by wildernesswanderer » Tue 02 Oct, 2012 6:34 pm
Wow where to start.
You have to be careful with the camera to start with, The plastic will go brittle if your in the cold to long and things like battery doors or card doors can snap off in the cold. Condensation in the camera can effect the sensor and I have seen sensors with mould growing on them. One of the thing you need to do is watch sudden temperature changes, like being in freezing cold and then going back to a tent or somewhere much warmer and pulling the camera out. Usually if going from very cold to warm you would put your camera into a ziplock bag and just leave it in it's case for a few hours so the camera gradually warms back up.
Batteries are a major hassle. You will get the best cold-weather performance from non-rechargeable batteries. If you’re going the rechargeable route, you can expect to get the best cold-weather performance from lithium-ion batteries, followed by NiCad, followed by NiMH batteries. You need to keep batteries in your jacket as close to you as possible, no matter how charged they are if they get cold they die. An alternative approach to maintaining a constant flow of juice to your camera, when shooting in colder climes, is to power your camera with an AntonBauer ElipZ 10K Battery Kit. This keeps the battery on you and a cord goes to the camera to power it.
Do not use cheap memory cards, pro cards are rated to -30 or so. I use Lexar Professional 1000x cards, but it's a personal thing with cards. I had a couple of Sandisks fail me and swapped over and I've never has a Pro Lexar cards do the same.
You will need a tripod and if you use aluminum be very careful in cold temperatures or you will never get you hand off it again. Use leg warmers if possible or better yet use Carbon Fibre. Of the same for lens barrels if they are metal, you can get neoprene lens coats for lenses to stop the barrels getting freezing cold also.
I also would recommend a Pelican case to store your camera gear in and have it full of silicon gel to help rid moisture in the case.
Hope that helps a bit