Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ted- Maybe I am missing one of the "Milestone on the Road to a Fuller Life", but I never saw anything that cold of which I would want a photograph! :o) Dan ( Say, at what temperature will my single malt freeze?) Post - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted" <tedgrant@home.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2000 10:57 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] Dark deeds done in a cold cold land. > John Collier wrote: > > > >>>>>>>I have been reading all the posts on the cold and decided to test my > > two > > Leica M cameras in the fairly cold weather we are experiencing right now. It > > is not that cold, only about -23 degrees C (-10 degrees F) but cold enough > > to see how the cameras would perform in extreme situations. The cameras are > > a 1960's M2 (moderately recent CLA) and a new this spring M6-TTL with fairly > > fresh batteries. The cameras were placed outside and checked at 15 minute > > intervals.<<<<<< snip early tests......... > > > > 90m: cameras burn flesh on touch, lenses very stiff to turn, all functions > > fine and TTL's meter barely working but still accurate (diodes pulse on and > > off and go out quickly). > > > > Test suspended due to the feeling that the tester was beginning to look like > > a silly ass! Tough little cameras though.<<<<<<< > > Hey John, > > I could've saved you looking like a "silly ass" in the "chilly weather" ;-) if > you'd asked me what happens when you spend 14 days, every day working at minus > 45 high to minus 55 low for the day time temps and using M4's in those > conditions. ;-) > > You don't need to wait an hour before they hurt when you put them to your eye! > It's like real quick! ;-) But does it ever make you shoot quickly, not too much > time spent taking meter readings, man you are clicking like real fast! And if > you go inside for a coffee? You leave the cameras outside, have your coffee > come back out, pick them up and get at it again. > > You dare not take them inside unless you're in for sometime and they can > completely warm to room temperature. Because if you go in and they start to > warm up, condensation begins and if you go back out side while they're in that > state... you are dead in the cold with frost all over the cameras. There is a > little trick I used several times and that is to use very large freezer type > lock seal clear plastic bags. Put the cameras inside, seal it and then go in > side. Then there isn't as much chance of the condensation happening. But > generally I just left them out side providing I wasn't going to be an hour in > the cook shack. > > They can and do get a little "testy" sometimes and can give you a tad of grief > in focusing and just handling them the colder they become. But I've never had an > M camera of any kind fail to work no matter how cold it was. > > ted Grant > >