Cold weather at DVinfo.net

John Arman · November 28th, 2005, 01:48 PM

We use our camera outdoors quite often and I have been running into problems. At times it wont record or won't read the cassette, tells you to clean heads, remove cassette and so on. Is this just a commom problem caused by the cold ? ????

John Arman · November 28th, 2005, 01:52 PM

Opps it's a GL2

Sean Hansen · November 28th, 2005, 05:43 PM

Sounds like it may be condensation happening somewhere in the camera. It's pretty common when going from one warm to cold or vice versa.

Don Palomaki · November 28th, 2005, 06:35 PM

Condensation is most likely to happen when a camcorder is taken from a colder place to a warmer place, especially if it has relatively high humidity.

Cold weather can have the effect of reducing available battery charge.

The GL camcorders are rated for operation between 32 and 104 F. Outside this temperature range performance is not assured.

Ian Stark · November 29th, 2005, 05:15 AM

Would it also cause the "remove cassette" message do you think?

I have 'enjoyed' this message a number of times when rewinding but never when recording - until Saturday.

I was filming racing cars at a track in Bedford (UK) in cold and drizzly conditions and I was horrified to see the message appear halfway through the tape containing footage of me being driven round the track in a Caterham 7!!

The odd thing was it only happened to one tape. All other tapes were fine.

Cleaning the heads seemed to solve the problem and I was able to recover the data, albeit very messed up at the point where the message had appeared.

On the assumption that taking the camera into cold and damp/wet conditions is going to cause problems, what precautions should one take?

Don Palomaki · November 29th, 2005, 05:48 AM

> On the assumption that taking the camera into cold and damp/wet conditions is going to cause problems, what precautions should one take?<

Short of moving to a warn, dry climate, best to keep it dry. If you are going to be in a very wet environment where the camcorder is likley to receive excessive exposure to rain/condensing fog, try a rain cover.

Ian Stark · November 29th, 2005, 06:02 AM

Best advice yet. I'm packing my bags as I write this.

I had actually wrapped the camera in a transparent polythene cape and I thought it was pretty well covered. I'll take your advice though, and look into getting a proper rain jacket.

Thanks Don.

Graham Bernard · November 29th, 2005, 06:55 AM

also cold to hot and hot to cold environments can do this - camera warm<>air cold and damp = condensation - G

Sean Hansen · November 29th, 2005, 08:54 PM

That was what I had said in my post...And I still stand by it. Condensation is the most likely problem.

Ian Stark · November 30th, 2005, 01:56 AM

Just one additional observation.

I had been taking the camera in and out of hot/dry and cold/damp conditions from 8am until around 3pm when this problem kicked in. At the time it happened I had been outside for almost an hour.

Not questioning condensation as a cause, just thinking that it would have happened sooner in the day.

I'm guessing that a rain jacket won't prevent condensation problems?

Graham Bernard · November 30th, 2005, 03:37 AM

Ian, what type of rain jacket? Is it purely a plastic bag? I've got a Port-A-Brace thin felt lined jacket for my XM2. Now this has some kinda of "heat" insulation properties - yeah? It is this heat exchange COMBINED with the ambient relative humidity that is going on that produces condensation. Taking a COLD camera into a warm "moist" interior will result in moisture being deposited on any cold dry surface. I wear glasses .. plastic . . but lenses . . yeah? If come rushing in from a cold dry day into the kitchen where cooking has been going on, warm+moist, I go completely blind! Well fogged up at least!

So, you com in from a cold dry environment, maybe even WITH a rain jacket ( rain jacket if even plastic will be AT the same temp as the camera ) the moisture will condense on anything that is both colder and dryer than the atmosphere it is coming from! So, any surface will be prone to moisture PLUS any moisture collecting internally on the INNER surface of the rain jacket will then drop nicely onto the surfaces of the camera . . ughhh...

Hope this helps.

Grazie

Ian Stark · November 30th, 2005, 02:59 PM

Hey Grazie, how are ya?

Looks like I need to invest in a proper insulating device like yours - in advance of this "coldest winter for forty years" we've been promised. Out of interest, being London-based, where do you get your gear? Or do you buy on line mainly.

Am I right in thinking you live in the Kensington area?

Cheers.

Ian . . .

Graham Bernard · November 30th, 2005, 03:22 PM

Yo Starky!

PEC/Optex/ASK/Pricebusters/T2/ . . er . .s/w online ; Kensington?!? You Are having a larf aint yah?

Grazie

Ian Stark · November 30th, 2005, 03:27 PM

Oh sorry! I thought I recalled you telling me that was where you were from! Reason I mention it is that I have good reason to be in a pub near Olympia several times a week and thought you might like to pop in for a pint!

Better abandon this line of discussion though in case we get told off for hijacking the thread!

Cheers.

Ian . . .

Steve Olds · December 3rd, 2005, 11:53 AM

Hey I would like to stop in for a BEVY! But Ilive in the US and would be more than a trip down to the corner pub. Sounds like fun tho! Steve

November 28th, 2005, 01:48 PM	#1
John Arman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bismarck ND Posts: 49	Cold weather We use our camera outdoors quite often and I have been running into problems. At times it wont record or won't read the cassette, tells you to clean heads, remove cassette and so on. Is this just a commom problem caused by the cold ? ????

November 28th, 2005, 05:43 PM	#3
Sean Hansen Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 50	Sounds like it may be condensation happening somewhere in the camera. It's pretty common when going from one warm to cold or vice versa. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sean Hansen CMProductions http://pages.infinit.net/cybrmonk/ Montreal, Quebec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 28th, 2005, 06:35 PM	#4
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	Condensation is most likely to happen when a camcorder is taken from a colder place to a warmer place, especially if it has relatively high humidity. Cold weather can have the effect of reducing available battery charge. The GL camcorders are rated for operation between 32 and 104 F. Outside this temperature range performance is not assured. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

November 29th, 2005, 05:15 AM	#5
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Would it also cause the "remove cassette" message do you think? I have 'enjoyed' this message a number of times when rewinding but never when recording - until Saturday. I was filming racing cars at a track in Bedford (UK) in cold and drizzly conditions and I was horrified to see the message appear halfway through the tape containing footage of me being driven round the track in a Caterham 7!! The odd thing was it only happened to one tape. All other tapes were fine. Cleaning the heads seemed to solve the problem and I was able to recover the data, albeit very messed up at the point where the message had appeared. On the assumption that taking the camera into cold and damp/wet conditions is going to cause problems, what precautions should one take? __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

November 29th, 2005, 05:48 AM	#6
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	> On the assumption that taking the camera into cold and damp/wet conditions is going to cause problems, what precautions should one take?< Short of moving to a warn, dry climate, best to keep it dry. If you are going to be in a very wet environment where the camcorder is likley to receive excessive exposure to rain/condensing fog, try a rain cover. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

November 28th, 2005, 01:52 PM	#2
John Arman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bismarck ND Posts: 49	Opps it's a GL2

November 29th, 2005, 06:02 AM	#7
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Best advice yet. I'm packing my bags as I write this. I had actually wrapped the camera in a transparent polythene cape and I thought it was pretty well covered. I'll take your advice though, and look into getting a proper rain jacket. Thanks Don. __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

November 29th, 2005, 06:55 AM	#8
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	also cold to hot and hot to cold environments can do this - camera warm<>air cold and damp = condensation - G

November 29th, 2005, 08:54 PM	#9
Sean Hansen Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 50	That was what I had said in my post...And I still stand by it. Condensation is the most likely problem. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sean Hansen CMProductions http://pages.infinit.net/cybrmonk/ Montreal, Quebec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 30th, 2005, 01:56 AM	#10
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Just one additional observation. I had been taking the camera in and out of hot/dry and cold/damp conditions from 8am until around 3pm when this problem kicked in. At the time it happened I had been outside for almost an hour. Not questioning condensation as a cause, just thinking that it would have happened sooner in the day. I'm guessing that a rain jacket won't prevent condensation problems? __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

November 30th, 2005, 03:37 AM	#11
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Ian, what type of rain jacket? Is it purely a plastic bag? I've got a Port-A-Brace thin felt lined jacket for my XM2. Now this has some kinda of "heat" insulation properties - yeah? It is this heat exchange COMBINED with the ambient relative humidity that is going on that produces condensation. Taking a COLD camera into a warm "moist" interior will result in moisture being deposited on any cold dry surface. I wear glasses .. plastic . . but lenses . . yeah? If come rushing in from a cold dry day into the kitchen where cooking has been going on, warm+moist, I go completely blind! Well fogged up at least! So, you com in from a cold dry environment, maybe even WITH a rain jacket ( rain jacket if even plastic will be AT the same temp as the camera ) the moisture will condense on anything that is both colder and dryer than the atmosphere it is coming from! So, any surface will be prone to moisture PLUS any moisture collecting internally on the INNER surface of the rain jacket will then drop nicely onto the surfaces of the camera . . ughhh... Hope this helps. Grazie

November 30th, 2005, 02:59 PM	#12
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Hey Grazie, how are ya? Looks like I need to invest in a proper insulating device like yours - in advance of this "coldest winter for forty years" we've been promised. Out of interest, being London-based, where do you get your gear? Or do you buy on line mainly. Am I right in thinking you live in the Kensington area? Cheers. Ian . . . __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

November 30th, 2005, 03:22 PM	#13
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Yo Starky! PEC/Optex/ASK/Pricebusters/T2/ . . er . .s/w online ; Kensington?!? You Are having a larf aint yah? Grazie

November 30th, 2005, 03:27 PM	#14
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Oh sorry! I thought I recalled you telling me that was where you were from! Reason I mention it is that I have good reason to be in a pub near Olympia several times a week and thought you might like to pop in for a pint! Better abandon this line of discussion though in case we get told off for hijacking the thread! Cheers. Ian . . . __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

December 3rd, 2005, 11:53 AM	#15
Steve Olds Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rolla, Mo Posts: 116	Hey I would like to stop in for a BEVY! But Ilive in the US and would be more than a trip down to the corner pub. Sounds like fun tho! Steve