It's not too long ago since purely mechanical cameras were available on the market. These cameras often offered an exposure time which could be operated without the DC power of a battery. Even though the exposure meter and other exposure times did not work without any
It's not too long ago since purely mechanical cameras were available on the market. These cameras often offered an exposure time which could be operated without the DC power of a battery. Even though the exposure meter and other exposure times did not work without any power supply, it was still possible to take pictures. The main problem using analogue cameras in the cold was static discharge on the film when transporting and thus ruining the film and the pictures on it.
Before I'll dive into digital single reflex cameras (DSLRs) and their specific problems with cold temperatures, I'd like to spend some time discussing the analogue SLRs. Everything that moves in a camera could cause troubles when exposed to the cold: either because the power supply gets weak or the lubricants are getting viscous or electrical discharges caused by the dry air as mentioned in the introduction are ruining the film. Lubricants have a limited temperature range where they can guarantee a good reduction of the resistance. If it gets too warm, they will get too fluid to stay in place. If it gets too cold, they get too viscous and therefore have a high internal resistance. While temperatures are dropping the viscosity of the lubricants is reduced and at a point the motor or magnet is not able to overcome the extra resistance anymore. The drain from the battery will increase and the camera will not work. Most of the time it will be the motor pulling the film forward that will generate the trouble. I once owned a camera which I had plunged into a river. The camera survived and after two days of drying out the electronics came back to life. However, the lubricants inside the camera seemed to have suffered as the camera could not be used at temperatures below -15°C anymore, which was not a problem before the contact with the river. After bringing the camera to a warm place it would work as usual. I have to admit that this was not the only camera I owned that came too close to water and I therefore gave the other camera to a repair shop to exchange the lubricants.
As mentioned above, lubricants have an optimal working temperature range. Outside of that range they are getting either too fluid or the viscosity is too high. As different chemical substances can be used as lubricants, it is possible to exchange the lubricants for others to be used at a different temperature range and therefore in different climate zones of the world. Some camera companies offered the service of exchanging the lubricants prior to a trip to the cold. After returning, it was mandatory to re-exchange the lubricants as otherwise the camera would misbehave in warmer environments. It has been years since I have heard of anybody doing this anymore. Perhaps today's lubricants are having an extended temperature range or the cameras are not that delicate anymore. My experience with cold temperatures goes down to -30°C and I never had any issues with my DSLRs.
Digital Cameras rely on batteries. Even though the battery hunger is not as severe as it was when digital cameras first came to market, but still there is nothing going on without DC power supply. At least the number of moving parts has been reduced. The main problem of the film transport has gone, the mechanical shutter and the movement of the mirror has stayed. Magnetic coils to move the mirror have been replaced by motors in some cameras