Arctic shooting with DVX-100A at DVinfo.net

Magnus Helander · March 22nd, 2005, 04:54 PM

I have an assignment to document an event far north of the arctic circle in Sweden, 120 people spending four days in the snow. They want the activites during the days documented and a DVD production to all participants.

If anyone who has been shooting with the DVX-100A in very cold and very sunny+snow conditions would share some experiences it would be great.

Expecting temperatures all the way from -15C /5F evenings/bad weather, and then possibly to 0C / 32F during daytime in the sun.

I have the portabrace Polar Mitten
http://www.portabrace.com/asp/ProdDesc.asp?DescCode=PRM
with the heatpacks.

Mainly worrying about condensation, and the best way to get rid of it when/if it happens. Someone suggested compressed air from a spray can - if nothing else works?

Batteries I will wear next to body - I don't expect the ursual 4+ hrs of recording time.

Is the max ND enough for snow+clear skies or would I possibly need a separate ND?
Polarizer I got - blue skies, white snow, postcard pictures.
Yes, I will be flying helicopter :) And I'll post some clips here with experiences from the shoot.

/ Magnus

Magnus Helander · April 6th, 2005, 06:16 AM

The arctic glove arrived today .. designers at PortaBrace must have had a field day when designing this, minimum 50% velco and zillions of straps. There's even an opening for attaching the Paglight on top. Very well done.

http://www.modernafilmer.se/arctic_glove.jpg

Initial tests indicate it's extremely warm and not suitable for indoor use ;)

/magnus

Jim Sofranko · April 6th, 2005, 08:50 PM

Please let us know how this oven mitt works out for you. I 'd be interested in how well it works and how much battery consumption it uses in the cold.

Thanks.

Rush Hamden · April 12th, 2005, 08:29 PM

Magnus, best of luck, stay safe, and please let me know how the mitten works, since you were the first person to ever buy it from me : )

Magnus Helander · April 18th, 2005, 05:26 PM

I'm back from the mountains - all in one piece.
Everything worked out fine, and I had no problems with the equipment.

Here is an image taken with the Nikon 5900 to give you an idea of
the environment http://www.modernafilmer.se/kebne.jpg

Some reflections..
The polar mitten does not have an 'airlock' behind/on the zipper connecting the right hand glove to the camera body. The zipper is needed to change tapes - but the wind blows through it and it gets very cold for an unprotected hand. It should be possible to glue a strip of soft windproof material along the inside of the zipper to fix this.

The zoom knob needs to be removed or it will jam the zoom against the polar mitten.

The eyepiece has to be removed to prevent condensation on the viewfinder - but the polar mitten has a good replacement "built-in"

The mitten is windproof but not waterproof - use spray-on water repellant impregnation.

I used flip-top "sniper gloves" for the left hand which is needed from time to time to switch focus from manual to auto and to operate the ND-switch. The polar mitten has openings which enables you to reach the wb/iris/ND/focus switch. I had f16 with maximum ND and a polarizer most of the time - the DVX managed very well with no burn-outs.

Battery time was surprisingly good with something like two hours per battery in -10c and strong winds.

From time to time I had the DVX mounted on a DV-rig pro and since the zipper under the camera has three "shoes" there were no problems in mounting the plate on the camera and then attaching it on the DV-rig with the mitten on.

Le me know if you need a photographer for any polar / skiing adventures and I'm on my way to the airport. You'll find some footage here in a few weeks.

Rush - thanks for the express shipment of the polar mitten - it cleared customs without a hitch since all documents were in order. I can imagine you don't get to sell too many of those mittens to insane mountain-photographers ;)

/magnus

Jim Sofranko · April 18th, 2005, 06:08 PM

Magnus - Sounds as if you put it through some exciting and rigorous testing. Glad to hear it all went well and the DVX with the mitten performed as promised. The photo gave me a chill just looking at it.

Did you get many sunny days? The f16 at maximum ND sounds a little scary. Notice any abberations at that stop?

Thanks for posting your experiences.

Rush Hamden · April 18th, 2005, 07:58 PM

Hi Magnus, I am glad all went well for you, and that you are back in good health. No toes frozen off!

That is a nice photo, reminds me of Boston (just kidding!) but it is probably the same temperature.

I am going to send this link to Portabrace, they are a very receptive company, and they may actually be able to modify their design to compensate for the wind getting into the cassette changing slot.

Were you using the 5-hour or 10-hour batteries (2800mah or 5400mah) to get 2 hrs?

Yves Fortin · April 27th, 2005, 09:26 AM

Hi Magnus, I hope you had a good shooting, I leave in Canada and did some shootings in the -25/-30° C + wind and I had no problem except the LCD is not really working and the viewfinder not perfectly acurate all the time. The Pana 5400 battery did pretty well, more than 2 hours in those conditions. I always have mitten but I also have some climbing glove when I need to play with the adjustments of the camera.

When can we see some clips.

March 22nd, 2005, 04:54 PM	#1
Magnus Helander Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 221	Arctic shooting with DVX-100A I have an assignment to document an event far north of the arctic circle in Sweden, 120 people spending four days in the snow. They want the activites during the days documented and a DVD production to all participants. If anyone who has been shooting with the DVX-100A in very cold and very sunny+snow conditions would share some experiences it would be great. Expecting temperatures all the way from -15C /5F evenings/bad weather, and then possibly to 0C / 32F during daytime in the sun. I have the portabrace Polar Mitten http://www.portabrace.com/asp/ProdDesc.asp?DescCode=PRM with the heatpacks. Mainly worrying about condensation, and the best way to get rid of it when/if it happens. Someone suggested compressed air from a spray can - if nothing else works? Batteries I will wear next to body - I don't expect the ursual 4+ hrs of recording time. Is the max ND enough for snow+clear skies or would I possibly need a separate ND? Polarizer I got - blue skies, white snow, postcard pictures. Yes, I will be flying helicopter :) And I'll post some clips here with experiences from the shoot. / Magnus __________________ Magnus Helander, Crossmediageek on G+

April 6th, 2005, 06:16 AM	#2
Magnus Helander Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 221	Got the glove... The arctic glove arrived today .. designers at PortaBrace must have had a field day when designing this, minimum 50% velco and zillions of straps. There's even an opening for attaching the Paglight on top. Very well done. http://www.modernafilmer.se/arctic_glove.jpg Initial tests indicate it's extremely warm and not suitable for indoor use ;) /magnus __________________ Magnus Helander, Crossmediageek on G+

April 12th, 2005, 08:29 PM	#4
Rush Hamden Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Burbank, California Posts: 122	Magnus, best of luck, stay safe, and please let me know how the mitten works, since you were the first person to ever buy it from me : ) __________________ Want to get more from your hard-earned gear? Digital Cinema Filmmaking Course 24 hours of educational video on 16 DVDs, focused on filmmaking savvy, examples, demonstrations, and tips. Learn Scriptwriting, Formatting, Editing, Camera Operation, Lighting, Exposure, Audio, and Directing.

April 18th, 2005, 05:26 PM	#5
Magnus Helander Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 221	Back from mountains I'm back from the mountains - all in one piece. Everything worked out fine, and I had no problems with the equipment. Here is an image taken with the Nikon 5900 to give you an idea of the environment http://www.modernafilmer.se/kebne.jpg Some reflections.. The polar mitten does not have an 'airlock' behind/on the zipper connecting the right hand glove to the camera body. The zipper is needed to change tapes - but the wind blows through it and it gets very cold for an unprotected hand. It should be possible to glue a strip of soft windproof material along the inside of the zipper to fix this. The zoom knob needs to be removed or it will jam the zoom against the polar mitten. The eyepiece has to be removed to prevent condensation on the viewfinder - but the polar mitten has a good replacement "built-in" The mitten is windproof but not waterproof - use spray-on water repellant impregnation. I used flip-top "sniper gloves" for the left hand which is needed from time to time to switch focus from manual to auto and to operate the ND-switch. The polar mitten has openings which enables you to reach the wb/iris/ND/focus switch. I had f16 with maximum ND and a polarizer most of the time - the DVX managed very well with no burn-outs. Battery time was surprisingly good with something like two hours per battery in -10c and strong winds. From time to time I had the DVX mounted on a DV-rig pro and since the zipper under the camera has three "shoes" there were no problems in mounting the plate on the camera and then attaching it on the DV-rig with the mitten on. Le me know if you need a photographer for any polar / skiing adventures and I'm on my way to the airport. You'll find some footage here in a few weeks. Rush - thanks for the express shipment of the polar mitten - it cleared customs without a hitch since all documents were in order. I can imagine you don't get to sell too many of those mittens to insane mountain-photographers ;) /magnus __________________ Magnus Helander, Crossmediageek on G+ Last edited by Magnus Helander; April 18th, 2005 at 06:27 PM. Reason: spling

April 18th, 2005, 07:58 PM	#7
Rush Hamden Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Burbank, California Posts: 122	Hi Magnus, I am glad all went well for you, and that you are back in good health. No toes frozen off! That is a nice photo, reminds me of Boston (just kidding!) but it is probably the same temperature. I am going to send this link to Portabrace, they are a very receptive company, and they may actually be able to modify their design to compensate for the wind getting into the cassette changing slot. Were you using the 5-hour or 10-hour batteries (2800mah or 5400mah) to get 2 hrs? __________________ Want to get more from your hard-earned gear? Digital Cinema Filmmaking Course 24 hours of educational video on 16 DVDs, focused on filmmaking savvy, examples, demonstrations, and tips. Learn Scriptwriting, Formatting, Editing, Camera Operation, Lighting, Exposure, Audio, and Directing.

April 6th, 2005, 08:50 PM	#3
Jim Sofranko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Shokan, NY Posts: 217	Please let us know how this oven mitt works out for you. I 'd be interested in how well it works and how much battery consumption it uses in the cold. Thanks.

April 18th, 2005, 06:08 PM	#6
Jim Sofranko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Shokan, NY Posts: 217	Magnus - Sounds as if you put it through some exciting and rigorous testing. Glad to hear it all went well and the DVX with the mitten performed as promised. The photo gave me a chill just looking at it. Did you get many sunny days? The f16 at maximum ND sounds a little scary. Notice any abberations at that stop? Thanks for posting your experiences.

April 27th, 2005, 09:26 AM	#8
Yves Fortin Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Montreal, Qc Canada Posts: 40	Hi Magnus, I hope you had a good shooting, I leave in Canada and did some shootings in the -25/-30° C + wind and I had no problem except the LCD is not really working and the viewfinder not perfectly acurate all the time. The Pana 5400 battery did pretty well, more than 2 hours in those conditions. I always have mitten but I also have some climbing glove when I need to play with the adjustments of the camera. When can we see some clips.