Cold cameras (keeping them safe)

dtokez

dtokez

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Hi all. Will be taking a late night trip to the new forest for some stair trails and such over the next few nights and it is -2 out at the moment.

Anyone got any tips how to avoid moisture when bringing a ice cold camera back into a car and things like that?
 
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you could try getting a bag of those small silica packs that absorb moisture? them little things you find in shoes...etc when you get them new, that might help. When i go out in the real cold i also tend to put my camera in the boot but not inside anything, making sure of course its not going to fall about...etc maybe on top of a coat or something
 
Just leave them in the bag to warm up slowly and you'll be fine. Don't take them out of the bag. If you want to edit your shots right away, take the cards from the cameras while still outside so you have no need to open your camera bag indoors. It's the sudden change in temp that causes condensation. Let them warm up slowly inside the bag and there will be no problem.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Just leave them in the bag to warm up slowly and you'll be fine. Don't take them out of the bag. If you want to edit your shots right away, take the cards from the cameras while still outside so you have no need to open your camera bag indoors. It's the sudden change in temp that causes condensation. Let them warm up slowly inside the bag and there will be no problem.
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This works for me................:thumbs:
 
Car will also have cooled down while you're shooting. Pack your stuff away normally and the gradual warming of the car will bring your gear back to temp.
 
you've got a 7D, it can take it.

I went out for a walk, decided to only take the camera on a Q-strap without a bag. came back and noticed front element all fogged up. Obviously when I go out with a bag, I will put it in the bag before coming in, my point is don't worry too much about it, cameras are designed to last.

It's like buying ruggedised laptop but always use a bag to carry it around. use it to its fall potential!
 
Leaving it in a bag will certainly let it warm up away from most of the damper warmer air in the house, but I don't think there would be any problem if you just left it anywhere in the house.

Dampness will condense on it and you could wipe it off the body of the camera and the lens if you wanted to, but if left its will evaporate fairly quickly as the camera warms up. The 7D is environmentally sealed; I can't see a bit of condensation doing any damage.

Dave
 
so long as you don't switch it on while its damp there will be no problem.
 
I left my 7D in the garden last night for near on 2 hours. Brought it back inside the house and a bit of moisture was on the camera. Most camera's should be able to take that, the 7D can take a whole lot more. I've seen videos where people submerge it in snow and water and it still works properly afterwards.
 
A couple of silica gel packs in my bag have helped the condensation issues - I haven't had any... The silica gel pack should absorb the moisture before it properly condensates. I do leave the camera in its bag though with the gel if I'm going from one extreme temp to the other...
 
Pookeyhead said:
Just leave them in the bag to warm up slowly and you'll be fine. Don't take them out of the bag. If you want to edit your shots right away, take the cards from the cameras while still outside so you have no need to open your camera bag indoors. It's the sudden change in temp that causes condensation. Let them warm up slowly inside the bag and there will be no problem.
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yep thats what I do :)
 
Im Bald Ok said:
I left my 7D in the garden last night for near on 2 hours. Brought it back inside the house and a bit of moisture was on the camera. Most camera's should be able to take that, the 7D can take a whole lot more. I've seen videos where people submerge it in snow and water and it still works properly afterwards.
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I know what you are saying modern cameras are more rugged than we think and the 7D is partly weather proof, the problem is not water getting in but condensation forming on electrical contacts inside and corroding.
the odd occasion wont hurt but I go out a lot this time of year so do take precautions
I just swap out memory card and battery for new ones while still outside and leave the camera in bag for a while when I get indoors so its not a big problem to do:)
 
As others have said just place it in your bag and let it slowly acclimatise. It is the difference in temperature and the humidity in the air that reaches dew point (you did pay attention in science didn't you :D ). I took my camera out of it's bag on Christmas day to tale a shot and the lens misted up, reason, not becuase the camera was particulalrly cold, but it was colder than the warm very humid air caused by the cooking dinner, so it can occur even indoors if the conditions mean dew point is reached, solution in those circumstances is to place camera in oven on gas mark 2 for 3 minutes before shooting ;)
 
Just don't take the lens off if it condensates, as then you have moisture inside. Outside is no big deal for most cameras... but if you can keep them in the bag to warm up slowly you avoid the issue totally.

Just don't take the lens off after you've brought it in until it's warmed up.
 
I'm heading north in a week or so where it's been -27 C, do I need to bother keeping my D90's batteries in my pants etc to keep them warm, or are they only affected at colder temps than that?
 
Pookeyhead said:
Just leave them in the bag to warm up slowly and you'll be fine. Don't take them out of the bag. If you want to edit your shots right away, take the cards from the cameras while still outside so you have no need to open your camera bag indoors. It's the sudden change in temp that causes condensation. Let them warm up slowly inside the bag and there will be no problem.
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This is exactly what I do, works an absolute treat.
Memory cards I always store in my pocket once I've done shooting.

Pookeyhead said:
Just don't take the lens off if it condensates, as then you have moisture inside. Outside is no big deal for most cameras... but if you can keep them in the bag to warm up slowly you avoid the issue totally.

Just don't take the lens off after you've brought it in until it's warmed up.
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Aaaaand this too.
I recall a very cold day (-10ish) spent at a meet a few years back, and one fella with a 1 series and weathersealed L lens was complaining about the moisture sealing as it was damp on the rear of the lens and in the mirror box... His camera steamed up when we went into the nice warm cafe and he proceeded to remove the lens to wipe everything. Cue camera full of moisture... not a pretty sight.
 
It might also be a good idea to leave your gear in the boot if you are in and out of it during the cold as the car interior will heat up quickly which will heat the gear up.
 
Darthchaffinch said:
I'm heading north in a week or so where it's been -27 C, do I need to bother keeping my D90's batteries in my pants etc to keep them warm, or are they only affected at colder temps than that?
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At those kinds of temperatures, yes batteries will exhaust faster.
 
Don't forget that your sensor will be less noisy when it's cold, although how much impact this has on real world images I couldn't say for certain. But in the past I've been happy to let my camera acclimatise to sub zero temperates for long periods of time (I just made sure I had spare batteries). And aren't most Canon cameras rated to -15 or something anyway (I'm sure someone will give you the exact figure), in which case you should have no problem so long as you avoid rapid changes of temperature and humidity.
 
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