Metal bodied cameras in winter

[btgc]

Yesterday we went to event, including baking bread. Imagine metal bodied camera, traveling in eveready case, camera bag and car, brought into room with ~20-25C - pretty warm because of real bread furnace in action.
After some 10-15 minutes camera still has very slight mist on lens and body. Event starts, I wait some minutes and then enter warm room and mist goes away. OK, camera weren't very cold initially. After some time action moves outside, so I go outside and take pics for some 30 minutes, now camera is colder than initially (outside is about 0C). After we return into room, story goes on from beginning. People with plastic P&S are firing like crazy, I don't see misty lenses.

So how you live with condensation on this kind of cameras ? Well, any solid piece collects condensate when temperature changes rapidly from cold to warm, and plastic sameras do so, though metal bodies are more inert to changes as temperature capacity of metal is bigger than plastic has.

Probably I had to carry two cameras - one keep in ziploc bag, take into room and let it warmn until room temp. and other leave in car and use only outdoors.

After return home I put camera under bright (and warm) lamp to let it dry in case any condensate were inside (at least nothing were on inner surface of lens and in RF glass). OK, temp diff weren't so big - if outdoors would be minuses, then I's be stuck with a lot of condensate or some hours of waiting for warm-up, I guess.

Would be interesting to see how pepole cope with this issue.

 

[zuikologist]

A two camera indoor/outdoor setup is probably not a bad idea.

Another problem is battery life and sometimes meter sensitivity, which are affected by cold.

 

[rogue_designer]

some of the older lubricants can also seize when the temperature drops - so that can be a problem - but in general, I've not had too many issues. I sometimes tuck my camera inside my coat right before going inside - and that seems to help some. Otherwise, I just do as sitemistic does and wipe off the lens with a microfiber and keep shooting.

 

[wgerrard]

I've read that stuffing the camera in a sealed plastic bag, like a ZipLoc, can help prevent condensation. The idea is that the air inside the bag takes longer to change temperature than the outside air, allowing the camera temperature to change as the air temperature inside the bag changes. I gather you are supposed to wait a while before removing the camera. Haven't tried it, however.

I once had the bridge of my eyeglasses shatter when I stepped out of a very air conditioned car into a very humid and hot August day, so dramatic humidity and temperature shifts can cause mischief.

 

[back alley]

if i am out for a long time i will put my entire camera bag into a green garbage bag and twist tie it closed before going inside. you need to leave it there for a few hours before using it indoors.
if i am just walking the streets and going inside and then outside again frequently, i just put the camera in the camera bag. i usually have a coffee and then change film and then head outside again.
i have been doing it this way for twenty years with no problems.

joe

 

[btgc]

Thanks all, seems I have to plan ahead and arrive earlier to let camera warm up, especially whem temp. will reach -20C. For immediate shooting I'll carry some P&S.