Frozen G2

N

nickchew

Guest
Hi all

I'm from Singapore and recently moved to Montreal for a year to work. I've never seen so much snow or felt so frozen in my life.
I've never had any problems with my G2. But in sub -20C temp it froze out on me twice.

Guess I should have kept it in my jacket to keep it warm but it's my first winter so...I guess I'll have to learn.

What strategies do you guys use to prevent your G2 from freezing up? Just so that I don' have to listen to those leica junkies telling me the benefits of a mechanical shutter....

sigh...

Nick
 
When you say freeze up do you mean the lub was wrong for the temp or the battery just died from the cold? If it is the lub even a mechanical Leica shutter could freeze up I am guessing.

Bob
 
If it was a battery issue, there is an accessory battery pack that plugs into the camera battery slot, and runs a cable to a AA pack you can keep in a warm pocket.

It's the GP-1 with a P8 pack.

http://www.adorama.com/YSGP1.html (included for GP-1 photo only)

The two together run about $100 new.
 
Lubricants today are graphite based and should withstand very low temperatures without problems. There has been a lot of development in the last years.

Apart from batteries the different reaction of metals and plastic on cold temperatures can lead to a stuck shutter. The only thing that helps there is to keep the camera under your coat and take it out only when taking pictures.
 
For what it is worth from a Leica User:

My freshly CLA'd M2 had no problem in 0F temperatures, but my all-mechanical Canon Vt which had not been CLA'd but was working perfectly inside, froze-up. Slow-Speeds quit, then the shutter's second curtain would not fire. I am sure that after a CLA it will work just fine. Last year, the same thing happened to my Nikon S2's slow shutter speeds. They quit in the cold, producing a 5-stop underexposure. The results were interesting after scanning in 16-bit and boosting the low-end of the picture. In weather conditions that you describe a camera must be in good shape. Batteries are a weak spot on the modern marvels; I have even had them SHORT out in the cold, get red hot, and start smoking. I hate it when that happens.
 
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Taking proper lubricants, cleaning and a fresh battery into cosideration, lets not ignore the simple fact that taking any camera from a warm and humidified environment into a sub-zero environment will cause almost instant condensation resulting in a littereal freeze-up.

Delicate shutter curtains and other precision mechanical parts will be "stuck in ice".

Just a suggetion,

Bill K.
 
Thanks for all your input.
My problem is that if I keep it in my jacket and it is so ?#$! cold, I just don't feel bothered to take it out to shoot!

The problem with the camera is that it inconsistently focuses, some times taking about a sec or 2 to respond. Sometimes it just doesn't respond at all. Perhaps it is just the batteries...

I think someone should invent thermal underwear for cameras.... ;-)


Nick
 
You know I have not had that problem with my used FM2n at similar temps but did have an FE2 die when the battery froze. Now I have jinxed myself. That cured me of modern electronic marvels in the cold. I use KISS which is the FM2n, substitute any mechanical camera that you like, and a Sekonic L398 (no Battery) and it seems to work. Also with cameras that power wind/ rewind you could get into trouble with cold brittle film breaking and or showing static electricity marks. Slow and gentle does it. You should also give some consideration to the fact that that the camera is cold and if intoduced into a warm interior naked will have condensation form on/in the camera. It would be better to place the cold camera in the camera bag while outside, some even place the camera bag in a plastic also, before bringing it in from the cold. Once inside allow to camera to warm to roon temp over a long period of time before removing it from the bag to avoid condensation. Sorry for the long post but I thought that since this is your first winter here you might like some hints for cold weather shooting.

Bob
 
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