Effects of cold weather on cameras in a cache?

[Guest jc364]

Is there anyone that knows what kind of effect cold weather will have on a disposable camera in a cache? I was wondeering if I need to pull mine out when cold weather sets in. Thanks in advance for your input on this.

 

Jerry

[Guest badbitbucket]

I'm mostly making an educated guess here, based on a few things that I KNOW:

 

1. batteries stop fuctioning at low temps. most will work down to just below freezing, but not far below, especially if the condition is persistent.

 

2. those disposable cameras are made of cheap plastic. plastic shrinks in the cold (like anything else, but more so). My GUESS would be that if the temperature is very low, say 20F or lower, things will start to crack, seals will start to break, then moisture will invade, etc.

 

3. I'm not sure how sensitive film is to the cold, but I would expect that at some point it will also sustain some damage from the cold.

 

hope this helps...

[Guest Point Man]

Actually, I think the camera would be OK. I use disposable cameras when I am going to be in some rough conditions and I don't want to risk a good camera and I have not had any problems. As stated earlier the batteries will go dead as temperature drops, but will come back as they get warmer.

This will keep the flash from working but everything else should be fine.

As for the film, freezing or refrigerating will help preserve it. Using frozen film may cause it to crack but I have not had this problem--maybe I was lucky.

The camera is not airtight to begin with so cracks letting moisture in should not be a concern, but you still need to keep it dry.

 

I used to be a professional photographer and the only camera problem I ever had in extremely cold weather is dead batteries and lens fogging. Holding the camera under my coat to warm it up would solve the battery problem.

 

[This message has been edited by Point Man (edited 09 September 2001).]

[Guest Prime Suspect]

Many disposables have no batteries. If it doesn't have a flash, don't worry about it. As for the film itself, I routinely freeze film. This will increase its shelf life almost indefinitely. Many good photo shops store their professional grade film in refrigerated cabinets to extend shelf life. However, if you do this, be sure to let it warm up to room temperature before opening it. Otherwise, moisture will form on the film. For the same reason, you would not want to hold a cold camera under your coat to warm it up before taking a picture outside in the cold. Bringing a cold camera suddenly into a warm environment will cause moisture to form. If it forms on the film, it will distort the image.