A lot of people never have
the opportunity to use their cameras in freezing temperatures. Needless to say, that is not a problem here
in Minnesota. Even though this winter
has been relatively mild, there are no guarantees that this might not
change. I have been out shooting in
temperatures as low as -30F.
This 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 cameras
rely more than ever on sufficient battery power, we should, however, 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.
It is also very much advisable not to breathe on your camera, especially the glass of your lenses and the viewfinder. They will instantly be covered by a frozen layer of moisture which will not evaporate. On the lens it will function as a dense diffusion filter and the viewfinder will be rendered almost useless.
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.
Such was the case a few
years ago. It was a bright, sunny day;
picture perfect for some nice winter shots, except the temperature had dropped
to -30F with little chance of any noticeable warm up. While a lot of people would stay inside, this
really isn’t all that bad, as long as you dress properly.
I had just acquired a new
Leica M5. For years I had heard of the
impressive resistance of Leicas to cold temperatures and decided to give the
camera a good test.
Since the weather forecast
was predicting temperatures as low as -30F, I decided to test the M5. To give the camera a head start, I put it in
a freezer overnight. (Don’t forget that the temperature in an average freezer
is almost balmy compared to -30F) 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.
I walked to Minnehaha Park
part of which runs along Minnehaha Creek as it winds its way toward the
Mississippi in a relatively deep ravine.
This was carved out over the years by Minnehaha Falls.
Minnehaha Falls in Summer
The frozen Minnehaha Falls
in Winter
At such low temperatures
the falls is totally covered in ice, definitely a different appearance from its
summer looks. At the foot of the falls I
noticed some openings in the ice which gave me the crazy idea to climb up to
take a look behind the falls.
Unfortunately the opening was in top of a very steep ice field. I don’t recall how many times I almost made
it to the top, only to slide down to the bottom again. But I finally succeeded.
A different world awaited
me. Almost everything was covered by the
frozen waters of Minnehaha Falls, like being in an ice cave. Only one side was free of ice. I could hear the water falling to the bottom
inside the ice which surrounded everything, creating a rather eerie atmosphere.
I began to take pictures,
but was restricted by the ice which only allowed moving behind the main
waterfall. The rest was too treacherous
to walk on. Of the series of shots that
I did take, two stood out as particularly good.
The camera worked flawlessly. The
only indication that it was extremely cold was the focusing of the 50mm
Summicron which was noticeably stiffer than under normal circumstances.
I had been shooting for a
while 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, but I never ventures up that ice field again. Common sense dictated that it was too
dangerous.
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
-15F with no ill side effects. I would
not hesitate to use any of my 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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