Tips for winter photography w/ M8

[denise]

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Hi all,

I will be going on a dogsledding trip early next year. I look forward to taking photos of the snow and the doggies with my Leica. Therefore, I would like to start gathering tips and suggestions on taking photos of snowy scenes with the M8. Also, I would like to know what you pros do to protect the equipment in the cold outdoor. Should I get a pair of fingerless gloves?

 

I only have one lens (35mm f/1.4 ASPH).

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Denise

[Double Negative]

Nothing special required; just observe common sense. The biggest tip is to keep a spare battery (or two!) in your pocket, where it's nice and warm. Battery life in the cold is drastically shortened.

 

When bringing your gear in from outside, it's not a bad idea to put it in a Ziploc bag first and seal it up before heading in - this prevents condensation as it warms up. I don't really do this myself, at least often... And if you don't either - at least don't change any lenses until everything has warmed up.

 

Other than that, have fun.

[robsteve]

As suggested above, spare batteries in a warm pocket and protecting the camera when bringing it into a warm building. Also, don't forget the M8 charger will work in a car with the car adapter, so you can make sure the batteries are well charged.

 

In regards to the cold, the M8 will take it. Try not to keep it under your coat as the camera body is metal and gets very cold in use. If you take this cold camera and put it under your coat/parka, you are liable to get condensation/frost on it.

 

Robert

[sean_reid]

The bag idea is a very good suggestion. Just make sure it seals fully.

 

Cheers,

[johnalex141r]

Denise;

 

Do you know how cold it is going to be where you are going?

 

As others have suggested, the sealed bag is a good one. What I do is I use a good bag from a store, and just squeeze as much air as I can out of it, then roll it up around the camera. I don't seal it; as long as there is no air movement in/out, there is no problem - so think about what will work best for you.

 

Let the camera get to the temperature of where you are at. IE, what I do before going outside is the camera sits outside for a while (ie, stick it out the front door!) and when coming in, it sits in its bag for an hour or more. I just throw my camera bag inside/outside usually, so the camera is in its plastic bag, inside my camera bag.

 

The problem that I have with the M8 is lack of battery juice; have not been able to get much more than 18-20 photographs per battery charge. With my M8, what happens is that the shutter "cocks" repeatedly, then that's it - it needs a battery change. You might wish to purchase another brand new battery or two?

 

Cold? This morning was -17c here (whats that, about 0 degrees f?) but the days are brilliantly clear - fantastic weather, actually. I'm tending to use film cameras more when it gets cold, though, but I'll give the M8 another try this winter. (I go back and forth on which camera is the current favourite)

 

I should try changing the battery when its that cold, but I find the M8 baseplate to be a bit problematic, in that my fingers get cold, so I'm always wearing gloves.

 

Hope the above makes sense, and have a good trip!

 

JohnS.

Where we are at -17c (0f) but are supposed to be up at 7c(45ish f) in 2 days...

[ken_tanaka]

Hi Denise; I don't think you'll need completely fingerless gloves. The M8 is actually a bit easier to operate in cold weather than many dslr bodies with small buttons. If you're going to be out for an extended time I suggest looking for a pair of mittens that can open across the fingers (such as what some hunters use). If it's very cold you might wear a thin pair of polypropylene gloves under the mitts.

 

Also remember that the M8 is NOT weatherproof. Minimize the snow that you let melt around the viewfinder and lens/body interface. If it will be very cold make certain that you don't breathe on the lens or eyepiece. It will create a layer of frost that just won't wipe away until you warm the camera.

 

My wife and I used to go dog sledding (day trips) up near Banff. Many fond memories of those trips. The first time I rode a sled I couldn't believe (a) how strong those dogs were, and ( how much fun those dogs seemed to have doing this work.

 

Have fun!

[denise]

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Thanks for the suggestions.. Spare battery, plastic bags and warm packs... Will definitely get those.

 

According to website, it said average temperature during the day would be in the 20's F (i.e. -10C). I am hoping that I wouldn't get hit with one of those deep freeze days of -20F with wind.

 

I am also concern about adjusting exposure/white balance in snowy enviornment. I have been practicing (covered ground during the day, overcast sky) and my photos tend to come out rather flat and dull. May be that's how it is here in the upper midwest. So I would love to hear your thoughts on tips and tricks on winter photography.

[Double Negative]

This may sound stupid, but trust me on this one. Keep a couple of Q-Tips in your camera bag. The viewfinder is always getting smudgy, I find, mostly due to the lack of a real eyecup to maintain a little distance, plus the propensity to apply one's fingers to it in handling. In the colder months you have fog issues as well. Touch the tip of a Q-Tip to your tongue, go over the viewfinder glass and follow up with the other end. Spotless. What works for snorkel masks works for VFs too.

[Flat Earth]

Get glove liners. This are like underwear for your hands and should fit relatively snugly. You are going to have to take your insulated gloves off to change battery, for example. This extra protection will help keep your hand happy and warm when you do this.

[pklein]

Denise: If you are metering on snow, your pictures will indeed come out gray and dull. The light meter assumes that what you point it at is 18% gray. Which works out for the average scene, but snow is supposed to be white, not grey. Try experimenting with opening up 1 - 1.5 stops (or even 2) from the meter reading on manual, or using the EV compensation if shooting on automatic. The idea is to get snow fairly bright while still retaining some texture.

 

The good news is that light on either sunny or overcast days is fairly constant, so once you arrive at a setting for each condition, you can "set it and forget it" unless the light changes. On days where the sun goes in and out, you can adjust manually, or put the camera in auto, apply your EV compensation for snow (+1.5 stops or whatever you arrive at in your tests). Then you're good to go.

 

Shoot RAW, as it will let you recover more detail in the highlights than JPG.

 

--Peter

[denise]

I was taking some photos on my balcony last night. Camera died about an hour into the shoot. It was about 10F last night with wind. Charged up the battery, camera up and running again this morning.

 

(Also gratuitously bumping my own thread. )

[Iron Flatline]

...and of course, snow is very white. The lightmeter will try for an average gray. Don't forget to exposure compensate with +1 or possibly even more when pointing it at the landscape.

[carstenw]

Yes, get very familiar with the use of both exposure compensation and manual white balance, to avoid having to edit every single file massively when you get back.

[imported_reinierv]

be very very carefull where you put your M8. Don't let it go from cold to warm in a short time. Condensation in the camera can ruin your M8 and your waranty as happend to me. It is stunning that a 4K+euro camera can not withstand some condensation but I'm the living proof it can't and caused a lot of fuzz and anger because leica claims waterdamage and thus no waranty. Eventhough I had witness to prove my case.

 

In Greenland during a cold period with rain I put the M8 in my backpack for protection. The warmth of my back may have caused condensation and that killed the camera beyond repair. Note that the camera was between clothes that would have protect it against external dampness

 

So my personal advice is to be either very carefull or don't bring it.

It's sad I have to give that advice but its true

 

BTW if you see condensation on the camera, remove the battery right away and let the camera dry completely first. Although the camera is switched off still some parts are under current and that will speed the process

[jev]

Denise

 

I went to Siberia last year with my M8. Basically -40 degrees Celsius.

The key is, keep the camera out, have a lot of spare batteries on your body, the warmer the better. Going back to warm place, take out the batteries, put it in the coldest place you can, near russian windows made a trick for me. Leave it for 2-3 hours have it warm up gradually.

[Guest stnami]

Hmmn can't help you there it was 37ºCelcius (98ºF) here.the dog was panting, told me to forget about my walk....... high contrast is the problem here

[KM-25]

I was taking some photos on my balcony last night. Camera died about an hour into the shoot. It was about 10F last night with wind. Charged up the battery, camera up and running again this morning.

 

(Also gratuitously bumping my own thread. )

 

For some reason, when I had an M8, the batteries went dead *much* faster than any other digital camera I have ever owned, even worse than the 5D. Even though it was great for the fast and light approach often required for my professional work in high altitude and cold climates, the battery life made it a no go for this type of shooting. My new G10 is markedly better in regards to battery life and the D700 / D3 is incredible in this respect. And of course, an M6 will beat them all..:-).

 

All you can really do with the M8 in cold weather is play "Musical Batteries" with it and hope for the best.

[lars_bergquist]

The trick(s) in snow is to use an incident hand meter. Or (second trick) put the camera on manual, measure the snow and only the snow, and then open up the aperture 2 f-stops, or 2 1/2 in flat overcast light. The two tricks are just about equivalent to hauling a gray card with its 18% reflectance.

 

There are fingerless mittens with a velcro-closed slit across on the palm side, so that you can stick your fingers out. For the rest, the glove liner tip is good and one that I often use. But if you are far from the warm hut and the Glühwein, be damn certain that the gloves are accounted for when you remove them, and preferentially hanging by loops from the sleeves of your parka, or you may well lose not only the gloves but your fingers too.

 

The old man from the North Pole