Cold-weather photography: Hi everyone, I'm quite new to the group, and not sure if I'm posting this in the correct area, so thoughts to that would be appreciated. I am hoping to have...

rjrcatz

Hi everyone,

I'm quite new to the group, and not sure if I'm posting this in the correct area, so thoughts to that would be appreciated.

I am hoping to have three cameras set up for the upcoming lunar eclipse (two film and a D7200), but they are now calling for night temperatures of about 8 F. Anyone have tips to keep cameras and equipment within operating temperatures when in such environments? I don't have access to an indoor location that would still permit me to aim high in the sky.

The moon shots were practices images. I don't have a sky tracker, so I'm limited in shutter-speed.

Any and all tips/advice would be much appreciated, as well as comments/critique of the photos!

Thanks in advance!

~Reuben

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

First, you don’t need a tracker. Shoot at low iso and 1/125th ish. During total you may have to experiment with exposure.
For cold weather shooting, rubber band toe heaters to your lenses to prevent frost/condensation, I always put my gear in freezer zip-lock bags when bringing them in from a cold shoot.
Good luck with the clouds!

I’ll be out ther myself if I have good skies.

Edit: your posted shots look just a bit soft, af usually works on the moon but be practiced in mf using live view 10x if needed.

Re-edit: I always use a tripod and at least five second shutter delay for Astro.

TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland

I would place my rig in a plastic bag and then in your freezer for a while. Test it out to see how well it works when you bring it outside in a fairly cold, dry environment. Do not open up the bag indoors because you will get instant condensation.

Try with a cold battery and one that is kept warm up a bit against your body in a shirt or pants pocket.
This could be very beneficial to you for cold weather battery life extension: LanParte E15 Portable Battery

dyximan

TomV wrote:

I would place my rig in a plastic bag and then in your freezer for a while. Test it out to see how well it works when you bring it outside in a fairly cold, dry environment. Do not open up the bag indoors because you will get instant condensation.

Try with a cold battery and one that is kept warm up a bit against your body in a shirt or pants pocket.
This could be very beneficial to you for cold weather battery life extension: LanParte E15 Portable Battery

I was in Minnesota last year and -15 -40 windchill, Maybe I got lucky but I was shooting my D500 with the standard battery and battery pack and had no problem with its operation. However I did encounter some condensation when I went from the hotel room to the car but it didn’t last long. And during the day I just kept it in the trunk where it was cold and it worked well. But since I don’t shoot film don’t know how it would affect the camera the mechanism and/or the film for that matter

rjrcatz

BassmanBruce wrote:

First, you don’t need a tracker. Shoot at low iso ... (show quote)

Thank you for the info. I will do some practicing with the "cold-techniques."

I'm a bit worried about clouds, as well, but the current forecast is partly cloudy; it's the cold that "scares" me--don't want to kill my cameras!

The moon photos were all done with a Vivitar manual 500mm lens, with a 2x teleconverter, and F-mount adapter. I kept the camera on manual focus, as there was no way for the camera to interact with the lens. Live-view, a tripod, and a delayed shutter-release were my friends!

Hopefully you have a great view and are able to get some awesome shots!

rjrcatz

TomV wrote:

I would place my rig in a plastic bag and then in your freezer for a while. Test it out to see how well it works when you bring it outside in a fairly cold, dry environment. Do not open up the bag indoors because you will get instant condensation.

Try with a cold battery and one that is kept warm up a bit against your body in a shirt or pants pocket.
This could be very beneficial to you for cold weather battery life extension: LanParte E15 Portable Battery

I will definitely have to try these ideas. The D7200 should be OK, as well? Official temp range starts at 32 F.

Thank you!

rjrcatz

dyximan wrote:

I was in Minnesota last year and -15 -40 windchill, Maybe I got lucky but I was shooting my D500 with the standard battery and battery pack and had no problem with its operation. However I did encounter some condensation when I went from the hotel room to the car but it didn’t last long. And during the day I just kept it in the trunk where it was cold and it worked well. But since I don’t shoot film don’t know how it would affect the camera the mechanism and/or the film for that matter

Thank you for the reply!

Not sure how you survived those windchills! Wow!

I'm not too concerned about the film cameras, mainly because the plan for those is to do repeat or long exposures of a single piece of film in each. Both of them are mechanical devices. I'm more concerned for the digital camera.

Stay warm!

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

rjrcatz wrote:

Hi everyone, br br I'm quite new to the group, an... (show quote)

The camera will do fine in the cold weather, it is the battery that will have problems. If possible keep spare batteries on you so they are warm and put them in the cameras as required. I have found that the batteries will run down faster due to the cold weather. If possible recharge the batteries in your car or someplace warm, so you have backups.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I was taking a course in night time lapse during the summer, and we all had to bring something like this to prevent condensation forming on the lens. They could also keep the camera warm.
https://smile.amazon.com/ThermaCare-Heatwraps-Neck-Shoulder-Wrist/dp/B0028AD6V0/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1547722978&sr=8-5&keywords=heat%2Bwraps&th=1

Some ideas -

https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV_article?articleNo=000006256&configured=1&lang=en_GB
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-camera-in-cold-weather/

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

There's a lot of comment about 'bagging' the camera from going outside from inside. The bigger problem is bagging the 'cold' camera coming from the outside to the warmer, more humid, inside.

Dik

rjrcatz

hpucker99 wrote:

The camera will do fine in the cold weather, it is the battery that will have problems. If possible keep spare batteries on you so they are warm and put them in the cameras as required. I have found that the batteries will run down faster due to the cold weather. If possible recharge the batteries in your car or someplace warm, so you have backups.

Thank you so much for the info! I'm guessing by your name and photo, you play hockey? That tells me you know how to deal with the cold! Thanks, again!

rjrcatz

jerryc41 wrote:

I was taking a course in night time lapse during t... (show quote)

Thank you, Sir! The heat wraps are a brilliant idea! The other sites are very helpful, too. These should help! Much appreciated!

rjrcatz

Dikdik wrote:

There's a lot of comment about 'bagging' the camera from going outside from inside. The bigger problem is bagging the 'cold' camera coming from the outside to the warmer, more humid, inside.

Dik

Thank you for the advice! Going to the outdoors did not seem like it would be an issue. Bringing the cold camera in was--indeed--one of the concerns. I'm well aware of condensation formation from previous work in a laboratory.
Thanks!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

rjrcatz wrote:

Hi everyone, br br I'm quite new to the group, an... (show quote)

What is a sky tracker and how does it give you more leeway in shutter speeds? (They are usually limited by the subject)

DonB Loc: Port Royal , Tn

Shooting winter outdoors in the Anchorage area with film, the biggest problem we had was remembering to wind the film slowly. Static discharges make pretty images but totally miss with the the image you had in your mind!