Cameras, Lighters, and Firestarters for cold temps

Hi folks,

I am in the market for two things and have one thing to offer.

Digital camera - one that is reliable in deep cold and has good battery life? Shirt pocket size? I am familiar/comfortable with the canon powershot but am looking for something small.

Lighters: Are those $45 piezoelectric butane lighters worth it - such as this one: and how does the butane work in extreme cold, or do you keep it on a string around your neck?

Firestarter: I learned a neat trick for making cheap firestarter last winter - take a wad of cotton balls and a wad of vaseline and rub it all up together until you have a nice greasy wad of cotton fiber. A small piece will burn for a good long time, long enough to dry out questionable tinder, hold the flame in a breeze, and light a correctly-made fire. Pack it in a film can or something similar and throw it in with your "emergency" stuff in your pack. I thought it was a great idea since everyone probably has the makings at home already.

I Love Winter!!!

IMO, matches work best in extreme cold. Wind may be more of a problem with them

I have seen a number of reports that the Windmills do not live up their advertising. I just use a cheap butane lighter or, better yet, one of these: http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_...folder_id=282574489160712&bmUID=1170106470094. The extension can be stuck into a stove for lighting or relighting. I also carry matches as a backup. Strike-anywhere are best, if you can get them.

All butane lighters work poorly if cold. Warm them in your pocket before using.

There are a bunch of suggestions for firestarters in http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15611.

Doug

All cameras will suffer in the cold, some more then others. The key is to keep the camera relatively cold and the batteries warm. I usually keep an extra set of batteries close to my body, and the camera clipped to my belt or sternum strap. Keeping the whole camera warm will result in condensation when you take the caemr

If your camera takes AAs (and most ultracompacts do not) you can use Lithiums. They're not rechargeable but they last the longest in the cold. Next is NiMH rechargeables, which you should get at 2500 - 2700 mAH ratings. Avoid alkalines at all costs.

If your camera takes Li-Ion proprietary rechargeables, buy an extra and keep it warm. Swap out when needed, the old battery is probably still good, it just needs to be warmed back up.

I've had good luck with the Canon SDxxx series in the cold, but there are other brands (Casio for one) that have longer battery life. But I think the Canons offer the best range of features and image quality. You can buy 3rd party batteries for much less then the Canon brand ones. Check newegg.com for deals on batteries and memory cards.

-dave-

I've got a canon powershot and I love it. The size is perfect (small) and it takes great photos.

I recently took the camera on a ten day winter trip and kept it in one of those travel pouches you wear around your neck. I kept it tucked under several layers of clothing during the day and inside a boot at night. The battery (lithium ion) lasted for more photos on that trip than it does at home at room temperature. The low battery indicator never came on the whole time. I never had any problems with it fogging when taking it out to take photos either.

Keep a standard bic lighter in the same travel pounch and you shouldn't have any problems either.

sleeping bear said:

I recently took the camera on a ten day winter trip and kept it in one of those travel pouches you wear around your neck. I kept it tucked under several layers of clothing during the day and inside a boot at night.

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Be careful about keeping a camera warm with body heat--it is a recipe for getting water and ice inside the camera. After you have had the camera out in the cold (say taking some pictures) and then move it into a warm moist place (under you clothing) you are likely to get condensation on it.

If you do the above, I suggest that you put the camera in a sealed zip-lock before placing it under your clothing.

I agree with Dave--keep the camera cold (and dry). My P&S uses AA batts so I just put lithiums in it for cold weather use. So far, I have never had to warm the batts or reach for my spares, but I haven't pushed it very hard.

Doug

DougPaul said:

Be careful about keeping a camera warm with body heat--it is a recipe for getting water and ice inside the camera. After you have had the camera out in the cold (say taking some pictures) and then move it into a warm moist place (under you clothing) you are likely to get condensation on it.

If you do the above, I suggest that you put the camera in a sealed zip-lock before placing it under your clothing.

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Maybe I don't sweat much or something, but I just did that for 10 days straight, and then again for 3 days this weekend with nothing but positive effects.