Film cameras in Antarctica - any tips?

Robin Guymer

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For a trip in March, I plan on taking a Nikon F4 (mb21), F3 HP for b&w and FE2 for some colour film. Lenses - Nikkor AF ED 70-300, AF 35-135, converted to AI Nikkor 50mm 1.4, and a Leitz 28mm. Films either TriX 400 or APX 400 and APX 100 and colour 400 hmm, not sure brand yet. Standard telescopic tripod and a short tripod. Cleaning gear, filters, SB24 flash and spare batteries for all.

Have you any experience with film cameras in this environment and any tips on camera usage, film types, waterproofing gear, camera covers etc? What to shoot in b&w that makes for interesting prints?
Thanks in advance.
Robin.
 

summicron1

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depends on the temperature range you anticipate...Camera makers used to modify their gear, usually mostly with lighter lubricants, to operate in colder weather. At minimum you want to protect it from coming indoors from really cold temperatures which could cause condensation -- buy a watertight case for it to warm up in.

film can be very brittle in cold weather, and break instead of bend. Mostly for winter shooting in Utah while snowshoeing and so forth I keep my camera inside my coat except when shooting.
 

wiltw

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Your battery will not function well when it gets too cold! You may need to keep the battery next to your body until you are going to actually shoot!

Lighter weight lubricants are advisable on film bodies; the same practice for digital bodies seems to be largely abandoned.

Wind film slowly, not only because of brittleness, but also because you do not want to induce static.
 

Mick Fagan

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In March the temperatures aren't too cold in Antarctica, although that is relative. Around -10ºC to around -25ºC, water though is possibly more of an issue. It is feasible that you will have warmish fingers on your mittens or gloves where you have either been handling something, or wiping your tiny exposed part of your face. Water ingress into film cameras can occur via the shutter button. I use a soft wide shutter release thingy to keep water out, this is also pretty good when working with mittens and/or gloves.

The other thing I use and still have, is the Nikon Anti-Cold battery pack: DB - 2. It takes two AA batteries in a plastic case, the lead is 800mm long, (just measured it). The lead could be a bit longer as it winds it way from your inner clothing to your camera. I shot for a whole day, of winter daylight in the German Alps at -25ºC to -35ºC with my F3 and this battery pack. Just for a giggle I tried the camera with the standard two batteries in the battery compartment at the same temperatures with the camera body outside in my hands for the whole time; about two hours. Two AA batteries lasted a day, just, in those conditions then they were gone, pretty much like me. If I had the battery pack closer to my body they would certainly have lasted a lot longer, but I only had it in an inside pocket on the first layer as the lead worked best coming down my right arm to the camera.

Mick.
 

mgb74

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There was someone a while back - here or on the Large Format forum - that posted photos he had taken in Antarctica, as well as some comments about his gear. Might be worth searching for.
 

narsuitus

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A few years ago, I met a photographer who was producing great images in Alaska and Antarctica shooting with a pair of Pentax 645 medium format cameras.
 

Jim Jones

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I spent three years in northern Greenland doing casual photography with nearly new Nikon F and Leica M4 equipment. I carried the cameras outside all clothing. Without any special adaptation for the cold, the equipment functioned perfectly down to -60 F. For handling cameras in the cold, light gloves under well insulated tethered mittens worked well enough for a few minutes. The tether for the mittens ran up one sleeve and down the other, so the mittens could be slipped off and remain at hand. One must be careful about breathing on cameras and lenses. Other than that, condensation was no problem while outside. Film should be wound and rewound slowly, perhaps a frame a second or two, to prevent static marks and film breakage. Allow for the brightness of snow when exposing film in the Artic. As others mention, the cameras should be slowly warmed up, perhaps in a camera bag, when brought from the cold to a warm relatively moist interior.
 

Paul Howell

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I have shot under artic conditions a number of times, but not in the Antarctic. I shot with a F and F2, Canon 7S all manual mode, no drive, as Jim Jones mentions film can become brittle and I was afraid that power wind could break the film. I used a seliumum (sp?) meter as I did not trust the internal battery operated meter. At the time I was advised to have the cameras winterized, but due to time constraints did not have time. I didn't have any issues. I knew a ex navy photogprher that was station in the Antarctic in the 60s, he shot with a Metalist that had been winterized.
 

macfred

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otto.f

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Leica R6.2 I’d say and keep your Gossen digisix2 in your pocket for incident lightmetering which is the best int that white environment anyway
 

Nodda Duma

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For batteries: avoid rechargeable batteries... they don’t mix well with temps below 0C. I’d recommend Lithium batteries which perform better in cold than other types.
 

Ces1um

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Will you be going out photographing things for extended periods of time, or will these be short duration trips? If your temperatures will be as suggested above -10 to -25, I routinely go out shooting in these conditions (closer to the -10 side). I typically drive where I'm going in a heated car, but turn the heat off for the last 15 minutes of my drive. I then go for an hour long hike with the camera and then head back in. I haven't had any battery issues with my camera. I have run into slow shutters/sticky shutters in my older cameras in these conditions. I also like to put my lens caps back on before going back into the car to keep condensation off the lens. I would think throwing your camera into a plastic bag, driving out the air and then returning to whatever warm area you'll be in would minimize your condensation risks as you'll move the dew point to the outside of the bag. As mentioned above, film does get stiff, as does your winding knob/lever. I would rewind your film once you get back indoors after the film has warmed up. Keeping yourself warm would be the higher priority though. Enjoy the trip! I bet it will be spectacular!
 

CropDusterMan

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Check out this link...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explor...ions/key-accessories-cold-weather-photography

I'm assuming budget is not tight considering the costs to travel to Antartica. Weight should be a consideration, and the F4 is an anchor (a great camera though). Take a non-battery camera like a pre-M6 Leica. Leica M4-P and a couple lenses for example...(you can rent lenses too) or for Medium Format, a Fuji 6x9-no battery.
 
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adelorenzo

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I've shot many different film cameras in cold conditions (below -30 C) and almost never have issues. Most film cameras use lithium batteries which do reasonably well in the cold. Your focus and zoom will stiffen up and become difficult to operate.

My biggest problem is with tripods and heads they freeze up and are difficult or impossible to operate.
 

Stephen Schoof

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Galen Rowell did a great book on both the Arctic and Antarctic in the mid-1990s: https://www.amazon.com/Poles-Apart-...1547846961&sr=8-1&keywords=poles+apart+rowell

One of his how-to books ("Galen Rowell's Vision") included a couple essays that discussed the photographic considerations of his polar trips, including dealing with extreme cold with an F4, N90, and an FM, IIRC. He reported that with proper regard for batteries his electronic cameras performed well enough that he stopped carrying a manual body. He used silent mode for film advancement and rewind (gentler on brittle film) and included quite a few other tips. Here's the URL for that one; I recommend both books: https://www.amazon.com/Galen-Rowell...547847046&sr=8-1&keywords=galen+rowell+vision)
 

Sirius Glass

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The OP is making one big mistake ...


... not taking me along!​
 

Russ - SVP

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Lithium batteries work very well in extreme cold. Drop those in your cameras, you’ll be fine.
 
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