Dragon on steadicam in the snow and cold?

[Will Turner]

I have a shoot coming up that will be completely in the cold and snow this winter. I've never shot extended periods of time in the cold, around 32 - 0 Fahrenheit. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for shooting in the cold or know of any issues that might arise that I may not necessarily be aware of?
Does the touch screen experience issues in the cold?
HDMI port no longer connect in the cold? Any tips for SDI connections?
Do you treat snow like you do rain and is a rain cover the best solution?
How do you keep out moisture and condensation inside the camera and lenses when bringing them inside?
Do wireless systems act up more frequently when colder?

Also looking for any tips specifically for shooting on a steadicam in the snow. Weather they be with how to rig out the kit while it's snowing or tips in operation.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Matthew Quinn]

I had to shoot a night scene on Lake Erie in February, it was about 20 below zero.. one thing we noticed was the sync drifted more than normal.. the camera deff started getting upset with us.. and yes treat snow like rain, try to keep the camera covered. 32 degrees should be no problem. just bring extra socks and stuff @@

 

[Ted Parkes]

Batteries will be a bit if an issue so take extras. I have shot in that kind of weather on several occasions and the trick is to never shut the camera off. Hot swap. It takes a long time for it to get back up to temp and the temp will be what ever it decides on in that climate. Shade accordingly after its had time to warm up. Outside of that I have never had any problems. I have tried a rain cover to help the camera stay warm but it gets very stiff and brittle in that kind of cold. Blowing snow is another issue you have to protect the camera from and then you have no choice.

 

[Linda Barzini]

Lenses can fog up if you go from cold to warm. And it can take a long time for the gear to equilibrate to room temp.

 

[Jeff Garton]

I shot a three Dragon array in 0 degree weather. Indeed it is hard to maintain a consistent temperature for proper Black Shade. If you can do a series of black shades with the camera cold and have a dedicated SSD card loaded with them, that can help. The best trick I found though, was to have a piece of tape over the fan exhaust than you can tweak more open or more closed. And then check it constantly. Remember long rolling takes will generate a lot more heat, so sometime you just might need to partially cover the exhaust to get a more rapid warm up to temperature and then open it again before rolling. But don't rely on the camera itself to hold a target temperature. This is for very cold situations. In freezing and just below freezing it holds well in my experience.

 

[Mark Toia]

-15c for a week all good this end,

 

[Lauri Hakala]

-15c for a week all good this end,

+1

Have used our dragon frequently in cold weather though -35 celsius in Finnish lapland made the camera automatically shut down once in a while. Still managed to get the shots keeping the camera just warm enough letting the record roll between takes. I don't know if there's some kind of warming "body suit" for the epic made. Of course this would be needed only in extreme cold conditions.

 

[Brandon Kelly]

I shoot skiing all winter. I have a storm jacket, about $30 from B&H which works well. A hoodman to keep snow off of the monitor is important, or I find snow will cause things to pop up on your touch screen all the time. As for bringing your kit inside from the cold, I recommend leaving your bag outside, or if you do bring it in don't open it or everything fogs right away. If you need to shoot, let the bag sit closed for a little while before opening. I havn't had any issues until shooting below -20c, then things start to act up a bit.

 

[Matt stambaugh]

I shoot skiing all winter. I have a storm jacket, about $30 from B&H which works well. A hoodman to keep snow off of the monitor is important, or I find snow will cause things to pop up on your touch screen all the time. As for bringing your kit inside from the cold, I recommend leaving your bag outside, or if you do bring it in don't open it or everything fogs right away. If you need to shoot, let the bag sit closed for a little while before opening. I havn't had any issues until shooting below -20c, then things start to act up a bit.

Brandon, your work is awesome. Just watched your reel and your skiing footage looks great! Huge skier myself (more on the east coast though!). Ski stuff filmed with the Scarlet mx?

 

[Brandon Kelly]

Thanks Matt, Yeah I have been shooting ski stuff for 3 years now with my scarlet. 3k 48fps is pretty nice if you ask me.

 

[Robert Gustafsson]

Coldest outdoor temperature I used my Dragon was -25C. I just love the Dragon vents on the top and the heat they're generating in those conditions. Touchscreen worked as usual. I have several blackshades on a 64GB Redmag for different outdoor temperatures, just load a suitable one depending on the temperature. Make sure you have a decent raincover that also covers your monitor and have quick access to batteries.
I sometimes use handwarmers in the same place as my batteries in my backpack to keep them from draining too fast.
Like others stated before, keep the backpack or case closed when returning indoors to prevent fog or moisture on your equipment.

 

[Cliff Hokanson]

no problem