Modern cameras can deal with cold weather. However, extremely cold temperatures can disrupt digital cameras. For example, it can damage the camera’s battery and reduce image quality. That’s why you should take extra care of your camera in such weather.
Love winter adventure? Want to take images and videos of your winter adventure and want to ensure that your action camera works well in harsh cold weather? If your answer is yes, you are at the right place. Here in this article, I have come up with some proven tips on ‘how to take care of your action camera in cold weather.’
How Can Cold Weather Affect Action Cameras?
There are many action cameras that work great in cold weather conditions. But, extreme cold temperature affects the action camera’s performance. Here the million-dollar questions come, does cold temperature affect the whole camera or some of its parts?
The short answer is it affects action cameras as a whole, and the long answer is it affects some parts of the camera. So, which parts of the camera are mostly affected by cold weather?
Cold weather is the number one enemy of the battery. It degrades battery performance by almost 50%. Do you know why? For providing electricity, a chemical reaction needs to occur in the battery. Cold weather slows down this chemical reaction. Therefore, the battery loses its full capacity and drains faster than in normal conditions.
In addition to the battery, cold temperature affects the camera’s other parts, such as the LCD and electronic range finder. When the weather becomes extremely cold, the LCD and electronic range finder’s screen starts functioning slowly; it reduces screen refresh rates, slower colors shifts, and loses clarity. However, these functions return to the normal level when the camera gets warmer.
Furthermore, when you take the camera from cold conditions to warmer conditions, it develops condensation.
Condensation is a small amount of water that develops over the camera. It is not so serious, though. However, sometimes it can be dangerous. It can build fungus on the camera. Even it can build corrosion if it builds inside the camera body. Therefore, it will degrade image quality. That’s why you should take care of this issue seriously.
Tips for Taking Care of Action Camera in Cold Weather
Here are eight proven tips for taking care of your action camera in cold temperature conditions, and they are:
Stop Breathing on the Camera Display
Do you breathe on the camera’s LCD screen frequently? If yes, you should stop breathing on the camera’s LCD screen. It can freeze the camera’s screen, and it is difficult to remove ice from the camera screen.
However, if you need to breathe on the camera display frequently, you can use de-icer spray to remove ice from the camera display. But try not to breathe on the camera display.
Protect Against Condensation
You already know that cold is the number one enemy for the battery. However, cold can’t permanently damage your camera but condensation can. How?
If condensation builds up inside the camera, then it can damage the camera’s electronic components. Moreover, condensation inside the lens can leave watermarks. Therefore, it will harm image quality. That’s why you should take this matter as your priority when protecting the camera from cold weather.
When you are changing places in cold weather, ensure that you do it slowly. You can keep your camera outside your room for one hour so that it can cope with changing temperature slowly. Moreover, you can keep the camera in an airtight bag with some silica gel to eliminate the condensation problems.
If you follow the above tips carefully, you won’t need to ask questions like, “how to keep GoPro warm in cold weather?” anymore.
Get an External Battery Pack
As I said earlier, cold weather is the number one enemy of the battery. It reduces battery capacity significantly. It can reduce battery capacity by 10% to 50%. That’s why you should keep an external battery pack with you in such weather conditions. It will help you continue shooting if the battery loses charge quickly.
Use a Waterproof Rain Cover
It is another effective way of protecting action cameras from cold weather. A waterproof rain cover can protect the camera from harsh snow conditions effectively. It not only protects the camera from the snow but also keeps it warm. As a result, you won’t face difficulties taking shots.
Buy Battery Grip
The best way to keep the battery warm in cold weather is through battery grip. It is a great way to protect your action camera in harsh cold temperatures. You can use it to keep the battery warm. In this way, the battery will remain warm and will provide electricity to the camera for a longer time.
Use a Hand-warmer to Keep the Battery Warmer
It is another effective way for keeping the battery warm in cold weather while shooting images. You can use a hand warmer to cover battery location. Therefore, the battery will remain warm and provide electricity for a long time.
Protect Camera Lens Through Lens Hood
The lens is also vulnerable to cold weather. If it comes close to the snow, it will degrade image quality. That’s why you should ensure that your camera’s lens never comes close to snow. To protect the lens from snow, you can use the lens hood. Use a lens hood to prevent snow from touching the lens.
Take Silica Gel Inside the Camera Bag
I already told you that it develops condensation when you transfer the camera from cold to warm conditions. As a result, it creates extra moisture. This extra moisture can damage the camera. Here silica gel comes into the game. You can keep silica gel inside the camera bag to reduce moisture.
Final Words
The action camera is more than just a camera. It takes images in difficult conditions. But these cameras also need protection in harsh cold weather conditions.
In this article, I have provided some effective tips for protecting your action camera in cold temperatures. If you follow these tips properly, you will be able to protect your action camera in any bad weather conditions. If I missed any important information, please let me know about that by leaving a comment below.