DES Posted February 13, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 13, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) On my way to work I took a few shots of a floating gantry that was fitting the blades to one of the many new wind turbines that are being installed just off the coast in Redcar. Because my car space at work is secure, and I had my arms full of work related garb, I left the camera in the boot of the car. ( :eek:Not good i know ) On the way home I thought I would take a few shots in the dark as the gantry looks brilliant all lit up.. I set the m8 on a tripod and took a shot using the timer ( I didn't have a shutter release cable) horror of horrors the camera just died... I did the usual thing I have learned to do .... taking the battery out, and trying again, but no luck. So I put the spare battery in and it fired up fine, so I tried again.....the same thing happened. In frustration I went home and after tea, and after the camera had warmed up, both batteries showed almost 100% charge, and all worked fine! Guess I will take my camera in with me today and see if tonight is any better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 Hi DES, Take a look here M8 in cold weather. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
designed Posted February 13, 2013 Share #2 Posted February 13, 2013 How cold was it when this happened? My experience is that the M8 doesn't like cold very much, but it's usually the battery that dies. This is especially during those dark night long exposures with dark frame reduction doubling the time the electronics need to stay on. One time I had the shutter freeze but that's another story and it's something you clearly notice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Lss- Posted February 13, 2013 Share #3 Posted February 13, 2013 I have never had any trouble with M8 in cold beyond poor battery life. My advice is just to keep the batteries warm (for example, close to your body) and regularly change the battery you are using. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DES Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted February 13, 2013 Well that is just it, I could half understand if it were freezing but the car temp Showed 3 degrees ! So it is a little strange. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamboat Posted February 13, 2013 Share #5 Posted February 13, 2013 I use my M8.2 regularly in the cold. But I have three almost new fresh factory batteries. Old or even mid-life batteries are not happy in the cold. My shutter release gave me a bit of a problem in a storm but I think ice got in the release mechanism. I take no care in regards to in and out of interiors. Camera may be freezing cold - I just go inside. It covers with condensation and eventually evaporates. 'Seems to have no effect. It's really a pretty tough camera. BUT the batteries need to be fresh and it is best to carry your extra(s) in a warm pocket. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DES Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted February 13, 2013 Yes good point....and I am happier thinking that the problem lies with the batteries and not the camera. think I might try this again with the batteries on my person just to see? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geotrupede Posted February 13, 2013 Share #7 Posted February 13, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I had a weird issue with an M9. At the beginning I assumed a battery problem, so I changed it. But the M8, the other camera, was ok with the battery. I could not figure out the real cause, until I realised it was the memory card! I changed the memory card and as a result all was fine. The M9 did not show demonstrate the issue clearly as there is no battery indicator that lights on... it just seemed not to power up. Probably the camera was on, but crashing immediately. With the M8 you should be able to see the charge on the top. If that is 0, then is the battery... And it is also frequent to have short battery life in cold weather. Batteries we got with the camera start to be a little old now... G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Jones Posted February 13, 2013 Share #8 Posted February 13, 2013 My M8 is very fussy about cold weather, rugby matches and long snowy dog walks have given me some nervous moments as it struggles to re-cock the shutter and sounds like it's innards are falling apart. As soon as it warms up again it works fine. The batteries do die quickly in cold weather (0 degrees and below). I also had a problem with the charger in +38 degrees, it stopped working until I plugged it into a 12v power source and then went back to ac. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iedei Posted February 13, 2013 Share #9 Posted February 13, 2013 very interesting some of you have had cold issues! i've been using mine all winter....sometimes even leaving it in my car for extended amounts of time in freezing temperatures and have never had an issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoskeptic Posted February 14, 2013 Share #10 Posted February 14, 2013 Never had a problem with the cold. But I have to admit we really don't have bad winters here in SC. My biggest problem was always the damn on-off switch being accidentally turned on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iedei Posted February 14, 2013 Share #11 Posted February 14, 2013 Never had a problem with the cold. But I have to admit we really don't have bad winters here in SC. My biggest problem was always the damn on-off switch being accidentally turned on. the camera shuts off automatically though even if you leave it on....or at least there is an auto power off setting in the menu if i remember correctly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted February 14, 2013 Share #12 Posted February 14, 2013 No issues other than less effective batteries. I've been using mine in in winter with temps down to -20C since I got it in 2007 with no issues. Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trs Posted February 14, 2013 Share #13 Posted February 14, 2013 M8 definitely (mine anyway) fussy with cold weather. I have same experience as DES multiple times. Now, I don't even bother when temp is close to freezing or below. It was really apparent when I was in Alaska few years back. I had setup camera on tripod for shooting northern light. It clicked, then just went dead. Switched battery, same thing. My wife's 7D (Minolta) was going happily though. It has happened multiple times afterward as well. Two things seem to happen (1) battery goes fast or (2) Camera simply stops to respond. I have not done any root cause analysis as it is not my regular scenario. In the mean time, many folks here in the forum have no issues in same condition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunafan Posted February 14, 2013 Share #14 Posted February 14, 2013 I live in the Alps, and I have used the M8 several times in winter during daytime at -10°C or even lower w/o any problem, even carrying the camera openly in windy conditions, taking pictures with „normal“ exposure times. The problem starts when I try to take pictures at night at around -10°C, with long exposure times (> 1 min), when also noise suppression is active. In the best case I could take two pictures before the battery died, even when freshly charged. The capacity / size of the battery seems to be the problem. BRLutz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knipperdolling Posted February 27, 2013 Share #15 Posted February 27, 2013 Mine does not work at temperatures below 0°C at all, it says "shutter fault" and stops responding until it is warm again. I get that shutter fault error quite often even when it is warm, especially directly after switching on the camera (first actuation is usually an error, after on/off it works fine then and that for many thousands of shots now) but in cold weather it will never go away. Even a fresh and warm battery will not bring the camera to life at low temps. It´s an M8 without upgrade but with current firmware. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted February 28, 2013 Share #16 Posted February 28, 2013 M8 definitely (mine anyway) fussy with cold weather. I have same experience as DES multiple times.... . Same for me : M8 used regularly in cold (typically, ski-hiking around - 10°) , works fine, but if battery is someway under stress (long exposures - or simply camera switched on for "long") its behavior is unreliable; my rule is to switch on ONLY for the short time of a shot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doolittle Posted February 28, 2013 Share #17 Posted February 28, 2013 Have had a similar experience with my M8. From what I have read it is my opinion that it is a combination of battery and memory card, compounded by the low temperature and long exposure, which causes the problems. I have since bought a brand new battery and stick to memory cards which haven't given me any problems.Too early to say yet if that does the trick. I read Panasonic Gold SD cards have a feature to reduce voltage regulation problems, but I haven't tried them yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted March 1, 2013 Share #18 Posted March 1, 2013 very interesting some of you have had cold issues! i've been using mine all winter....sometimes even leaving it in my car for extended amounts of time in freezing temperatures and have never had an issue. I've been here in NYC all winter. This ain't winter. My M9 has been in it every day and not one malfunction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
haat01 Posted April 6, 2013 Share #19 Posted April 6, 2013 I use my M8 in 20 degree under zero with no problem with new battery and my M9 have even better battery life in cold wether 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/198180-m8-in-cold-weather/?do=findComment&comment=2292509'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 15, 2013 Share #20 Posted April 15, 2013 Mine does not work at temperatures below 0°C at all, it says "shutter fault" and stops responding until it is warm again. I get that shutter fault error quite often even when it is warm, especially directly after switching on the camera (first actuation is usually an error, after on/off it works fine then and that for many thousands of shots now) but in cold weather it will never go away. Even a fresh and warm battery will not bring the camera to life at low temps. It´s an M8 without upgrade but with current firmware. That is anomalous behavior. I advise you to send the camera in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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