How to keep the camera warm taking Northern Lights photos in Fairbanks Alaska 12/3/2021
For lenses I use a battery operated hand warmer wrapped around the lens. I haven't been anywhere the temperature has been below -5 F.
BBurns
Loc: South Bay, California
Lots of good advice here. |You might want to speak to a local about what they use.
Here is a camera store in Fairbanks.
Alaska Camera.
Linda S. wrote:
Hello All,
You were very helpful when I went to Iceland 2/2019 to photograph the Northern Lights (NL). They did not appear. I have a new question.
This December, I am going on another NL trip to a place 20-30 miles north of Fairbanks Alaska. It is typically colder there.
I am taking my Canon 5DM4 and the Olympus OMD E1M3. The manual for the Olympus said that it is freeze-proofed to 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C). Alaska temperatures can be much lower - below freezing. The good news is that wind chill doesn't affect the camera. We will be outside at night.
Given the camera is on a tripod taking multiple long exposures at night, how do I keep the camera warm? I read not to put it in your coat for the warmth will cause humid conditions. I don't the "raincoat" I have for it will keep it warm, just not wet if it is raining. The only idea I have is to wrap a child's wool scarf around it...
How do I keep it warm? Last, do I need to worry about the lenses staying warm as well?
Many thanks in advance. Linda
Hello All, br br You were very helpful when I we... (
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How about trade the 5D for a R5. The R5 keeps itself warm.
pmorin wrote:
When we went to Churchill Canada to see the polar bear migration to the sea ice, I had no problems with my Canon 7d2. The temp was often below freezing and the camera performed perfectly even when we were out for several hours at a time. Battery life was half of normal, so I just carried extras in my pockets close to my body to keep them warm.
The lenses had no trouble either. Condensation was not a problem in them and the only real pain was keeping water spots off the glass from the snow flurries.
When we went to Churchill Canada to see the polar ... (
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Thank you pmorin! It is good to hear that the Canon performed well. I purchased extra battery chargers and batteries for both cameras. I had purchased a travel vest with RFID and 18 pockets for general travel a while ago. I'll see if I need the extra pockets. (
https://www.scottevest.com/womens-best-travel-clothing.shtml) I will try wearing it under my coat and see how it goes.
Thanks for that link. Heading to Iceland in January chasing the "Lights", pretty well knew the other stuff posted here, never thought about my own warm, humid breathe.
JBRIII wrote:
...
Final thought, a space blanket (really cheap on Amazon, but probably can get at an outdoor store) plus some of those hand warmers packets might do the trick if really cold. If really cold, the hand controller is nice as fingers don't work well in cold and I find handling a camera wearing gloves to be near impossible for me. Hands and feet have always been my problem, have skied in -24F (Baniff) and wind chills to -95F (Brech.), body OK, but not my hands or feet (Eventually had heated boot and gloves).
Good luck;
I find questions like yours make me think about such things for my self.
... br br Final thought, a space blanket (really... (
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Thank you JBRIII for suggesting a space blanket. I found one on Amazon. Swiss Safe Emergency Thermal Blanket. You are right - they are inexpensive for all that they do.
I have Reynaud's Syndrome, so I have to be very careful about my hands/feet getting cold. For my Iceland trip, I purchased these gloves and the over glove. A bit clumsy to use the over glove, but it kept my hands warm when walking from one place to another. Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/2D74E612-36DB-4C92-9D5C-CBAAE11D8F32?ingress=2&visitId=30625e1b-5842-454b-a226-9daf96541125&ref_=ast_blnIt looks as if they don't sell the over glove anymore...
Gene51 wrote:
At -10°F there is no humidity. Condensation on a cold camera surface comes from your own body.
Putting a scarf around it is not going to keep it warm for very long - the scarf prevents heat loss. But the camera does not generate any heat.
I wouldn't worry about keeping the camera warm. As you can see, they will work at far below their conservative temperature ratings.
OMG Gene51! Thank you for posting the photos! I wouldn't have believed it without seeing it. I am very relieved.
Hamltnblue wrote:
A Lens heater will help
I’ve also banded chemical hand warmers in a pinch.
Something often overlooked are spare batteries. In temps under freezing they can lose charge.
It’s best to keep them in a coat pocket
Thank you Hamltnblue for the lens heater suggestion. I saw the regular heaters and the strips. The strips are very inexpensive and I have a small power source. I have purchased spare batteries and chargers for both cameras. I also have an extra surge strip so when the day is over, I can charge everything at once. And, just to be safe, I also have the chemical hand warmers. Thank goodness everything is small otherwise I would need to bring a trunk instead of a suitcase!
tcthome wrote:
I wouldnt keep the camera warm. Taking it in & out of different temps & humidity is what causes condensation. Just keep your batteries warm. They do sell lens warmers if that is needed to keep frost or condensation off your lens. Are you going with a tour group or someone who is from up there? If so, ask them how it is normally delt with.
tcthome, thank you for your comments. The tour group has an extensive packet of information that I read first before posting. They suggested chemical warmers. I thought there might be more options. I didn't want to go and have the camera not work. I knew I could count on everyone here to offer suggestions. I do like the idea of lens warmers too! Thank you.
I would be more concerned with warming the camera back up after the shot.
DougS
Loc: Central Arkansas
When we were in Coldfoot Camp, AK, Feb 2017, temps were around -20F. I had zero problems with camera operation, i was outside for hours at a time! I did change the battery once or twice.
The 2 problems you WILL encounter are: condensation when bringing the gear back inside, and YOUR COLD FEET!
Wrap the camera in a coat/blanket to slow the warming (helps prevent condensation).
For your feet: HotHands for your FEET!!!!! They last 8 to 12 hours; and they are not hot, just right warm. Without them, your feet will freeze! Use them every time you go out... or you will wish you had, lol.
If you think you must, they make some HotHands with adhesive, you could STICK on your camera.
https://hothands.com/products/You will wish you did some VIDEO of the aurora, particularly if it puts on a 'show' (dances!). It did on more than one occasion for us! Those were short lived, approx 10 minutes, each time. Enjoy the show!
hpucker99 wrote:
There are at least 6 considerations for using cameras in cold temperatures:
1)
The temperatures you are shooting in will be below the camera manufacturers recommended temperature range but that is not a problem. They will work below that temperature until the lubricants in the camera become viscous. Cameras used in Antarctica need to have the lubricants replaced with ones that work at those extreme temperatures, the lubricants in your cameras will work.
2)
Don't try to keep the camera warm, it is a losing battle. What you want to keep warm is your spare batteries; battery capacity drops quickly in low temperatures. An USB external battery with a dummy coupler will last longer than an internal battery but avoid the lithium polymer types; they stop when the temperature goes below freezing.
3)
Consider the use of a dew heater or strap hand/feet warmers packets to to the lens barrel. Either tie the packets to the lens with a rubber band or tape or use an old sock pulled over the lens. Since you won't be in the cold for an extended period of time, the hand warmers would last long enough and can easily be replaced during the shoot.
4)
When done shooting, you can take the camera cards and batteries out of your camera and put them under your clothing. Your camera should not be brought inside without putting it into a ziplock or sealable bag before warming. The cold camera and lens will quickly be coated with frost, some will form inside the camera and could affect the electronics when the frost melts. I haven't found a documented example of this happening, but this seems to be a consensus opinion. One UHHer, MTshooter, leaves his gear in the car overnight, just brings the batteries and cards in at night.
5)
Consider a plastic rainsleeve to keep any light snow off the camera and use the lens hood. The hood seems to keep the front glass cleaner.
6)
Your camera will survive the cold better than you, dress carefully.
I was in Fairbanks at the Chena Hot Springs in March 2020. I have a E-M1ii and tried live compositing but had difficulties with the buttons and my hands. I ended up setting up a timelapse and got enough shots for a 10 second clip but found the Olympus batteries to degrade quicker in the cold. My Nikon D7500 did better; I had an external battery for it and the camera worked longer.
I'm going to be back in Anchorage next month and might go north to photograph the northern lights better. They are visible from there, but the light pollution will dim them. University of Alaska Fairbanks has the Geophysical Institute that does aurora forecasting as does NOAA. You only need a KP index of 3 to see them in Fairbanks. The Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce adverises that you can see the auroras in Fairbanks about 240 days of the year.
Good luck and clear skies!!!
There are at least 6 considerations for using came... (
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Thank you so much hpucker99 for providing such a comprehensive list! I appreciate the time/effort it took to put it together for me. I have been collecting everyone's suggestions/recommendations in a MS Word file and have added your list to the document!
Thank you MDI Mainer! I checked out the URL. I am bringing two cameras. This should work nicely. Just need to choose two power banks. They sure do range in price! I appreciate your suggestion.
ORpilot wrote:
Lots of good suggestions. Dummy battery works great. There are other options. Have several batteries Keep them in your pants pocket. Or take a small cooler and put those cheep hand warmer packs in there.They are only a few $ at sporting goods stores. It is not likely that your lens and camera will freeze up but the batteries will poop out sooner than normal. You can also use a extended grip attachment that has extra batteries in it. Back in the old film days you had to be concerned about the cold making the film brittle and it braking in the camera when you advanced it. There was also the problem of static electricity "lightening" strikes as the film moved across the felt on the film canisters. older film cameras and lenses had the be winterized. The oil based lubes and the turned hard in the cold. Modern cameras and lenses us synthetics. I doubt that you will be outside too long at -40 or even "0". Happy shooting. Don't forget your Hot Chocolate
Lots of good suggestions. Dummy battery works grea... (
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Thank you ORpilot! Your posting made me smile...I wish I had room for Hot Chocolate! I will call BH and find out more about dummy batteries for the Canon and Olympus...
kelso007 wrote:
I went to Alaska a couple of years ago to photo the northern lights. Probably not far from where you are going, Chena Hot Springs. Anyway, the temp was -22 and no wind. The camera was outside and on a tripod. Between shots I draped a wool scarf over the camera but I don't think it was very effective. I did keep extra batteries in my parka and rotated them frequently. I had no issues during the 3 hours of shooting. I think my feet got colder than the camera. Good luck.
Dave K
Thank you Dave! In Iceland, it did not get that cold! I typically prefer cold over heat. I am somewhat excited about seeing how cold -22 F actually is (without wind chill). Just need to remember the foot/hand warmers!
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