How to keep your camera safe from the cold

Bringing your camera to the cold can raise many doubts. Can your gear handle it? A recent snowmobiling adventure in Finnish Lapland taught me some crucial lessons.

It was -25°C, and I knew how to handle the cold. But a simple mistake nearly cost me my gear. After a day of shooting, I left my equipment in my camera bag to gradually warm up. Unfortunately, moisture got inside, fogging up my camera sensor and lenses.

Thankfully, I caught it early, but here's how you can avoid similar mishaps

Wear warm clothing

Let's start with you. Getting yourself hurt is far worse than getting your camera break down.

It's important to remember that taking photographs in the cold can be challenging. You need to wear a lot of warm clothing to not get cold. Often these clothing can be in the way when taking photos with your camera.

The most import part of clothing is the gloves. Get yourself a good pair of gloves and you can thank me later. There will be many scenarios where you need to take your gloves of to do something and your hands will be frozen. You'll want to get them warmed up as fast as possible.

I also recommend getting some hand and toe warmers as a backup. I haven't needed these yet but I always keep at least one pair in my backpack.

You'll always want more than you think you need during winter time and it's important to keep this in mind.

Keep your gear in airtight bags

This is the most important tip when it comes to keeping your camera gear safe from the cold and more importantly, the temperature changes.

Storing your gear in airtight bags will keep your gear safe from moisture and that way, prevent them from fogging up. When bringing your gear from a cold environment to a warmer one, condensation starts happening and you need to prevent it. Airtight bag will solve the issue.

I like to use ziplock bags but any kind of plastic bag will work for this. Try to keep them as dry as possible from the inside to prevent any moisture from ending up in your gear. I like to carry few extra ones to make sure that I always have a dry one if one gets wet.

Timing is key

This is the part where I messed up. So be careful.

When I bring my gear inside I always leave them in the camera bag and the gear in the airtight bags. This is what you should do.

What you should also do, that I didn't, is to remove the gear from the bags as soon as they have warmed up to room temperature.

This is because there is a high chance that some moisture is left inside the bags. This is true especially for the camera bag itself. If you leave the gear in the bags for too long the moisture will go from the bags to your gear. This is what happened to me.

I have to note that when this incident happened I didnt have my gear in airtight bags. This was probably the bigger mistake, which I am not letting to happen again. From that point on, I will make sure that I always use airtight bags when working in cold environments.

Useful accessories

These accessories can be nice to have but not often necessary. They make your life easier and add a little security to your camera so you don't have to worry about it.

Probably the most used accessory in cold environments is a lens warmer. I have never owned one, but I am thinking of buying one myself sometime in the future. It's a very useful accessory when it's cold and the air is really moist. It greatly decreases the chance of your lens fogging up because it keeps the lens warm.

One thing you really want to make sure of is to have enough batteries. When it's cold, the camera's battery life is not at the level it normally is. So, if you are already struggling with battery life, make sure to stack up those batteries before you leave.

If there is also snow, which there usually is around cold climates, you want to carry a rocket blower with you. If you accidentally get snow on your lens, you really don't want to try and rub it off with your gloves or bare hands. You also never, in any case, want to blow on your lens so it's a very useful tool to own even if you have no intend of shooting in the cold.

One accessory that every single camera owner has, is a lens cap. In the cold, you always want to have your lens cap on in case of any accidents. For example, you could accidently breath in your lens, which causes it fog up. Or you might get some snow on it. Whatever it is, lens cap is your best friend, so make sure to use it!

You are good to go!

By taking these precautions and using the right gear, you can ensure your camera remains safe and functional even in the harshest cold environments. Remember, preparation is key. With these tips, you can capture stunning images no matter the weather. Stay warm, stay inspired and keep shooting!