Temperature Question

[Superangel]

Hi guys,

I was outside shooting today around midday, and as the sun was out, I could feel my camera getting very hot (especially as it's matte black plastic). It wasn't too hot to touch, but it certainly made me worry a little.

Is there any risk that I could damage my camera by shooting when it's hot?

I know not to shoot directly into the sun, and I know to watch for condensation when going back into a cool place, but are there any other risks? Sorry if this is a obvious question, but I searched the forums and nothing really seemed to help.

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

[Beowulff]

Apart from the obvious answer (technically-speaking) that yes, excessive heat can damage your camera, or at least temporarily disable it, there shouldn't be any concern about shooting with your camera in "normal" prevailing ambient weather conditions — such as a summer's day.

I've used a camera in a daytime temperature of 50°C (122°F) in Port Hedland in Australia without any dire results.

This all assumes that you're physically moving the camera around, or that it's hand-held — in other words it's not sitting stationary on a tripod in the full sun for lengthy periods. Even in mild weather conditions, you'll notice most digital cameras get at least slightly warm, and others will run fairly hot, even out of direct sunlight.

Probably the worst that can happen to your camera if it "overheats" is that it'll simply stop working in the short term, and which may require a reboot, after letting it cool down for 30 minutes or so (to primarily let the internal circuitry and electromechanical bits and pieces cool).

The only real no-no's are car dashboards and gloveboxes or trunks, or anywhere the camera's sitting in full sun in its case.

Cheers

[cdifoto]

Is there any risk that I could damage my camera by shooting when it's hot?

Yes. Your paranoia could cause you to drop it.

[cdifoto]

The following applies to the 1D III, 1D II, 50D, 30D, and XSI.

Operating Environment Working Temperature Range 32-104°F/0-40°C
Working Humidity Range 85% or less

I haven't looked up any others since those 5 are all the same.

[Superangel]

Thanks Beowulff and cdifoto, that's really helpful!

[Marburg]

While that applies, I live in Houston Texas where the humidity is often near 100% and the temps can get into the 100's. I've never had a problem with any of my cameras (Canon, Sony, Fuji) operating under those conditions except when going from cool indoors to hot outdoors and vice versa. The rapid change will cause temporary condensation. I simply wait it out. Once the camera adapts to the change it works fine. Older models are more sensitive. I did notice that when the camera heats up (as in the camera feels warm or has been in constant shooting mode for hours) it may develop a little color spotting (reddish cast) until it cools down. I was out in 90 plus temps and humidity around 90% for about 6 hours in East Texas this past weekend and while my camera body got warm the pictures came out just fine.

Marburg

The following applies to the 1D III, 1D II, 50D, 30D, and XSI.

Operating Environment Working Temperature Range 32-104°F/0-40°C
Working Humidity Range 85% or less

I haven't looked up any others since those 5 are all the same.

[cdifoto]

I spent about 9 hours straight in the Jamaica heat with my camera and had no issues. I put my stuff in zippy bags to let the condensation collect on the bag instead of the gear.