Hello all,

Since I have no children, my DSLR (Canon XTi) is used primarily for outdoor scenes. I usually shoot where I live - Minnesota - where the winters can be quite long and harsh.

I've taken it with me twice this winter on rather short hikes in Zero and -20F degree weather. The few shots I take have been pretty good if I don't say so myself, but after a rather short period of time, something in the camera freezes up on me and is useless until brought back to room temperature.

I always carry it between layers keeping it reasonably warm and protected from the elements but I'm proverbially shooting blanks after a matter a minutes. I can only assume this is standard, but my question is - am I causing any irreparable damage the camera? (mind you, I keep it covered and dry) And is there anything I can do to avoid this side effect?

Thanks for your insights!

 

Throw a couple hand warmers in the case. Maybe see if a company such as portabrace doesnt currently make something such as their polar bear cases for DSLRs now.

You're using an entry level DSLR and its not rated for such low conditions...but in my industry I have to use gear not rated for certain conditions all the time. You just find a way to cope and it works out.

 

can you expand on that?

With my D90 when temps drop below freezing I sometimes run into autofocus issues. I usually combat that by putting the camera inside my jacket to warm it back up. I've never had any issues with the camera not functioning.

Somewhat related is the fact that the cold kills batteries. I always carry a spare and when it's colder I keep it close to my body (I mean my body, not my camera body).

 

Cold does kill batteries. When the temps drops below tolerances than lubrications become more viscous...which is why things such as your autofocus will slow down/freeze up.

 

Battery and Auto-focus are seem to be just fine. About 10 minutes into shooting in sub-zero temps, a sensor of some sort stays open and the image comes out completely white.

When in aperture mode (AV on the Canon), the shutter stays open WAY too long. When shooting in time value mode (TV on the Canon), the shutter opens and closes as it should, but the image still comes back completely white. Given that, it seems a sensor of some sort is frozen open or something.

Frankly, it's not that big of a deal, I just want to make sure I'm not causing any long-term damage to it.

 

Sounds like maybe the mirror or the shutter is getting stuck open.

Try my suggestion on keeping the camera warm....but dont keep it toooo warm. otherwise your lense might fog up on you.

 

If I'm not mistaken, in the Rebel line, the mirror and shutter are controlled by a single motor. It's possible the motor is seizing, leaving the shutter open. Keep it close to your body, inside your coat.