Petri V Slr on Extreme Cold Weather

[KameraKev]

Hi All;
I was shooting outside this am, with a Petri V Slr, the temperature was aprx. minus 28 with windchill. I got maybe 3 shots off no problem, and then my mirror starting locking up on every shot, after I brought the camera inside and it warmed to room temperature, the camera performed fine. Has anyone here had a similar experience?
Kevin

 

[teo]

Hi, my old Minolta SRT locks its mirror up in cold weather too. My case was worse, it locked on slow times (less than 1/30) even at +10° C, then on a Minolta group I've been instructed how to disassemble and lube a single gear, and everything ran fine. Until I found myself at -15/-20, and it started again, this time even on 1/250.
It's just a matter of lubricant getting viscous....
It doesn't happens on my X700, it's electronic, with an electromagnetic shutter (an mirror I guess) movement.

The only advice I can give you is to search the web about lubricating your camera (bringing to a competent repairer would solve too...).

 

[ampguy]

I doubt many cameras are rated to work (or even be stored) at those low temps. My non-weather sealed DSLR, and digicams are rated for about 0-40 C, with the Hexar RF going a bit lower, but the RD1 is rated for 5-35 C.

Anyone know what the Leica M bodies are rated for? (M4P?)?

 

[David Murphy]

Hi All;
I was shooting outside this am, with a Petri V Slr, the temperature was aprx. minus 28 with windchill. I got maybe 3 shots off no problem, and then my mirror starting locking up on every shot, after I brought the camera inside and it warmed to room temperature, the camera performed fine. Has anyone here had a similar experience?
Kevin

I've had trouble with Petri's -- all models at all temperatures

 

[teo]

Anyone know what the Leica M bodies are rated for? (M4P?)?

I just remember an story (maybe on cameraquest?) about a photographer shooting winter Olympics (in USA i think), and finding his Nikon F totally frozen, he saved the day with his backup M3...

I guess rangefinder are a bit more tolerant to low temperatures, unitil now I've had problems only with the mirror movement of the SLR (ah, and one time I ripped a frozen film, advancing it too fast...:bang🙂 I think it's because it takes more punch to flip a mirror than just slide a shutter...

 

[teo]

In doubt, you could as well try to find one of these... 😉

http://www.cameraquest.com/leica_iiic_k_gray.htm