Photo Facts - Cameras in Cold Weather

The following is factual information

I thought I'd start yet another new segment. These postings will help to settle the many myths and confusion that get tossed around about certain photographic topics. Today it will be about if it is safe to bring your shiny new camera into the cold.
NOTE: The following is mainly for digital user. Those using film, please click the title for further details.

Montrealers brave some of the coldest temperatures (-25 C before windchill!) of any of the major metropolitain areas of North America. For the happy shutterbugs who want to capture their own "Koday Moments", a little cold won't stop them! But recently, myself and others were taking pictures and wondering, "Is it safe to take our cameras out in the cold"?

I've done some research and found a great article from the New York Insitute of Photography. In short, the main idea is not whether or not it is safe to take out the camera but rather what sequence is follow. Here's a summary of the article. The sequence that is usually followed:

1. Going from warm to blistering cold
2. What to do in the cold weather
3. Returning your freezing camera to the warmth

A major concern is condensation forming. As mentioned, "Do you have to worry about moisture condensing from the cold air onto the warm surface of the lens or the film or the electronics? No. One of the handiest winter photo tips to know: Cold air has low moisture content. There's little or no condensation when you go outside into the cold. (As we'll discuss, this becomes a problem when you go back inside.)"

From Warm To Cold!?
The big problem is loss of battery power! In cold weather, to be more specific, batteries maintain their amount of energy but lose their drive to push this energy into the camera. To help this:

• Keep your batteries, camera and flash near your body when exiting to the cold.
• Bring extra batteries with you when you go outside. Keep them close to your body too.

It's Freezing Out Here!
Now that when outside, you should keep the camera as warm as possible. Be prepared to take the camera out only when you are about to take the picture. Leaving the camera out won't damage the camera but rather its performance (the batteries in particular).

To help this, Sandisk has a line of memory cards known as the Extreme® class. It can perform at the same high speed as in normal weather from 85 C to -25 C. I actually had the oppurtunity to try this outside in -20 C (-31 C with windchill) and it worked just as fast!

Also, clip the tripod clip to the camera before heading out. That when you can easily snap it to the tripod with immidiacy.
Of course, don't forget to KEEP WARM! Unless you're a National Geographic photograher, it's not worth freezing to death to get that shot!

Ah! Warm Again!
Now you're ready to get back inside. But don't rush it! This is when condensation on the lens or inside the camera can occur possibly affecting the electronics. A great tip from the NYIP: "Condensation can play havoc with an all-electronic camera. This is where the suggestion of wrapping a cold camera in a plastic bag comes into play. The moisture will settle on the outside of the bag rather than on the camera's outside and inside surfaces. You can protect the delicate electronics this way. In fact, it's best if you place the bag on the camera while still outside, not when you bring the camera in."

Now that you got the facts, get back out there and take those great winter moments!