Manual film camera trumps digital in harsh environments?
RichA
My D300 I used one night at -25C. The only problems were that the
batteries got cold and the LCD got slow, but with a warm battery,
everything functioned perfectly. But then Arctic or Antarctic weather
is a bit worse...There are still resonances of the Canon-Antarctic-
Luminous Landscape debacle of the year or so ago. Realistically, a
manual film camera is basically foolproof, even if the meter battery
dies.
Amateur Photographer
Monday 15th March 2010
Chris Cheesman
Leica MP
An arctic photographer has chosen a film-based Leica MP camera to
record his latest expedition because he says digital cameras are
unreliable in extreme conditions.
Explorer Martin Hartley, who has set off on a three-month trek to the
North Pole as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, said: 'At the start of
every expedition on the Arctic Ocean in late February/March, it is
difficult to survive let alone operate a camera, due to the severe
conditions. Below minus 40ºC electronic circuits slow down and become
unreliable.'
Martin added: 'The mechanical Leica MP will give me the best chance of
capturing those elusive photographs… maybe our last opportunity to do
so.'
The Leica MP was first produced in 2003.
The Catlin Arctic Survey aims to capture scientific data relating to
the way CO2 affects marine life in the Arctic.
Scott W
I try not to go anywhere where it might get colder then 60F.
Scott
Peter Huebner
@d2g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>, rande...@gmail.com says...
> Below minus 40ºC electronic circuits slow down and become
> unreliable.'
>
>
LOL. Go tell that to the superconductor people and the extreme
overclockers who cool their 'puters with liquid nitrogen.
I will not dispute that accus will suffer or even fail, and most likely
the mechanical parts of the camera will be affected in some way ...
[maybe] the screen, not sure if/how the 'liquid' part of lcd is prone to
be adversely affected by low temps.
What I CAN see is how the balancing/programming of the sensor pixels and
amplifier(s) might go to hell in a handbasket at really low temps.
Because the electronic circuits speed up ... and presumably some more
than others.
-P.
Alan Browne
> In article<9301c5da-543c-43b7-b9a9-9cd19e0c27e4
> @d2g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>, rande...@gmail.com says...
>> Below minus 40ºC electronic circuits slow down and become
>> unreliable.'
>>
>>
>
> LOL. Go tell that to the superconductor people and the extreme
> overclockers who cool their 'puters with liquid nitrogen.
>
> I will not dispute that accus will suffer or even fail, and most likely
> the mechanical parts of the camera will be affected in some way ...
> [maybe] the screen, not sure if/how the 'liquid' part of lcd is prone to
> be adversely affected by low temps.
See below.
>
> What I CAN see is how the balancing/programming of the sensor pixels and
> amplifier(s) might go to hell in a handbasket at really low temps.
> Because the electronic circuits speed up ... and presumably some more
> than others.
That last bit is not an issue of any kind for DSLR's - at least down to
-40C.
Most "pre-DSLR" cameras operated fine down to about -20C to -30C with
specification indication -10, -15, -20C and such depending on
manufacturer or model.
The big issue with most DSLR's is the LCD display which gets sluggish as
it cools down. This is why they are rated no lower than 0C in most cases.
I've had no trouble down to -10 .. -12C for periods of an hour.
--
gmail originated posts are filtered due to spam.
Rich
> In article <9301c5da-543c-43b7-b9a9-9cd19e0c27e4
>
> > Below minus 40ºC electronic circuits slow down and become
> > unreliable.'
>
> LOL. Go tell that to the superconductor people and the extreme
> overclockers who cool their 'puters with liquid nitrogen.
>
Well, they don't run off batteries and they don't put batteries into
liquid nitrogen.
But, sensors do exhibit lower noise at colder temps.
Floyd L. Davidson
is -32F. It was -40 for much of last night. I can't
say that is exciting, and I did spend several hours
outside today.
Your intrepid Arctic explorer is about to learn a few
things about living in cold weather if he actually does
make a "manual film camera" his only camera. After he
changes the film at -40, he can tell us all about how
"basically foolproof" it is!
RichA <rande...@gmail.com> wrote:
>I've used entry-level Olympus DSLRs in -20 weather for hours on end.
>My D300 I used one night at -25C. The only problems were that the
>batteries got cold and the LCD got slow, but with a warm battery,
>everything functioned perfectly. But then Arctic or Antarctic weather
>is a bit worse...There are still resonances of the Canon-Antarctic-
>Luminous Landscape debacle of the year or so ago. Realistically, a
>manual film camera is basically foolproof, even if the meter battery
>dies.
>
>Amateur Photographer
>
>Monday 15th March 2010
>Chris Cheesman
>
>Leica MP
>
>An arctic photographer has chosen a film-based Leica MP camera to
>record his latest expedition because he says digital cameras are
>unreliable in extreme conditions.
>
>Explorer Martin Hartley, who has set off on a three-month trek to the
>North Pole as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, said: 'At the start of
>every expedition on the Arctic Ocean in late February/March, it is
>difficult to survive let alone operate a camera, due to the severe
>conditions. Below minus 40ºC electronic circuits slow down and become
>unreliable.'
>
>Martin added: 'The mechanical Leica MP will give me the best chance of
>capturing those elusive photographs... maybe our last opportunity to do
>so.'
>
>The Leica MP was first produced in 2003.
>
>The Catlin Arctic Survey aims to capture scientific data relating to
>the way CO2 affects marine life in the Arctic.
--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) fl...@apaflo.com
Floyd L. Davidson
>On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:48:50 -0800, fl...@apaflo.com (Floyd L.
>Davidson) wrote:
>
>>The current temperature outside my door at this moment
>>is -32F. It was -40 for much of last night. I can't
>>say that is exciting, and I did spend several hours
>>outside today.
>>
>>Your intrepid Arctic explorer is about to learn a few
>>things about living in cold weather if he actually does
>>make a "manual film camera" his only camera. After he
>>changes the film at -40, he can tell us all about how
>>"basically foolproof" it is!
>
Intrepid Arctic explorers do not have assistants. They
do have colleagues, who expect them to perform their
assigned tasks without stripping the film's sprocket
holes...
That is especially true when the colleague is fighting
off marauding polar bears and wants a picture so that
his family will know how they spent their last moments.
Floyd L. Davidson
>there!
I don't use one (I'm into DSLR's), but of course I know
a lot of people who do use them. For the most part they
are much easier to use in an Arctic environment than a
DSLR is... because of size. I know a couple of people
who have one in a pocket virtually all the time, which
is a trick that I can't manage with a DSLR.
The significance is that they have a camera with them no
matter what they are doing, but I have a camera with me
*only* when I am doing photography. If I've got the
camera, just about all I can do is photography!
>>I've had no trouble down to -10 .. -12C for periods of an hour.
--
David J. Littleboy
"Floyd L. Davidson" <fl...@apaflo.com> wrote:
> John A. <jo...@nowhere.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>That's what assistants are for.
>
> Intrepid Arctic explorers do not have assistants. They
> do have colleagues, who expect them to perform their
> assigned tasks without stripping the film's sprocket
> holes...
>
> That is especially true when the colleague is fighting
> off marauding polar bears and wants a picture so that
> his family will know how they spent their last moments.
Hmm. I see the formation of a joke: how do you tell the difference between a
tame panda and a man eating polar bear? The latter has P&S dcams in its
turds.
OK, that needs some work; the original* is way better.
*: http://www.mikesclark.com/climbing/bears.html
--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
bugbear
> Realistically, a
> manual film camera is basically foolproof, even if the meter battery
> dies.
No - unless they're spec'd for extreme cold, many fine,
delicate mechanical mechanisms (e.g. apertures, shutters)
can have "issues", including lubrication going solid.
BugBear
NameHere
>On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:05:32 -0400, Alan Browne
><alan....@FreelunchVideotron.ca> wrote:
>
>Imagine what it must be like using an EVF or a viewfinderless P&S down
>there!
>
I frequently shoot in -30 to -40 F (-34 C to -40 C) conditions. I could no
longer tolerate DSLR lens lubricants turning to concrete and mirror and
shutter mechanisms freezing up from condensation in DSLRs. Changing lenses
at those temperatures is an invitation to disaster. Because no matter which
camera design you use you are still keeping the internal battery warm
enough by keeping it under your coat, constantly changing it from
warm-moist conditions to intense cold and dry. The perfect recipe for
freezing condensation. The internal display of an EVF, leaf shutters, and
sealed USM zoom and focusing of P&S cameras to the rescue.
Next time you might want to type from experience rather than where you
usually pull your fabrications out from. No doubt it's where you keep your
head too.
Ray Fischer
RichA
Since everything seems to be designed for a California climate, it's
no surprise.
whisky-dave
"RichA" <rande...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9301c5da-543c-43b7...@d2g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
I've used entry-level Olympus DSLRs in -20 weather for hours on end.
My D300 I used one night at -25C. The only problems were that the
batteries got cold and the LCD got slow, but with a warm battery,
everything functioned perfectly. But then Arctic or Antarctic weather
is a bit worse...There are still resonances of the Canon-Antarctic-
Luminous Landscape debacle of the year or so ago. Realistically, a
manual film camera is basically foolproof, even if the meter battery
dies.
Well fool proof doesn;t actually mean much does it ?
I';d have thought they would have sent a foolproof camera to Mars
but they didn;t they sent a digital camera that could work down to
around -80F or less.
Dudley Hanks
I have used my XSi in -25C weather without problem.
The XSi actually outperforms my old A2 in cold weather, which used to die
whenever the temp dipped below 0C. Couldn't seem to keep even a new battery
working in that camera below freezing.
Still, if I was doing scientific research, I'd probably want the reliability
of a mechanical cam in that extreme of an environment.
Take Care,
Dudley
"RichA" <rande...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9301c5da-543c-43b7...@d2g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...