I.A.Nichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
<< Why not leave them (the batteries) in the camera and keep the camera under
your jacket? ... there will be less of a tendency for condensation to form
on lens & viewfinder window.>>
I have never had very severe problems from cold batteries on both
trans-Sierra ski-trips or high altitiude climbing in alpine conditions. Last
year I spent two days climbing Battian on Mt Kenya spending a very cold
bivvy at 17000ft near the summit. My OM2S worked straight from my pack at the
coldest time first thing in the morning. But I have often had problems from
condensation making the viewfinder unviewable hence I do usually carry the
camera under my jacket near my chest.
I was in Yosemite for 5 days probably at a similar time to the original
poster (?) (about two weeks ago) and shot off 5 rolls of film in a plain OM2.
We had fresh snow one day but it was not particularly cold during the day and
I certainly did not have battery problems day or night (flash). My son's OM10
also worked just fine.
Here are some other ways of making it more likely your OM will work in the
cold:
1) Use fresh batteries as the internal battery resistance rises substantially
after you have used more than half the battery capacity. When the battery
gets cold it's internal resistance rises even further compounding the
problem. The high resistance causes the battery voltage to drop briefly when
there is a high peak current demand as the shutter magnets operate.
2) Try to space your shots to allow the battery to repolarise. When I have
had mirror lockup from battery problems in the cold, it has usually been on
the second or third shot in quick succession.
3) Clean the batteries with a clean cloth and don't handle them with your
fingers directly when you put them back in the camera. The nickel plate on
the battery surface gets oxidised or some how corroded (this happens in the
warmth too!) and often cleaning them periodically eliminates premature
(unnecessary) replacement.
4) If using a dedicated flash, tape over the flash ready light connector on
the flash shoe if you are using an older style OM2S, which has a battery
killing ready light. (see archives for details)
Years ago I went on a climbing expedition to Peru partially sponsored by
Olympus where we had factory winterised OM1N's but I used an OM2 as well and
did not have any real problems. Somebody smuggled a Cannon with digital
(LED) display etc along and not only did it often not work in the cold but it
eventually failed. All the OM's survived and worked perfectly.
As far as I remember the EverReady battery manual shows a reduction of
capacity of about 30% at 0C for the 357 cell. This partly reflects the
increased loss as the internal battery resistance rises with lower
temperature. The electrolyte does not freeze until much lower temperatures so
the cells continue working but eventually peak currents drop the voltage too
much for correct camera operation.
Tim Hughes
Hi100@xxxxxxx
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