Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

Most of my photography experience has been indoors, church groups, business presentations etc. Many years back I carried my camera in a vehicle while working in the middle of a winter storm while I was a telephone technician and remembered going into a warm building to take a photo and the camera lenses fogged over with condensation which prevented me taking the photos. All the photos I took of outside damage using the cold camera turned out fine and I had no damage from the condensation but from that time on, carried a cheep point and shoot. I use a Nikon 7100 now and wonder if there is any temperature restrictions I should consider as I shoot outside now. I am retired now and want to take some outside photos and don't want to stress new technology in the process.

cmc65

pop the camera into a zip lock before you take it inside. Don't open it until the camera is room temp and the condensation will form on the bag and not your equipment.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Unfortunately, there is air inside your camera and lens, and a big component of air is moisture. The solution is to keep your camera in a jacket pocket where body heat keeps it warm. Not always practical with DSLR and lens, but you do what you have to do.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Keep extra batteries in an inside pocket Batteries decrease in power with the cold but will revive with warming them up

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

We go through this discussion every fall when the winter winds start to blow. This link will take you to every possible solution to the problem.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/search-topic-list?q=cameras+in+cold+weather&sectnum=0&username=

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

Thanks McVeed, you are correct, there is a wealth of knowledge in that link. I have only been on the site for a couple of months so I did not see that information before and did not cross my mind to search. Guess I learned a couple of things. Thanks again.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Lots of good info, but an equal amount of BS that hurts more than the other helps.

I spent 20 years living near Fairbanks Alaska, and the last 20 years in Barrow. Fairbanks gets colder than anywhere else and Barrow, the farthest north place in the US, averages colder than any place in the US.

So lets share a few decades of really serious experience.

DO NOT USE A ZIPLOC BAG! Use a tall kitchen size trash bag. When still outside put the camera and lenses in the bag and give the top a twist. It does not need to be air tight.

Take that bag inside and keeping the top higher than the contents, squeeze all the air out and put it in a warm place with good air circulation. Warm it as fast as possible!

With a kitchen size trash bag you can reach down inside to safely retrieve things like memory cards. That can"t be done with a Ziploc bag.

Note that it is not the cold to warm transition to worry about, it is going from dry to moist. If you get into a car, for example, the air inside is usually just as dry as outside air. But if the car is full of people they might breath enough to fill the car with moisture. Look to see if the windows are getting fogged! Protect your camera if the windows are fogging up.

Those are the essential basics. But feel free to ask specific questions.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

A old camera will have moisture condense on it if it goes into a warm humid environment. That is why keeping it in a plastic bag for 5-10 minutes until it warms up will prevent damage. Up north this is not much of a problem because the indoor climate in the wintertime is usually very dry.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Some tips -

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-camera-in-cold-weather/

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Who told you that ???

It isn't true because people wash clothes, cook meals, take showers and many other things that add humidity to inside air. If nothing else people install humidifiers to purposely make it humid!

When it is -40 outside opening a door emits a huge cloud of freezing moisture!

Leitz Loc: Solms

That can be an issue with a new camera as well!

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

One of the main sources of humidity in a building is human breath. Air in a building with no people, animals or other water source will become naturally dry unless it is perfectly air tight. Raising the temperature will only lower the relative humidity.

Air at -40F contains very little moisture - it has already precipitated out in the form of frost, snow and clouds.

The problem is warm air (which can contain more moisture) coming in contact with a cold surface, cooling and precipitating moisture onto the surface of your cold camera.

Although a trash bag may be more convenient than a ZipLock, unless it is tied tightly it will allow warm moist air to seep in and come in contact with your camera.

There is no such thing as "freezing moisture". That's just ice or snow.

For more information see Cold Air Is Dry Air.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Nikon Customer Service should have good answers for you. My recommendation is to avoid condensation which is easily done placing the camera in a zip bag when taking it outside till the temperature of the camera is the same as the outside temperature or keep the camera in a camera bag for about 15 minutes before getting it out to use it.
Lithium batteries like other batteries do not perform at their best in freezing temperatures. Spares should be kept warm and in those temperatures the battery gets warm to improve performance. Recharging when in a warmer temperature after use is advisable.
Degradation in cold weather has been estimated between 1 and 3 % of battery life.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Repeating what you read but do not understand will not help anyone.

1) Freezing moisture is not just ice or snow.

2) Trash bags that are not tied at the top work far better than a Ziploc bag. Actually a cardboard box 6 inches square and 1 foot deep with no top at all works perfectly!

3) Human breath is an insignificant source of moisture in a building.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

You probably meant when taking a cold camera back inside. When going to a colder temperature no precautions are necessary.

Ziploc bags work, but not nearly as well as a kitchen size plastic trash bag.