[Wolfeye]

The K-70 has a published rating of -10C. So if I take the camera out and it's below that temperature, what will happen? Simply slower operation? What was the key difference that Ricoh used in choosing that number to publish - I mean, what behaves differently at -11C versus -10C that made Ricoh say "no, we can't specify the camera can be used at -11C"?

[BigRed]

Thank you for your post. Good question. I will forward your question to our management team for an answer. Thank you for being a valued customer.

[Wolfeye]

So, what did the management team say?

I see this response from you to many of the questions posted here, yet few if any reported responses from management. Perhaps you could let management at least give an initial response, maybe pick from some canned answers like:

1. We decline to answer this question.
2. We will provide an answer to this question but it will take more than a week.
3. This question can not be answered.

I mean, as far as we know, management looks at these questions and if they don't know the answer, does nothing. Or they might not be looking at them at all. When we get no response we're left wondering how much communication is actually going on versus corporate information paralysis.

[Wolfeye]

Well, as BigRed is no longer able to help, does anyone have an idea where I might get the answer?

Sad that he got no support from Ricoh. Par for their course, unfortunately. They say things gets worse before they get better, but must it always reach absolute nadir? If even three, or four of the horror stories about Precision Camera are true, wouldn't a company that actually cared have stepped in to address the problems?

[Adam]

I'll be moving all of these questions to the general troubleshooting sections shortly. If you'd like to provide feedback about precision, I've posted a survey in the other forum. The results are still going straight to Ricoh.

[Umaxik]

Well, as BigRed is no longer able to help, does anyone have an idea where I might get the answer?

Sad that he got no support from Ricoh. Par for their course, unfortunately. They say things gets worse before they get better, but must it always reach absolute nadir? If even three, or four of the horror stories about Precision Camera are true, wouldn't a company that actually cared have stepped in to address the problems?

Hi,

Some thoughts:
1. Battery cannot keep its charge properly. Indeed, I had this problem a couple of days ago: -5C, many hours of walking, my battery had lost its charge pretty fast.
2. Metal parts of the lenses may shrink so much that glasses fall out. IMHO, it is actual for -30C and lower.
3. Coming to warm and humid places may result in the dewfall at internal parts.

Best regards,
Max

[stevebrot]

The design specification is to -10C. All that means is that everything should be expected to work as advertised at that temperature. Below -10C, it is hard to say. Potential problem areas include:

• Non-functional rear LCD
• Thickened lubrication affecting mechanical parts (binding)
• Reduced battery performance (voltage and/or amperage and/or charge)
• System failures due to cold-induced power issues
• Compromised electrical contacts due to material contraction with cold
• Cold-induced materials failure (e.g. brittle plastics)

This sort of question comes up every once in awhile and there are multiple articles on the Web with general suggestions regarding cold-weather shooting. The most important concerns are:

• Preventing condensation and icing of camera/lens internals (this can be fatal)
• Power issues. An external power source is often a good idea for prolonged sessions in the cold.
• Materials and mechanical issues
• Frost formation on external optics

Various products and techniques exist for all of the above.


Steve