[Leica] LiLon battery cold performance

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Spencer writes:

"When I opened the R8 motor drive battery pack, it looks like standard
AA-sized cells inside. Probably NiMH soldered together. I would go to one of
the battery specialists and see if they can replace them for you if you
don't want to do it yourself.


These battery packs really sucks in freezing temperatures. I wonder if I can
replace the cells with lithium ion cells...."


Spencer,

Lithium ion cells have their own problems in cold weather. I am in the
middle of a x-c ski vacation in very, very cold weather. I normally carry a
Canon P&S digital equipped with a lithium ion battery in my parka pocket. It
works fairly well when the temperature is above 20F but when the temperature
drops to 0F the display reads replace battery and the camera shuts down. The
battery was fully charged when I started out. A similar thing happens to my
Oly E-500 DSLR. I could, of course carry the camera in an inside pocket but
I sweat a lot when I ski and condensation would be a problem. What I have
started doing is placing a chemical hand warmer in the pocket with the
camera. That works well as long as it lasts. I never had this problem with
the Rollei 35 I used to carry. I just worried about broken film and static.

Larry Z