ezc203 Posted January 3, 2010 Share #1 Posted January 3, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Not really sure how else to put this out there, but really wanted to share my experience with everyone on the forum. Took my M4-P out today and the weather was ridiculous. 18 degrees C below zero and snowing the whole day and I mean the whole day. From the moment I woke up to well after sunset, it was flaking non-stop. More snow than I've ever seen in my life (albiet I did grow up in Los Angeles). But regardless, shin-high snow is serious business. Well, being the Leicaista that I am, I strapped on my heaviest jacket and stepped out (only to later realize I didn't wear gloves THAT was devastating). 3 hours into the journey, the top plate was completely frozen solid with ice and snow was collecting in every crevice on the camera/lens. Yet despite all this, the camera worked flawlessly. Click after click, I shot through 2 rolls of film and I'm extremely excited to see the results. I can only imagine the critical state my M8 would've been in had I chose to take her instead. Mmm... Gotta love film Perhaps its time to shell for an MP. Hehe.. ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 3, 2010 Posted January 3, 2010 Hi ezc203, Take a look here Film M and Harsh Weather. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
marke Posted January 3, 2010 Share #2 Posted January 3, 2010 I'm not sure if he's posted here lately, but Ned (NB23) once posted a pic or two on this forum (or maybe it was RFF) of his ice-encrusted M. I think Ned's was an M4-P too. It seemed that it performed flawlessly, as your's has also. I'm guessing that anytime the air is cold enough so that it doesn't allow the moisture to penetrate the inner workings of the camera, you are safe. Then there is Dan (KM-25) who recently had his M3 at Times Square in New York for the New Years Eve celebration. Apparantly it rained throughout the night, and some of the brightlines on his camera "disappeared". I'm guessing that when the moisture dries up, his brightlines will reappear. Either way, I always carry at least two plastic bags in the bottom of my camera bag (they act as a of bit extra cushioning too). I don't always take them with me if I just grab a camera and lens to go out shooting bagless. But if I know of any chance of precipitation in the forecast, one of the bags goes into my pocket. It's light, it's easy, it's worth it. BTW, got a picture of your "artic M4-P"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 3, 2010 Share #3 Posted January 3, 2010 I never baulk at using a camera in bad weather, but take simple care to keep it dry when possible (under the jacket when not shooting, wipe off any rain/moisture with a tissue/cloth, keep in a plastic bag, look for a sheltered position if shooting for any length of time etc.). If any serious amount of moisture gets into the camera then chances are it will cause some damage of some sort but maybe not immediately obvious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerrick10 Posted January 4, 2010 Share #4 Posted January 4, 2010 I was out yesterday for over 5 hours with my M6 and 50 Summicron. I took it instead of the MP and Summilux only because I haven't used it in a while. It was 8-12 degrees F and I just let it hang on the strap when I wasn't using it. It didn't even flinch. I figured the battery would fail, but even that worked flawlessly. The only problem was taking off the gloves to shoot was painful and the only time I wished the camera had more plastic. I gotta get me some shooting gloves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezc203 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted January 4, 2010 Mark - Don't have a picture of the arctic M4-P, but if similar scenarios arise, I'll be sure to snap one with my phone (and what a GREAT picture that will be). James - I thoroughly dried my camera when the ice on it started to melt, hopefully no serious damage was done to it? Fingers crossed. Rick - Gotta love film cameras. Although I must say I am surprised the batteries in the M6 held up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurometallo Posted January 4, 2010 Share #6 Posted January 4, 2010 Yesterday the weather in Toronto was beautiful: -23°C, sunny and not a cloud... I walked on the beach of Woodbine for almost one hour (after that I simply gave up...), but my M4-P/ 50mm'Cron combo worked flawlessly, although I had some trouble focusing and pressing the shutter because of the gloves... The camera's top plate turned so cold that was hurting my forehead when looking through the viewfinder, but everything, including the film, held up very well. I don't think that any digital camera would have made it through that freezing temperature... I suppose the batteries would have gone flat in ten minutes and the LCD would have probably been damaged... Here's a simple pic... Sorry for the poor scanning: My machine broke and the local photo-lab did a terrible job. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/108537-film-m-and-harsh-weather/?do=findComment&comment=1173545'>More sharing options...
ezc203 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted January 4, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Beautiful Mauro, don't you just love your M4-P? I know I do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted January 14, 2010 Share #8 Posted January 14, 2010 Maybe you can find some useful information here from a previous post on the forum: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/film-forum/105207-extreme-weather-leica-mp.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted January 17, 2010 Share #9 Posted January 17, 2010 This thread is interesting because I also was interested to know what might happen if I exposed my M7 to rain, or as was the case a couple of days ago, snow. The top plate got quite wet but I kept drying it off with my glove to try and avoid any moisture possibly seeping into the camera. So far, no problems. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Manning Posted January 18, 2010 Share #10 Posted January 18, 2010 Had my M6 classic and Zeiss Biogon 35/2 out for a walk for about two hours in Connecticut. It wasn't as cold as Toronto (it was about 28F), but the snow was VERY wet snow. I just kept wiping the top plate off, and every time I stopped to warm up at a coffee shop, I cleaned the spots on the lens element (I was SO jacked up on caffeine, but that's a topic for another thread). Pretty landscapes, though. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4188143873_5680cb50a0_b.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezc203 Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share #11 Posted January 19, 2010 Beautiful picture david, I believe a conclusion and consensus can be reached here: do not be afraid to take your M camera out in even the harshest of weathers and know you can depend on your camera to produce great pictures Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted January 19, 2010 Share #12 Posted January 19, 2010 We had a fog come through after all the snow in Chicago, which frosted all the trees and bushes, so I grabbed my Leicaflex SL since it had a fresh roll of film in it and the M4 was empty. Temp was 18 degrees F and I was out about an hour. All the pictures came out just fine even though the camera never went into my jacket to stay warm. My DSLR would have given up the ghost after about 10 minutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheewai_m6 Posted January 19, 2010 Share #13 Posted January 19, 2010 these stories are great. obviously, they're experiences not just stories. but in brisbane australia, our winters only get down to 15C during the day and 2C on very very cold night. so i never get to use the m6 in those extreme conditions. good to know that it'll withstand those temperatures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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