Will the cold weather cause the shutter slowdowns or other issues.

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kknox

kknox
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It been very cold in the Seattle area this winter, will the cold effect the shutter speeds?
 
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How cold are you worried about? I've shot in around 20F and my M shutter speeds seemed fine. I must add I do not use a metered M nor did I shoot in those temperatures for the entire day; though it must have been as cold in the bag. I couldn't shoot all day in this temperature as my fingers slowed down or stiffened up before the shutter did.
 
I have been shooting in 15-25 degrees this week, was just worried if the speeds would be slower. I also have been using my M3 & IIIrd.
 
If you want to test it, I would use Chromes to ensure WYSIWYG. Negative (especially color) can be corrected at the mini-lab, so you won't know for sure if your speeds are slowing down.
 
It's not cold enough here to raise a concern. However, I once lived in Montana, and when I ventured out back then I just kept the camera inside my jacket and took it out when I wanted to use it. Occasionally I left it hanging over a shoulder or neck for some time, but it never seemed affected. Should add that it wasn't a Leica, rather a Pentax Spotmatic, but as you've got a manual camera also, there shouldn't be that much difference. Just don't leave outside so long that it freezes solid!
 
Very cold weather can effect a cameras shutter and it will be obvious on the negs if you are having a problem. I have taken photos in -20C weather without problems and one only one occasion had shutter trouble with a Canon P which was solved with a CLA. The internal condition of a camera is important. It has to be clean and lubed properly to function correctly. Film becomes brittle in the extreme cold and you should wind on slowly and rewind slowly to prevent the film from breaking or causing static electricity marks on the negatives. As Ted said just try and keep the camera as warm as possible when not shooting by keeping it under your coat should do nicely for a camera in good condition.

Bob
 
Yesterday I was shooting and It was -8F with wind-chills around -30f, I broke a roll of triX in camera, by winding on too fast (snapped/brittle). But no issues with the shutter or other functions. I would guess as long as you are above 0F, you don't have too much to worry about.

Using Canon P's - both with recent CLAs. the newer lubricants are synthetic, and much less prone to gumming up than they used to be.
 
Years ago some people got their cameras "winterized", which consisted of removing all the lubricant and running the camera "dry", but this was mostly where the camera would be used for long periods in sub-zero temperatures. Come spring and you'd get it lubed up again. Imagine paying for TWO CLA's a year on three or four bodies! Of course not many people owned that many cameras and Life Magazine could afford the expense. Improved lubricants seemed to solve the problem.
 
Al

Completely OT but I had read that removing all lube from AC MGs was done by some German AF units in the Russian front during WWII to get them to work reliably. You are so right about modern lubricants solving the cold problem.

Bob
 
Just wanted to chime in here that I experienced my 1st visible static marks on some 120 film (ISO 400) that I shot here in DC a few weeks ago when the temperature was in the 20s (Fahrenheit) & humidity low as is normal in these parts in cold weather (Seattle's probably considerably more humid). And in previous years I've had film break inside cameras, also when it wasn't really that cold (20s again). So sometimes the film itself (& in the case of 120, the paper backing) can be the weakest link, not the camera.

Nikon Bob said:
Film becomes brittle in the extreme cold and you should wind on slowly and rewind slowly to prevent the film from breaking or causing static electricity marks on the negatives.

Bob
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Don't worry. That's not nearly cold enough to worry about. I've got battery issues in the M's when it gets below 0 F- but only that they don't last real long.
 
I used my M2 in Chicago the other weekend w/ temps at -3, w/ the camera out for long periods of time. No problems w/ exposures. My little VCII meter was a different matter. It stopped working until I warmed it (and the batteries) up.
 
Most mechanical cameras are "cold safe" down to around -25-30C degrees. Film can get brittle around -20C and if the humidity is low - you can get static flash marks if you rewind too fast.
"Winterizing" a camera is usually not necessary - unless you spend a lot of time shooting in -35-40 C/F. The camera had to be stripped and all lubricants removed - in some cases you could replace the lubricants with dry graphite to ensure smooth action. My experience with this was that Leicas tended to hold up very well, but Hasselblad's Compur shutters needed this treatment for cold weather shooting.
I used to do that kind of stuff and kept a couple of M's with cold weather treatment on hand. One victim to it was the vukcanite, it would get brittle and come off in chunks. It is also a good idea to check for film chips in the camera. The sprocket can tear the perforations and suddenly you find this odd looking piece of film stuck on the negatives.
More than cold, humidity can cause damage. If you are shooting for extended time in cold weather,before going into a warm car or indoors, stick the camera in a "freezer" bag and squeeze the air out of it. Allow the camera to get up to room temperature inside the bag. This stops condensation to form on and in the camera - and if that happens you can have that humidity freeze and damage the rangefinder or lens, the next time you take it out in the cold. We are talking rather extreme circumstances here though!
 
I did grow up in Sweden and lived for a couple of years in Finland - and also put in 3 years in Toronto! None of these places are tropical in the winter. I don't like cold and snow and we settled in Vancouver to avoid it. Surprise - we now have snow and cold.
I think I will take my old Grand Cherokee around the block some more times and try to speed up global warming!
 
OT: Hi, Tom. According to my guru friend - who actually does know almost everything about everything (except cameras) - the jet stream has moved a few degrees to the north, which is apparently why you're getting the weather you don't usually get, and why we down here in Arizona are getting screwed (we need the moisture).
 
All right, the plan is - take all the normally useless SUV's up north and start pushing the jetstream further south! You get moisture and we get more seasonal weather - also involving moisture as Vancouver is wet during the winter. Today it is snowing again - and a lot! Later in the week it will start raining and the whole thing turns into slush. For me the whole thing could stop now - I have enough shots of snow to see me through a lifetime.
Merry Christmas Everyone
 
I've used a Spotmatic down to -10, no problems there, used my Leica iii to about 0, only problem was when my glove caught on the shutter button and slowed the speed down.
 
According to the news this is the first white Christmas right across Canada in four decades. I would like to thank the folks in BC for soaking up most of it with a little help from southern Ontario. I'm with Tom, I have seen enough snow to last a lifetime.

Bob
 
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