Sub-Zero Shooting at DVinfo.net

Dave Roveri · August 18th, 2004, 09:33 PM

Hi everybody!

I just finished watching a discovery channel documentary called "trailblazers" in which a journalist visit the coldest place on earth; the city is called Verkhoyansk in east siberia. The thing that i'm really interested to know is what kind of camera they used to shoot in such a difficult environment: the temperature is costantly at least -25 °C and in Verkhoyansk reached -40 °C!!! Someone have an idea of what incredible piece of gear can work in a scenario like that? p.s. the image quality was great, even in night shooting where people are sitting around a table inside a wood construction lit only by a petrol lamp...

Thank you all!
Dave Roveri

Ken Tanaka · August 18th, 2004, 10:33 PM

Welcome Dave,
The short answer: no camera can shoot in such conditions without the benefit of some serious protection. I have shot footage at -30F with a GL1 and can tell you that it's no ball. The camera was covered in a Porta Brace Polar Bear cover with 3 heat packs located in strategic locations (over the battery, over the lens and over the HAND!).

The first challenge of such conditions is to prevent fogging the lens and viewfinder in such conditions. If you fog it you're done for a while. You can't just wipe it off, as that will make a terrible frozen mess.

The second great challenge is to make sure that you warm the camera gradually to prevent internal condensation.

These would be the same main issues faced by any camera operator. As the program was on Discovery I would assume the crew shot in HD, perhaps on a Sony HD900 or a similar rig.

Rob Lohman · August 19th, 2004, 02:00 AM

Actually I saw another program where they where shooting with
some betacam for Discovery at -60 (degrees C) in the coldest
place on the earth (somewhere in Russia) where the maximum
cold was around -71.2 if I remember correctly. And I saw no
protection AT ALL on the camera. Now perhaps they where doing
something between takes or something, but I'd rather have
a polar cover for the camera indeed.

They did say one of there two camera's broke down (as did their
electric temperature meter) and their batteries lasted only for
15 minutes in this cold. Suprised the lens didn't crack <g>

Robert J. Wolff · August 19th, 2004, 04:15 AM

Dave,

I shoot at -10° to -30°F every winter, here in the Adirondacks, of New York.

Like Ken, I use a Porta Brace Polar Bear cover. But, underneath that cover, I keep my Porta Brace Rain cover, (my "summer" cover), on the camera. Just like you and me, multible layers are better than one. I also tape a heat gel/pack under the lens, because, as you are aware, heat rises.

The biggest problem with a shoot in the cold, is not so much a clean lens, (hard to do in a wet snow storm), but to keep the oils and grease that lubricate your lens and other physically moving parts, from freezing. Hense, my use of the heat gels beneath the lens & camera; plus, both sides of the cam. In general, I use 4 heat gels at a time. I have with me at all times. enough gels to last me 16 hours, changing the used ones @ every 4 hours.

On most pro extended shoots in sub zero temp's, the camera's and lens' are stripped down, and an extremely light lubricant replaces your normal stuff.

I don't have much of a fogging problem with my equipment, as, i am hoofing in for a distance, and, time takes care of that.

The biggest problem that I run into is the fluid pan head gets stiff. SLOWLY, panning the head in all directions, alleviates this problem.

Bill Pryor · August 21st, 2004, 10:06 PM

Most professional cameras generate quite a bit of heat, so if they're well covered, they might stay warmer than you'd expect. I've never shot in those extremes. I think the worst cold I've shot in was about -10 F. My 2-hour batteries lasted about 15 minutes. And that wasn't all bad, because I only lasted about 15 minutes too, and a dead battery is a good excuse to go inside and warm up.

John Richards · August 22nd, 2004, 08:08 AM

Has anyone done any shooting from the Tundra Buggies at Churchill , Manitoba ?. I've arranged a holiday in October and wonder whether conditions inside the buggy are that cold , of course from the viewing platforms it will probbably be -10 to -20 but I doubt if I can stand that for very long anyway. Spare batteries seem to be in order but are there any problems with the camera ? the manual gives the operating range as 0 to +40.

Jeff Patnaude · August 23rd, 2004, 11:15 AM

I've shot in -50 F covering dog sled races in Bemidji MN. God- I'm so glad I moved south!
The lense -zoom froze ( no warming cover) and my batteries went fast- even though I had them on the inside of my parka. It's tought manipulating the zoom and camera controls with mittens. Gloves dont work well in those extremes.

I guy I work with in Minneapolis shot video of the expedition to the north pole with the Steiger team. He had some really scarey stories. He shot with a wind-up 16mm camera. Juntunen is now a well-to-do large business owner there, with a BIG post facility and all. They had to eat enormous amounts of food to keep up with their racing metabolisms. I guess the body works overtime to produce more heat, and burns calories accordingly.
Will this help-no-sorry.
My two cents.

Jeff Patnaude

August 18th, 2004, 09:33 PM	#1
Dave Roveri Tourist Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1	Sub-Zero Shooting Hi everybody! I just finished watching a discovery channel documentary called "trailblazers" in which a journalist visit the coldest place on earth; the city is called Verkhoyansk in east siberia. The thing that i'm really interested to know is what kind of camera they used to shoot in such a difficult environment: the temperature is costantly at least -25 °C and in Verkhoyansk reached -40 °C!!! Someone have an idea of what incredible piece of gear can work in a scenario like that? p.s. the image quality was great, even in night shooting where people are sitting around a table inside a wood construction lit only by a petrol lamp... Thank you all! Dave Roveri

August 18th, 2004, 10:33 PM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Welcome Dave, The short answer: no camera can shoot in such conditions without the benefit of some serious protection. I have shot footage at -30F with a GL1 and can tell you that it's no ball. The camera was covered in a Porta Brace Polar Bear cover with 3 heat packs located in strategic locations (over the battery, over the lens and over the HAND!). The first challenge of such conditions is to prevent fogging the lens and viewfinder in such conditions. If you fog it you're done for a while. You can't just wipe it off, as that will make a terrible frozen mess. The second great challenge is to make sure that you warm the camera gradually to prevent internal condensation. These would be the same main issues faced by any camera operator. As the program was on Discovery I would assume the crew shot in HD, perhaps on a Sony HD900 or a similar rig. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

August 19th, 2004, 02:00 AM	#3
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Actually I saw another program where they where shooting with some betacam for Discovery at -60 (degrees C) in the coldest place on the earth (somewhere in Russia) where the maximum cold was around -71.2 if I remember correctly. And I saw no protection AT ALL on the camera. Now perhaps they where doing something between takes or something, but I'd rather have a polar cover for the camera indeed. They did say one of there two camera's broke down (as did their electric temperature meter) and their batteries lasted only for 15 minutes in this cold. Suprised the lens didn't crack <g> __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

August 19th, 2004, 04:15 AM	#4
Robert J. Wolff Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Adirondacks of New York Posts: 210	Dave, I shoot at -10° to -30°F every winter, here in the Adirondacks, of New York. Like Ken, I use a Porta Brace Polar Bear cover. But, underneath that cover, I keep my Porta Brace Rain cover, (my "summer" cover), on the camera. Just like you and me, multible layers are better than one. I also tape a heat gel/pack under the lens, because, as you are aware, heat rises. The biggest problem with a shoot in the cold, is not so much a clean lens, (hard to do in a wet snow storm), but to keep the oils and grease that lubricate your lens and other physically moving parts, from freezing. Hense, my use of the heat gels beneath the lens & camera; plus, both sides of the cam. In general, I use 4 heat gels at a time. I have with me at all times. enough gels to last me 16 hours, changing the used ones @ every 4 hours. On most pro extended shoots in sub zero temp's, the camera's and lens' are stripped down, and an extremely light lubricant replaces your normal stuff. I don't have much of a fogging problem with my equipment, as, i am hoofing in for a distance, and, time takes care of that. The biggest problem that I run into is the fluid pan head gets stiff. SLOWLY, panning the head in all directions, alleviates this problem. __________________ Himself

August 21st, 2004, 10:06 PM	#5
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Most professional cameras generate quite a bit of heat, so if they're well covered, they might stay warmer than you'd expect. I've never shot in those extremes. I think the worst cold I've shot in was about -10 F. My 2-hour batteries lasted about 15 minutes. And that wasn't all bad, because I only lasted about 15 minutes too, and a dead battery is a good excuse to go inside and warm up.

August 22nd, 2004, 08:08 AM	#6
John Richards New Boot Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Blackwood, Wales Posts: 16	Has anyone done any shooting from the Tundra Buggies at Churchill , Manitoba ?. I've arranged a holiday in October and wonder whether conditions inside the buggy are that cold , of course from the viewing platforms it will probbably be -10 to -20 but I doubt if I can stand that for very long anyway. Spare batteries seem to be in order but are there any problems with the camera ? the manual gives the operating range as 0 to +40.

August 23rd, 2004, 11:15 AM	#7
Jeff Patnaude Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Duluth, Georgia Posts: 248	I've shot in -50 F covering dog sled races in Bemidji MN. God- I'm so glad I moved south! The lense -zoom froze ( no warming cover) and my batteries went fast- even though I had them on the inside of my parka. It's tought manipulating the zoom and camera controls with mittens. Gloves dont work well in those extremes. I guy I work with in Minneapolis shot video of the expedition to the north pole with the Steiger team. He had some really scarey stories. He shot with a wind-up 16mm camera. Juntunen is now a well-to-do large business owner there, with a BIG post facility and all. They had to eat enormous amounts of food to keep up with their racing metabolisms. I guess the body works overtime to produce more heat, and burns calories accordingly. Will this help-no-sorry. My two cents. Jeff Patnaude