O.T. Camera care / usage tips for winter outdoor shooting

R
Posted By
Ray
Nov 28, 2003
Views
1688
Replies
75
Status
Closed
Strange as it may seem, I’ve never shot outside with any of my SLR cameras or digital camera. I did
some winter scenes when I had my Canon Sureshot 70 early in the ’90s. This winter, however, I intend to at least try it a few times. So I’d like to know what tips / information you may have on this subject. Winter around here is when temperature goes from 0C (32F) to -25C (-15F). For sure, I won’t be outside at -25C… I will stop at -15C (5F).

I know a few things, though, like battery life is shorten by cold, so I’ll keep a spare inside my winter coat. I also know about the waiting time when moving the camera in and out (and vice versa) to avoid condensation (humidity) inside the camera. This, however, varies from one source to another. Some say 30 minutes, others say as soon as the camera is at room temperature, others uses various techniques. So this is still obscure.

I also read that I will need to increase exposure compensation when shooting snow on my Canon 10D.

Any other tips will be appreciated! Thanks 🙂

Ray

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 28, 2003
Hi Ray, I put the camera around my neck on its strap and keep it inside my layers of clothing, with out it’s case. Usually right under the sweater and over my shirt. Then I can partially unzip the jacket and pull the camera out. I have really whacked my chin several times when in a rush!
My new camera is small and only has a wrist strap, so this will be a bit more difficult, I will probably use a jacket with one of those huge inside pockets.

Out in the boat in the summer, I put it inside a zip-loc freezer bag, do that with the phone too. The zip locs would enable them to float too, I sure hope so anyway. Jane
R
Ray
Nov 28, 2003
Jane, the ziploc thing is very ingenious!

I can’t put my camera inside my coat because it’s too big.

Ray
LM
Lou_M
Nov 28, 2003
Well then you need a bigger coat. 🙂

My wife’s Minolta X-700 with a monstrous 80-200mm zoom lens fits inside my winter jacket no problem. The fluffy down compresses nicely.

If Joe is reading this, he’ll probably have the best answer because he’s in the coldest spot of anyone I know. We’ve have -30F temperatures here, but I haven’t gotten into photography in the past 10 years (since I’ve been in Minnesota) until just recently. This will be my first winter doing any serious photography.

So far I do pretty much what Jane does, but in really cold temps that might be hard on the camera with the dramatic temperature swings from 100F in your coat to -30F outside. Yikes.

Last week when we were in the cabin and it got to about zero degrees F outside, I accidentally left my camera in the car and it took a number of hours of letting it come up to temp. Of course my wife–the firebug–had the wood stove cranked so the cabin was about 90F!
J
jhjl1
Nov 28, 2003
Lou wrote:
So far I do pretty much what Jane does, but in really cold temps that might be hard on the camera with the dramatic temperature swings from 100F in your coat to -30F outside. Yikes.

James Replies:
I have always used the inside the coat method while skiing and snowshoeing (not found in my dictionary). Last week I read a thread in a Canon forum warning against that for the reason you brought up. It even becomes more of a problem if you are doing something physical that can lead to more moisture trapped within your clothing. I am back to square one now and hoping some cold weather experts will chime in on this one.

Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 28, 2003
Ray, how about this for an option? Keep the battery in a pocket next to your body, then slip it into the camera for a few pictures, then back to its warm spot again. The camera itself can probably endure the cold – unless it’s really, REALLY cold.

chuck
LK
Leen_Koper
Nov 28, 2003
I know about adapters in the camera, connected with a cord to an external battery in ones pockets. But unfortunately I don’t know any make and wether they might be available for a Canon 10D. Probably a search on the internet might help.

About exposure compensation. Your camera’s metering system is calibrated to neutral grey. In rural areas snow usually is whiter than grey, in urban areas this might be different. 😉
If your camera "sees" white it thinks it has to be converted to neutral grey, so all your images will be underexposed. A little overexposure will be useful to "whiten the whites". Unfortunately digital cameras hate overexposure, so you will have to be carefull and try bracketing. Often looking for an average grey in your image an using spot metering will work well too.

As temperatures here are seldom below zero, snow is rather rare. I haven’t been able to test it extensively; last years snow melted within a few hours. I have some snow images on my website, made in our small historic town, but the presence of buildings compensated for the snow, so I didnot use any compensation.

This is unfortunately all the help I can provide. Good luck.

Leen
RR
Raymond Robillard
Nov 28, 2003
Chuck, that’s what I was planning on doing (I already have two batteries)

James : moisture, from the inside of my coat, that’s what is frightening me. Besides, my coat isn’t really large enought to fit my 10D. Unless I borrow the one of my friend (he’s a size Large and I’m a size Small… haha!)

Ray
LK
Leen_Koper
Nov 28, 2003
Ray, this is what I forgot to mention: shoot in RAW. Eventually you can try to compensate for underexposure before converting your images to TIFF.

Leen
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 28, 2003
The camera itself can probably endure the cold – unless it’s really, REALLY cold

If you’ve looked at my website, you know there is an album of pictures from Antarctica. That should qualify me as an expert on cold weather photography, but I will not try to pass myself off as one. We were there in midsummer…February…and it really wasn’t that cold. Often above freezing, but riding in Zodiacs at water level, when the water is one degree above freezing, often in foggy or drizzly conditions, did give me some challenges in protecting the camera. Mostly, I just tried to keep it dry under my parka, but often it was covered with condensation and I had to just wipe the lens off with my gloves to use it at all!
The camera I used for that trip was a Nikon CP 950, and it performed flawlessly. I repeatedly carried it from heated rooms on the ship to near-freezing temperatures outside on deck (and vice-versa) and used it immediately. I never had a problem. I might have gotten some internal condensation, though, because after I got home the rotary on-off switch started to malfunction occasionally. I figured it was film buildup on the switch contacts, and "cured" it by taking the batteries out and just working the Hell out of the switch for a few minutes to wear off any residue. It never gave me any more trouble.
Bert
J
jhjl1
Nov 28, 2003
After reading the Canon thread I mentioned I carried the camera in a backpack style case. I placed a handwarmer in an empty space in the pack to help keep everything warm. That is my current set-up until someone comes up with something better. As you know the Canon batteries seem to go on and on and on. No problems with camera or battery but it was hard to get at. The Rebel, using RAW did a pretty good job at exposing the snow and you have even more options on yours. Here is an example:
http://www.pbase.com/image/23463339
This photo is close to the actual scene as for as I remember it.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 28, 2003
Back in the Old Days, I had a Calypso camera, and that went everywhere with me, underwater, in the mountains skiing, on sandy beaches, just everywhere. Sadly that camera met it demise being dropped on the deck of a research ship. We could not get parts for it anywhere.
I now see that I could purchase another, if I really looked carefully on the net. <http://www.tfb.com/oce/xcalyps.htm>
We then bought a Nikonos, (I forgot what model.)
But there hasnt been a camera that we have owned that could even take a portion of the abuse that the old Calypso did. I hope to soon have some of the pictures(slides) that it produced up on my pbase account, but I have to find the box they are in first.
Jane
KW
Kyle_White
Nov 28, 2003
Hmm, the Pentax Spotmatic 1000 I had in Alert (82.5N 62.2W) in the 70’s (-25C to -40C), I did the "under the parka" thing all the time because I didn’t want the film or the cloth curtain shutter to freeze, but otherwise you could pound nails with that camera. On the other hand, two winters ago, here in Ottawa at about -15C with the Canon G3 we’ve got at work I also did the "under the parka" until I started shooting and was shooting for about 10 to 15 minutes and the battery (fresh charge) gave up the ghost. I think the LCD display was the biggest draw and I should have shut it off. The pix came out fine.
Unless you’re really working up a sweat, humidity, even under the parka, shouldn’t be a problem, and if you’re just bringing the camera out for a frame or two at a time, then the camera, especially the internals, won’t get all that cold.

Just thoughts

Kyle
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 28, 2003
Kyle, I had to read about Alert. WOW! You were very close to the North Pole….and didn’t see the sun from sometime in October to early in March. That was some adventure….
KW
Kyle_White
Nov 28, 2003
I don’t know if it was an "adventure" or not 😉 I did four tours of Alert with the Canadian Armed Forces back in the Cold War (literally and figuratively!). One adventure was to survive the Sunrise Festival or Sunset Carnival without consuming too much single malt! At the Ham Shack there were two "standard" answers to the question How’s the Weather? 1. Cold and Dark; or, 2. Bright and Cold. (Although it gets into the 40F range in the summer – briefly, and playing softball at 2a.m. is a hoot in July!)
Alert is also where I got into doing my own developing and printing (B&W), ’cause they had a great darkroom setup.

Kyle
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
One adventure was to survive the Sunrise Festival or Sunset Carnival without consuming too much single malt!

OK, my turn for a "War Story." Back in 1966 (yes, I AM that old) I was working for Rockwell International on the Minuteman ICBM program. We were installing systems in Grand Forks, ND. I was there in January. When our plane landed, it was -25F. The next morning when I tried to start my rented Mustang, it was -31F! That poor little Mustang finally started, but it took about twenty minutes for the oil to warm up enough so the engine wasn’t just struggling to keep the oil pump turning.
I bought a bottle of single malt to ward off the cold, but one or my colleagues…from Tennessee, as I recall…brought a bottle of Everclear. We gathered in his motel room one night, and I was drinking my usual malt-on-the-rocks. He came by and just poured a little of this clear liquid…looked like water…into my glass. I took a drink and gasped! "WhattheHell is that???" I said. He just smiled, and said, "That’s just some good ol’ Tennessee stuff." Everclear, for those of you that don’t know, is 180 proof grain alcohol. Not for the timid.
Bert
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Leen, thanks a lot of the exposure thing… Very instructive !

Ray
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
James, nice picture… but what was it (before it got covered with snow..)? 🙂

After reading the Canon thread I mentioned I carried the camera in a backpack style case. I placed a handwarmer in an empty space in the pack to help keep everything warm. That is my current set-up until someone comes up with something better. As you know the Canon batteries seem to go on and on and on. No problems with camera or battery but it was hard to get at. The Rebel, using RAW did a pretty good job at exposing the snow and you have even more options on yours. Here is an example:
http://www.pbase.com/image/23463339
This photo is close to the actual scene as for as I remember it.

Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview

R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Leen, it’s now a rule (it has been for the last 4 weeks). My photoshop skills have improved a lot in color correction (thanks to the class I’m enrolled in). So RAW’s the Law.. 😉

Ray

Ray, this is what I forgot to mention: shoot in RAW. Eventually you can try to compensate for
underexposure before converting your images to TIFF.
Leen
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Thanks Bert, but I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my 10D. It’s the most expensive piece of tech I bought in years. I don’t suppose I’ll ever buy anything that expensive again

(oh well, I said that when we got the home teather system, 4 months before that… lol!)

Thanks,

Ray

The camera I used for that trip was a Nikon CP 950, and it performed flawlessly. I repeatedly
carried it from heated rooms on the ship to near-freezing temperatures outside on deck (and vice-versa) and used it immediately. I never had a problem. I might have gotten some internal condensation, though, because after I got home the rotary on-off switch started to malfunction occasionally. I figured it was film buildup on the switch contacts, and "cured" it by taking the
batteries out and just working the Hell out of the switch for a few minutes to wear off any residue.
It never gave me any more trouble.
Bert
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Berth,

First, you’re not old. Old is when you stop having fun. I didn’t read anything that have convinced me that you’re not having fun anymore 😉

Second…

Everclear, for those of you that don’t know, is 180 proof grain alcohol. Not for the timid.

May I choke now or shall I way to actually taste the stuff ? ‘Coz let me assure you, after reading that, I became quite "timid" 😉
Bert
EM
Eric_Matthes
Nov 29, 2003
Condensation is only an issue when going from a cold environment to a warm one. The cold surface condenses humidity from the warm air. That would tempt me to leave the camera at ambient temperature while I’m shooting, and just let it warm back up once at the end of the shooting day. I carry a camera on my winter hikes, and I’ve never had a problem down to about 15 degrees fahrenheit. I keep it in a case outside my clothing, either in a backpack or in a small case around my neck. My fingers, on the other hand, need frequent reheating!

Bert, where is your website?
DS
Dick_Smith
Nov 29, 2003
Bert,

They sell that stuff or something like it here in th ABC stores in North Carolina. After your description, I’ll stick to bourbon.

Dick
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
Ray,
I’m still havin’ fun, I assure you. But the years do creep up on you. As the number mounts, the most important thing to remember: Have fun every single day.>

Most people who use Everclear put it in a punch bowl…especially if there are some young…well…you know…
Bert
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
After your description, I’ll stick to bourbon

Dick,
Wise decision. I THINK I liked the stuff, though. Not sure…can’t remember…:) bert
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
I used to "drink solid" myself (I don’t know if this translates correctly, means drink some pretty
weird stuff, mixing all kinds of stuff, and still be able to walk and talk, almost normally)… But this is probably where I drew the line. Too hard would have knock me off too soon… and this, I didn’t want to happen.

Nowadays, I will enjoy a liquor after dinner, that’s about it. Because now that the party’s over, my stomach has something to say… 😉

Ray
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Change of subject… I installed my star filter yesterday and did some pictures with it. Very ’70s / ’80s look 😉

http://www.pbase.com/carbone/starlight_starbright&page=a ll

Ray
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
Because now that the party’s over, my stomach has something to say…

Ray,
Yes, as we get older, the plumbing gets less tolerant of the abuse we used to heap on it in our youth. It also makes me feel bad when I start my workout the next day. So now my brain says to me, "If you have one more, you’re gonna feel REALLY LOUSY tomorrow out there on the track." In my youth, I ignored that little voice. Now…I listen.
Bert
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
What voice.. ? 😉
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
LOL…You hear it…you KNOW you do!
NS
Nancy_S
Nov 29, 2003
Bert,

In our misspent youth, we called that stuff White Lightning.
EM
Eric_Matthes
Nov 29, 2003
Bert,
Where can I see those Antarctic pictures?
D
dob
Nov 29, 2003
In article ,
wrote:

I have always used the inside the coat method while skiing and snowshoeing (not found in my dictionary). Last week I read a thread in a Canon forum warning against that for the reason you brought up. It even becomes more of a problem if you are doing something physical that can lead to more moisture trapped within your clothing. I am back to square one now and hoping some cold weather experts will chime in on this one.

For what it’s worth…

I place my Nikon 35-mm film camera in a leather carrying case and hang it with the strap around my neck. It sits on the outside of my jacket while I ski. Never had a problem with it. Being outside, it’s at air temperature. The batteries have never been a problem. either.

-db-
BH
Beth_Haney
Nov 29, 2003
Bert’s still in bed I guess. Here they are:

<http://community.webshots.com/user/bigelowrs>
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 29, 2003
Thanks Beth, What wonderful photos Bert has! I had bookmarked his web site, but had not looked thru some of his newer albums.
Wind is gusting to 55mph here today, but after looking at his photos, I won’t complain.

Try some of this;
<http://www.pbase.com/image/23718444/large>

Hi Ray, That star filter looks neat, is it a plug in like the EyeCandy ones? Could I buy or download it somewhere?
Jane
J
jhjl1
Nov 29, 2003
Jane wrote:
That star filter looks neat, is it a plug in like the EyeCandy ones? Could I buy or download it somewhere?
Jane

James Replies:
Since Ray is not around I will try and answer this one. The star filter is a filter that fits on the lens of your camera, it is one of several special effects filters available. The plugins as we know them today were designed to give the creative effects after the fact.

Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 29, 2003
Hi James, Thank you. I have been installing some wonderful filter plug ins, and I get the terminology mixed up sometimes. I thought it would be sort of like ‘Lens Flare".
I use a Polarizing light filter on the camera, but I guess there isn’t a PSE plug in that does that. I have been wondering about that for a while.
I am still sort of a beginner, and sometimes I do ask some odd questions, and you people here are so great with instructions, I have learned sooooo much here!
Jane
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Jane,

No it’s an attachment for the lense of my camera. It’s part of the Cokin system.

Ray
J
jhjl1
Nov 29, 2003
They do have plugins that can recreate that effect. I have Genesis V2Pro by Genesis VFX that does some wonderful lighting effects including the starburst. The only odd question is the one unasked. I am somewhat of a filter junkie, you can easily spend more on filters and plugins than on the full version of
Photoshop.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 29, 2003
James, do you have any of the Fred Miranda plug-ins? They look good on the screen, and at $15-$20 per seem to be reasonably priced.

Chuck
J
jhjl1
Nov 29, 2003
I enjoyed your pics Ray, I went looking for my filters after seeing them but didn’t find any.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
J
jhjl1
Nov 29, 2003
Not yet but some of them are on the list. I currently have Adrenaline, Blade Pro, David Blend, Eye Candy 4000, Flaming Pear Essentials, Genesis, Harry’s, Kang, KPT Effects, Luce, Mura Meister, Redfield, Richard Rosenman, Simple, Two Moons, Ulead, Xenofex and Xero. In addition of course there are all the filters that come with Elements, Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. The new version of PSP actually has it’s own effect rendering engine that allows one to make effects as you see fit.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
Yawn…well, I’m finally up and at ’em. Thanks, Beth for posting my website. And thanks, Jane, for your kind remarks.

In our misspent youth, we called that stuff White Lightning.

Nancy,
I’ve heard that name, too. It’s really wicked stuff by any name. Bert
J
jhjl1
Nov 29, 2003
Chuck I forgot Auto FX Dreamsuite, L’amico Perry, Layout Tools and Photo Tools.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
BH
Beth_Haney
Nov 29, 2003
And if you get into a couple of those still-dry counties in the Florida panhandle, they’re still calling it ‘moonshine’. Woowhee! I’ve tasted better rubbing alcohol! 🙂
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 29, 2003
Hi James, I have just installed EyeCandy 4000, and have the old version too, Xenoflex2, Splat, Flaming Pear, and KPT Collection. Have a few demos too.
But I am just learning how to use them. Oh, could I become a filter junkie too!! I sure better get some more before my husband retires from his educational position, and I would lose the academic prices.
I will be taking some more filter classes this winter, so I should plan to buy some more soon. I am still using Mac OS 9.2.2, but assume that these will work with the new OS X, if I ever get around to upgrading.

I am learning so much about PSE, that some days I get a bit overwhelmed, but when I go back and work on a picture, it is all beginning to come together.
Jane
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 29, 2003
Woowhee! I’ve tasted better rubbing alcohol!

Beth! You surprise me! Didn’t know you were into rubbing alcohol. 🙂 Bert
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Thanks James,

I actually made them for my little sister. She likes these effects very much. So I thought I’d please her by putting a gallery on my pbase account, full of starburst effects!

Ray
BH
Beth_Haney
Nov 29, 2003
Well, OK, so I never really drank any rubbing alcohol, but I could tell by comparing the smells that it must taste better!
DS
Dick_Smith
Nov 29, 2003
Ray, do you have a graduated neutral density filter in your Cokin Set? I read about them on a thread somewhere. They look like they could be very helpful in landscape photos.

Dick
R
Ray
Nov 29, 2003
Dick,

Yes, I had one but I never used it. It came with the Cokin holder.

Ray
DS
Dick_Smith
Nov 29, 2003
Bert,

The antarctic pix are super. My wife loved the penguins!

What camera did you use?

Dick
BH
Beth_Haney
Nov 29, 2003
OK, Bert, I just can’t stay away from Lion Cub 2!
BB
Barbara_Brundage
Nov 29, 2003
I am still using Mac OS 9.2.2, but assume that these will work with the new OS X, if I ever get around to upgrading.

Sorry, Jane. Nope. Maybe in Classic, if you install classic, but OS 9 plug-ins usually don’t work in X.
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 30, 2003
Hi Barbara, Another reason to stay with my system. Just try to tell my husband this! He just will have to come up with another Christmas list. No new Mac, no new OS. Lets get goodies for the grandkids.
I am happy with what my G4 has.
Maybe next April,,,,,,,,
Jane
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
What camera did you use?

Dick,
We took that trip in February of 2002. All the pix were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 950, a 2 megapixel camera. I can’t say enough good things about that little camera. In earlier posts in this thread, I described the abuse that it took on that trip, and it was totally reliable. I have made very good 8x10s of some of the images from that trip, which you are not supposed to be able to do with a 2-megapixel image. I have "retired" it now…gave it to my son.
Bert
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
Well, OK, so I never really drank any rubbing alcohol, but I could tell by comparing the smells that it must taste better!

Yeah, yeah, likely story. 🙂
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
OK, Bert, I just can’t stay away from Lion Cub 2!

I know. I really like that one too.
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 30, 2003
Gave my Coolpix 990 to my husband, that camera is wonderful too. It will never retire, yet we had to have it repaired, it had ‘electronic problems’ but Nikon in NY fixed it and it is as good as new. Great camera, better than the Coolpix 4300 that we got to replace it. The images are noisy compared to the old one, and the macro isn’t as good. But having both is great.
Jane
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
Jane,
I was really impressed with the image quality from that camera. You’re right, the noise level in black areas, often a problem with cheap digitals, was very low.
It seemed to be really rugged, built like a tank. I would not have subjected my Olympus E-20 to the abuse that poor little guy got in Antarctica!
Bert
SS
Susan_S.
Nov 30, 2003
Jane – re filters – some of those that you mention do have OSX versions – Flaming Pear for example (I’m playing with the demo at the moment)- some companies give a free upgrade to the OSX versions – some don’t…..

I actually found that the novelty of all the add-on filters wore off after a while – the only one I’ve kept on using is the Dream suite dreamy photo freebie. I think partly because with my new camera the quality of the images (if not the photographer!) have improved sufficiently that they stand up better on their own. I do have a large collection of actions that can do some interesting effects – and a massive collection of layer styles. But again these days the photography seems to have taken over.

susan S
GD
Grant_Dixon
Nov 30, 2003
Both the Coolpix 990 and 950 exceptionally well crafted cameras. Both cameras ruggedness I suspect came from the fact that they were magnesium alloy clad bodies . This is a treatment that in Nikon’s world was generally only given to the top line cameras. One of these two models won the time machine of the year way back in 2000?! I think it was the Coolpix 990 … but … age has clouded my mind. 😉

Grant
SS
Susan_S.
Nov 30, 2003
OK I recant – having just checked to see what filters I do have working I suddenly rediscovered what fun you can have –

< http://www.users.on.net/sestewart/Pictures/Flooded-sunset.jp g>

(sunset is real, from last night, but I do not have a lake in my front garden!)

Susan S.
J
jhjl1
Nov 30, 2003
That is one fantastic sunset. I agree with about filters, they are tons of fun the first week or two you have them then they get lost in the shuffle.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James W. Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
Both cameras ruggedness I suspect came from the fact that they were magnesium alloy clad bodies .

Grant,
I could be wrong, but I thought the 990 went to a plastic body. My 950 was definitely a metal body. Bert
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 30, 2003
Bert, 990 was magnesium alloy, according to Steve’s Digicam review.
GD
Grant_Dixon
Nov 30, 2003
Bert

I believe it was the 995 that went plastic. In fact it was only half of it that went plastic. When they added the pop up flash over the lens housing the camera was lopsided so they change lens housing to plastic. While it was still a wonderful camera I don’t think it was in the same league as its predecessors.

Grant
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 30, 2003
Oh, that’s right, it was the 995. Sorry…
JC
Jane_Carter
Nov 30, 2003
I found the 990 indeed was metal, thats the camera that I took everywhere inside my jacket, and once when pulling it out in a rush, I bumped my chin hard enough to create a bruise. Otherwise, it still is our favourite camera, heavy or not, even over the newer ones in the family. Well, the Calypso still has great memories, even tho it is in my husbands desk all apart waiting for the parts that will never be found.
Can’t wait till I find the boxes of the slides that it took!

Filters, I love to play with them, but I see your point, I don’t use them as much as I thought I would, but at least they are here if I need them.
Jane
LM
Lou_M
Dec 1, 2003
Ray, I love those star filter photos! Reminds me of the Cokin system I had back in the 1980’s (yep, all my camera stuff was stolen when my apartment was robbed when I was a poor graduate student). Let’s see . . . I had a star filter, a red gradient (supposedly good for faking sunsets), a medium density filter, and a gray gradient (good for darkening skies, but we’ve got Elements for that now). With digital enhancement so easy now, the only filters I own now are a Cokin polarizing filter (they can make a huge difference) and of course UV filters on the front of every lens.
R
Ray
Dec 1, 2003
Lou,

Those are the same filters I’m only using now (UV + circular polarizer). I had a warmizer, another blue filter (to remove red cast) and some other filters I can’t remember. Never used them since Elements.
LK
Leen_Koper
Dec 1, 2003
The only filter I still use sometimes is one of my Softar filters. The effect of this filter is better than any digital soft focus effect.

Leen
GD
Grant_Dixon
Dec 1, 2003
Filters Filters Filters …. I use to carry a whole raft of colour correction filters and the primary colours for black and white. The colour correction filters disappeared when I started to carry many two camera bodies. Not sure why I stopped caring B&W filters but I did. Now I carry UV filters to protect my lenses. A polarizing filter because I do not know how to do a decent replacement job with elements. A neutral density filter when I want those streams to be oh so mystical. I suspect a soft focus would be a good one to get but I can almost achieve this in the darkroom, almost but not quite. I think my biggest problem with filters is that when I get one I try to use it for everything under the sun. Many years ago when I got my first polarizer I think I kept it on the camera for over a year … god all the skies looked so Wizard of Oz after a while. Now I try to make the best negative/positive I can and then enhance in the dark/light room. That being said I am happiest with an image that comes straight out of the camera as I imagined it.

Grant
LK
Leen_Koper
Dec 2, 2003
Grant, the only soft focus filter worth buying, is the Softar by Carl Zeiss or Heliopan which, in my opinion, is the same.
But please don’t look at those prices, you might wish every day was Christmas!

Leen
J
jhjl1
Dec 9, 2003
Ray, your reply did not show up here until today 12/09/03. I had read in an earlier post about missing messages and as it turns out for some reason I had about 123 that were not showing up.

Ray wrote:
:James, nice picture… but what was it (before it got covered with snow..)? 🙂

James replies:
Thanks Ray, I think it was a small tree that was forced over by the wind and snow.


Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
R
Ray
Dec 10, 2003
Hey James… if you go to the web, you can actually see messages before they get in your inbox ? Sounds like "Back to the future" 😉

Ray

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections