[travis_cooper]

I am going camping this weekend with the local boy scouts and we will be up in the snowy mountains sleeping in tents. I am expecting it to get pretty cold. My question is, what will the cold do to my camera? This camp has snow shoeing and cross country skiing, so I'm hoping we will get into some areas with some great shooting potential, so I don't want to leave my camera at home. However, I don't want to ruin it either. I have the K110D, I don't know if that makes a difference, it shouldn't be snowing while we are there so that isn't an issue, really just the cold. Do any of you have some specific knowledge on whether this will be good, or bad?

[axl]

Don't rush it out of the bag...
When you come out from warm place, into cold, just leave your camera in bag for a while.
Otherwise you should be fine, well maybe shorter battery life (personal experience with rechargables in winter)

[GEli]

The body itself will become more brittle when it's very cold - be more careful than usual about ensuring it doesn't strike anything. Also be aware that batteries are going to die very quickly in cold environments, so bring along a lot and keep the ones you're not using in your pocket. Once the batteries in your camera die, pop them back in your pocket and they will revive a bit when once again warm. You also need to worry about condensation if the camera heats back up. As the K110D isn't weather sealed, you will not only have problems with condensation forming on your lenses if proper precautions aren't taken, but also with condensation forming inside the body itself (yes, this is as bad as it sounds). To prevent this, bring along a ziplock bag of some sort that's big enough for both your camera and whatever lens you choose to seal it in the bag with. Also bring along some silica gel packets to keep in the ziplock bag and which will remove any excess moisture. I guess the only other thing would be to not forget your polarizer and to be careful when metering in the snow - you will have a lot of overexposed shots if you're not careful with all that extra reflected light. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure some other winterbound folks will wander in and point out everything I've missed. Have fun on the trip!

Edit: This may be overly cautious for a warmer, but still freezing climate. These are my steps for when I'm shooting between -25°C and -50°C. If you're in a significantly warmer area, the ziplock bag may be overkill and your batteries may last longer than I suggest. I would probably still bother with the ziplock bag, but I am overly cautious by habit.

[roscot]

In addition, if you are using rechargeable batteries, replace them with Lithium AAs, and bring lots of extras. Lithiums will last longer in the cold then NiMH batteries.

[travis_cooper]

Thanks for the replies. My wife is really worried about letting me take the camera, but I am trying to assure her that there won't be a problem. I will be sure to bring ziplock bags to help with the moisture issue. It should only get below freezing at night, and we will only be there for one night. During the day Friday and Saturday it should be mid 30's or higher, Fahrenheit. But I will still bring the ziplock bags as people have suggested. I hope we get into some areas for some nice shots.

[carpents]

Thanks for the replies. My wife is really worried about letting me take the camera, but I am trying to assure her that there won't be a problem. I will be sure to bring ziplock bags to help with the moisture issue. It should only get below freezing at night, and we will only be there for one night. During the day Friday and Saturday it should be mid 30's or higher, Fahrenheit. But I will still bring the ziplock bags as people have suggested. I hope we get into some areas for some nice shots.

Ziplock bags? That will only make matters worse, IMO. If you secure them in a warm environment, then take them into a cold one, the moisture will condense inside the bag, and get on/in your camera. Additionally, unless you throw a dessicant in the bag, you are just trapping the same level of humidity as outside.

Your camera will be fine in the cold. Keeping the camera in the bag to let it slowly acclimate - both to and from the cold - is all you really need to do. (And the batteries thing.) I honestly think the cold will HELP a digital camera, by keeping the sensor cool and therefore producing less noise.

[rfortson]

Ziplock bags? That will only make matters worse, IMO. If you secure them in a warm environment, then take them into a cold one, the moisture will condense inside the bag, and get on/in your camera. Additionally, unless you throw a dessicant in the bag, you are just trapping the same level of humidity as outside.

Your camera will be fine in the cold. Keeping the camera in the bag to let it slowly acclimate - both to and from the cold - is all you really need to do. (And the batteries thing.) I honestly think the cold will HELP a digital camera, by keeping the sensor cool and therefore producing less noise.

The ziplock bags will be handy when going from the cold to the warm. Put the cold camera with the cold, dry, outdoor air inside the ziplock (with a desiccant, if you'd like) and let the camera warm up inside the ziplock bag. That way, the condensation forms on the outside of the bag while the camera warms up.

Also, for power, buy some lithium AA's or CRV-3's. I used CRV-3's for traveling and they last forever (well over 1200-1300 shots). I bought the store brand (Walgreens) for 2/$10 on sale last year. Generally they are around $10 each. However, it's worth it to me to not have to worry about a charger while traveling. For your cold weather outing, this should keep you from worrying about losing a charge.

[travis_cooper]

You had me scared for a second saying the ziplock bags are bad. I actually have read that other places too as I have tried to find the best solution. If I have the bags with me, out in the cold weather, and they are open, won't they be the same as the climate around me? Then put the camera in and close them before going inside? I think this sounds most logical to me, but I haven't been in this situation before, so I'm not sure.

As far as the batteries go. I have four sets of rechargeable batteries. Although I plan on getting pictures, I am going as a scout leader, not a photographer, so I will have other things that will take precedence. I am planning on keeping the batteries in my pocket the whole time, even when I'm not thinking about taking pictures, eating, sleeping, etc. I think with four sets I should have plenty for the little picture taking time I will probably have. Again, this is just a one night event. Friday will be setting up, eating and doing some activities around camp. Then Saturday we will have time to go out and do things. I am hoping to go snow shoeing, but again I am at the disposal of what the boys want to do, so I may get stuck at the camp's lodge working on merit badges all day, I hope not, but that is a possibility. So I think the batteries I have will be fine.

Again, thanks for all your advice. I hope I get a chance to get some good shots and that everything works out. My wife will kill me if I ruin the camera, but then I'd get to get an upgrade, can't be too bad I guess.

[ve2vfd]

Being a boy scout leader myself I've taken my cameras to winter camps many many times

If you're always outdoors (ie: sleeping outdoors) your main concern is keeping a few sets of batteries warm at all times to swap (inside pockets are great for that). The camera is always cold so it's not a problem (unless it gets REALLY cold then LCD freezing can be a problem, but around 30f is not "really cold" so I doubt you'll have problems). I like the idea of lithiums.

If you'll be going indoors in a lodge or are in heated tents, then condensaiton is the problem... bring ziplocks + a straw. It works very well. Just put the cold gear in ziplocks and using the straw suck as much air out of the bag as you can. Less air = less condensation. Leave camera in bag until it has reached room temp.

Also be carefull not to breathe on your lenses or at the camera when changing lenses, it will fog up instantly.

Maybe bring some sort of camera cover in case it snows or rains (who knows with the wacky weather we've been having lately!)

I'm also heading out to winter camp too with my troop in 2 weeks can't wait! We'll be building and sleeping in Quinzees (a sort of igloo).



From last winter... sleeps 4 and never goes below 30f even when it's -20 outside. Snow is a great insulator!

Have fun!

Pat

[jfdavis58]

Accidentally left my K100 in the car a couple nights ago. Daytime temp in the mid 30s, nighttime about 12. 'Found the camera about 1230 the next afternoon, temp in the mid 30s again. Opened case (Tamrac), turned it on, took some shots--worked fine. The K100 manual lists 0 to 40 degrees C--32-104 F as the cameras operating temperature range. I've used both of my K10d's, the K100d and the *ist0D at temps well below zero and above 105 F with no apparent ill effects. Rain and snow too!

The only time I've ever had 'trouble' was with a microdrive above 10,000 feet elevation--prettiest damn green squiggly lines across all the images.

Don't 'seal' the camera in anything--keep it dry with a towel or umbrella---it's needs to 'breathe' to avoid condensation if possible, to allow it to evaporate if it occurs.

I am going camping this weekend with the local boy scouts and we will be up in the snowy mountains sleeping in tents. I am expecting it to get pretty cold. My question is, what will the cold do to my camera? This camp has snow shoeing and cross country skiing, so I'm hoping we will get into some areas with some great shooting potential, so I don't want to leave my camera at home. However, I don't want to ruin it either. I have the K110D, I don't know if that makes a difference, it shouldn't be snowing while we are there so that isn't an issue, really just the cold. Do any of you have some specific knowledge on whether this will be good, or bad?

[travis_cooper]

Well, now we are getting mixed replies, use a ziplock bag, don't use a ziplock bag, don't seal it in anything it needs to breathe. Make up your minds people.

[ve2vfd]

If you're *always* outside, let it breathe.

If you take a cold camera inside a warm place, make sure you ziplock it (before entering) or else everything will fog up. A warm place includes your car at the end of camp!

Try it with an old lense, or even a glass from your kitchen... put it in the freezer 30 mins or so, and then pull it out and put it on the counter. Watch the glass fog up as the humidity from your house condensates on it. Now do the same thing, but before pulling the glass out of the freezer put it in an airtight ziplock. No condensation on the glass.

Pat

[travis_cooper]

If you're *always* outside, let it breathe.

If you take a cold camera inside a warm place, make sure you ziplock it (before entering) or else everything will fog up. A warm place includes your car at the end of camp!

Try it with an old lense, or even a glass from your kitchen... put it in the freezer 30 mins or so, and then pull it out and put it on the counter. Watch the glass fog up as the humidity from your house condensates on it. Now do the same thing, but before pulling the glass out of the freezer put it in an airtight ziplock. No condensation on the glass.

Pat

I understand the affect, I see it every time I come in from shoveling snow and I can't see through my glasses anymore. And as you noted I won't be in a warm place until I put the camera in my car, which won't get warm until it gets heated up, and probably the trunk won't really get very warm anyway. I guess I am just worrying too much, by the time I put it in my car to take it home it will be at the same temperature as I have had it lots of times out shooting at night, maybe even warmer, and I have never had problems then. I think I will stick it in the ziplock bag though, before I put it in the trunk.

[jfdavis58]

Yeah, yeah, I know the manual says use a plastic bag too-----doesn't anybody ever use their own brain????????????????



You're in your warm house; they are never hermetically sealed, they breathe through stove and furnace vents, ceiling and rafter vents and around doors and windows--just to name a few places. The wet air outside is the same wet air inside--just warmer. And that warm air can actually hold more water---oh, btw chemical engineers can prove this--I'm one! And what's in house air is full of human debris too--goopy sloppy stuff!

So seal your spiffy camera in a plastic bag of nasty warm wet air and take it into the cold---You'll have fun watching it short-out and rust.

Forget the straw and vacuum trick--how you gonna get the air out of the inside of the camera with just lung power????

A towel to dry off the outside; let the condensation on the lens evaporate naturally as much as possible then a good lens cloth; shield it with it's own rain jacket (they make them or you can just use a garbage bag up-side-down cutting a hold for the lens) or an umbrella.

Well, now we are getting mixed replies, use a ziplock bag, don't use a ziplock bag, don't seal it in anything it needs to breathe. Make up your minds people.

There is one and AFAIK only one use for sealable plastic bags in photography--when refrigerating or freezing film. The atmosphere in the typical home refrigerator/icebox is very much wetter than the surrounding room air. The bag keeps the film dry. You never open the bag until the bag and contents reach room temperature. And you dry the outside before unsealing! If you're using your head.

[travis_cooper]

Yeah, yeah, I know the manual says use a plastic bag too-----doesn't anybody ever use their own brain????????????????



You're in your warm house; they are never hermetically sealed, they breathe through stove and furnace vents, ceiling and rafter vents and around doors and windows--just to name a few places. The wet air outside is the same wet air inside--just warmer. And that warm air can actually hold more water---oh, btw chemical engineers can prove this--I'm one! And what's in house air is full of human debris too--goopy sloppy stuff!

So seal your spiffy camera in a plastic bag of nasty warm wet air and take it into the cold---You'll have fun watching it short-out and rust.

Forget the straw and vacuum trick--how you gonna get the air out of the inside of the camera with just lung power????

A towel to dry off the outside; let the condensation on the lens evaporate naturally as much as possible then a good lens cloth; shield it with it's own rain jacket (they make them or you can just use a garbage bag up-side-down cutting a hold for the lens) or an umbrella.

Who said anything about putting it in the ziplock bag when going outside? The idea is to put it in the bag when you go inside. So the bag is full of cold air, you put your camera in it, then you go inside, where you just pointed out the air is warmer and can hold more water, so now my camera is in a bag that has cold air in it, in a room that has warm air in it. By your logic the bag is a good idea too.