# Using 1DX in very low temperatures



## smi (Dec 8, 2012)

Dear all, I will be visiting Moscow next week, and temperatures are extremely low (around -10 to -15 degrees C or 14 to 5 degrees F). I am wondering whether I should get my 1D X with me. Is there a chance to cause some damage to the camera or lenses? Thank you..


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## ecka (Dec 8, 2012)

-10°C to -15°C are not extreme temperatures for Moscow. -20°C to -40°C are 
However, Canon's recommended working temperature range is 32-104°F/0-40°C


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## thethieme (Dec 8, 2012)

Shouldn't be a problem. I've used both my 7D and 1D4 in -20°C without any issues more than that the battery doesn't last as long as in warmer temperatures.. Just think of all the sports photographers that shoot skiing and snowboarding.  But as ecka said, Canon does not recommend going below 0°C. Don't know why though, maybe someone else has an answer for that? 

Edit: If I couldn't take my camera out when temperatures drops below 0°C, I would not be able to use it for 3-4 months every year. It gets cold in here in Sweden.


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## lonelywhitelights (Dec 8, 2012)

I've used a 7D in similar temperatures in Iceland and never had any problems - just make sure you have an extra battery - or two! =D


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## Kernuak (Dec 8, 2012)

Ole Jorgen Lioden once did a review on the 7D and referred to use in the arctic. In that review, he compared to his 1Ds MkIII and 5D MkIIs and 40Ds used by others. He commented that the 40D and 5D MkII were apt to failing in the extreme temperatures, but his 1Ds MkIII and the 7D both coped without problems (he even dropped his 1DsMkIII in the Arctic Ocean). For the actual review, he used the 7D in deep snow, where it was actually covered in snow. I would therefore say that the 1D X shouldn't have any problems, as it is at least as weather sealed as the 1Ds MkIII and moreso than the 7D.


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## SwissBear (Dec 8, 2012)

From a physical point of view:
- don't expose your equipment to rapid temperature changes
- the air inside your equipment should be very dry - else it might condesate/deposit and cause harm

So keep your equipment far away from the bathroom and when going outside, keep your stuff the first (half) hour in its bag...


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 8, 2012)

lonelywhitelights said:


> I've used a 7D in similar temperatures in Iceland and never had any problems - just make sure you have an extra battery - or two! =D



I've used a 7D in near-zero (Fahrenheit) temps. After a while (hours), the transmissive LCD (AF point display) stops working, but it's fine when the camera warms back up. Canon stated that they engineered the 1D X's transmissive LCD for better performance in extreme cold. 

Keep the spare battery in an inner pocket, close to your body. 

One accessory to consider would be the anti-fog eyepiece.


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## thethieme (Dec 8, 2012)

SwissBear said:


> From a physical point of view:
> - don't expose your equipment to rapid temperature changes
> - the air inside your equipment should be very dry - else it might condesate/deposit and cause harm
> 
> So keep your equipment far away from the bathroom and when going outside, keep your stuff the first (half) hour in its bag...



I also read somewhere that you can put your gear in a sealed plastic bag before going inside and leave it there until it's at room temperature to prevent condensation.


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## Viggo (Dec 8, 2012)

It can take it, trust me, lately i've taken it out in -25 celcius and into +25 inside several times a day' no problem! But wait until is more normal temp before opening and changing lenses, but i've also done that with no issues.

In Norway -10 is what we have in April, snow in May happens... I myself went out in -43 once, that was cold though ;D


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## JPAZ (Dec 8, 2012)

Let me echo the comment about the plastic bag. If you come in out of the cold, condensation can develop within the camera (weather sealing is not the same as absolute seal) and upon going back out, the moisture will turn to ice. This can be avoided by using the bag for 20-30 minutes when changing temperature.

Don't know about the 1DX, but I've used a 50D in -30 (shooting the Aurora). I concur that the battery life can be decreased and one should keep extra batteries in a pocket near your body. The only issue I had was that after about an hour, the camera seemed to "die." I was a bit concerned, but once coming out of the cold, it came back to life and worked flawlessly for the next two years (camera since sold to help finance the 5DDiii).

Also note that the media can potentially be an issue. I shot the Northern Lights with Sandisk Extreme III CF cards because they are rated to work at such a low temperature. I don't know if this mattered but know I was not going to have another opportunity.


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## dpollitt (Dec 8, 2012)

smi said:


> Dear all, I will be visiting Moscow next week, and temperatures are extremely low (around -10 to -15 degrees C or 14 to 5 degrees F). I am wondering whether I should get my 1D X with me. Is there a chance to cause some damage to the camera or lenses? Thank you..



*Note:* That is _not_ extremely low temperatures. 

The lenses, you have nothing to worry about. I'm assuming you have mostly L glass(ie sealed lenses). If you don't then that may be a concern, but probably not unless you get snow into them.

The body, you shouldn't worry about either. The main LCD screen may slow down a bit, and the secondary screen could even stop working temporarily, but I doubt it on a 1D X, it is designed for this. 

The biggest concern should be your batteries. Make sure you have a few with you, and try to keep the ones not in use near your body so they stay warmer. Rotate them in an out of the area near your body and into the camera. Has worked great for me for years in a much colder climate.


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## Quasimodo (Dec 8, 2012)

Kernuak said:


> Ole Jorgen Lioden once did a review on the 7D and referred to use in the arctic. In that review, he compared to his 1Ds MkIII and 5D MkIIs and 40Ds used by others. He commented that the 40D and 5D MkII were apt to failing in the extreme temperatures, but his 1Ds MkIII and the 7D both coped without problems (he even dropped his 1DsMkIII in the Arctic Ocean). For the actual review, he used the 7D in deep snow, where it was actually covered in snow. I would therefore say that the 1D X shouldn't have any problems, as it is at least as weather sealed as the 1Ds MkIII and moreso than the 7D.



Where did he write this? I am norwegian and have one of his books, but I don't recall it there. Do you have a link?


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 8, 2012)

It was on his canonfieldreviews website, which is defunct now. Mirrored here:

http://laamc.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/7d-1-weather-sealing/


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## Quasimodo (Dec 8, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> It was on his canonfieldreviews website, which is defunct now. Mirrored here:
> 
> http://laamc.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/7d-1-weather-sealing/



Thanks


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## Kernuak (Dec 8, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> It was on his canonfieldreviews website, which is defunct now. Mirrored here:
> 
> http://laamc.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/7d-1-weather-sealing/


Thanks Neuro, I hadn't realised it had been mirrored. There was another article that I was thinking of, where he photographed his dog running through snow, but I don't think he mentioned the arctic (or rather the Antarctic) in that one thinking about it.


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## Nazareth (Dec 8, 2012)

I don't know abotu that cold, but I was shooting my 1DX for abotu 2 hours in aBOUT 20 Degree weather with no problems- My hands were forzen and the camera was very cold cold to touchj by the time I got back to the car. I know I didn't specifically answer yuour question for the 1DX but I have used my canon 7D in temperatures below 20 degrees f for abotu an hour at a tiem with no problems either- I have read before where some folks took those disposable handwarmer and kept them wrapped onto hte camera to help keep the camera warmish too- not sure if there's any truth to that- but might be worth checkign out too- plus they will help keep fingers warm and functional too


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## extremeinstability (Dec 8, 2012)

Used a 5D II a couple times in -25F for a while without issue. Left it out shooting a star trail basically all night at 0F. Only problems were getting frost caked on things and the LCD playing images really really slow.


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## Don Haines (Dec 9, 2012)

I used to use an Olympus OM-1 when I worked up north.... I liked it because the only thing that ran off batteries was the meter, and when the battery froze you could guess exposure and it still worked... and the temperatures...-65C, thats about -85F.

Shooting with a 60D in milder conditions (-25C), you quickly find that the lcd display screens stop working fairly soon. I kept the camera wrapped in a fleece blanket to keep it from cooling off to fast.... snap a few shots, then back into the insulation to slow down the heat loss... and once the lcd starts to freeze, I just gave up.

I had thought about making a foam "jacket" for the camera to slow down the heat loss, but never got around to it... but whatever you do, please don't put the camera under your coat to keep it warm because that is a very moist environment and will mean the end of the days shooting and lots of time spent afterwards drying things out.

I carry a hiking drybag with me to put the camera in before coming inside... squeeze out as much air as possible before coming in, let it warm up for an hour or so, then open it up to adjust to the room termperatures.... this gets rid of most of the condensation issues.

hope this helps...


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## pfletcher (Dec 10, 2012)

My wife comes from an area of China where the temperatures get to around -30C in winter. Used my 400D + 17-40 L with only 1 issue, battery didn't last as long. Other than that I had it around my neck for hours at these temperatures with no failures of any sort.

The only thing you need to do is make sure the camera is sealed into a plastic bag when you go from outside to inside. If you don't the change in temperature will cause the body to have water condensing all over them and fog on the front lens.


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## AJ (Dec 10, 2012)

I have used 300D, 400D, 20D and 7d while being outside at -20C to -30C all day long. None of the cameras failed.


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## Ryan708 (Dec 10, 2012)

I had my Rebel T1i with me for a 2 hour walk in the woods in 15-20 degree(f) and ther LCD got slow and dark, but never stopped working. I also was running a kit 18-55 IS lens and 55-250IS. switched between them a few times, kept the lens not in use in a baggie (to keep pocket lint out) in my outside coat pocket, so the lens would stay cold and dry and not fog. I have also shot multiple long exposures in a row in near zero(f) temps on a tripod with no probs


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## tapanit (Dec 10, 2012)

Last winter I did a little test and kept my 7D outdoors for over two weeks when temperature stayed below -20°C, most of the time closer to or below -30°C, taking pictures with remote control (using WFT-E5) every now and then, and it just kept working. It was hooked to AC power though, batteries would obviously have died in that time. I'm quite sure the 1DX is at least as tough.


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## Botts (Dec 10, 2012)

Haven't shot with my 6D in that cold yet, but I know that my 7D could take it. I don't think we've seen warmer than -10C in the last 2 weeks here!

I used the 7D more than a few times at -35C/-30f last year. I just left it in my camera bag when I came inside to slow down the warming process, which was probably more than I needed to do.

Here in Canada, we know that our fingers take cold less easily than our gear!


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## K3nt (Dec 12, 2012)

7D+winter = no problem. Last weekend I was out shooting some dog practise in deep snow and I fell over and completely buried my 7D in snow. Wiped it off and continued shooting.
The LCD "froze" after two hours but that didn't hamper shooting at all. Once it warmed up all was well.
I did let the camera dry out a little longer than normal after that snow immersion, but as it was very cold out and my gear was cold too nothing really stuck to the camera. Had the camera and lenses been warm I might have had an issue. It was about -17 degrees celsius at the time.


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## M.ST (Dec 12, 2012)

I used the 1D X and 1Ds Mark III a few hours in the range -30 and +45 celcius without any problems.


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## adhocphotographer (Dec 12, 2012)

I've used my 450D with kit lens at -20 ish, with kit lens, for hours, going in and out of shops/coffee houses in Montreal... it is still working 2 years later... It will be fine! 

There was an issue now i think about it... at the end of the day 9after walking around all day) the wheel stopped working... but it was fine again the next day...


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## sandymandy (Dec 12, 2012)

1DX is the top model and expected to be used in very harsh environments so dont worry.


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