Cameras in the Snow

[modern_messiah 0]

Hi all,

 

I'll be traveling to Hakuba in February 2009 and it will be my first time in the snow. I am a keen amateur photographer/filmographer (is that a word?) and will obviously taking many pictures along with video while on the slopes.

 

My question is from people's personal experience how does 'normal' equipment hold up on the snow? The reason I ask is obviously cost related. I have some gear now but will be upgrading before I leave and I don't really want to fork out the cash for a shock/water proof camera when a normal of the self consumer grade camera will do the trick.

 

How do these devices handle the cold? Does the snow effect them much or only when it melts and water gets everywhere?

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not filming HD quality video and putting together a hollywood grade film, but I do put a lot of time into my work and I want it to look as good as I expect.

 

I will be filming while riding at some point as well so there is a good chance it may end up in the snow with me.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers.

 

- Matt

[muikabochi 208]

Hi Mattaus

 

My cameras hold up really well. With the DSLR I have it in a small rucksack on my back and get it out where and when. The cybershot isn't in a special case so I am just careful not to drop it in the snow. I sometimes have to get the battery out to warm it up after a long day but other than that not had any problems.

 

You can see lots of my pics here:

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/photo_section.php?userid=muikabochi

 

Hope you'll be able to share some of your pics on SJ too

[thursday 1]

muika has done a lot of a vids and photos. Maybe you should get some tips from muika for some very good vids and stills.

 

Mine are pretty crap.

[snowdude 44]

I always take my camera up on the slopes, and like Muikabochi stick it in my rucksack or simply stuff it inside my jacket on a good day, never had any problems. Even used it when it has been dumping, but very briefly. Unless you plan to take a lot of pics when it is dumping with snow then I don't think you need any special cases.

I believe the cameras do have a recommended minimum and max temp that you should use them in, which may very considerably depending on the make and model.

 

Strangly enough sometimes it is the more expensive cameras that are less resistant to adverse conditions due to the more refined parts used in them.

[JA2340 16]

matt,

I have had my Olympus mu800 with me for each of my 3 (so far) trips to Japow. It has not skipped a beat, being out in all sorts of weather (OK not in a blizzard, but I wouldn't even take ME out in that!!) and used at max resolution and also video.

 

I, like the rest of people here, keep it reasonably warm while sliding, take it out when I want and return it to the jacket pocket when finished. I keep 2 spare batteries at "home" and a charger, so I am never short of power on the slopes. I have a couple of shots on here, (clicky) hope to do more this trip.

[macmeh 0]

Matt

 

I use a little Sony cybershot without a protective case. It has survived to date, though it sometimes fogs up a bit on the lense if it's coming in and out of my jacket too much.

 

Even survived a couple of yard sales last year...

 

Too many pictures of the snow around here- I'm not going to get anything done at work today...

[modern_messiah 0]

Ah sweet. Looking very good for the purchase of my Panasonic TZ-15 now I might try and find a silicon case for it just...in case lol.

 

I never really intended on carrying out and about all the time. I just couldn't find any details on its operating temps so I figured I'd ask and see if people's gear just died cause of the weather or not.

 

So far I have no qualms what-so-ever.

 

PS. And you will defnitely see alot of any photos I take on here somewhere thats for sure. Provided I stop Snowboarding enough to take some

[SnowJapan.Com#4 5]

We'll look forward to that Mattaus.

 

My little camera has a "sports cover" that while not underwater waterproof is supposed to be suited for places like snow and splashing around.

[2pints-mate 0]

My camera died on the snow. I've heard tons of people say it's good and ok but ---- be careful!

[alexeiw123 2]

i'm just looking at purchasing an Olympus Tough 1030SW because i wont be worried about putting it in my pocket and falling on it. plus it is suitable to -10ºC and i can use it at or in the beach here at home.

 

dont think there is a compact otu there as durable as this... suppose that doesnt really answer your question on wether your existing camera will be fine, but thats what i'm doing.

[thursday 1]

it gets colder than -10. It's the batteries you have to worry about.

[Kumapix 0]

your existing compact will be fine. if you keep it out for long periods, ie reviewing pics on the lift, then the battery will die sooner than usual. if you drop it in the snow it won't explode.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Not usually anyway.

[spook 0]

muika, thurs, kuma and others - what backpack set-up do you use to ride around with a SLR?

and what lens do you guys use most of the time on the snow?

[thursday 1]

Last season I got myself one of these.

 

A Dakine Sequence. It's pretty big. I used it as my carry-on bag on my flight too.

 

 

I have this on my D200, 24-70

It's 'kin heavy.

[muikabochi 208]

I use 2 cameras - one is a sony cybershot from a few years ago and the other is a DSLR. I only take out my DSLR on fine sunny days and I make sure I don't fall over.

 

Mostly I just point and shoot, but I really enjoy it. I like trees too.

 

[muikabochi 208]

Will you be taking lots this season fine sir (yes, you thursday)

 

I plan to annoy tree and scenic shot haters EVEN MORE this year.

[hipsterandjane 0]

I take my Canon powershot (letternumber something or another) out with me most of the time. I bought a little pelican case for it. It makes it a little bulkier, but I do not have to worry about it getting wet at all when I am not using it. Also when I fall, I don't have to worry about landing on the camera (just about landing on the rock hard pelican case and cracking a rib )

[spook 0]

nice images thursday. hmmm, that backpack seems a little melodramatic for me.

i've got a 55-250mm lens for my canon that i was thinking would be nice.

just thinking of best options for carting it around. maybe just camera case snugly into a decent backpack would do the trick

[thursday 1]

spook, yes, a bit OTT for me. I think the sequence is really a serious pack.

[thursday 1]

muika fine sir, I'll try my best to get some nice ones too.

[thursday 1]

intersting hipsterandJane, I thought those pelican cases were the dark rubber/kevlar bullet proof boxes that Securicor carry around.

[spook 0]

yeah, they're very chunky. i use one in the boat for camera gear. they're quite heavy too

[thursday 1]

the prob with compacts is the shutter delay from when you press the release button. Some are dreadful. If you want to catch a jump or something, you either have to anticipate or miss.

 

And shooting while it's snowing large flakes like the Niseko brand of snow, you'll inadvertently get large white blobs even if you're trying to avoid them.

 

Hence a DSLR is nice to have handy, the relaease is instantaneous enough to avoid the blob as it were.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I get blobs, but I am going for COMPACT.

 

I bought a new camera for trip mid year because I had a nasty fall with my thicker camera in my top left hand pocket. The fall itself was run of the mill n00b splat, but the camera slamming into my boob was not.

 

It hurt.

 

I also had ongoing problems that required invasive tests and treatments. So to avoid that in the future, I got the lowest profile camera I could find. It is only an 8 megapixel thing, but the shots are good enough for my purposes and I am unlikely to do damage if I fall on it.

 

Had not trouble with this one in the snow, but the previous thicker one ocassionally got too cold and shut itself off. After a short while in the jacket warming up it came back.