Photography in the freezing cold!

[Asher Kelman]

People take pictures of snow??

Jim,

Funny you asked!

I have been wondering about using lenses with shutters in cold places like Antartica. So obviously one could use barrel lenses with no shutters.

What LF shutters still work in subzero conditions?

Asher

[Gordon Moat]

Any Copal should still function, though it might be a good idea to exercise it first. Refer to the Shackelton (spelling?) expedition to see large format in Antarctica. Probably the worst things to deal with would be static and wind. I would worry more about newer style bellows cracking than having shutter problems.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

[vinny]

[QUOTE=Gordon Moat;313453]Any Copal should still function, though it might be a good idea to exercise it first.

I always hire a personal trainer to work with my shutters before heading out in the cold. Three sets of 10@1/2 second followed by 3 sets of 10@ 1 second.

[Eric James]

...Probably the worst things to deal with would be static and wind...Gordon Moat Photography

...and fogging/freezing under the cloth. I use a CPR rescue mask fitted with a exhaust tube tunneled out through the right arm of my Black Jacket. Works like a charm, and the ladies really like the look - especially when I'm wearing my 7+ diopter reading glasses.

[Alan Davenport]

In really extreme cold, you should ensure that there is NO lubricant of any kind inside the shutter. Run it dry and accept any resulting wear; it's the lubricants that congeal in the cold and slow things down.

[Asher Kelman]

In really extreme cold, you should ensure that there is NO lubricant of any kind inside the shutter. Run it dry and accept any resulting wear; it's the lubricants that congeal in the cold and slow things down.

How do you "run it dry"? Aren't they all lubricated already?

There must be lubricant that is designed for cold weather.

Asher

[Mick Fagan]

In the seventies the Australian Antarctic cameras that I saw. (I shared a house with an expedition member) had their Nikon shutters on their F cameras, cleaned of lubricant.

I believe that their LF cameras, (some were down there then) used Ilex shutters as they apparently are a dry, or non lubricated shutter, normally.

Mick.

[Gene McCluney]

How do you "run it dry"? Aren't they all lubricated already?

There must be lubricant that is designed for cold weather.

Asher

You can have the lubricant flushed out with zero residue contact cleaner.

[Ole Tjugen]

How do you "run it dry"? Aren't they all lubricated already?

There must be lubricant that is designed for cold weather.

Asher

Graphite is the only thing that works, but dry is usually better. The Norwegian Army runs the rifles dry in winter, it's the only way to get them to work at -40!

[tim atherton]

I've never bothered with any of that and never had a problem. I've photographed down to about -42c and I can tell you, I eventually start to slow down and freeze up before the camera does...

(btw - the modern fabric type bellows found on Canhams, Phillips or from Camera Bellows, + the plasticy looking ones from Toyo do just fine. I've seen other modern bellows crack, and leather ones - usually because of the dressing/treatments get as stiff as hell. I've also had film shatter into a thousand pieces then I put the darkslide back in...)