Cold Weather Photography Quick Tips

It's cold outside - really cold!  Protect your fingers and your favourite photo gear.

Special care needs to be taken with photo gear in these freezing temperatures.  All sorts of little annoyances and serious damage can be caused in extreme cold or hot weather.  It's cold today, so we'll focus on cold weather care and try to avoid lens fog, battery power loss and condensation forming on all parts of the camera.

Keep the batteries warm

When venturing out in cold weather, we often think it's best to keep the camera warm by keeping it inside our coat and close to our bodies.  Please avoid this as once it is taken out into the cold to start photographing, condensation may form on all parts of the lens and body.  Instead, simply keep the batteries in a pocket next to your body and insert them when ready to begin shooting.

Conserve Power

To conserve power turn off the battery between shots.  Also turn off power sucking features such as the LCD and continual autofocus.  After taking photos, put the battery away until the next shot.

Try not to breathe on the camera body and avoid putting it down anywhere that might be moist or snowy.  When the temperature is at or below the freezing point, melted snow on the lens can freeze and potentially cause damage. Wipe off any moisture immediately with a lint-free cloth.

Bringing a digital camera in from the cold

When bringing the camera inside from the cold, it takes time for it to adjust to room temperature. First put the camera in a cool room for about an hour before bringing it into a warm area. Leave it in it's bag to minimize condensation.

If you think there may already be damage, remove the battery, memory card and lens cap.  Open all compartment doors and let it sit until the condensation has evaporated.  Better safe than sorry, so give it a day or so before taking it back out in the cold.