M9 and cold weather

[coup de foudre]

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Yet another situation where we women have advantages over men. Bra's make excellent battery warmers, and easy-reach film & baseplate holders.

batteries, yes. film, yes. but baseplate holders???

 

i believe you are made of heartier stock than i!

 

major THO -- brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

 

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to the OP, i definitely recommend using a Luigi case or the like -- it definitely makes the battery last longer whilst in the camera.

 

wrapping additional batteries in neoprene helps keep the extras warm as well. take more than you think you'll need.

 

i once sold digital audio equipment to a group filming on Everest and they made neoprene cases for the recorders to keep everything running smoothly... the extra batteries were in cases as well -- and, as Nicoleica says, kept near the heart for warmth.

 

if you don't wear a bra, a breast pocket of an undershirt works wonders.

[Bo_Lorentzen]

Had the Leica out working in sub 20 f degs. no prob.

 

Though THIS is bizarre, am I the ONLY person to succefully hold a baseplate in the palm of my hand and load a film M, or palm a baseplate and change batteries.? This can not be such a difficult task.

 

Keeping batteries in the inside pocket is great, swap now and then to keep the cells in a working temperature.

 

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[pop]

Yet another situation where we women have advantages over men. Bra's make excellent battery warmers, and easy-reach film & baseplate holders.

 

Men are just too timid to wear bras even if the situation warranted it.

 

[Tom M]

Ditto on a recent trip to Iceland and experience in the Canadian north in winter. The camera will suffer humidity condensation only on the way from cold to warm - keep it cozy under your parka.

[erl]

Had the Leica out working in sub 20 f degs. no prob.

 

Though THIS is bizarre, am I the ONLY person to succefully hold a baseplate in the palm of my hand and load a film M, or palm a baseplate and change batteries.? This can not be such a difficult task.

 

Keeping batteries in the inside pocket is great, swap now and then to keep the cells in a working temperature.

 

.

 

I reckon I could 'qualify' for the Guinness Book of Records with this, so an observer told me. I actually changed a film in a Leica M7 standing in the centre of Neptune's Window*. It involved the following:

 

Remove two pairs of gloves, remove baseplate, remove exposed film and replace with fresh film, replace baseplate, replace two pairs of gloves. Continue shooting. All without putting anything on the ground or elswhere except in hand.

 

* Neptune's Window is a gap in the mountain range surrounding Deception Bay in Antarctica. The wind HOWLS through it a most frightening manner. Hands got so cold I couldn't feel the camera in them. Damned if know how I got the gloves on again.

 

See pic illustrating Neptune's window. Note scale of figures standing 'in the window.'

 

The wooden objects in the foreground are derelict water barrels that were used to supply whaling ships in the past.

 

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M9 + 35mm cron

[eleanorbrown]

So that's what was going on today!!! I was shooting in 25 degree weather for about 30 minutes or so and my M9 started going nuts!!! sounded like a motor drive sorta. So it's my understanding that the cold battery was the issue here, not the cold metal on the M9?? If I had changed to a warm battery my camera would stop the chattering, right?? thanks! Eleanor

 

 

 

A M8 or M9 with a low battery in cold weather can 'chatter'. The battery cannot deliver enough current to fully tension the shutter, so the camera breaks off the attempt, then tries again -- and again -- and again --.

Switching the camera off won't stop the chattering. This can be alarming first time. Regardless, do remove the battery and replace it with a charged and warm one. Resume shooting.

 

The old man who came in from the cold