Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 6, 2009 Share #1 Posted May 6, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear Leica Forum and Leica users, I would like to hear your comments on what camera gear to bring for a 12 month trip to Greenland? Especially, do you have any hands-on experience with the use of Leica M in such a cold, wet and also dry environment? I would appreciate any comments you might have, professionals or amateurs. My first thought was to leave the M8 at home and go film bodies only. Is there any way a M6, M7 or MP would brake down when using in a cold snowstorm for example? - Would the lenses take damage from going in and out of the cold? - How much does it take to freeze and brake a piece of film inside the camera? - I have lots of worries as you can tell :-) Thank you very much, Jorgensen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 6, 2009 Posted May 6, 2009 Hi Guest aurora_borealis, Take a look here 12 month trip to Greenland - what gear to bring?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
veraikon Posted May 6, 2009 Share #2 Posted May 6, 2009 M6, M7 or MP would brake down when using in a cold snowstorm for example Take a mechanic (M6, M6TTL, MP) one and there won´t be any battery problems. Store the camera inside your anorak. IMHO it will be difficult to focus with gloves . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMartin Posted May 6, 2009 Share #3 Posted May 6, 2009 Hello Jorgensen, If you take film, it must be kept as temperate and dry as possible. A problem we used to have with film in the extreme cold was: a) cracking when using a motordrive and static streaks if it was very dry as well. But when winding by hand this shouldn’t be a issue. Lots and lots of plastic bags (freezer storage bags) are great to keep camera bodies, lenses and any other small accessories dry from snow and rain. Try to find a jacket with suitable inside pockets for body and lens storage. This will keep the equipment closer to body temperature. The last issue is condensation, when taking the equipment from a cold dry environment into a warm humid one. Plan on waiting for the gear to acclimatize to indoor temperatures before using. No amount of wiping and cleaning will get rid of the condensation. Of course you could always go to Tahiti...but that opens up all sorts of new problems! Good Luck. ___________________________ http://www.petermartinphotographer.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 7, 2009 Share #4 Posted May 7, 2009 Backup is the answer! An all-mechanical Leica will keep going without batteries. Take a handheld meter that uses rechargeable AA batteries. And practice sunny 16 just in case! I believe Leica used to winterize cameras but have no idea if they still do this. Out of interest, what will you be doing in Greenland for a year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted May 7, 2009 Share #5 Posted May 7, 2009 There's what looks like a sensible piece on polar photography at 60South: The Art of Antarctic Photography, with discussion of film stock. For damp, silica gel and an airtight case - and a plan for regenerating the silica gel in an oven, improvised if necessary. A couple of incident-light meters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 7, 2009 Share #6 Posted May 7, 2009 thanks for your comments and tips. I have not heard about Leica making a special treatment for use in arctic climate. I can email and ask at least. Do you know anyone who prepared their gear in some way? I am a bit worried by the condensation. Not so much because I think of the camera gear, but I care about the pictures. I am also trying to figure out which film and developer to bring up there. I will develop on location when possible. I was thinking about Tri-X @ 800-1600 and Tetenal Emofin for low light shooting, but I am not sure about the best way to expose and develop for bright sunny days in the snow. Any ideas? filters maybe? NZDavid: I got a great job offer there. And it is also an excellent chance to do a personal photographic project. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevidon Posted May 8, 2009 Share #7 Posted May 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I took both my M8 and M4P to Antarctica and had absolutely no problem. If you have access to the LHSA Viewfinder magazine archive disc, you will find an excellent article by a photographer who took his film M to Antarctica on spent some time on the interior of the continent. Now that is the coldest and windiest place on earth. He too had concerns, but the equipment performed flawlessly. As to wet weather, you have a precision piece of equipment which demands the same care whether you are in a rainstorm, the Amazon or Greenland. Just keep it dry and use one of the "soft touch" buttons such as Tom Abramson sells for the shutter release so it will be easier to use with gloves on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don'tknowmuch Posted May 11, 2009 Share #8 Posted May 11, 2009 Are you taking something digital? Or medium format? As part of a back up plan I'd want a bit of everything with me... Intrigued by the prospect of what you'll find there. Will you be posting? Jim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 11, 2009 Share #9 Posted May 11, 2009 Don'tknowmuch: I will bring my M8 but I plan to work with film. I have not worked much in medium format but maybe I will bring a pinhole 120 camera for fun also :-) Yes, I need a backup plan also. So as it looks now, I will pack two film bodies (just in case) and 28-35-50mm. I'm sending some of the items to Solms for an express CLA next week. thanks again for all your comments so far! Feel free to add. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted May 12, 2009 Share #10 Posted May 12, 2009 I know you're checking with Leica but I think I also read somewhere that they can provide a special "cold weather" CLA for bodies and lenses. Presumably it would include stuff like special lubricants and such... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 12, 2009 Share #11 Posted May 12, 2009 Hi Peter, I did not ask Leica yet. Several people here talked about this "cold weather" CLA for cameras but I have not heard from anyone that actually had it done or knew it existed. Did anybody from this forum had this done? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted May 12, 2009 Share #12 Posted May 12, 2009 You're going to need some glass with decent speed. The southern tip of Greenland is at about the same latitude as where I live (60N) and there isn't a lot of daylight from November through January. Further north it will be darker still and for a longer period. Even with tri-x at +2 you're going to want something faster than a Tri-Elmar, at least if you're working hand held. Working in the winter dark is a challenge but can be really rewarding (with your northern lights handle I guess you know this already). I recently shot some tri-x at 320 under the bright spring sun, and were having a challenge with the 1/1000 sec speed of my M3 being too long. You'll have the same when shooting snow covered ground in late winter early spring as well as during summer. So I suggest you add ND filters to your kit or bring some stock of a slower film in addition to your stash of tri-x. A handheld meter that can take incident readings is a must have. Something like a Gossen Digisix or a Sekonic 302B should work fine and not add to much bulk, just remember extra batteries. Cheers, - Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 13, 2009 Share #13 Posted May 13, 2009 Hi Carl, thanks for all your tips and comments! I will bring 50 Summilux Asph, 28 Summicron and 35 Summarit so that should be OK. Yes I know there will be low light also, but these lenses should be OK for that I guess, and I am testing some Tri-X 400 @ 1600 in Emofin (I have seen good results with that combo form other photographers). Good idea about the ND filters and slower speed film for snow and sun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted May 17, 2009 Share #14 Posted May 17, 2009 Decades ago people use to strip the grease and lub from cameras for use in cold weather. These would be Nikon F and early M cameras. It was hard on the cameras, but they functioned in the cold and you had to relube them on return. At some point, the lubes were changed and could stand colder temps. I believe Leica says zero deg F is ok. Contact Leica for your specific model and expected temps. Batteries are another issue Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 20, 2009 Share #15 Posted May 20, 2009 I had this response from Leica in Solms which some of you might also find interesting: "Dear Sir, We cannot give any guarantee for cameras which are exposed to polar climate (constant temperature below 0°C), especially for those cameras which are working with a battery in all functions, like the LEICA M8. The LEICA MP and LEICA M6 are better qualified concerning the mechanical shutter, but regarding the exposure metering it is not possible to give a function warranty for all cameras depending on batteries under the mentioned conditions . If you use the equipment only for a short period of time , e.g. to make some pictures, and you keep the camera equipment near your body for the rest of the time - under the "polar clothing" - there should be no real problem. But we recommend to send in your cameras together with the lenses, for an exchange of the grease. We would use a fat with a minor viscosity on your lenses for smoother focus function. The price for the service on each LEICA lens is app. 300,- € and for each LEICA M body app. 700,-€.(...)" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted May 20, 2009 Share #16 Posted May 20, 2009 The price for the service on each LEICA lens is app. 300,- € and for each LEICA M body app. 700,-€.(...)"[/i] Holy cow, I'd rather hold my camera and lenses tight (to the body that is) and save that money. I have used Leicas and Leica lenses up in the mountains at temperatures as low as -20 Celsius, and never had any problems. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namelast Posted May 20, 2009 Share #17 Posted May 20, 2009 You need the White Leica M8.2 to camouflage in the snow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.ant Posted May 20, 2009 Share #18 Posted May 20, 2009 I have no personal experience with either, but I assume that such conditions would be a case when a Leicavit is truly useful to operate the camera with your gloves on. I would go for a completely mechanical, like m3, m6 or mp. Also, external light meter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 20, 2009 Share #19 Posted May 20, 2009 You need the White Leica M8.2 to camouflage in the snow! Exactly! hehe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aurora_borealis Posted May 20, 2009 Share #20 Posted May 20, 2009 I have used Leicas and Leica lenses up in the mountains at temperatures as low as -20 Celsius, and never had any problems. Andy Thank you Andy. It is good to know since I prefer not to spend 3.000 Eur on that treatment. It must be the most expensive grease in the world. I'm bringing MP, M6 and M8 up there and three lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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