Winter camera tip

No need to stop taking pictures just because it is cold out, but the weather can be tough on your camera. Just remember to protect it from the change in humidity when you come inside on a cold day.

This is really a simple tip - seal your camera in an air-tight plastic bag before you bring it inside after being out in the cold, and don't open the bag until the camera is roughly at room temperature. I found Ziploc 28cm x 27cm bags were big enough for my Canon 10D SLR and a couple of lenses.

Warm air inside has a lot of moisture that will condense when it comes in contact with a cold camera. That moisture is bad news for your lens and the electronics within your camera.

Bonus hints:

• The observant among you will notice I have the memory card and battery OUTSIDE the plastic bag. No doubt once you seal up your camera and head inside you will want to check out your pictures, but remember, DON'T open the bag until the camera warms up -- so take the memory card (and battery, if it needs to be charged) out of the camera BEFORE sealing the camera in the bag.
• Plastic bags are slippery! Remember this fact when you are carrying the camera in the bag, and when you put it down somewhere.
• Try and keep the temperature changes gradual, whether it be cooling off, or warming up.
• Don't follow the previous suggestion when it comes to batteries -- a battery won't last as long when it is cold, so keep it as warm as possible until you are ready to use it. If your battery dies out in the cold try heating it up for a while (inside your coat, for instance) and see if you can get a few more shots out of it. This applies to all batteries; a good reason to keep your iPod or other MP3 player warm.
• Most cameras will underexpose shots with lots of bright snow, making everything, except the snow, too dark. Try setting the manual exposure control to +1 or even +1.5. The snow will be even brighter, but the rest of the shot should be properly lit.

Reference:

• I first learnt about most of this information on the forum at Daily Dose of Imagery.
• I was reminded again and again about cold batteries while trying to keep the battery warm in my old 64MB Samsung Yepp MP3 player on winter drives in to work