Tripods in cold conditions (-10c to -35c)
Discussion
I am looking at going on a northern lights trip next year, and the weather conditions in certain areas appear to get somewhat cold. I am trying to get a Gitzo Carbon tripod at some point, but am not sure this trip is a suitable use for it. I have heard of carbon tripods having issues in cold weather, but am not sure if that's really all that true. Can anyone advise?
Same - Northern Lights / North Norway coast in December. I have just got a Manfrotto befree. Much lighter and more compact than my 055 monster. There is nothing in the Manfrotto brochure about temperatures. Personally I wouldn't be concerned with either aluminium or carbon fibre in those temps. I'd be more worried about the camera / lenses. Having dicked about in -15c afew times in Sweden I'd be more concerned about me in much less than that!
I had a carbon manfrotto in use in Tromso for northern lights and Yellowstone in winter with the legs into deep snow and no problems with the tripod. Did have issues with the camera, weird button behaviour in Tromso, some didn't work, others did actions that should have been on others, made changing settings interesting/not possible. In Yellowstone I had major condensation issues after being around the geysers and then in and out of the snow coach, fortunately kept things warm enough to not freeze but missed out on some shots while it cleared.
Probably a good idea to be gentle with a carbon pod just in case as they are supposed to be more prone to shattering when cold. OTOH you don't want to freeze yourself to a very cold aluminium pod
Probably a good idea to be gentle with a carbon pod just in case as they are supposed to be more prone to shattering when cold. OTOH you don't want to freeze yourself to a very cold aluminium pod
Used them down to -40 without a problem. One thing that's easy to forget is when you've had it outside for a period of time - it'll be cold, very cold so don't forget to wear gloves when putting it into and taking it out of any vehicle.
I did find that the lubrication oil made adjusting it a tad harder to turn the knobs.
As folks have said - keep the battery in your shirt or trouser pocket until you need it.
I did find that the lubrication oil made adjusting it a tad harder to turn the knobs.
As folks have said - keep the battery in your shirt or trouser pocket until you need it.
checkmate91 said:
Decent pair of gloves
Actually you would be better off with a decent pair of mittens and glove liners. Mittens allow you to move your fingers and make a fist within the mitten and the fingers can share their heat. Glove liners will make things a lot warmer and give you a degree of protection and dexterity when trying to handle the camera. Once you get to the really cold temps you have to be very careful of frostbite, it can be very quick and by the time you realise your fingers are getting cold it may be too late.ViperDave said:
Actually you would be better off with a decent pair of mittens and glove liners. Mittens allow you to move your fingers and make a fist within the mitten and the fingers can share their heat. Glove liners will make things a lot warmer and give you a degree of protection and dexterity when trying to handle the camera. Once you get to the really cold temps you have to be very careful of frostbite, it can be very quick and by the time you realise your fingers are getting cold it may be too late.
Hehe, I've been out but, yep strongly agree. Ron Hill running gloves as inners are ace...Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff