Now the temp is below freezing and will likely be that way for a while. Do you have any tips for outdoor cold weather photography?

Is glass adapting to the cold a problem? I know it is in telescopes but in the camera?

What about actually warm hand protection which is usable? I generally wear mittens which will not work with a camera.  Any suggestions?

With winter season in much of the 'rosity member's areas, any tips may be appreciated by all.

Thanks..really interested in workable and warm gloves...         TomDart.

i use fingerless cycling gloves....

Lowepro has some warm lycra photo gloves (not fingerless, but with rubber grip enforcers).

Btw, you won't find those Snickers gloves in a photo store... but in a specialised (professional) shop for safety/worker's clothing.

• 4-5 Layers on top
• two pairs of trousers
• walking boots with two pairs of socks
• scarf
• a beanie hand knitted in alpaca wool by a very nice peruvian lady who sat outside the hostel i stayed at selling her wares, with a bobble on top...that rachel hates because i look like a fool wearing it :biggrin:
• fingerless woollen gloves... ditto

I find that having some good pockets to stuff your hands in is a very good idea to keep warm.  Also you may find in some outdoor shops a handwarmer - they are slow burning coals put into a ceramic/metal container which you put in your pocket to warm your hands up on - try a decent golf shop as well maybe - the guy i know who has one used it playing golf in St Andrews (where it did get a bit nippy) so he might have bought it in one of the shops in town. 

That Alpaca wool is the best going..wear it!

As for gloves, how about some warm polymer linings that fit and outer gloves with a couple of finger tips cut off...that might work.  You see, I do have a bit of renaud's syndrome in the left hand but the right and shutter hand can stand more cold.   This is my thought to me.

I have checked on what was mentioned so far and results are interesting, perhaps getting me to the hand protection needed.  I do appreciate it, all.

Brrrrrrrrrrr tis a chilly subject !!!

I don't go out if it's too cold nowadays, but for many years, and not so long ago I had to be out like it or not, whatever the weather 7 days a week.
The most important aspect of keeping warm is keeping dry. Sweaty palms can at least be uncomfortable, at worse be dangerous. Wool is great for wicking away moisture from the skin, as are newer man made materials.  Any of the newer technical gloves intended for cold weather wear will both be waterproof and allow the skin to breathe. They are usually available in wide range of styles from outdoor clothing shops that specialise in mountain-wear etc.  Some are designed so you don't lose the dexterity of your fingers.  They do mittens that can be folded back to use your fingers.

Cold will also effect other aspects of your photography too.
Batteries will drain much quicker, and condensation can be a real problem. Cold cameras and equipment brought indoors or into a warm car will get condensation inside and out - don't turn it on !  Lots of silica gel in your bag will absorb some moisture and wait until you're sure temperatures have evened throughout your gear and no moisture is present before you power it up.   Filters will collect moisture too, so worth checking your filter has not just frozen over while you were setting up the perfect landscape shot ;)  Pipe lagging around tripod legs will make them much more comfortable to hold, save a bit to go on top of the car window for when you can't be bothered to get out the car and rest the camera lens on top of the open window. 

Wear loads of layers of technical clothing and don't wear cotton you and it will freeze !!! 

Yes some great tips here I also am an advocate of the fingerless gloves and carry plenty of spare batteries and keep warm with the handwarmers that us golfers use 3 in a pack and last a few hours...   Plastic bags for lens and camera is also good to keep condensation at bay which forms on the bag rather the gear..

Would condensation be a reason to remove a UV/protective filter?  I wonder.

And, does anyone know of experience with the glass not being aclimated to the cold, you know, expand, contract as glass does.  I wonder if this will affect a photo in a noticable manner.

The plastic bag is a good idea as is waiting to turn anything back on when back in the warm.

No Tom heat I find tends to be worse for the lens than cold,(One of the reasons for the white lens, as they really do stop the lens heating up)..  The camera is more liable to be a problem if very cold.. UV filters being removed? They are a very tight fit and sealed.. and no more liable to condensation than the lens.. 

Thanks, Danny.  I thought about the same but have no  experience with it to note. 

glogloves gloves gloves glaglaglagla .... i don't shoot outdoor anymore, it is -13°C here ! To freezy for me lol
But if i must, i use a little pocket warmer .. It's very very warm on demand for an hour.

seeyaglalgla....
olivier

I need some new gloves too, and my research points me more and more to angling equipment. There are models were you can slip the tips of thumb and index finger out of the glove, but can keep wearing the rest. And those angling gloves are often designed to keep a solid grip on a fishing rod, which can't be so bad for holding a camera.

I just bought those angling gloves, and my first impression is very good. The green and white parts are fleece, while the gray parts are some sort of neoprene. On both hands the tip of thumb and index finger can be slid of and fixed in position with those round velcro pads. I doubt I'll have a chance to run them through a real test before the weekend, but just for kicks I held my hand out the car window while driving at about 80kph / 50mph (outside temperature ca. 0°C). I felt a lot of wind and cold through the gloves, but after a minute inside the car I noticed no difference between both hands any longer. I guess that means they kept in the warmth my body pumped back into my hand pretty well.

This thread has been quite useful to me and the comments are appreciated.  Now I have several directions for finding the right gloves and a better knowledge of the cold weather stuff.

*"just for kicks I held my hand out the car window while driving at about 80kph / 50mph"

Do that on the M25 and you won't have to worry about gloves ever again !

As I'm moving to a cold part of the world, New Zealand, the souther part of the southern island no less,  I've already bought myself some thermal underwear. They cost a bit, bout $80-$100 Australian for the shirt and pants. But in my experience with them they are more than equal to the job of a couple of jumpers.

As for my hands, I think the idea of fingerless gloves is one to go for. TY for the suggestions ppl.

I shoot in winter out of an open window at around 80mph but keep my hands and camera out of the slipstream ! My minimum is to wear a pair of kid leather gloves, sometimes I also put on thin latex gloves underneath as a layer ( l like rubber anyway) 
In my bag I keep within reach a pair of Thinsulate gloves with inbuilt battery powered warmer. The warmth is low background  but it really works and as i suffer badly from Renouds syndrome I need them. They are too bulky to use when shooting but are great in between.

Also, for feet, you could use the warmers called "toasty toes" to keep your feet warmer without the added pair of socks. I tend to get cold feet no matter how many socks I pile on, but the toasty toes warmers between my socks and the shoes (up under your toes) really do the trick for me. I also can't wear the standard "winter boots" because there is usually too much room in them, and it acts like a refridgerator for me. lol.

They make the same type of things for your hands as well. You can put them inside your gloves, or just keep them in your pockets for easy warming. (It's some kind of chemical in a pouch-like container that heats up when exposed to air... works like the heating belts for your back and such.) They come in packages of four to six, but usually seperated off into twos. They last up to 6 hours (well, that's what the package says) but usually I get too warm after an hour of their use.

:o)
~Row.

Yep, I have used the warmers and will keep doing that.  Those things do work pretty well.

I did get a pair of gloves for Christmas with cut off finger tips and a mitten front.  The mitten part cover the fingers or opens and folds back.  These appear warm but have not tried the gloves yet.   This may be an bit of trial and error to see what works best for me.

As with Garlor, renauds syndrome affects these hands and that does not require terribly cold weather.   Thanks again to all.