLR, though its likely to be more bulky.
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