EX1 Minimum Operating Temp

[Olof Ekbergh]

I shoot a lot outside in the winter.

Including the top of Mount Washington, home of the worlds worst weather (top windspeed world record 232mph). I have shot in -35℉ and 90 mph wind up there, it takes two people to hold down the tripod.

I have a PortaBrace Polar Pack I use for my EX3 and it has pockets for hand warmers. I got it originally for my DSR500 10 years ago or so. I still use it a lot it fits the EX3 great a bit big but that is nice, great place to keep your hands when shooting in the cold.

Lots of room for the NanoFlash too.

[Frank Casanova]

Paul... In an effort to not create condesation, overnight the EX1 was kept in an enclosed garage which was still warm throughout the evening...Therefore the camera never had a chance to cool down from the days shooting. The camera wouldn't boot up until about 11pm when it finally cooled down a bit. We were out on the water of Laguna Madre Bay in South Padre Island, Texas in July. Usually 100 degrees by noon with 98% humidity. By about 1pm to 2pm the camera would shut down everyday. I'm guessing that since it runs hot, it would start the day from a warm beginning point and then it didn't take long to reach the point of the shut down. The first two days of shooting were fine. It wasn't until the last 4 days did I have the problem, which says the heat was building up each day. Next time I might not store it over night in the warm garage, but insteady bring it into the air cond. to cool down and do a slow step introduction to the outside air the next morning with it in a bag filled with dessicant packs.

[Paul Cronin]

Frank that is a problem have you told Sony and had it checked? Not a good thing to loose shots due to a overheated camera.

Olof wow that is one cold place. I have been up there in the summer with snow. The most dangerous small mountain in the world. How did you stay warm?

[Olof Ekbergh]

Paul,

When the weather is that nasty, you only go out for a few minutes at a time.

And you stay real close to the Observatory entrance. You can get lost in a whiteout where you sometimes cant even see your feet.

A few rules on clothing are. No cotton, lots of layers, crampons on your boots, keep extra gloves handy in a pocket, if yours blow away. A really sturdy jacket with hood. I also carry lots of heat packs for me and the camera.

I was up there shooting just a week ago, there was about 2-8" of rime ice on everything, but it was 50℉ and no wind. I got some nice shots. That would have been a nice day in August, very unusual.

Current conditions:

[Alister Chapman]

Mt Washington in the winter is on my list of places to visit. It is a wild place! I'm jealous!

[Olof Ekbergh]

Anyone interested in Mt Washington, can check my webcam. This is the view from our studio. Looking at the Presidentials from the south.

Westside A V Studios WEBcam

Today it is in the clouds. There is a time-lapse link there as well that shows a whole year.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks for sharing the timelaps Olof. Let me know how much warmer we are only a few hours South. Hope to see you this winter.

Do you have the right angle SDI cables up on your site yet?

[Ian Planchon]

I shot with mine for 10 days on the iditarod. the coldest temp was -35f. The only problem I had was the LCD getting sluggish, like Alister pointed out. the solution was taping hand warmers to the viewfinder. This camera will take a beating too, had it in a pelican case (witout padding, just wrapped in a jacket) strapped to the back of my snowmachine, there were a couple trips where it got beat up pretty bad, and the only thing that happened was some paint chipped off.
I am really impressed with the camera.

[Paul Cronin]

Ian that is a great test for the camera not just the cold but the banging around shock load. Sounds like a fun gig.

[Olof Ekbergh]

I was out shooting all day today at Santa's Village, it is in Jefferson NH. But it may as well have been the North Pole.

It was 5℉ when we started but it went up to almost 30℉ by the end of the shoot. By then it was snowing pretty heavily with rain and sleet mixed in. Lots of it horizontal. I went through a lot of micro weave rags.

I was shooting with the new EX1R, I could not use the NanoFlash, because my Swit batteries are not here yet. I was only using a clear garbage bag to keep the snow off the EX1R. But it behaved perfectly. The large Sony batts lasted about 2 hrs each. I keep the camera on full time when in the cold. And I was not using heat pads on the batts. I had the Polar pack with me, but I did not use it. I wanted to see how the EX1R would do. I give it an A+. I shot 2 hrs on the SxS cards in about 8 hrs of running and gunning. I checked the footage when I got back, and it is all fine.

I was using my new shoulder brace when shooting the reindeer, it worked really well. It snaps right on or off in about 2 seconds and only adds about 6 oz to the cam. With the steady shot on the shots came out nice and fluid for such a light cam.

Snow looks great in slomo.

Paul, give me a call tomorrow about the SDI cables. I can make them, and I have all the fittings. I am just trying to decide how to sell them on the website. I can make them any size, with one or both ends 90º. I also have 90º connectors in stock.

[Robert Hollingworth]

I've shot mine down in Antarctica near the pole and it's been fine. Had it in a Polar jacket which as much was for my own hands as the camera's well-being. Batteries hold up surprisingly well (can't comment on Swit stuff, just the proper Sony batteries). Did get problems with snow getting in switches and jamming their position after a 120knot wind for 3 days, but I guess that's to be expected. It coped perfectly - a stunning camera and the ideal cold weather camera as it's solid state and energy efficient, plus you can charge the batteries easily from solar panels unlike their V-lock sisters...

Rob
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www.roberthollingworth.co.uk