EX1 Minimum Operating Temp

Olof Ekbergh · December 11th, 2009, 08:21 PM

I shoot a lot outside in the winter.

Including the top of Mount Washington, home of the worlds worst weather (top windspeed world record 232mph). I have shot in -35℉ and 90 mph wind up there, it takes two people to hold down the tripod.

I have a PortaBrace Polar Pack I use for my EX3 and it has pockets for hand warmers. I got it originally for my DSR500 10 years ago or so. I still use it a lot it fits the EX3 great a bit big but that is nice, great place to keep your hands when shooting in the cold.

Lots of room for the NanoFlash too.

Frank Casanova · December 12th, 2009, 12:19 AM

Paul... In an effort to not create condesation, overnight the EX1 was kept in an enclosed garage which was still warm throughout the evening...Therefore the camera never had a chance to cool down from the days shooting. The camera wouldn't boot up until about 11pm when it finally cooled down a bit. We were out on the water of Laguna Madre Bay in South Padre Island, Texas in July. Usually 100 degrees by noon with 98% humidity. By about 1pm to 2pm the camera would shut down everyday. I'm guessing that since it runs hot, it would start the day from a warm beginning point and then it didn't take long to reach the point of the shut down. The first two days of shooting were fine. It wasn't until the last 4 days did I have the problem, which says the heat was building up each day. Next time I might not store it over night in the warm garage, but insteady bring it into the air cond. to cool down and do a slow step introduction to the outside air the next morning with it in a bag filled with dessicant packs.

Paul Cronin · December 12th, 2009, 07:30 AM

Frank that is a problem have you told Sony and had it checked? Not a good thing to loose shots due to a overheated camera.

Olof wow that is one cold place. I have been up there in the summer with snow. The most dangerous small mountain in the world. How did you stay warm?

Olof Ekbergh · December 12th, 2009, 08:10 AM

Paul,

When the weather is that nasty, you only go out for a few minutes at a time.

And you stay real close to the Observatory entrance. You can get lost in a whiteout where you sometimes cant even see your feet.

A few rules on clothing are. No cotton, lots of layers, crampons on your boots, keep extra gloves handy in a pocket, if yours blow away. A really sturdy jacket with hood. I also carry lots of heat packs for me and the camera.

I was up there shooting just a week ago, there was about 2-8" of rime ice on everything, but it was 50℉ and no wind. I got some nice shots. That would have been a nice day in August, very unusual.

Current conditions:

Alister Chapman · December 12th, 2009, 01:30 PM

Mt Washington in the winter is on my list of places to visit. It is a wild place! I'm jealous!

Olof Ekbergh · December 12th, 2009, 02:16 PM

Anyone interested in Mt Washington, can check my webcam. This is the view from our studio. Looking at the Presidentials from the south.

Westside A V Studios WEBcam

Today it is in the clouds. There is a time-lapse link there as well that shows a whole year.

Paul Cronin · December 13th, 2009, 11:08 AM

Thanks for sharing the timelaps Olof. Let me know how much warmer we are only a few hours South. Hope to see you this winter.

Do you have the right angle SDI cables up on your site yet?

Ian Planchon · December 13th, 2009, 02:02 PM

I shot with mine for 10 days on the iditarod. the coldest temp was -35f. The only problem I had was the LCD getting sluggish, like Alister pointed out. the solution was taping hand warmers to the viewfinder. This camera will take a beating too, had it in a pelican case (witout padding, just wrapped in a jacket) strapped to the back of my snowmachine, there were a couple trips where it got beat up pretty bad, and the only thing that happened was some paint chipped off.
I am really impressed with the camera.

Paul Cronin · December 13th, 2009, 06:27 PM

Ian that is a great test for the camera not just the cold but the banging around shock load. Sounds like a fun gig.

Olof Ekbergh · December 13th, 2009, 08:51 PM

I was out shooting all day today at Santa's Village, it is in Jefferson NH. But it may as well have been the North Pole.

It was 5℉ when we started but it went up to almost 30℉ by the end of the shoot. By then it was snowing pretty heavily with rain and sleet mixed in. Lots of it horizontal. I went through a lot of micro weave rags.

I was shooting with the new EX1R, I could not use the NanoFlash, because my Swit batteries are not here yet. I was only using a clear garbage bag to keep the snow off the EX1R. But it behaved perfectly. The large Sony batts lasted about 2 hrs each. I keep the camera on full time when in the cold. And I was not using heat pads on the batts. I had the Polar pack with me, but I did not use it. I wanted to see how the EX1R would do. I give it an A+. I shot 2 hrs on the SxS cards in about 8 hrs of running and gunning. I checked the footage when I got back, and it is all fine.

I was using my new shoulder brace when shooting the reindeer, it worked really well. It snaps right on or off in about 2 seconds and only adds about 6 oz to the cam. With the steady shot on the shots came out nice and fluid for such a light cam.

Snow looks great in slomo.

Paul, give me a call tomorrow about the SDI cables. I can make them, and I have all the fittings. I am just trying to decide how to sell them on the website. I can make them any size, with one or both ends 90º. I also have 90º connectors in stock.

Robert Hollingworth · January 2nd, 2010, 07:59 PM

I've shot mine down in Antarctica near the pole and it's been fine. Had it in a Polar jacket which as much was for my own hands as the camera's well-being. Batteries hold up surprisingly well (can't comment on Swit stuff, just the proper Sony batteries). Did get problems with snow getting in switches and jamming their position after a 120knot wind for 3 days, but I guess that's to be expected. It coped perfectly - a stunning camera and the ideal cold weather camera as it's solid state and energy efficient, plus you can charge the batteries easily from solar panels unlike their V-lock sisters...

Rob
---
www.roberthollingworth.co.uk

December 12th, 2009, 12:19 AM	#17
Frank Casanova Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 29	EX1 Shutting Down in High Heat & Humidity Paul... In an effort to not create condesation, overnight the EX1 was kept in an enclosed garage which was still warm throughout the evening...Therefore the camera never had a chance to cool down from the days shooting. The camera wouldn't boot up until about 11pm when it finally cooled down a bit. We were out on the water of Laguna Madre Bay in South Padre Island, Texas in July. Usually 100 degrees by noon with 98% humidity. By about 1pm to 2pm the camera would shut down everyday. I'm guessing that since it runs hot, it would start the day from a warm beginning point and then it didn't take long to reach the point of the shut down. The first two days of shooting were fine. It wasn't until the last 4 days did I have the problem, which says the heat was building up each day. Next time I might not store it over night in the warm garage, but insteady bring it into the air cond. to cool down and do a slow step introduction to the outside air the next morning with it in a bag filled with dessicant packs.

December 12th, 2009, 07:30 AM	#18
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Frank that is a problem have you told Sony and had it checked? Not a good thing to loose shots due to a overheated camera. Olof wow that is one cold place. I have been up there in the summer with snow. The most dangerous small mountain in the world. How did you stay warm? __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

December 12th, 2009, 08:10 AM	#19
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	Paul, When the weather is that nasty, you only go out for a few minutes at a time. And you stay real close to the Observatory entrance. You can get lost in a whiteout where you sometimes cant even see your feet. A few rules on clothing are. No cotton, lots of layers, crampons on your boots, keep extra gloves handy in a pocket, if yours blow away. A really sturdy jacket with hood. I also carry lots of heat packs for me and the camera. I was up there shooting just a week ago, there was about 2-8" of rime ice on everything, but it was 50℉ and no wind. I got some nice shots. That would have been a nice day in August, very unusual. Current conditions: Attached Images

December 12th, 2009, 01:30 PM	#20
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	Mt Washington in the winter is on my list of places to visit. It is a wild place! I'm jealous! __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

December 13th, 2009, 11:08 AM	#22
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Thanks for sharing the timelaps Olof. Let me know how much warmer we are only a few hours South. Hope to see you this winter. Do you have the right angle SDI cables up on your site yet? __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

December 11th, 2009, 08:21 PM	#16
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	I shoot a lot outside in the winter. Including the top of Mount Washington, home of the worlds worst weather (top windspeed world record 232mph). I have shot in -35℉ and 90 mph wind up there, it takes two people to hold down the tripod. I have a PortaBrace Polar Pack I use for my EX3 and it has pockets for hand warmers. I got it originally for my DSR500 10 years ago or so. I still use it a lot it fits the EX3 great a bit big but that is nice, great place to keep your hands when shooting in the cold. Lots of room for the NanoFlash too.

December 12th, 2009, 02:16 PM	#21
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	Anyone interested in Mt Washington, can check my webcam. This is the view from our studio. Looking at the Presidentials from the south. Westside A V Studios WEBcam Today it is in the clouds. There is a time-lapse link there as well that shows a whole year.

December 13th, 2009, 02:02 PM	#23
Ian Planchon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: an Alaskan living in Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 513	I shot with mine for 10 days on the iditarod. the coldest temp was -35f. The only problem I had was the LCD getting sluggish, like Alister pointed out. the solution was taping hand warmers to the viewfinder. This camera will take a beating too, had it in a pelican case (witout padding, just wrapped in a jacket) strapped to the back of my snowmachine, there were a couple trips where it got beat up pretty bad, and the only thing that happened was some paint chipped off. I am really impressed with the camera.

December 13th, 2009, 06:27 PM	#24
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Ian that is a great test for the camera not just the cold but the banging around shock load. Sounds like a fun gig. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

December 13th, 2009, 08:51 PM	#25
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	I was out shooting all day today at Santa's Village, it is in Jefferson NH. But it may as well have been the North Pole. It was 5℉ when we started but it went up to almost 30℉ by the end of the shoot. By then it was snowing pretty heavily with rain and sleet mixed in. Lots of it horizontal. I went through a lot of micro weave rags. I was shooting with the new EX1R, I could not use the NanoFlash, because my Swit batteries are not here yet. I was only using a clear garbage bag to keep the snow off the EX1R. But it behaved perfectly. The large Sony batts lasted about 2 hrs each. I keep the camera on full time when in the cold. And I was not using heat pads on the batts. I had the Polar pack with me, but I did not use it. I wanted to see how the EX1R would do. I give it an A+. I shot 2 hrs on the SxS cards in about 8 hrs of running and gunning. I checked the footage when I got back, and it is all fine. I was using my new shoulder brace when shooting the reindeer, it worked really well. It snaps right on or off in about 2 seconds and only adds about 6 oz to the cam. With the steady shot on the shots came out nice and fluid for such a light cam. Snow looks great in slomo. Paul, give me a call tomorrow about the SDI cables. I can make them, and I have all the fittings. I am just trying to decide how to sell them on the website. I can make them any size, with one or both ends 90º. I also have 90º connectors in stock.

January 2nd, 2010, 07:59 PM	#26
Robert Hollingworth Tourist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cheltenham, UK Posts: 2	I've shot mine down in Antarctica near the pole and it's been fine. Had it in a Polar jacket which as much was for my own hands as the camera's well-being. Batteries hold up surprisingly well (can't comment on Swit stuff, just the proper Sony batteries). Did get problems with snow getting in switches and jamming their position after a 120knot wind for 3 days, but I guess that's to be expected. It coped perfectly - a stunning camera and the ideal cold weather camera as it's solid state and energy efficient, plus you can charge the batteries easily from solar panels unlike their V-lock sisters... Rob --- www.roberthollingworth.co.uk