Antarctic temperatures and mechanical LF parts: who wins?

[Donald Brewster]

Great post Bob! Thanks. Makes me surmise the best course is a box camera with a barrel lens. As for me, I think I'll stay indoors . . . .

[alec4444]

Frank Hurley managed the Arctic with glass plate negatives in one of the more dire 20th Century expeditions (disasters). I think you'll do fine with sheet film and a modern camera....

--A

[bobc]

I'm not going to bash Hurley for obvious reasons. I will add that his party was floating around in the Weddell Sea off of the Peninsula.
They never made it to the continent. As such, never had to deal with the full-on cold weather and katabatic winds.

If you look at his photos, you can see that the crew were dressed in relatively lightweight gear. Compare these to photos of other expeditions that were on the continent proper.

[Eric James]

I'm not going to bash Hurley for obvious reasons. I will add that his party was floating around in the Weddell Sea off of the Peninsula.
They never made it to the continent. As such, never had to deal with the full-on cold weather and katabatic winds.

If you look at his photos, you can see that the crew were dressed in relatively lightweight gear. Compare these to photos of other expeditions that were on the continent proper.

If I remember correctly, he did dive into the water-filled hull of the sinking Endurance to rescue plates that The Boss had requested he abandon - but that was only 32F or warmer I believe that they were trapped in the pack for almost a year, including a full winter - but you are right, they never saw the cold of the Antarctic Continent. I doubt that I would have survived those "mild" conditions, or managed as many keepers on a 35mm rig.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Looking for a Kodak technical publication on filters that I did not found , I found an interesting note about arctic conditions for photography :

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/profe...bs/c9/c9.jhtml

BTW a list of non arctic-related but otherwise interesting technical notes :
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/su...ical/tib.jhtml

[Don Wallace]

I have used my 4x5 in -40C and it is not a situation that inspires creativity. In my opinion, the main problem is not the equipment but the fact that with LF you are required to stand in one position for a long time. You really dont move very much and therefore, in order to survive the cold, you obviously have to dress appropriately, which makes adjusting the camera and viewing the glass extremely difficult, if not impossible. At the temperatures you cite, you cannot, simply cannot, remove your huge mitts or your very substantial head covering. I highly recommend that you try this at the balmy temperature of -40C before you head for the Antarctic.

I think a view camera is the wrong tool for the job. If you are seriously contemplating taking photographs in temperatures like minus 50C or lower in windy conditions, then you are making the task unnecessarily arduous by choosing that kind of camera. In my opinion, it would be like using a view camera underwater. Wrong tool. There are "point and shoot" LF cameras - the Hobo 8x10 comes to mind but I don't know if they are still manufactured. A friend of mine made a point and shoot 5x7 with a 90mm lens. Just about everything was in focus and it was very easy to handle. I think this would present much more of a creative opportunity in the Antarctic. A field camera will simply hinder you.

One thing: use a selenium meter, if in fact you even need a meter. Electronics are often not happy with extreme cold. Also, if you are photographing at night, you won't need a shutter. Lens cap will do.

I really hope you go and bring back some awesome photographs. Just make sure the point is taking photographs, and not proving some other point.

[tim atherton]

Arctic rather than Antarctic, but I've photographed many times down around -40c to -45c (at times with a windchill taking it well below that) with everything from a 35mm Leica through MF to 4x5 and 8x10.

Biggest problem imo is not usually the equipment but the operator. When you start to get cold - with this kind of cold - your concentration goes, along with your abilities to actually do anything creative. So staying warm while you stand around is a #1 priority.

My cold weather gear is rather add hock - but consists of caribou skin kamiks (mukluks), usually worn with the light canvas outer from a pair of Canadian army winter boots (which, with their normal double felt inners are probably the next best thing on their own), padded/insulated chest high winter pants, and a top quality down parka. (underneath, depending on the cold, various layers and pile fibre jackets, pants etc). And if it's windy, a light canvas/nylon pull over the head wind cover that goes right over the parka. Add Wolverine fur to the hood - which is almost essential. Traps warmer air around your face, but never freezes from exhaled moisture. In addition, a huge pair of arctic wolf mitts on idiot strings with a lighter inner pair - you just drop your hands out of the mitts, adjusts something and slide your hands back in as they hang there.

Now, of course if you start moving around too energetically, then the moisture you produce will eventually make the down useless - so watch out for that (and don't grow a beard - it will freeze up and give your face frostbite...). Best cold weather gear I ever used was actually a full caribou skin outfit - parka/pants/boots. Lightweight, flexible and incredibly warm - far better than down or synthetics. But it also takes about as much maintenance as a two year old.... (The Canadian Army did tests a while back with their standard cold weather gear, the best down and synthetic gear and a caribou skin outfit (Inuit Canadian Rangers are part of the military) - with the wearers being immobile and stuck in a huge freezer, sometimes with wind etc - kinda like a LF photographer. Over time, most of the test subjects gradually got colder. The person in the caribou outfit got warmer)

As for camera equipment - most of the LF cameras have stood up just fine (mainly, in the cold, an old Toyo 45A and a Phillips 8x10, as well as an old Dorff). Tripods tend to get stiff - Gitzos have worked well - the leg crew lock stiffens up though. Bogen/Manfroto are useless - all the plastic bits break - just snap off. Wooden surveyor types also work very well as long as the parts are wood and metal. I had a couple of lenses re-lubricated for winter use, but truth be told, I never had much of a problem with most regular lenses in copal shutters.

Fogging freezing of the ground glass is a problem - just try not to breath while you focus. (meters etc with batteries I just keep in an inside pocket and generally, once you've metered, the light - what there is - isn't going to change much).

Biggest single problem i ever had was film shattering. The bigger the sheet, the bigger the problem. If the film is still slightly warm from being in a bag or vehicle, then you put the holder in the camera and expose, first, the temperature difference can cause it to warp slightly, then it very quickly becomes cold and brittle, you push the darkslide back in, it catches the film and you almost hear a little tinkle as it all shatters. Even if the film is fully acclimatized before you put it in, this can still happen - not all the time, but it's happened enough times over the years.

Really, the gear has stood up fine most of the time (and I find LF less fiddly than 35mm to use in the cold). It's mainly the effect of the cold on the user.

Feel free to ask me if you have any particular questions.