Shooting in the Heat at DVinfo.net

Matthew Lombardo · June 15th, 2006, 11:06 AM

Is there any precautions I should take with my xl1s when shooting in high heat. For example: I plan to do some shooting in Palm Springs and I know it gets over a 100 degrees in the summer. Anyone live near Palm Desert?

Any suggestions help!

Thanks,

Matthew

Mark Bournes · June 15th, 2006, 11:13 AM

I have shot out there and have had no real problems to speak of. Just keep your gear out of the sun as much as possible when not using it. The sun will kill your batteries out there. Also don't keep the camera to cold in the AC and then try and use it outdoors in the scorching sun, you might get a humid warning and not be able to shoot for a while. More of a problem here in Florida than in the desert, but the temperature extremes are hard on the camera.
Mark

Peter Costello · June 15th, 2006, 11:13 AM

I live in Phoenix. The heat is intense in the summer. I try to shade my camera for the most part. Watch out for the view finder. The diopter acts like a magnifying glass and the sun will burn and smoke the inside of the viewfinder in a matter of minutes. Drink lots of water.

Charlie Vankirk · June 15th, 2006, 11:20 AM

I second that! Drink Water and try to cover your camera!

I live in Las Vegas and it is getting HOT right now!

I have a Sony HDR-HC1 and it has given me a Condensation warning. I think it was because I went from inside the house which was a cool 77*F degrees to outside where it was about 101*F degrees. So watch out for that too!

Keep the cam out of the direct sun as much as possible.

Good Luck!

Joshua Provost · June 15th, 2006, 11:53 AM

Matthew,

I try to have an umbrella around to shade the camera. If you have C-stands, you can even just mount the umbrella over your camera. I have had the experience that when it gets too much direct sun, I do get camera reset errors.

Josh

Matt Davis · June 15th, 2006, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lombardo

Any suggestions help!

Recently shooting in Morocco - I took one of the Hotel's large white Face Flannels with me to drape over the Z1 like a sun-hat. It worked well, even if it looked silly. Did the same in Florida a couple of weeks later and took one for myself too.

Regarding condensation, big big issue in somewhere like Thailand. Learned a lesson the hard way: Storing cameras in air conditioned hotels, going to locations in air conditioned taxis then trying to shoot GVs ... so embarrassing. "We have to wait 45 mins for the camera to get used to the conditions". Thank goodness I had a little consumercam that seemed to enjoy the climate, otherwise I'd have got lynched.

Bob Grant · June 15th, 2006, 05:20 PM

Pelican or Storm cases with silica gel inside can help prevent condensation problems.
When you do get a condensation lockout with Sony cameras you have to turn the camera off and remove the battery to reset the condition. That's a real trap if you don't know about it!

Heat in general is bad for cameras. The hotter the CCDs the more noise.

June 15th, 2006, 11:06 AM	#1
Matthew Lombardo Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Palm Desert, CA. Posts: 46	Shooting in the Heat Is there any precautions I should take with my xl1s when shooting in high heat. For example: I plan to do some shooting in Palm Springs and I know it gets over a 100 degrees in the summer. Anyone live near Palm Desert? Any suggestions help! Thanks, Matthew

June 15th, 2006, 11:13 AM	#3
Peter Costello Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 29	heat I live in Phoenix. The heat is intense in the summer. I try to shade my camera for the most part. Watch out for the view finder. The diopter acts like a magnifying glass and the sun will burn and smoke the inside of the viewfinder in a matter of minutes. Drink lots of water.

June 15th, 2006, 11:53 AM	#5
Joshua Provost Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 493	Matthew, I try to have an umbrella around to shade the camera. If you have C-stands, you can even just mount the umbrella over your camera. I have had the experience that when it gets too much direct sun, I do get camera reset errors. Josh __________________ Owner/Operator, 727 Records Co-Founder, Matter of Chance Productions Blogger, Try Avoidance

June 15th, 2006, 11:13 AM	#2
Mark Bournes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 565	I have shot out there and have had no real problems to speak of. Just keep your gear out of the sun as much as possible when not using it. The sun will kill your batteries out there. Also don't keep the camera to cold in the AC and then try and use it outdoors in the scorching sun, you might get a humid warning and not be able to shoot for a while. More of a problem here in Florida than in the desert, but the temperature extremes are hard on the camera. Mark

June 15th, 2006, 11:20 AM	#4
Charlie Vankirk Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Las Vegas,NV Posts: 41	I second that! Drink Water and try to cover your camera! I live in Las Vegas and it is getting HOT right now! I have a Sony HDR-HC1 and it has given me a Condensation warning. I think it was because I went from inside the house which was a cool 77F degrees to outside where it was about 101F degrees. So watch out for that too! Keep the cam out of the direct sun as much as possible. Good Luck!

June 15th, 2006, 05:20 PM	#7
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	Pelican or Storm cases with silica gel inside can help prevent condensation problems. When you do get a condensation lockout with Sony cameras you have to turn the camera off and remove the battery to reset the condition. That's a real trap if you don't know about it! Heat in general is bad for cameras. The hotter the CCDs the more noise.