Best Cold Weather Film Camera

[Andy Kibber]

Another vote for Nikonos. Easy to use with gloves. No problem if you get rain, sleet or snow on it.

 

[Mackinaw]

.....Leaning toward a Nikon F, F2, or my old Canon Ftb-n.

If you already have an FTb, your question is answered. Back in the 70's and 80's my old FTb was a perfect camera for cold, northern Michigan winters. Easy to handle controls (with gloves on) and it worked perfectly well at -20F. Wish I had kept it.

Jim B.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

10 F is -12 C. ....

Meterlless film Leica M with 35, 50 Summarit-M series will handle it easily. Those lenses are great in cold. Not getting stiff at all.

If you want it cheap, heavy and crude - F2. I had used one in cold with just WLF, it was fan.

 

[KoNickon]

I also vote for a Nikonos. Seems perfect for this use. Only the IVA and V take batteries, and I believe the V will work without batteries also.

 

[xayraa33]

I had good luck with the OM 1 and the Kiev 4a cameras in the extreme cold of a Kapuskasing Ontario winter hike, keeping the camera warm by your body heat is a must. If this extreme cold conditions use is going to be the norm, getting a camera winterized with lubricants that can work well in these conditions might not be a bad idea.

 

[p.giannakis]

My winter cameras are either a minolta SRT or a Nikon F4. Both those cameras have oversized controls. If you don't have any previous experience with the F4 - i would recommend the MB-21 battery pack as the smaller MB-20 takes only 4 batteries and cold weather might deplet them faster.

 

[rfaspen]

I found that using the OM1 or 2 was difficult with gloves on; even thin gloves. But that's me probably because I find the OMs to be a bit too small. I found the Kiev 4 to be impossible to use with gloves, but I hate using it in any weather because I struggle with the "Contax hold".

Nikon F2 and FM has worked OK in the cold. I haven't used the Leicaflex SL with gloves - yet - but that shutter speed dial is screaming to be used with gloves. SL bodies are relatively inexpensive, but the R lenses can be a bit expensive. Less than their M-mount counterparts though. R lenses in general seem to have focus and aperture rings good enough for use with gloves. So do most older Nikkors.

FWIW, I once successfully used a Zorki C (Zorki-S) in -44F weather. Advance the film veeerrrry sloowwly.

 

[Timmyjoe]

If you already have an FTb, your question is answered. Back in the 70's and 80's my old FTb was a perfect camera for cold, northern Michigan winters. Easy to handle controls (with gloves on) and it worked perfectly well at -20F. Wish I had kept it.

Jim B.

I dug out my FTb-n and a 50mm lens. I put on an Abrahamsson mini-softie and I think it's gonna work, even with my thick gloves. Thanks for everyone's input.

Sometimes the best answer is right under your nose.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Timmyjoe]

My winter cameras are either a minolta SRT or a Nikon F4. Both those cameras have oversized controls. If you don't have any previous experience with the F4 - i would recommend the MB-21 battery pack as the smaller MB-20 takes only 4 batteries and cold weather might deplet them faster.

I owned an F4s with the MB-21 battery pack about 20 years ago, it got sold when I switched over to digital. I miss that camera, it was a beauty.



Best,
-Tim

 

[p.giannakis]

I owned an F4s with the MB-21 battery pack about 20 years ago, it got sold when I switched over to digital. I miss that camera, it was a beauty.

Best,
-Tim

Beautiful. !

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Would recommend Olympus OM1 and Nikon F2. I know those two can stand harsh conditions. OM1 seems to had made it to the Everest and I know some people that had used it on Iceberg/Glaciar photography. F2 is similary though (or probably more).

Marcelo

Edit.- By the way, I had used OM-1 with gloves with no problem.

A friend spent a few months in Antarctica in the 1970s. He said Olympus OM was a popular choice of camera by the expedition members. At the time they had a reputation for handling the cold better than most other types. I have an OM-1 but have never been further south than Port Arthur, so I couldn't speak from personal experience.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

OM1 seems to had made it to the Everest ...

Indeed, Chris Bonington's team used OM1's on the first ascent of Everest's Southwest Face. However, they were specially 'winterised' by Olympus, so not necessarily a good indication of how a body with standard lubricants would function.

 

[Pál_K]

Another vote for the Nikonos, specifically the Nikonos V. There are so many things to like about it:

- can use it in any weather
- easy to access camera controls and lens controls with gloves on
- an impressive feeling of both solidity and craftsmanship with this camera
- can be used in auto or manual mode
- has one manual speed if batteries die
- clever shutter readout in finder (if in manual mode, it will show your setting and suggested setting)
- meters through the lens off a pattern on the shutter
- in auto mode it will hold shutter open for long exposures
​​​​​​- extremely quiet! - maybe quieter than a Leica RF
- sharpest Nikon 35mm lens I’ve ever used - maybe sharpest 35mm of any marque I’ve used - don’t worry about scale focusing

I’ve used my Nikonos for hours in an afternoon downpour. I also got the flash and bracket as part of a kit. Although I don’t intend to use the system underwater, that is a really nice flash. Powerful, has different power level settings, and you can really get the flash off-axis.

As for the OM’s - if you’re like me and still not used to the thin shutter ring at the lens mount, it’ll be harder with gloves.

F2 with DP-1 or other Photomic head? OK, that’ll definitely work.

Leicaflex SL - they fit nicely in the hand and, as stated above, have that nice big overhanging shutter speed dial. Photo below to show what they look like.

 

[Malcolm M]

Edmund Hillary used a Kodak Retina I for the first ascent of Everest, so that's one option.

My preferred solution- wear thin gloves under outer gloves. Remove outer gloves, take photo before frostbite sets in, replace.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Edmund Hillary used a Kodak Retina I for the first ascent of Everest, so that's one option.

My preferred solution- wear thin gloves under outer gloves. Remove outer gloves, take photo before frostbite sets in, replace.

Or if Tim wanted to go even more retro Everest, he could use a Vest Pocket Kodak like George Mallory. Now if they could only find the darn thing 🙂

 

[p.giannakis]

A friend spent a few months in Antarctica in the 1970s. He said Olympus OM was a popular choice of camera by the expedition members. At the time they had a reputation for handling the cold better than most other types. I have an OM-1 but have never been further south than Port Arthur, so I couldn't speak from personal experience.

There was a website that used to have scanned prospectus booklets about the OM1 and in one page they had pictures from expeditions in some polar area. I vaguely remember saying that the OM1 was tested to "such & such" temperatures and was showing some cameras inside freezers.

But as much as I love the OMs I would struggle to handle them with thick gloves.

 

[mpaniagua]

Just tried my Praktica L2 with gloves and is pretty easy to handle. Front shutter button making using gloves pretty easy. Also, speed dial is kinda big so easy to handle with gloves I would vouch for it (unless no built in light meter is a problem).



Marcelo

 

[hap]

Hey there Tim -- I'll throw my hat into the ring and suggest the Leicaflex SL. It has a nice chunky shutter speed dial that can be adjusted with gloves on, and most important the shutter speed dial doesn't rotate when you take a picture (unlike say a screwmount Leica). I think that would be the one thing I'd avoid, which is a camera with a shutter speed dial that rotates when you take a picture, as your gloves might catch it on the rotation.

As you know of course the SL can be used without the necessity of a meter, the cameras are pretty robust and the lenses are great. Plus they aren't crazy expensive.

except the lenses are expensive. Strange that his came up cuz I was fooling with my leicaflex this morning just by happenstance.

 

[hap]

I second the vote for Nikonos V. I should use mine a LOT more.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I love the act of bringing an image into focus, so the Nikonos V (though it checks every other box) really isn't a good solution for me. But it would have been nice today as we have our second in a row of cold, windy, sleet. Yuk.

Best,
-Tim