This is the third part of my series on doing nature photography outdoors in cold, sub-zero temperatures, weather. In this series I go over the whys and hows of this type of photography. In other posts I describe how to dress to remain warm and comfortable for hours at these temps as well as why you might want to do this in the first place. In this post I will go through some considerations regarding camera gear.

Before getting into that however, I want to reiterate how important it is to be aware of the potential risks associated with being outside for extended periods in extreme cold. Hypothermia can kill, and it is not all that difficult to go from everything being fine and dandy, to finding yourself in a truly life threatening situation. So please make sure that you familiar with hypothermia, its symptoms and risks.

Now, on to the camera gear.

There are two primary considerations I have when it comes to selecting what camera gear I will take when going out in extreme cold.

One consideration is that everything I bring has to be operable while wearing my Alepo gloves. These gloves are warm enough for use on their own for short periods of time, while providing enough tactile feedback to be able to work the buttons and dials which are found on Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILCs). I do not use equipment which would require me to expose my hands and risk frostbite while handling cold metal objects. This rules out any gear which requires the use of a touch screen to operate. I know there are gloves which are supposed to be touch screen capable, but I do not feel that they are adequately warm for these conditions.

A second consideration is battery life. Most battery operated equipment will cease to function very quickly when the temperatures drop into the single digits and below. It is not that their batteries run out or lose charge. Rather the internal resistance in the battery increases as temperatures drop which prevents them from being able to output enough current to power the device. Once the battery warms back up it will operate as normal. One way around this limitation is to carry spare batteries and store them in an inner pocket, close to the body where they will remain warm. Then when a cold battery stops functioning it can be swapped for a warm one. The cold battery can then be put back in the inner pocket where it will warm back up and be ready when the other one gets too cold… In this way you can simply keep swapping batteries back and forth, though doing so does require you to access inner pockets and allow cold air inside your outer layers.

ICL Cameras Vs. Point And Shoots

Both of the above considerations lead to the general conclusion that a DSLR or Mirrorless ICL camera will be the best option for taking photographs in extreme cold. Their controls are generally large enough, and spaced far enough apart to be easily used while wearing less bulky gloves. Point and shoot style cameras tend to have much smaller controls and rely more on the use of a touch screen interface to be used with any type of gloves. Additionally, the batteries used in most ICL cameras can tolerate low temperatures much better than the typically smaller and lower capacity batteries found in point and shoot style cameras.

In my case I carry a Nikon Z6 II as my main camera. So far I have encountered absolutely no issues using this camera in temperatures as low as -10ºF for periods of up to 3 hours. In order to reduce the load on the battery I leave the large screen off as much as possible. I compose and operate the camera entirely through the viewfinder, which is my normal mode of operation even when the temperatures are moderate. I generally do not review my images while out in the field and I turn the camera off when I not in use. Only when I need to position the camera in a manner that precludes using the viewfinder do I resort to using the large screen. But even then I manipulate camera settings such as the aperture, shutter speed, focus point, etc. using the buttons and dials, not the touch screen.

I also usually carry a small Sony RX100III in a jacket pocket. I have found that with this camera I can pull it out, turn it on, frame and take a photograph, and then turn the camera back off before it shuts down because of low temperature power draw issues with the battery. Occasionally I will move the camera inside my heavy jacket just to let it warm up a little bit to give it a bit of extra juice. But even so it is not uncommon for the camera to suddenly power itself off while I am attempting to take a photograph with it at these temperatures. The reason I bother with it is that, for reasons I will get to in a moment, I try to avoid changing lenses on the Nikon while out in these conditions, particularly if there is blowing snow. Typically I have a moderate telephoto macro lens on the Nikon, so I use the Sony for quick wide angle shots. I find that the combination of the Nikon and Sony give me enough flexibility in terms of field of view to meet my needs.

Lens Choices

Normally I carry several lenses for the Nikon, and swap them as needed over the course of an afternoon. But in deep winter weather I try to minimize, and sometimes eliminate lens changes while out in the field. There are just too many bad things which can happen when trying to swap lenses on a camera outdoors in the winter. Even with gloves that allow for good tactile feel, you are still more likely to drop a lens or have difficulty getting the mount to line up. When the temps are really low, it is often windy as well. And there is likely very fine snow and ice which is getting blown around. This is not the best thing when exposing the sensor of your camera while swapping lenses. Even one flake of snow getting on the sensor is going to be visible on your images, and could result in a difficult cleaning job once the camera comes back up to room temperature.

For these reasons I think carefully about which lens I want on my Nikon before I head out. In my case, since I specialize in close-up macro style photography I usually go with either my 100mm f/2.8 Micro, or my 200mm f/4 Micro. While this is good for up-close work, it means that landscapes are limited to the moderate telephoto range. This is where the Sony RX100 comes in as it provides more flexibility for the occasional landscape image. Sometimes I will choose to go with the Z 24-70mm f/4 S zoom lens. It has near macro capabilities along with the wider focal lengths. The downside to using this lens, for me anyways, is that for closeup work you really need to get close to your subject which is not always possible in nature photography. The times I have swapped lenses have been when I have come upon a scene, usually the beach when there is substantial shelf ice built up, that really screams out for the widest angle lens I have. So I have risked a lens change to swap in my Z 14-30mm f/4 S wide angle lens, but I usually then plan on sticking with that lens for the rest of the days outing.

Tripods and Filters

For the type of photography that I enjoy, a good tripod is essential. So my camera basically lives on the tripod. It is absolutely worth spending a bit extra to get a good quality tripod, as this is one piece of equipment where going cheap is worse than nothing. Aside from the usual considerations of rigidity and stability, the leg locking mechanism is the one thing you really want to pay attention to in regards to use in cold weather. I prefer tripods with flip levers for releasing and locking the legs in position. They are easy to manipulate even while wearing bulky gloves, and I have never had them freeze up.

I generally stay away from using any sort of filters in very cold conditions, they are just too difficult to work with while wearing any sort of gloves.

Aside from tripods and the occasional polarizing filter, there are not really any other photographic accessories I use while in the field.

Acclimation

Keep in mind that your gear will be subjected to an 80º to 90º temperature differential in going from your warm home to outside. Metals and many plastics will undergo thermal contraction and expansion as their temperature changes. As anyone who wears glasses knows, going from a warm moist indoor environment into a cold and dry conditions is almost guaranteed to cause condensation. Particularly on glass surfaces such as lenses and view finders, and worst case on your image sensor if you remove a lens before everything has come to thermal equilibrium. To minimize the chance of issues related to temperature changes, I usually put all of my camera gear in the trunk of my car on the drive out to the trail head. That way everything will have cooled down to the ambient outdoor temperature by the time I head out on the trail.

At the end of an outing I usually put all my gear in the back seat to allow it to begin to warm up on the ride home. But occasionally I will hop into the car after hiking one trail, and then drive to another trail to do some more hiking. Then it is best to put your gear in the trunk so that it remains in equilibrium with the outside air temperature while in transit and everything is ready as soon as you hit the next trail head.

Other Bits and Pieces.

Chemical hand warmers. I have tried a variety of these, without much success. Although they get warm to the touch, they just don’t put out enough heat energy to warm up my feet or hands. Sorta how lighting a match to try and warm a large room. The match itself burns very hot, but it does not put out enough energy to add a meaningful amount of heat to the room. Personally I have found that if you are dressed appropriately you don’t need warming packets, and if you are not dressed adequately they will not makeup for the heat you are losing. So my best advice is to invest in the right clothing to stay warm using the heat your body generates naturally.