Outside temperature for film

Barney

Barney

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Wayne
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Are there any considerations that I must observe when shooting film in low temperatures?

Its not going to rise much above freezing today and I want to take some pictures of the lovely frosty things,

Will the film still work?
 
I think that it will be no problem..... for your camera, however........ (up early to go out on a dawn photo shoot myself).
 
I have no worries about my Nikon gear - pro digital bodies and glass, similarly my pro/prosumer film bodies. Apart from My F2 being all metal and actually too cold to hold, I think the F2 could be used to break through the ice!

The MF gear, Bronica and Mamiya, I am not so sure, as most 120 gear seems to be built around studio use, are leaf shutters prone to stick in the cold?

Is there any kind of reticulation that can be caused due to temperature changes etc
 
Cluster said:
I think that it will be no problem..... for your camera, however........ (up early to go out on a dawn photo shoot myself).
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Have a good day Dave, does not get much better than this for atmospheric pictures!
 
Back in the past, it was generally accepted that batteries would fail before the film would become brittle. I seem to recall polar explorers would have remote battery packs stored next to their body for warmth, with a wire to the camera. They would worry about the film becoming brittle.
 
I've used film down to -20c with no issues other than battries not lasting long, if it's a mechanical camera I cant see a problem. You'll probably give up before the camera.
 
As others have siad, I also have used film cameras (Canon F1n) down to -20 without issues. The trick is to keep the camera (and film) cold once it has become cold until you are finished then wrap it up, a freezer bag is good for this, before you take it indoors. If possible bring it up to room temperature slowly, I let mine sit in the coservatory first then bring it into the hoiuse. What is not good for either camera or film is keep chopping and changing from cold to warm.
 
In the past cameras were winterised for extreme conditions by servicing them and removing all lubrication except for the judicious use of graphite,

However I have never had a problem with cameras in the UK.eeven in the coldest winters. But with a very old cameras with dried up lubrication all moving parts such as shutters apertures and focussing could become very sluggish or even freeze to a stop. Batteries always lose efficiency in the cold.
 
I had one camera which suffered in the cold. It has two control knobs, one inside the other - is the phrase annular? They froze together so you couldn't turn one without turning the other. From memory one was something I wanted to change (like drive mode) and the other I did not (like focus mode).

But, that was a digital camera and therefore not relevant to your question.
 
swanseamale47 said:
I've used film down to -20c with no issues other than battries not lasting long, if it's a mechanical camera I cant see a problem. You'll probably give up before the camera.
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I used to happily ski around in the Alps with film cameras in the colder and cheaper months, end of Jan beginning of Feb, when we were younger and poorer. I used 6V powered Contax / Yashica SLRs without any problems but I do remember the SR44s in an Olympus XA failing one year, probably just the way the cookie crumbles as they were all silver oxide cells.
 
I've never had a problem with cold weather photography. One year I photographed around Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire, mid January, with a 5x4 camera. I gave up due to the cold before the camera did. No batteries were involved. Photographing the various Christmas markets last year (i.e. in the last month) with a digital camera, battery life was very short, but I had three spares.
 
The only problem I've had was a Nikon digital compact (early model) I was up a mountain in minus something and there was a snow "curl" like the surfers tube. Never seen one before, or since. The so and so AA batteries packed up first shot, Gutted! I had spares, but it was too cold to muck about changing them.
 
Well! It's a coincidence. Out for the sunrise in around -2c with camera in bag (was at room temp from home).
I saw a nice scene, took the Dynax 5 from its bag and composed and ... the camera said NO. Battery flat. This camera seems to "see" the battery voltage as being low most of the time.
I was ready for it... changed the batteries for new CR2 cells. Still battery flat. So I couldn't use my film cam (the day was not lost, used my dig cam).

Back home, tried both sets of batteries in the spare Dynax 5 which was quite cool, around 10c. Same indication. Same batteries (old used set and new set) in Dynax 404si (from same, cool place as the spare Dynax 5) and it was fine, seeing both battery sets as full capacity.

I have read that the 5 can be heavy on batteries, perhaps that is because it measures them as too low.

So the Dynax 5 might make a summer cam for me, but I will replace it with the 404si or a 505si super when chance allows a purchase.
 
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I've used film from -20 to 40 degrees with no issues. Long exposure to heat of course can cause colour shift but not cold in my experience. Some cameras used to have cold weather battery holders. A battery holder you put in an inside pocket with a lead running to a dummy battery in the camera. I think I may have sold about three or four in total for any camera system in the last forty-five years or so!
 
Thanks all for your advice and reassurance, judging by today's performance the problem will be me who is too soft and not the film or equipment.

It was colder today on the beach than on Thursday on top of the moors. Brrrrrrrrr........
 
Barney said:
Thanks all for your advice and reassurance, judging by today's performance the problem will be me who is too soft and not the film or equipment.

It was colder today on the beach than on Thursday on top of the moors. Brrrrrrrrr........
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My days of below zero photography are well behind me Wayne, these days I struggle with 3 or 4 degrees and a bit of breeze. The weak link in the process is definitely me not my equipment. :ROFLMAO:
 
Topsy said:
My days of below zero photography are well behind me Wayne, these days I struggle with 3 or 4 degrees and a bit of breeze. The weak link in the process is definitely me not my equipment. :ROFLMAO:
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ha ha ha,

I dont understand it Paul, was out on the bike yesterday at one degree and never felt cold once, today climbed to the top of a sand dune and the wind nearly blew over, my hands were freezing........ And I had the motorbike gloves on!

must be the heated grips.
 
Ah, but you're older today :exit:
 
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