Insulating Camera in Cold

[RFPhotography]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried, with any success, to insulate their camera in the cold.

We all know batteries drain more quickly in colder temps.  I'm looking at going out and doing some night photography of the Germinid meteor shower next week and the lunar eclipse on the 21st.  I'll be using a D700.  I've only got 2 EN-EL4a batteries for the grip.  My preference, obviously, would be to not have to replace the battery during the session.  I'm planning on shooting for timelapse and mult. exp. layers so minimising camera movement will be important.  Temps are likely to be sub-freezing.

So, back to the original question:  Anyone done anything to try to insulate the camera in the cold?

Thanks.

[BernardLanguillier]

I'm wondering if anyone has tried, with any success, to insulate their camera in the cold.

We all know batteries drain more quickly in colder temps.  I'm looking at going out and doing some night photography of the Germinid meteor shower next week and the lunar eclipse on the 21st.  I'll be using a D700.  I've only got 2 EN-EL4a batteries for the grip.  My preference, obviously, would be to not have to replace the battery during the session.  I'm planning on shooting for timelapse and mult. exp. layers so minimising camera movement will be important.  Temps are likely to be sub-freezing.

Don't you will have a problem. I have done camping trips in -10 - -20C where 2 batteries were enough to shoot close to 1000 images with a D3x over 3 or 4 days. From my D3 days I don't recall the D700 sensor to be significantly more power hungry.

This being said, long exposures do probably hurt batteries more. I would probably try wrapping the camera in a thick towel and/or a rain cover?

Cheers,
Bernard

[elf]

I would think the cold would be better for long exposures.  There should be less noise.  If your shooting location allows it, I'd use an AC adaptor or a large 12 volt battery with an AC transformer.

[RFPhotography]

I would think the cold would be better for long exposures.  There should be less noise.  If your shooting location allows it, I'd use an AC adaptor or a large 12 volt battery with an AC transformer.

Yes, I'd think it should help with noise but not for battery life.  Cold shortens battery charge life.  No transformer/generator available.

Bernard, I'm guessing your camera had the chance to 'warm up' for periods?  Either way, that's still good performance so you may well be right that it won't be a problem.  Haven't shot in the winter with Nikon yet (former Canon shooter) so just not sure what its capabilities are.

[raysem]

I use my D700 (MB-D10 with EN-EL3a in grip & body) at temperatures below -20 degrees quite  often.  I've found that battery life is approximately 50% (assuming you don't heat the batteries).  This is no problem if you're out for a short time (2-3 hours).

I had one situation where I was out for 12+ hours (a cross-country ski event).  I removed the grip for the day and always kept one battery inside my coat to warm up for about 15-20 minutes.  I would then swap the warm battery with the battery in the body.  I was quite lucky and missed only 2 or 3 shots because I was in the middle of swapping batteries.

I kept "alternating" the batteries and I did end up running the whole day without stopping for a re-charge.  The main disadvantage I found (aside from shooting opportunities lost while swapping batteries) was that without the grip the camera was harder to handle with my gloves on.  The grip makes the D700 larger and gives more "grab area" when wearing heavy gloves.

The ultimate solution would be to have a battery back on a cord that you could keep warm and power the camera that way.  I haven't seen such a device yet...

In the end I ended up with 1200+ shots that day - not to mention a happy client!

[BernardLanguillier]

Bernard, I'm guessing your camera had the chance to 'warm up' for periods?  Either way, that's still good performance so you may well be right that it won't be a problem.  Haven't shot in the winter with Nikon yet (former Canon shooter) so just not sure what its capabilities are.

Not really, the warmest if must have gotten was either around noon time when we had a bit of sun outside; but temp was probably still around -5C and in the tent just after having eaten where it could have been closer to zero for one hour or so. The rest was far below zero including 2 cold nights.

Cheers,
Bernard

[RFPhotography]

Well, weather permitting I'll just wing it and see what happens.  Based on responses it sounds like there shouldn't be a problem for the few hours I may be out.

The Germinids aren't looking good.  Snow and cloud all day and night is forecast.  That could change. 

[t6b9p]

The ultimate solution would be to have a battery back on a cord that you could keep warm and power the camera that way.  I haven't seen such a device yet...

In pre-planning for some cold night sessions I obtained a Quantum Turbo 2x2 battery and cables for my D200 and D700. It's small enough that it will fit in the larger pockets of most cold weather jackets. You can always throw a "hand warmer" in with it.

[RFPhotography]

The ultimate solution would be to have a battery back on a cord that you could keep warm and power the camera that way.  I haven't seen such a device yet...

Or a large enough power supply that subjecting it to the cold wouldn't matter even if it were out for a long period.

A portable generator would work.  As would a spare car battery combined with a power inverter (outputting the right wattage).  Or a cigarette plug inverter run off the battery in the vehicle one is driving; running the engine in cycles to let the alternator recharge the battery.

[eriktorpolsen]

My advice is: Don't attempt to keep the camera warm.
There's a great chance that your camera won't have the same temperature throughout,
which will cause your images to become out of focus.
I did that mistake some weeks ago. Kept two cameras inside my warmed up car, and brought
them outside and did some shooting. It was about thirty centigrades below the freezing point
and all the images were blurred due to the lenses had not yet stabilized.
From then on I keep all my gear in the trunk of my car for as long as possible before shooting.
Batteries are kept close to my body to keep them warm until the last moment before shooting.
Carry with you spare batteries, and low temperatures will never be a problem.

[DaveL]

The ultimate solution would be to have a battery back on a cord that you could keep warm and power the camera that way.  I haven't seen such a device yet...

In the end I ended up with 1200+ shots that day - not to mention a happy client!

I'm almost certain that Nikon offered that corded battery solution for my F2 or F3. I used to do like you and others and keep spare batteries in a warm pocket.
Don't lithium AA batteries work better in the cold than others?

DaveL

[raysem]

I'm almost certain that Nikon offered that corded battery solution for my F2 or F3. I used to do like you and others and keep spare batteries in a warm pocket.
Don't lithium AA batteries work better in the cold than others?

DaveL

Lithium batteries (doesn't matter much about the exact chemistry) lose as much as 30% of their rated (room temperature) capacity at -20 degrees C.

There are some new chemistries on the horizon that promise great perfomance at temperature extremes, but they're not available to the general market yet.

Until then, keep your batteries warm and your cameras cold and enjoy shooting in the cold!