David J Taylor <david-taylor.RemoveThis@blueyonder.not-this-bit.nor-this-bit.co.uk> wrote:
> Chris Malcolm wrote:
> []
>> Remember that the OP is talking about very serious cold,
>> i.e. Antartica. Under those conditions you have to wear enough
>> insulating clothing that there's a very large heat difference between
>> the air outside and inside your coat, meaning there is a very large
>> difference in the air's moisture holding capability. Under those
>> conditions you don't need to sweat profusely, or even sweat at all,
>> for a camera which has spent a few minutes outside the coat to acquire
>> condensation when put back inside. There's a moisture gradient based
>> on natural transpiration as well as a heat gradient passing through
>> your clothing. It's also quite difficult when wrapped up well enough
>> to stay warm while standing around in seriously cold windy conditions
>> to avoid sweating a bit when you start moving around.
>>
>> No I haven't been to Antartica, but even Scottish hills in winter are
>> quite cold enough to demonstrate these effects.
> So for Scottish hills in the winter, what would your recommendations be?
Modern digital camera electronics will keep working at freezing
temperatures, the problem is the batteries. So I avoid the temperature
change and possible condensation problems by keeping the camera in an
external waterproof pocket or bag. Where possible I'll move in the
direction of batteries with known superior cold performance, which
with standards like AA rechargeables are available at higher
prices. Depending on battery life and how quickly a cold camera will
chill them into failing, I'll keep one or more extra battery sets warm
close to my flesh. For example I have one P&S that at zero centigrade
temps will freeze batteries faster than I can warm them back up, so
for it I need to rotate three or four sets to keep it going.
I'd like the option of an internal warm remote battery pack wired
through to the camera.
In addition to the waterproof camera bag I carry a tough waterproof
box which can survive being dropped in a stream and stood on with
hiking boots to keep the camera in during rough passages. That also
serves as the warming up box into which to put a cold camera before
taking it into a warm fuggy place like the pub in the foothills
If I'm going to be out for more than a day, I'll also carry a bigger
waterproof box which can hold the entire camera and lenses, plus
pretty much the same volume of silica gel dry pack bags. That's for
overnight storage and emergencies, because in wet weather anything
which gets wet is going to stay wet, and while a brief wetting won't
kill most cameras immediately, prolonged wet will. You need that
amount of silica gel in order to accomplish any serious efficient
drying.
However, most Scottish hill walkers I know don't do any of this. They
carry specifically heavily waterproofed and ruggedised cameras
Many of the folk I see carrying DSLRs into the winter hills tend to
use landrovers or helicopters for transport rather than feet, or they
don't move far from their car
--
Chris Malcolm cam.RemoveThis@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
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