How cold is too cold?

metropolis4 · 12-10-2009, 09:19 PM

I want to go shoot tomorrow morning for the latest contest since it will be my only chance, but it's gonna be really cold - around 0-10 degrees. Is that too cold to have my DSLR gear out?

I recently found out the shutter mechanism on my OM-2n freezes up and gets slow when it's below about 30 degrees, so unfortunately I'm not gonna be able to do it on film like I wanted to.

TunerSteve · 12-10-2009, 09:43 PM

I was out shooting some long exposures with my Nikon 8008 just two nights ago. The temps were around 15, with wind chills minus zero. The camera fared better than I did. Of course with long exposures, the shutter mechanism speed is irrevalent.

**surferdude9375** · 12-10-2009, 10:24 PM

You don't really have too much to worry about. Just before you bring your camera back in from the cold into the warm, put it in a sealed plastic bag and sit it in the window seal so it heats up slowly and all the condensation is on the plastic bag and not the camera.

And also, keep yourself warm (coffee does not help you keep warm btw). A cold photographer is worse than a cold camera.