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Thursday, October 16, 2014

OF THINGS TO COME


LEICA M5 AT MINUS 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT




Today is one of those rare Fall days in Minneapolis that makes it easy to forget that summer is gone.  The forecast is for 70F and we have bright sunshine. It is a great day to go out and shoot. But we all know that winter is not far off which brings up the ever reoccurring question if we need to treat our cameras differently in cold weather?  The short answer is ‘not really’.

These days, when our our cameras rely more than ever on sufficient battery power, we should be aware that they don’t like low temperatures very much at all.  Subsequently, one or two fully charged extra batteries are definitely a good idea.  Carried in an inside pocket, to keep them warm, should prevent any mishaps of camera failure due to lack of battery power.  In addition, it is advisable to carry the cameras underneath our clothing as well to keep them from getting any colder than necessary.

Finally, carry along a ziplock bag, big enough for the camera and lenses.  After a while of shooting, when getting ready to back inside, put the camera, lenses and other equipment into the plastic bag and seal it.  This prevents the warm, moist inside air to get into contact with the equipment.  Otherwise the result will be that the moisture condensates on the cold camera equipment.  Excessive moisture and cameras simply don’t mix.  Keeping the camera equipment in a closed case will also work as long as it is not opened.

All this reminds me of a new Leica M5 that I acquired several years ago.  I had always heard of the impressive resistance of Leicas to cold temperatures and decided to give the camera a good test.

The weather forecast was predicting temperatures as low as -30F.  To give the camera a head start, I put it in a freezer overnight.  The next morning the thermometer did indeed read -30 degrees.  I set out to take photographs.  I purposely carried the camera on a strap, outside my clothing, to make sure it would get as cold as possible.

Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis is a popular attraction during summer...

...but changes its appearance considerably during winter.
It was here in Minnehaha Park that I tested the Leica M5
cold weather performance

I noticed no ill effects.  The camera worked as it should.  The only difference was that the 50mm f/2 Summicron on the camera was a bit stiffer during focusing. 

I had been shooting for about 2 hours when I decided to go home.  Once I returned, against my own advice, I went right inside, forgetting about the plastic bags.  To my horror, the camera instantly froze over with about 1/8 inch of solid ice.  The camera was so cold that the condensation froze immediately.  As it warmed up and the ice thawed, I immediately wiped it off.  The camera showed no ill side effects and served me well for many years after that.

That was obviously some extremely rough treatment and I certainly don’t recommend subjecting any of your cameras to such torture.  But it showed that Leica’s claims in regard to cold weather operation are not exaggerated.

I have long since switched to digital Leica equipment and I have refrained from repeating that test with any of my current cameras, but I have used them at temperatures as low as about 0 with no ill side effects.  I would not hesitate to use any of my Leica cameras at temperatures a lot lower than that.  But I don’t have anything to prove anymore, not with my cameras and certainly not for myself.  Unless absolutely necessary, I will wait for more pleasant days for my outdoor shooting. 

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4 comments:

  1. Putting a Leica into a freezer overnight is crazy.

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    1. Not really. Common freezer temperatures are outright balmy compared to some of the temperatures we experience during a typical Minnesota winter.

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  2. I remember, during the first winter I was in Minnesota, going out to make night shots. Lots of hard work, trudging through deep snow in rural fields, but I was happy to have found some gorgeously moonlit landscapes. Alas! when I returned home and opened the camera, I found that my film had shattered at some point...

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately there isn't a lot we can do to keep film from getting brittle at low temperatures. However, I should have mentioned to be gingerly with the film advance (or shoot digital ;-) ). another thing I forgot to mention is to be careful with cameras that do have motorized film rewind. At low temperatures static can be a problem, especially when the film is rewound too quickly. The felt strip of the light trap at the opening of the film cartridge can lead to enough build-up of static that it might discharge. The subsequent sparks will leave their mark on the film.

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