V1U in cold & high altitude
 

Does anyone have experience with the V1U in cold and/or high altitude conditions? The average temperature where I'm thinking about going will be around 32°F (0°C) and I'm not sure if it's necessary or worthwhile to buy a Polarbrace Polar Mitten. Being just at the freezing point, not sure if its necessary as long as the camera's not spending hours sitting in the cold.

Any thoughts?

Cold Weather
 

Ive put my V1u thru a good amount of wet and cold eviroments and it has worked flawlessly. I made a waterproof cover out of rain pants and I keep an umbrella for harder rain. When i bring the camera in from the cold I leave it in the bag to warm slowly to reduce condensation. I dont think elevation will be a factor. You can always use pockets inside of a cover for warmth to help the battery life, but I haven't seen a great reduction in this.
Garry

Thanks for the info Garry. I've got a KATA rain cover and had planned to line it with a few layers of fleece lining just to be safe. In case cold became an issue. In any case I've got a few backup batteries, but get good life off of each one (between 6 and 8 hours). My main concern was for dropouts or complete failure of the camera due to freezing, or below freezing, temperatures.

Something you will have to be aware of is the potential for the grease / lubricants to change. Their viscosity will be affected by the low temperatures. I'm not too sure what the cut-off point is (temperature wise) for this to be an issue.

It is possible - should you need - to have cameras custom assembled at the Sony factory with the appropriate alternate lubricants for these temperatures. Part of the fun is to ensure that they are kept in refrigeration from that point until they get to the destination for shooting use.

Andrew