Nikon F-501 in Extreme Cold Conditions Tips and Experiences Needed

Roman_1

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Hi everyone,

I'm considering to use a Nikon F-501 in extreme cold conditions (e.g., Finnish winter or photographing the Northern Lights). Will it function properly in such low temperatures? (can reach to -25 C°)

Does anyone have experience in such cold conditions with this or a similar camera?

What potential issues should I anticipate, and are there any tips to mitigate them?

Additionally, I’d like to know about the quality of scanned film/digital conversions from this camera. Does anyone have experience with this, particularly in similar temperature scenarios?

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 

koraks

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Welcome to Photrio @Roman_1!

Batteries are always a concern when operating them at low temperatures. Carry at least one set of spare batteries and if possible, keep them close to your body so they remain at body temperature until you're ready to use them.

Roman_1 said:
the quality of scanned film/digital conversions from this camera.
Click to expand...

The camera has no real influence on the image quality. It depends on the lens, film and scanning approach you use. The latter has the biggest influence, in particular the competence of the person doing the scanning and color balancing (in particular assuming color negative film is used). Temperature during exposure is also not a factor of any concern.

As to issues with this camera specifically under low temperature conditions, I'll leave this to others to comment on. I can imagine that film transport and autofocus may be affected and become slow or even inoperative, although I'm personally optimistic and would expect the camera to function pretty much as it normally does.

Roman_1 said:
photographing the Northern Lights
Click to expand...

I'd recommend digital for this so you get immediate feedback on what you've photographed. This is because with aurora, you end up with something that's quite different from what you see with the naked eye, and if you shoot film and process it back at home you evidently can't go back and do it all over again if it turns out to be a failure.
 

loccdor

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I find that even lithium batteries can struggle in low temperatures. I get 1/2 to 1/4 capacity from the batteries below freezing, not even close to the super-low temps you mention. Sometimes they will regain capacity when they warm up again if you don't use them much cold. But if you use them very cold, usually they will stay drained.

Having many sets of batteries close to your body and being ready to swap them out is a good idea, as Koraks says.

A northern lights shot would not typically need very high resolution, unless you are including buildings/landscape in the frame. With night photography like this you'll need a method to reliably focus on infinity.
 

RalphLambrecht

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I left a camera (make and type withheld) out for a few hours in northern Minnesota at -50 C°. When I opened it to remove the film, the light seal was frozen to the back door and pulled out of the body. The camera was OK after being back at room temperature.
 

1957ExaktaVarexIIa

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Roman_1 said:
Finnish winter or photographing the Northern Lights
Click to expand...
What a fascinating idea! I would love to get the opportunity to take pictures like those .

In older photo books you can sometimes find the tip to have the lubricants in the camera replaced with winter-proof lubricants before travelling to extremely cold regions. However, this is certainly a lot of effort, and I don't know whether it would make sense in the case of the F-501.

Spontaneously I would think: Isn't it even worth taking a Nikon FM or FM2 (or a mechanical Nikkormat) with you for such a beautiful project?
Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with Nikon (and its lenses, as soon as it gets cold) and only know the FM2 because an old friend, a professional, has had it for many years: a wonderful camera. A mechanical camera like that should cope relatively well with the cold, shouldn't it?

Michael
 

beemermark

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Kept the camera under your coat until you're ready to take a picture. Camera doesn't reach the cold temperature the few minutes that the camera is outside you're coat.
 

DREW WILEY

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Like with all optics under cold conditions, you have to avoid getting your breath on them, or they will either fog up or form frost. Handling anything metal with bare fingers is apt to freeze them to the metal; but mittens will make it hard to use the controls. Practice with some kind of compromise before leaving.

Lots of mountain climbers of my generation relied on Nikon FM2n's. I equipped my own nephew with a simple Pentax MX film camera, which held up quite well for his multiple extreme climbing expeditions to Baffin Island, the Patagonian Andes, and the Himalayas. There was no need for special "winterization". Those particular cameras have the advantage of completely manual operation, and need batteries only for sake of the light meter itself. More "advanced" 35mm film cameras, with all their battery-dependent bells n' whistles, and complicated electronic circuits, are inherently more prone to trouble under harsh conditions, although numerous people successfully use them nonetheless, at least temporarily.

I'm unfamiliar with the F-501; but anything "auto focus" wouldn't appeal to me personally in the cold. One more thing to go wrong. My own cold weather 35mm experiences are limited to my teenage years and a trusty early Asahi Pentax H1; but I have over 45 years of such experience using med format gear, and especially large format view cameras - thousands of miles of trekking in the mountains, with many serious storms. So I at least can relate well to this whole topic.

But northern lights are much more easily photographed digitally, due to much higher realistic ASA's.
 
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Paul Howell

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The last time I asked a friend who at the time worked for battery store that rebuilt out of date battery packs, said that lithium AA batteries work the best in low temps and most are rated to 32f or 0c. As it will be very cold and you will likely be wearing gloves it will hard to change warm fresh batteries for the cold batteries. If you can find a nonworking body with a good battery tray, it will easier to change the tray rather than 4 batteries. If you are still looking I would think about an all mechanical camera and a held held meter than you can keep warm in your pocket. I would get a meter with a slicion blue cell that is better at low light than a CcD.
 

MFstooges

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I second Koraks' for digital. It will be painful if you have to redo the shoot. Not to mention dealing with loading film in the cold and risking the film condensation and brittleness.
But if you REALLY want to go analog as long as you keep the battery warm and just load it when you want to shoot I think you'll be fine.
Galen Rowell used Nikon F4 (electronic) and FM2 (mechanic) on his assignments.
 

DREW WILEY

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My Pentax 6X7 has a cord accessory, connecting the battery in a warm pocket to the socket in the camera itself. It's designed for cold weather use. But even though I have one, I only rarely used it, even for winter backpacking in the snow. It was my impression that something similar is available for Nikon F-series cameras. I often did keep my light meter warm along with me in the sleeping bag at night. But spare batteries are a must.

Ctein has done a lot of aurora borealis photography with film and the P67. You might want to contact him for his opinion, although now he's switched over to digital. My grand-nephew has spent the past year in Finland, but, not quite out of his college years yet, has been having trouble affording Ektachrome film, so has largely ignored his own P67, and just shoots digi instead.
 

Sirius Glass

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When I would do extensive photography in the snow and cold temperatures, I would send my camera out for a CLA to prepare the camera for that cold weather before I went into the cold weather. Doing that I never had any problems even with my batteries, although I have been know to keep an extra set of batteries in a warm pocket.
 
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Roman_1

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Thank you for the responses! What if I use non-lithium (regular) batteries?
 

Paul Howell

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Finland, winter, night, average temps range from -1C to -14C, which is too cold for any AA battery to work well, but lithium seems to do the best. I only shot in those temps a few times, a North Sea Oil Rig in the early 80s and a training exercise in Alaska while the AF in the early 70s. Each time I had a winterized Nikon, non metered prism and hand held meter. At those temps if outside for any length of time there is the risk of the lubricants freezing up, condensation forming on the lens and frosting over, and trouble working the shutter release and film advance due to gloves. Adding to the challenge even with Porta 400 you will need to good tripod and remote if you can findone. If it were me, if I wanted a Nikon I would I would go for a Nikon D200 or 300, a pocketful of rechargeable batteries. Find a repair tech who can winterized the shutter. In my case I would have my Sony A700 winterized, with in body anti shake I should be able to shoot at 800 to 1600 hand held.
 
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