Shooting in cold weather?

[JerseyGirl]

Wondering for those of you that live in cold weather climates, what temps you will shoot in and what is too cold for your gear. I have read and it makes sense that it is when you come inside again that you need to be careful about letting gear warm up slowly and that is also when you need to worry about condensation etc. And obviously in colder weather your batteries will fail faster.

But if you were keeping camera in your coat when not shooting or something what temps are okay.
0-10 degrees F.
10-20 F., only above a certain temp etc.

It is about 8 degrees F. today, but it is sunny clear day, lots of snow. I am getting so sick of being inside to shoot. Really want to get outside but also don't want to ruin my camera.

Thanks in advance.

JG

Just goooooooooo10charactersoooooooooooooo.

Go.

[kirbinster]

I am out and about in Northern NJ all the time with my extensive gear and never have had an issue. If the gear has been outside for a very long time I may put it in a zip lock bag before bringing in to prevent condensation.

Originally Posted by kirbinster

I am out and about in Northern NJ all the time with my extensive gear and never have had an issue. If the gear has been outside for a very long time I may put it in a zip lock bag before bringing in to prevent condensation.

Pffttt.... you call that snow?

Come to Minnesota some time

[SusanH1970]

Eric, that's a gorgeous photo.

We've had weather that's more like Minnesota than Connecticut. We've had 3 storms that have dumped almost 5 feet on us altogether in the last few weeks: Holy Snowstorm, Batman!

[JerseyGirl]

Yep I'm in MInnesota so you know what I mean by cold and snow)

Nice shot.

[kirbinster]

Yea, but mine was two days after the storm when it was nice and sunny out. Here are some from during the snow, and it was so cold exhaust was freezing in this first one:

[navcom]

Exhaust freezing? Man, I thought you New Jersians got colder temps. This is pretty much standard stuff from the end of November through March here in Minnesota. I have a black truck and it's been white since Thanksgiving. Not just from the snow...from the ice and salt. -10 to -20F is not uncommon during Dec-Jan. If you wash vehicles here, you will never get back into them. We've been watching all that whining coming from the east coast and laughing. Oooo...big storm! LOL!!!

Ok...enough macho positioning. Couldn't resist! LOL!!!

Get out and shoot! The temperatures are not an issue for your camera. Your battery might wear down quicker but it's not an issue. Yes, you have to be careful about condensation (unless you own a weather-sealed Pentax ) but it's really pretty minimal. I've been shooting during the winter in MN for many years and have never had a mechanical issue from it. Ever.

Layer up, pack up, and get out there!

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by navcom

We've been watching all that whining coming from the east coast and laughing. Oooo...big storm! LOL!!!

LOL I don't whine until we've got 5 feet of snow on the ground. Then I whine all I want, especially when it gets down to the negative teens. The ones that whine about 5 inches and temps in the 20's I laugh at, though.

[BexJarratt]

The advice I've heard to combat condensation is to let your gear fully re-acclimatise before packing it aware, and use those little silica sacks to absorb any stray moisture in your bag. Does this sound about right?