Cameras in 20 below?

What do I need to worry about when taking a Nikon D80 into -20 to -40 temps?
Hope to get some shots of wolves in Dec/Jan in the Lamar Valley. Worried the cold could freeze the LCD display
I'd like to keep my camera & lenses in the unheated portion of the truck so lenses aren't trying to reach thermal equilibrium, but I don't want to damage my equipment.
Any problems with fogging lenses? Any suggestions on how to prevent it.
(Sorry if this has been asked a million times. I didn't find info using search, etc.)

if you keep them in thermal equalibrium, they wont fog unless exposed to warmer moist air (your breath) be very aware of where you aim your breath

consider an anti-fog eyepiece

you will need to keep your batteries warm and have extra batteries. if you are going to do a lot of shooting, look for an external battery pack that you can keep in your clothes (has a wire to the camera)

Do I need to worry about destroying the LCD viewer on the camera body?

The LCD may cease to function during the coldest cold, but I wouldn't think that it would be destroyed... I've only used my 20D down to -15F

Thanks for the advice. I've read many of your posts & always appreciate your knowledge.

You won't kill the LCD. It'll stop working but you won't kill it at those temps.

That was (is) a major concern. I can probably figure out most of the other details, but was worried about the LCD.

I cracked an LCD screen (B&W/ grayscreen, not color) on an MP3 player in around 5 degree F weather.

Are camera LCDs sturdier?

agree with suggestions above and the concern about LCDs, and have one suggestion: if it's that cold, consider bringing a mechanical backup, like an old Nikon FM. you can get them pretty cheaply now.

i've successfully used an FM2n in up to -50 below (it got colder but i wasn't taking photos). it was the only camera i had.

that said, 2 friends with digital P&S cameras had no trouble at that temp (to my dismay, as i left mine at home). they kept the cameras in an inner pocket until the moment of truth.

perhaps you would run into more issues with the D80 and if you are leaving it exposed for longer periods of time. for sure, i would think the battery might be an issue. you can basically shut the LCD off, no? (i now have a D70 but have not been in that cold weather with it.)

the old-school manual might be nice for you to have as a back-up just in case nothing else works -- if this is a spot that you can't easily return to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MtnM

What do I need to worry about when taking a Nikon D80 into -20 to -40 temps?

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The rated minimum operating temperature for a D80 is 32f, so don't EXPECT it to function properly below 32f. Same for memory cards. I'm not saying it won't function properly, just don't be surprised when little problems start cropping up here and there.

It's one thing to work out of a vehicle because you can probably prevent it from freezing...so its no big deal.

It's a completely different matter altogether for the camera body to be exposed to extreme cold temps for a prolonged period of time (like unprotected at -60f overnight)...allowing your cam to become hard frozen.

Do not allow it to become hard frozen or you could very easily experience a bunch of problems...like the shutter/mirror moving really slow, broken lens mounts, etc. The colder it gets, and the longer the exposure time, the more likely it will be that you will have problems if you operate the camera under those conditions.

As far as older manual film cameras (Nikon FM, for example), same thing applies, except that for prolonged sub-zero exposure they need to be winterized, which involves re-lubing with a lighter weight oil. Also, film can become very brittle when frozen.

Lenses. Lens aperture blades can freeze causing sluggish behavior, so don't allow your lenses to become too frozen either.

Have some extra WARM batts.

Now, read this:

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

-Astro

I have used my D70s in <32F, My lowe pro fanny pack is pretty well insulated/padded and I tape a chemical hand heaty pad to the battery compartment and throw the other in the bottom of the pack (under the lens)and it has worked pretty good.

I've used my digital slr's down to -20f. Batteries were pissed and didn't last long but the camera functioned fine aside from a slow lcd...