I’m often asked about how my camera functions in the cold. So far, in my practical experience, I’ve never really experienced camera failure from the cold with Canon’s 1D and 5D series cameras. I usually fail first. So, for the curious ones out there who own a Canon 5D III and wonder how it may perform in cold weather, I conducted a few tests recently to chime in on this subject. Fairbanks has been having some below normal temperatures for this time of year, so I thought I’d take advantage of that chill. Since my office is in the hills, where it is generally 15 degrees or so warmer, I escaped the -40 below zero temps of the low lands.
Test one: Camera function in the cold -20 degrees
I placed my Canon 5D Mark III outside on a tripod in -16 to -20 degree temperatures, with a fully charged battery and took one picture approximately every 15 minutes. After 10 hours, the camera worked fine and the battery still read a full charge.
No noticeable problems, other than a little slower reveal on the LCD screens.
Test two: Battery function in the cold -20 degrees
After the camera spent 20 hours in -20 temperatures, I put a freshly charged battery in the cold camera and plugged in a release cord and set it to take consecutive 15 second exposures (Long Exposure Noise Reduction turned off). The camera fired away for three hours until the battery ran out of juice.
The camera worked fine, but I did notice that after sitting outside for an entire day, the small buttons on the top of the camera did not activate the respective functions. For example, the ISO changing button did not work, so I changed the ISO using the back display using the Q button. Pretty impressive performance all in all.
If it get’s really cold in the hills, I’ll repeat this test again.
Wow! That is some valuable information, Patrick! That’s the sort of stuff I always wonder but likely would never do the testing myself. Thank you very much for doing this. I love my 5D III. Perhaps you could someday share with us something about your computer and backup system? Thanks for all you do.
Thank you Jim!
Nicely done, I’ve have had issues with the older Canon batteries in cold weather. I never tried my 7D below -10 but good to know about the 5DMk3
I tested my Canon 5D Mark3 in -5 to -20 and had no problems other than what you mentioned. The buttons did not always do what they were suppose to. Later it worked just fine. Your report on battery life is 100% correct from my experience.
You really have provided a lot of great information for other to learn. I would be happy to share you site with others that ask about auroras. I am just a guy that loves to be out there in the cold in the middle of the night. Just do not have the skills to write about it as you. Best Wishes and your aurora photography is outstanding.
Hi Greg, thanks for your comments, one of these days we will meet up in the field.
Ejoyed seeing the vido of the moose trying to protect her calf. We filmed a sequence where a small number of wolves took down a caribou. Very interesting to watch. Some may find it sad…but we all know it is the way of life in the wild. Thanks for sharing.
I am having problems with my lens fogging up on cold nights. Any suggestions?
Rick, can you please explain further? What are the conditions? The lens itself should not fog up. However, if you are near water it may frost/fog depending on temperatures and moisture conditions.
Thanks a ton for doing this test and sharing the results. Did the buttons ever work again?
Kollin, yes, the buttons work fine.
Thank you for this Patrick!!! I am wondering if the temperature was C or F.
I live in Canada and I have a wedding tomorrow…and I am concerned about my 5dMIII camera…Cheers!
I need some tips About 5d