Hi,

I have a Pentax SLR (K50, weather sealed jobby). This is a new SLR to me, so am still getting to grips with it.

I am lucky enough to be going skiing and would like to take the camera with me. Last time I took a camera, (Canon IXUS compact), there was a strange effect on the screen (almost like crystals/darkening of pixels on the screen). It seemed to happen for no particular reason I could easily point to – it was cold, we were quite high, but it was not excessively cold and I have used that camera at altitude before.

Issue seemed to clear up and there was no affect on the pictures taken.

Would there be any reason that using my SLR at 2,000M – 3,000M cause any issue? Would rather not risk it if it were problematic, but obviously would like to take it with me, as I won’t be getting that mix of light/views again for a while I suspect.

I seriously doubt it’s an altitude issue, bit maybe something to do with moisture/cold ?? Usually this causes problems when you get fogging on the lens and/or sensor.

LCD performance isn’t great at low temperatures.

Thanks both, is there anything I can do to protect/guard against this? I think the cold air/warm inside/cold air again might not have helped.

I’ve used my compact at altitude before – never had a problem. I’d imagine an SLR would be less likely to have issues. Battery life can be pretty bad in the cold though – take spares.

Condensation is caused when you move from cold air to warm air or vice versa. When shooting outdoors in the winter, this typically happens when leaving your house, and when returning later, so you have to be particularly careful with your camera at both of these times.

The first thing to do is to ensure that any temperature changes happen as gradually as possible. A good way to do this is by leaving your camera in an intermediate environment such as a porch, garage, or car. Doing this for at least an hour in between environments will give your camera time to adjust to the conditions more gradually, reducing the chances of condensation forming. While doing this, remove your battery and keep it warm to extend its life when you start shooting.

You may still get some condensation no matter how slowly the temperature changes. Luckily photographers have a tried-and-tested trick for dealing with this moisture – put your camera in an air-tight bag such as a Ziploc, and add a sachet of silica gel. These sachets come in the boxes of most electronic goods and will soak up any condensation, keeping your camera safe and dry.

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/how-to-protect-your-digital-camera-in-cold-weather

My 400D has been to the top of Kilimanjaro with no problems.

Thanks Grum, useful tips. Would a back pack (with camera bag inside) act as a good intermediate environment?) I don’t have any silica gel, but wonder if this is something that can be got from Dixon at the airport?

Working today and probably no time tomorrow to go to the shops before Sunday am flight.

My Nikon worked alright at 9000ft in Morocco (Top of the Atlas mountains)
As others have said, the battery wont like the cold..

The nice thing about SLRs is that you don’t need the screen, just use the view finder.

Slight hi(!)jack, but Chris Bonington’s photography was very inspirational to me. His old Olympus seemed to work OK at altitude 🙂

moisture is more of issue coming from the cold into a hot environment.

Snap away via the view finder.

footflaps – Member
The nice thing about SLRs is that you don’t need the screen, just use the view finder.

Not only is it the nice thing about an SLR, it’s what they’re all about!