Over the last two weekends my little corner of Iowa has received a decent amount of snow. Feeling more confident in my gear (or maybe its because I have more d/SLR bodies in my possession) I actually went outside today and took some pictures of my kids playing in the snow.

I have read various articles on-line about how to winterize a camera for outdoor use. Today I simply poked a hole in a clear Ziplock bag and Duck taped the bag to my CP-11 hood (I was using my Coolpix 8700). I was only out for about two hours but everything worked great. I was able to use the LCD and had access to all the controls.

In the past I have considered purchasing one of the PVC type underwater housings such as this one: http://www.adorama.com/EWDNK5700.html but I am wondering today what techniques/devices other Nikonians have personally used or seen used for taking their cameras out into snowy conditions.

I am planning a full length day hike for next weekend and would appreciate any tips/input anyone may provide.

Thanx!

Reding, A Midwest Nikonian
"What the imagination seizes as beauty must be true, whether it existed before or not."

I find that trash bags, especially the heavy duty kind, do an excellent job. I prefer electrical tape because it's easily torn by hand, not to mention that the rolls are smaller and take up less space in my bag.

A trash bag, an knife (for the bag), and some electical tape, and I'm all set for several foul weather sessions.

"The whole of life withal is a struggle in the dark."
- Lucretius

Polychrome

Hi, I bought one of those rain covers from FotoSharp, seems to work fairly well, not as cheap as a trash bag, but fairly inexpensive.

Barry

Barry

If it isn't a Nikon, it's just another camera

I have a rain cover too---I forget the maker---but frankly, the trash bag and tape work just as well for me.

**Never fall in love with anything that can't love you back.**

Do the rain covers offer any protection against the cold temps?

Reding, A Midwest Nikonian
"What the imagination seizes as beauty must be true, whether it existed before or not."

I live in Alaska and photograph year around, including winter with temperatures ranging down to -25F degrees. I do nothing to winterize my gear. If it is snowing, I mount an umbrella to my Wimberley head to cover the camera and lens.

David C. Ramey
David Ramey Photography

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I covered much of the recent snow storms in the SW part of the USA from Mexico up to central Colorado and except for a GPS liquid crystal touch screen that froze and leaked, I had no issues nor ill effects whatsoever with snow and camera gear getting acquainted. Keep in mind that these were storms that dropped 10-15 feet in short periods.

I make sure to cover my frozen gear when heading back indoors because of condensation from humidity and I've been getting in the habit of letting my gear drop below freezing temps before shooting in snow otherwise it melts on contact and collects on surfaces. Even my LCD screen has partially frozen over from breathing on it w/o issue - yet. Temps are averaging below zero(F) at night with the coldest I've experienced in the mid -20's(F) range.

I think lenses are the weak point but I don't use any after market lenses like Sigma or Tamron so I can't speak for them just that the Nikkor lenses have been holding up well to my abuse for years. Except for sheltering the film camera when I change rolls, I really take no other precautions.


Phil - NM, USA

Phil