Taking a Dslr on the slopes?

[jas_pata]

My friends and I have an upcoming annual trip to Mt. Lutsen in MN, which is on the north shore of Lake Superior.. needless to say, it gets COLD up there. This is the first year I've had my camera so I am wondering if it will be safe for me to bring my XSi along with me for a few trips down the hills in the extreme temperatures, also I'm wondering if the vibration from riding will be an issue. I have a Lowepro Flipside 300 backpack, and am an experienced rider so falling should not be a problem, especially if I stick to the more mild runs, which I plan to do.

[freygr]

The only problem would be the battery and the cold, The cold can stop batteries from working. Also the camera you would have to protected from fogging up when it is return to a warm area (more water in the air).

[NoKnees]

I took my Sony a700 out on the slopes a few days last year both in Tahoe and up at Whistler, B.C. Just keep it well padded, and don't land on it! ;) For reference, I was snowboarding the entire time doing everything from bump runs to the trees... No powder to speak of... Mostly hard pack and some ice... So, it passed the shock test...

Keep the batteries in a warm pocket close to your body, and the camera well protected but in a cooler place so it's closer to air temperature. This will keep your batteries happy, and your camera from fogging up or freezing up from quick temp changes when you pull it out to shoot.

At the end of the day, you need to warm it back up slowly when you bring it inside, and keep it from collecting moisture. It's usually advisable to put it in a large ziplock bag before bring it inside, and warm it up as slowly as possible. Once it warms up, then you can open it up and do what ever you need to do with it.

[jas_pata]

Cool, thanks for the info guys. So with the possibility of the moisture situation would I maybe want to leave the camera off for awhile after bringing it indoors? Maybe even overnight? or wouldn't that be necessary

[another view]

Just was at the Lutsen Resort a month ago... If you have two batteries leave the other one in a pocket inside your coat so it stays warm, and if you shoot a fair amount plan on recharging both at night.

When coming inside, just put it in the camera bag and zip it shut. Don't open it for at least an hour or two. Of course, no problem to take it back outside a few minutes later and shoot while it's still cold - and don't forget to take out the batteries before putting it in the bag to come inside, this way you can start recharging. Same with memory cards if you want to download.

[Photo-John]

I do it all the time. In fact, today I took the new Olympus E-30 out for a test shoot at Alta. Colder is better as the snow is nice and dry and won't get your gear wet unless you let it melt. I don't even bother to put batteries in my pocket. They've gotten so much better over the past couple of years that the cold hasn't really been a problem for me as far as power goes. Today it was 6 degrees Farenheit when I got to the resort. I shot a couple of gigs of photos over a 2 to 3 hour period and never had to change the battery.