DWolff Photography wrote:
Check out the temperature range for Canon DSLRs.  You will find the factory rating is:

Working Temperature Range 0-45° C / 32-113° F

Well, I didn't want to bring it up actually, since the OP mentioned he is a Nikon shooter - I always try to avoid the N vs. C, Mac vs. PS kind of talks.

But I think Canon is a better investment for the extreme weather conditions.

I am not going to be responsible for advice here and it is obviously against what manufacturer defines, but I know of people who do shoot Nikon un subzero temperature, so they stretch it. Not sure how extreme they'd go though.

Tatiana SZ wrote:

Well, I didn't want to bring it up actually, since the OP mentioned he is a Nikon shooter - I always try to avoid the N vs. C, Mac vs. PS kind of talks.

But I think Canon is a better investment for the extreme weather conditions.

I am not going to be responsible for advice here and it is obviously against what manufacturer defines, but I know of people who do shoot Nikon un subzero temperature, so they stretch it. Not sure how extreme they'd go though.

I wanted to make this thread non-brand specific...maybe to also include film techniques.  I just wrote what I shot for example purposes.

FWIW, Nikon rates there's limits as 0-40deg C.  I shot at -10degC last weekend (handheld) at an outdoor event but was near a fire or a heater most of the time with no issues.  The only times I had issues at 0 to minus 5deg C was with the camera on a tripod.

Oliver Anderson wrote:
....  One thing I learned from one of Warren Millers still photographers is to bring a beer cooler and put your camera bag in the large cooler.  Add some beach towels to the bottom and add a few of the handwarmers (can buy at Sportsmart or any ski store)  it'll keep your gear warm enough for even a 10 hour shoot....

I like that idea a lot.

barepixels wrote:
most buttons and knob were frozen but still shoot

It was about -40C with wind chill taken into consideration.


read more here

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/845190

Was that guy trying to destroy his gear on purpose ??
They make all sorts of waterproof protective gear and its certain the owner can afford it with that level of equipment.
Hell even sandwich bags could have keep lots of the water out.
This guy shoots in Antarctica read his blog to learn about shooting in cold weather.
http://canonfieldreviews.com/

J & X Photography wrote:
So I pose this question to all of you:

a)  Best camera for cold weather?

Best cold weather cameras include:
Olympus E-1 or E-3, Pentax K10 or K20, and I'm hearing good things about the Canon 7D for it - I know the 5D was crap for weather. The Canon 1Ds should be good too, as it is also a weather sealed system.

The Olympus or Pentax systems are the ones with the most proven weather resistant systems made, and are both heavy cameras which include a metal sub-frame.  This makes them durable and easy to control with gloved hands (an advantage you probably won't have with the 7D). The larger bodies give more airspace around the sensor which should keep the temperature more ambient than on a smaller body... theoretically.

Just remember to have a weather sealed lens system to go with your weather sealed body. With Zuiko (Olympus) lenses, that includes every lens they make in the High Grade to Super-High Grade category. Pentax is a similar situation... Pentax O-rings are thicker, but I don't know how much difference that makes - both E-3s and K20s get dumped right in water, shoot in rainstorms and ice storms, and even get hosed down to clean them from sand and salt.

DWolff Photography wrote:
Check out the temperature range for Canon DSLRs.  You will find the factory rating is:

Working Temperature Range 0-45° C / 32-113° F

Assuming that's an internal or core temperature, it could be shot for awhile at colder ambient temperatures before internal components reach that temperature.

As someone who mostly shoots in the Houston area, this is one issue that I haven't confronted.

Garrett Sanders wrote:
The risk from condensation occurs only when you bring a cold camera into a warm, humid environment, such as the ski lodge--

However, this is a pervasive problem during hot weather when taking gear outdoors from an air-conditioned car or building.

Stephen Melvin wrote:
http://canonfieldreviews.com/7d-cold-winter/

Canon 7D in -10F temps.

"I´ve had many questions regarding the Canon 7D’s operation in cold temperatures. Last Friday was the perfect opportunity to test the camera for 3 hours in -23 °C temperatures. I dressed warmly and prior to testing I put the 7D and its batteries out in the cold for about 1 hour. This isn’t the smartest thing to do as I always recommend removing the batteries and keeping them warm when the camera is not in use. For this test I wanted to cool down the camera and batteries."

...

"The Canon 7D has absolutely no problems in cold conditions and works as expected. The batteries are really very good, and you can shoot for hours in cold winter weather without recharging the batteries."

Psh...  What does 3 hours in -10 °F/-23 °C say?  Although I bet the 7D should be able to handle worse than that, that kind of test still says nothing. I'll shoot my Olympus E-3 in -40 °F/°C all day. Not saying the 7D isn't good, but just that you need a better test than that. Any DSLR should be able to handle those conditions.

Tim Hammond wrote:
My current beat-around camera is a 4 year old 20D.  It rides on my truck seat most of the time, no matter whether the temp is -40 (F or C, take your pick, the scales cross at -40) or +90.  I've gone out of the house, grabbed the camera off the truck seat, loaded a battery, plopped it on a tripod, and shot aurora shots at -62 F.  I've tossed it in a sled bag at -30F and left it there for 2 days of running, then pulled it out, loaded batteries from my pocket, and started shooting.  I spend a lot of time walking and hunting in the woods and on the tundra, and it just hangs around my neck, under my coat.  Once in a while if it's between about -10 and +10  and the humidity is high the shutter will get a bit cranky, so I tuck it in my coat for a while and it's happy again.  I don't know about manufacturer ratings.  I figure the manufacturers are more interested in covering their asses and avoiding liability than they are in understanding how to treat a camera in the environment I live in.

There we go, now that's the kind of testing I'm talking about. Us northerners know real cold weather camera testing, lol.  Same sort of deal with my Olympus E-3, though your tundra experience is more extreme than mind. 

Tim Hammond wrote:
I've been hauling Canon DSLR's around interior and northern Alaska at all times of year ever since the D60 came out.  I haven't had any significant problems, and frankly I just don't worry about the temperature.  I've heard lots of people analyze the hell out of how to baby your camera in cold weather and speculate about all the problems that could happen, but I think there's more paranoia than real risk to your camera from cold weather. When it's winter I keep the battery in my pocket.  When it's not winter I leave it in the camera.  That's the entire extent of my "system" for dealing with cold weather.

My current beat-around camera is a 4 year old 20D.  It rides on my truck seat most of the time, no matter whether the temp is -40 (F or C, take your pick, the scales cross at -40) or +90.  I've gone out of the house, grabbed the camera off the truck seat, loaded a battery, plopped it on a tripod, and shot aurora shots at -62 F.  I've tossed it in a sled bag at -30F and left it there for 2 days of running, then pulled it out, loaded batteries from my pocket, and started shooting.  I spend a lot of time walking and hunting in the woods and on the tundra, and it just hangs around my neck, under my coat.  Once in a while if it's between about -10 and +10  and the humidity is high the shutter will get a bit cranky, so I tuck it in my coat for a while and it's happy again.  I don't know about manufacturer ratings.  I figure the manufacturers are more interested in covering their asses and avoiding liability than they are in understanding how to treat a camera in the environment I live in. 

The only total failure I've ever had was with a Canon film body.  I dropped it out of a helicopter into the Arctic ocean.  I never did figure out how to recover those shots, but I'm not totally convinced cold was the culprit there ....

The key element is this: Loading batteries that are warm into the camera. I don't know of a single battery that works properly or for very long in extreme cold. Having batteries next to your body to keep them warm makes tons of sense and will allow most cameras to operate for extended periods outdoors. The cameras' electronics typically work OK in the cold, as long as they get adequate power.

BCADULTART wrote:
Most DSLR's are not suppose to work below 32 degrees F.  I also found that out the hard way. Before digital, In the old film days, I did a lot of work in northern Siberia and it was cold and the only SLR film bodies I used were to old Nikon F’s with no meter or motor.
When film gets cold it can be a real problem.

These days when I am shooting skiing for stock I use a Canon G9 and it has worked like a million dollars all day long.  It is small enough to ski all day inside
my jacket and I only take it out when I need to shoot with it.

I am sure there are ways to modify large DSLR's to operate in cold weather, but I have been told that the Sensor will have problems even if there is battery power.

Chuck

Really? This surprises me, as the compacts are the ones which are prone to freezing, not DSLRs. Compacts have tiny sensors, and the LCDs have to read off of them. DSLRs have large sensors and optical viewfinders requiring little electricity. Have you actually tried bringing a dSLR into these conditions, because I've never had a problem with any... I think the manufacturers are just afraid to rate them.

BCADULTART wrote:
I am sure there are ways to modify large DSLR's to operate in cold weather, but I have been told that the Sensor will have problems even if there is battery power.
Chuck

Have you been told that by anyone who can show evidence of it?  Like I said, I've got lots of experience shooting in Alaska and never had to do anything to modify a DSLR or had any problems with the sensors.  I used to have plenty of problems with cold film breaking and had to take care to avoid that, but since I started shooting DSLRs in the cold I've had virtually no problems. 

I really think the warnings about cold weather and DSLRs is paranoia and hype.  After all, when someone asks with all seriousness what special care they need to take when using a DSLR in the cold, how exciting is it to say "Nothing really.  Just keep the battery warm."  That's not what they want to hear!  You've got to come up with something to make them feel like it's a challenge!

Jason Combs Photography wrote:
I think what you really should worry about is bringing that ice cold body back into your toasty warm house....you have to be careful not to let condensation build up within...for example, leave all body/lens bundled up in bag or in airtight ziplock until it aclimates back to room temperature.  I know I read this somewhere...maybe in my Canon manual.

PS.   If you let your models get too cold they'll give you more trouble than your gear!  Better have some hot coco for the girls!

Edit:  Oops, just saw the post above mentioning condensation issue, so +1.....what he said!

Yeah, I've read that too.  Never paid any attention to it.  I'm sure it can occasionally be a problem, but my camera goes from -40 outdoors to +70 indoors on a regular basis with no special treatment.  I'm sure condensation could cause problems, but it's kind of like telling someone to always be careful to move your legs every 60 seconds all day every day for your entire life because it will prevent you from getting blood clots that could go to your brain and kill you.  There's probably some truth in it, and the potential consequences of not doing it sound pretty dire, but is the risk really high enough to make it rational behavior? 

Be afraid ... be very afraid ...

Tim Hammond wrote:
I really think the warnings about cold weather and DSLRs is paranoia and hype.  After all, when someone asks with all seriousness what special care they need to take when using a DSLR in the cold, how exciting is it to say "Nothing really.  Just keep the battery warm."  That's not what they want to hear!  You've got to come up with something to make them feel like it's a challenge!

Honestly, I've never even heard these warnings ya'll are talking about.  lol.  Maybe we just don't have them in Canada, or nobody would bother buying a camera.  xP  I mean really, -0 °C/-32 °F?  If I couldn't shoot in that I'd never be able to shoot period, or even bring my camera to a location.

The only temperature warnings and ratings I've seen are from compact cameras, which of course are all electronically driven and have tiny sensors which can't be good. And those I have seen freeze and become unoperational on numerous occassions (the exception being the freeze-proof Olympus Stylus series).

I've never considered a DSLR as being prone to cold, even my non-weather sealed systems (which I've mostly done away with now).

Garrett Sanders wrote:
All devices have a design temperature operating range.  Operation outside that range is not guaranteed and can damage the equipment.  Do so at your own risk.

Absolutely true.  However most design temperature operating ranges have more to do with preventing injury to the engineer's reputation than they do with the laws of physics.  Fretting over them and adhering to them as if they're physical barriers can deprive you of valuable life-enriching experiences.  Do so at your own risk.

Tatiana SZ wrote:
P.S. Just wanted to mention that I speak from experience - I shot in up to -28 Celcuis (note it's not Farenheit - convert to see the difference). Shooting in -10 - - 15 Celcuis is a common occurence for me - I am in Canada.

Yeah in canada here too, I was outside attempting some shots when we had a minus 50 windsheild ..... :S

I need to move..

Ned Yeung wrote:
Psh...  What does 3 hours in -10 °F/-23 °C say?  Although I bet the 7D should be able to handle worse than that, that kind of test still says nothing. I'll shoot my Olympus E-3 in -40 °F/°C all day. Not saying the 7D isn't good, but just that you need a better test than that. Any DSLR should be able to handle those conditions.

He took his 7D to Antarctica. Pretty good cold weather test, I'd say.

BTW, I wanted to correct a previous post you had. You said the 7D isn't good with gloves. Actually, it has oversized buttons and was designed with gloves in mind. It's one of the better cameras with gloves.

Garrett Sanders wrote:
The warnings are in the owner's manual (no wonder you've never heard of them).

Yup, you're right. I'm a man, and I've hardly ever read through anything in the instruction manuals, lol.  (Don't think I'm being scarcastic when I say that either, I seriously haven't.)

Up here they publish these ratings right at the point-of-sale on compact cameras, but they never publish temperature ratings on dSLRs in the store.

Stephen Melvin wrote:
He took his 7D to Antarctica. Pretty good cold weather test, I'd say.

Antarctica has its warm days too, and he never took it out for the long haul. I still say it's a pretty flimsy test... I don't live in the antarctic, but I've still taken my cameras through far harsher conditions for far longer exposures.

Stephen Melvin wrote:
BTW, I wanted to correct a previous post you had. You said the 7D isn't good with gloves. Actually, it has oversized buttons and was designed with gloves in mind. It's one of the better cameras with gloves.

That's good to know. That's why I said it's "an advantage you probably wouldn't have with the 7D", because this is a camera I have little experience with but had to mention because of all the good that's been said of its weather sealing. I never once said the 7D was no good with gloves, I said that the big bodies have that advantage in the cold over small bodies.

From everything I've heard, the 7D is doing things right... It's hardly revolutionary though (as marketing hype seems to suggest), as Canon is simply taking the path all the other guys have been taking for years (better weather protection, more compact size, etc.)... This may though be the most compact fully weather-sealed DSLR body introduced yet.