1DIII operating conditions!??? Freezing?

In the white paper and on the Canon USA site I find:

Operating Temperature Range

32-113°F/0-45°C

Should this mean I can't take it out while it freezes? Certainly it couldn't mean that. So why is this in the specs?

--
Selwin

Probably has to do with battery life, the durability of the weathersealing gaskets, the lubrication for the moving parts. The electronics themselves thrive in cold weather.

Selwin said:

Operating Temperature Range

32-113°F/0-45°C

Should this mean I can't take it out while it freezes? Certainly it
couldn't mean that. So why is this in the specs?

Click to expand...

that's about the same as any DSLR - where have you been?

Most cards are only rated to 32F. Only a few like the Sandisk Extreme are rated lower. I've had kingston's fail at around 30F so I believe it Needless to say I stick to the lower rated ones. The camera itself should be fine at much lower temps than freezing although battery life would be more limited.

Rich

RichW said:

Most cards are only rated to 32F. Only a few like the Sandisk
Extreme are rated lower. I've had kingston's fail at around 30F so
I believe it Needless to say I stick to the lower rated ones. The
camera itself should be fine at much lower temps than freezing
although battery life would be more limited.

Rich

Click to expand...

I think we've all used our cameras in lower temperatures but DSLR's have always had that specification..it's nothing new.

Just looked it up in my F6 manual. -10 celcius/14 fahrenheit is the lowest temp mentioned. I've shot at about -10 once and nothing failed.

So when I get some CF cards for my first dSLR I have to look at temp performance... Good to know.

Thanks for your input.
--
Selwin

Something else that might be important here is the dew point when shooting.

Replacing a CF card could be bad if opening things up allows air with moisture inside to later condense across contacts and short things out.

Sandisk web site:

-25º C to 85º C

This is for Extreme III and IV types.

So I suppose, based on all replies, with the 1D3 I will be fine provided:

• I use III or IV
• I don't change cards while outside

So I'll get a 16 MB III or a 8 MB IV and I should have plenty space.

Thank you guys a lot!

--
Selwin

These temp specs have been on all the Canon dSLR bodies.

Operational temperature, in terms of the electronics + battery. You can't expect the electronics to function perfectly in below freezing weather.

I brought my 20D to Sequoia at 6,100ft elevation with temps from high 40's to low 20's. My 20D didn't die, but initially it was a bit laggy. Also, because I had forgotten to store the battery from the 20D into my body pocket, it lost 2/3 of power (which is natural). Luckily I had extra batteries but never needed to replace the original one.

--



http://www.pbase.com/robotzer0

A year ago (last Februrary), I went to Yellowstone for a winter shoot. The temperature a couple of days was 4C with windchills at -15C. I really never had any problems with the camera at all.

Now my Sigma 50-500 FROZE UP and would not extend until I got back to the room.

Cameras will be fine, but you still better carry extra batteries.

Wally
--
Wally
************************
1D Series Cameras and Info
http://www.1dseries.com
************************
http://www.wallyjarratt.com

Rock Lee said:

These temp specs have been on all the Canon dSLR bodies.

Click to expand...

Nikon too btw. the D2Xs is the same.

for the ideal operation of the camera. Basically if it says the battery is capable of 2000 shots per battery, that is under the specs laid out in the white paper. Take it bellow the operating temp listed in the white paper you will not get the same performance. At 10degrees F you might see 1800 shots, or 1500, 10 bellow 0, 1000 shots, and since that would be 50% less than the 2000 stated, it would not be "acceptable" to say 1000 shots.

I have used just about all the Canon DSLR's currently out over the past 4 years in temps up to 30 bellow 0 F and never had a problem except that batteries died quicker. In fact I shot the Iditarod Sled Dog race in temps up to -40 bellow with the original 1D and while I had 5 batteries with me, I had no issues at all with the extreme temps......

Do not let the white paper concern you. White paper, in my opinion, should not be public but to give reps the info on the camera before they can get their hands on one. To the regular consumer, not fully understanding what the WP really means can cause confusion.

--
Carl
http://www.sportsshooter.com/carlauer
http://www.digital-eos.com
Fred Miranda Sports Corner Moderator

I've shot in some pretty cold temps with my MKII, including -50F (no winchill factor here). The issues revolve around battery life, breathing on the camera and fogging it over, taking the camera inside a warmer area and condensation forming (don't do that...) but as far as the camera is concerned it's a non-issue. At least for me. Taking the compact flash card in and out in cold temps is not a problem - at least where I am, where the air is cold and dry.