I really need some help!

I'm going on holiday to Lapland in February and i want to be able to take photographs while im there, but i've heard that my camera might not work in such extreme cold. The temperatures in February can be as low as -30c. Does anyone have any advice for me? Its impotrant-im going for a wedding, and also the scenery there is stunning, and i'm hoping to catch the northern lights! thanks

A lot of things to consider. Lithium batteries hold up well to cold, but it depends on whether or not your camera can use them. Energizer makes AA's like this, as well as the wierd ones like CR123's, etc.

Main thing to worry about is bringing your camera in from the cold to a warm place. Bring a zip-loc bag and put the camera in it before going inside. Squeeze the air out of it and seal it - that way condensation will form on the outside of the bag, not on or inside the camera/lens. In a ziploc it should be warm in 1/2 hour or so; in a camera bag it'll take a few hours because of the thermal mass of a bag with cameras, lenses, etc.

I hear Lapland is a beautiful place, my sister was there a couple of years ago.

thanks for the quick reply, i'll find out what sort of batteries my camera will take. I don't know a lot about photography and cameras, but am determined to learn! thanks for the advice

Let us know the model and maybe we can help too, but it's always good to know your way around the instruction manual. BTW, northern lights can be difficult to photograph - you'll want a tripod to do it.

Noone yet has mentioned the extreme cold. I'm from Edmonton, and it also gets to -30 at times. Your batteries will be really affected. They may cease to provide power if they get that cold. So, either keep the camera inside your warm jacket until ready to shoot, or take the batteries out and keep them in your jacket or pocket. Then you can pop them into the camera when you're ready to shoot.

The camera i've got at the moment is a nikon (coolpix) 775. We're considering getting a new one though. With regards to keeping the battery warm, do you think wrapping it in thermal, or fleece clothing would be sufficient? also, is there any chance that the cold will make the camera so damaged that it wont work again? thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by curlyred

The camera i've got at the moment is a nikon (coolpix) 775. We're considering getting a new one though. With regards to keeping the battery warm, do you think wrapping it in thermal, or fleece clothing would be sufficient? also, is there any chance that the cold will make the camera so damaged that it wont work again? thanks

---

Another tip with the batteries is to have two sets. That way when the set in the camera start bugging out, take the set out from your pocket (near your body) and switch them in. Put the cold ones in your pocket and then you can keep switching when it's necessary. The body heat will warm the batteries up, so I don't think you need to wrap them in fleece. I don't know if the cold will permanently damage the camera though.

ps I live in cold Edmonton too, but it's pretty warm this year. I still haven't taken my winter jacket out yet!

Hi, I'm a newcomer to the forums. I just had to register to answer this. :p

In short, you need two (maybe 3) packs of batteries with the other pack inside your jacket as close to your body as possible. This is absolutely important, as -30c is definitely NOT exaggerating, as the tops were as much as -55c last winter in Lapland (Finland's Lapland). Of course, even more important thing is to keep yourself warm (layered clothing, lots of thin layers of clothing is much better than a few thick ones - grab a few t-shirts) - especially toes, fingers and nose. I live in southern Finland (Lappeenranta) and while we get "only" to -25c at worst, still my toes get a bit too cold almost every day. It's better to wear too much clothing and then take it off than wear too little and take bad photos because of the hurry.

Cold weather seems to make digital noise a bit better though.

Make sure you have the proper adapters for the mains current (230AC) if you need them.

Hmm, can't figure out any more tips. I'll try to ask any other more specific questions you may have?

A bit offtopic: You should definitely try visiting lapland in autumn, the colours are just fantastic. There's a special word in finnish for the time of the year when leaves die away. It's called "ruska". You can try searching images with Google for it. Ruska derives from the finnish word ruskea(brown) - as the leaves of the trees go from green to red to yellow to brown.

Here's a link to a picture of ruska. The picture isn't the best possible, but it gives a rough idea - though for a complete picture, it has to be experienced live. http://www.sci.fi/~alarista/images/ruska.jpg

(And no, you don't have to worry about freezing in autumn here in Finland, +20 - +30c are all possible.)

Hi, well firstly i feel honoured that you joined to answer my post!! Thanks for the advice, it's the finnish part of lapland, that i'm going to, i think its called luosto. I'd be really grateful for any tips at all that you can give me about lapland, because i have no one to ask advice!! please get back to me if you can, any advice or information about finnish lapland would be great! thanks

You may want to check Luosto's website. http://www.luosto.fi/winter/

I've never been to Luosto myself, so I don't know of anything special about it. Though, there's a problem with staying only in the resort of Luosto. There's a lot of artificial light at the resorts that can make the sky a bit too bright, so you may have to move away from the lights. If you have a driving license, car (or even snowmobile) rental is a common way to explore Lapland to it's fullest. Driving a snowmobile is a definite must-experience in Lapland. Once you are there, why not take full advantage? ;) It has it's risks though, so make sure you know how to handle the machine.

Lapland is a scarcely populated area, with the biggest town there being Rovaniemi. You can get films and other photo accessory there if you need, but don't count on getting them any further into the wild. Having a cell phone is a must, as if you need emergency help (call 112), the distances are long and help can be difficult to get otherwise. There are some emergency helicopters available, especially around the largest skiing resorts, but farther in the north and "in the middle of nothing" help can be really difficult to get, so be very very careful. The roads are usually in good condition, the things to watch out for are deers. A deer jumping suddenly on your windshield is one of the most common causes of death on the roads. They're not homing missiles, just very very dumb animals

People in Finland on average can speak english very well, it's just that there are more old people living in Lapland (young people tend to move to bigger cities in south) who don't speak english. I don't think you'll have any problems with language. Remember to keep your equipment close when at ski resorts, the largest resorts tend to attract thieves (especially from the eastern neighbour). When outside the resorts, you don't have to worry about crime at all.

That's all I can think of now. :confused:

Cold is not the major problem most people believe it to be. I have taken lots of cameras, from manual film to new digitals out to the mountains of Colorado. In Gunnison, the temperatures drop to below -20F (about -30 C) on a frequent basis. My car can't even change gears, I have to park in first gear and let it warm up for a very long time!

There are only two problems that come up, both mentioned. Batteries should be kept fairly warm. I take a few shots and then place the camera under my clothes while looking for more subjects. I also carry a spare battery close to my body, which I've only needed once.

Condensation is the biggest problem with any camera. Put the camera and cards into a plastic zip-lock before entering a warmer area. Let the camera warm up completely before removing it.

Keep track of these two things and you'll be fine.