Canon xsi and cold weather advice

[steves1bear]

I originally reside on Oahu, but my DH is currently on sabbatical from his job as a professor so we are in Utah for the next 6 months. Since I'm not used to having a camera in cold weather, what are things I need to know about DSLRs and winter? Is there anything particular I need to do in when coming in from the cold? Most of the pictures taken will be kids playing in the snow (assuming we get some while we are here) and some landscape/snow in the mountains kind of stuff. Nothing too spectacular. More than anything I just want to make sure I don't cause problems by taking my camera in and out of the cold.

Thanks so much!

 

[cisobe]

Hey I'm from Hawaii too! When I travel to "the mainland" during winter or when I know my equipment is going to be exposed to cold weather. I usually bring a large gallon zip lock bag with me, and place my camera in the bag before going back indoors. This helps keep any moisture from condensing on or in your camera.

This happens because your camera drops in temperature and will stay cold for quite a while when you bring it indoors. Indoors is warmer and typically has higher humidity. This combination may cause condensation to form (similar to having a cold glass of water in semi humid climate).

Being from Hawaii with our moist climate, I also typically keep some of those gel silica packets in my lens cases to minimize any moisture and any mold from growing in or on my lenses.

Hope this helps.

 

[mom2rtk]

I live in the Midwest so experience the full range of weather from hot humid summers to bitter cold snowy winters. They only thing I really notice is that batteries drain faster in the winter. If you go out with your camera, just keep it and your spare batteries close to your body.

Enjoy your time in Utah. It's a gorgeous place. Do not miss any of the spectacular scenery down south. It's some of the most amazing landscape in the world.

 

[cpbjgc]

I do a lot of shooting in cold conditions (it's not uncommon to have -30 temperatures where I live), and agree with everything the previous posters mention. I don't use a plastic bag, just usually keep the camera in a closed camera bag, as it its typically dry here in the winter. You get more of an issue going from extreme cold into a warm, humid space, in which case the plastic bag for the camera is a great idea.

One other tip, especially when shooting with lots of snow, is that you need to watch your exposure, and you would typically want to over-expose by 1 or 1.5 stops so that snow will show up as white in the photo. If not, the snow will look grey and you may need to do some extra work processing the photo to brighten it up.

Have fun in Utah!

 

[steves1bear]

Thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate the answers. I'm excited to be somewhere different for awhile and have a very different landscape to focus on.

Also, thanks for the tip about exposure and snow. Even though I grew up in Utah, it's been 15 years since I lived here so thinking about snow and exposure is all new to me. I also like the idea of the gel silica packs. I'll have to invest in a few for my bag.

We started by taking a vacation through Southern Utah. I had a great time in Zions. I just wish I had had more time and a bit more freedom for pictures. My 4 kids weren't very patient when I would stop everyone because I couldn't resist just one more picture!

Thanks again!