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BTDT needed re: winterizing a P30+...

Audii-Dudii

Active member
Aside from the usual general concerns about keeping the batteries warm and preventing condensation from forming on the equipment when moving between the inside and outside, are there any other precautions I need to be aware of?

I ask because a friend and I are headed to southern Utah for the weekend and daytime highs are likely to be in the below-freezing range, which will be my first time using it with an ambient temp under 65 degrees or so. Actually, now that I think about it, my friend owns a Leaf Aptus something or other, so if there are any precautions peculiar to those backs that he should take, I'd appreciate hearing about those, too!

Thanks!
 
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dougpeterson

Workshop Member
The phase back will take the temperature change like a champ - battery life is a concern with any camera but just swapping batteries from warm-pocket to back should extend a two battery set quite long.

When bringing any camera system from hot to cold, or more importantly from cold to hot, its a good idea to wait 10-15 minutes for the camera/optics to equalize at that temperature.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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Don Libby

Well-known member
I used a P30+ in December at the South Rim several years ago during sub freezing temps and snow. I kept a spare battery in a inside pocket and never had a problem with the back; actually I gave up way before the camera did. Follow Doug's suggestions and you should do fine.

Don
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I would carry extra batteries in pocket. One thing with cold and any battery it will shorten the shooting time so get a few extra batteries to have on hand. Other than that I have been in below freezing weather in Moab and no problems at all. I would worry more about your fingers and cold metal issues.
 

engel001

Member
You could use an external battery holder such as the Canon CH-910 and keep the batteries in a pocket for warmth, running the dummy battery cord to your back. I have done this many times when I needed sustained power to my P25. This functions as a dual charger and also can hold the larger capacity BP-9xx series batteries with 6800mAh capacity (times two!). Not officially approved by Phase One, I believe.
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
You could use an external battery holder such as the Canon CH-910 and keep the batteries in a pocket for warmth, running the dummy battery cord to your back. I have done this many times when I needed sustained power to my P25. This functions as a dual charger and also can hold the larger capacity BP-9xx series batteries with 6800mAh capacity (times two!). Not officially approved by Phase One, I believe.
As it so happens, one of those came with my back ... except for the dummy battery part, of course. :-(

And, of course, I also received not one, but two Firewire cables, despite the fact that I'll likely never use the back tethered.

Speaking of the 6800mAh batteries, I thought those won't fit the Phase One back? That said, I have six BP-911 batteries and a 12v battery charger, though, so I think I should be able to get through a full day despite the cold.
 

engel001

Member
The larger batteries would be attached to the CH-910 and that attached to the back via the DC coupler you are missing. Any battery size will fit the charger. I used this for the automatic acquisition of an unattended series of sunrise pictures of the Matterhorn with my Contax 645 and a timer (I was having breakfast at the time and my wife didn't want me bothering with camera gear...). For cold weather, you will likely be fine with spare batteries in you pocket.
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Carry a plastic supermarket bag to put the camera/back in BEFORE you go into a warm room. Seal it with a knot in the plastic and let the combo warm to ambient temp before taking it out. That way the humidity condenses on the plastic not your gear.

If you're itching to see your shots, take the CF card out before you go indoors - and keep it in a warm pocket for a minute or two.

I've used P backs in -20C (-4F) with no trouble at all. I do take multiple batteries!
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
Carry a plastic supermarket bag to put the camera/back in BEFORE you go into a warm room. Seal it with a knot in the plastic and let the combo warm to ambient temp before taking it out. That way the humidity condenses on the plastic not your gear.
I actually carry several different sizes of plastic bags with me: A couple of gallon-size Ziplocs for general use; a couple of 10-gallon trash can liners for exactly the purpose you describe, and a couple of heavy-duty 50-gallon trash bags that I use to kneel on/put my equipment bag on instead of directly on the ground ... works a treat!

If you're itching to see your shots, take the CF card out before you go indoors - and keep it in a warm pocket for a minute or two.
We're only going for four days and I have enough CF cards to see me through, so I'm going to take my chances on not making backups every night and leave the laptop home.

I've used P backs in -20C (-4F) with no trouble at all. I do take multiple batteries!
That's good to know, but if it gets that cold, we're going to find a bar somewhere and hole up in it until it warms up!
 

Analog6

New member
If you suddenly lose your time and date function, don't panic. This happened to me in sub zero temps on NZ (P20) but once home it corrected itself. It is to do with the condenser inside. I was quoted over $2K for the repair and had a big panic then realised it was OK again.

A bit annoying for the images recorded with nonsense dates but you can fit them in sequence by the filenames/numbers.
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
I'm back from my trip and for the benefit of the archives, I thought I'd note that my P30+ worked perfectly in temps as low as 20 degrees with a windchill factor in the single-digits.

I managed to get 138 exposures out of the first battery on the first day and a similar number out of the second battery on the second day (the third day was only a partial day and we were in Northern Arizona, where it was somewhat warmer).

Except for my tripod being blown over by a gust of wind at Horseshoe Bend while my camera and body were still attached -- fortunately, it didn't go over the edge and it appears everything survived with only cosmetic damage! -- it all worked perfectly and came home fully functional and intact.
 
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