December 20, 2002
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Warning:
WHINING AHEAD
Shit!! The manual for my new camera says not to “store, transport or operate” below FREEZING. Shit… shit… SHIT!!! If it had said that in the specs I read online, or in any of the consumer reviews I studied, I wouldn’t have bought the damn thing. Is that enough reason to get my money back? …and it seemed like just what I wanted. I spent months looking at cameras, and spent more money than I thought I should because this one was such a gem. Yeah, right. Is there ALWAYS a catch, a turd in the punchbowl, a fly in the soup?
I can answer that. Yes, in my benighted life, yes there always is. I’m sitting here, stupidly shedding tears over this. “Steep learning curve”, one reviewer said about the menus I’ve been trying to learn to navigate. I’ve been wasting my time trying to learn to use a fancy gadget so delicate (and useless) that the only times I’ll be able to take it outside are when I can get a lot of dandy closeups of mosquitoes. I want closeups of frost crystals, dammit! I want time exposures and movies of the Aurora Borealis! If we have a power outage, I’ll have to remember to tuck the camera in my shirt or put it near, but not too near, the woodstove–because there is an upper temperature limit, too.
Okay, I know it’s not entirely fair to blame my weepy mood on the fair weather camera. It has been a week of disappointments and losses, of work expended and then found to be pointless. I began a project I’ve done many times before, gave it much time and tender loving care, only to have it fail and die as I watched impotently. It all fell to shit. Shit, shit, shit! I know what acts of other people contributed to the failure, but did I do something wrong, is there something I could have done to prevent the failure? I don’t know, so I’m hesitant to try again.
I’ll be philosophical and upbeat about all this later, I know. I’ll have the tears dried and my voice back to normal by the time Doug wakes up or Greyfox returns from town. I will finish cleaning up the mess from the failed project. I might even just risk all and take the new camera out for a trial run in the crisp cold, when I get my guts back. Who knows, it might work anyway. I’ve violated other similar warnings before and gotten away with it.
If menopause were not a decade behind me already, I’d be tempted to ascribe the moody tears to hormones. This crap is just so unlike me. What is, IS. I know that, and on most days I don’t rail pointlessly against reality or cry over things that don’t go my way. Most days… not today.
Comments (14)
aw susu, here, have a ((((HUG))))
aww girlie sorry about your camera..but you cracked me up with turd in a punch bowl lmao
Whine away, anytime….God know I do it often enough.
I haven’t seen a digital camera that has an operating temperature below freezing. But I had one that I used at -20 (Celsius) and below about 3 or for times a week for a whole winter. It stopped working at -30, but it didn’t break. Although it did start to act a little flakey after a while, but I think that’s more because it was getting old than the cold it was exposed to. I got a new one that had pretty much the same operating temperatures, and it works below freezing too. I haven’t tested it like the older one, but so far it works fine. It’s a risk, and you’re basically voiding your warranty, but if you’re cautious, it can work fine. I’d use the LCD screen as little as possible. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but when it isn’t necessary, don’t use it. The most important thing is to avoid condensation, that’s what will ruin the camera. You want to cool it down and heat it up fairly slowly. Or you can put it in an airtight bag while it adjusts to a new temperature.
I wouldn’t return it unless you find one that does claim to work in the cold… I don’t think any of them claim they do, just because it’d be more of liability to the manufacturer.
OH Susu…. dry those tears and give them heck now!!!! lol…. I was so looking forward to more pics…
Oh did you get my email… not sure that this Xanga email is working!!! lol… let me know. it was labeled from Eggiesback@yahoo.. thanks… Rose
Honestly, I don’t think they should be shipping cameras that can’t handle cold weather, to Alaska.
((((Hugs))))
As Beek mentioned…I don’t think there’s a camera that can take the conditions you have in Alaska…you would have had to order special equipment that the pros use and that would certainly have cost you many times more than you have already paid…hopefully the tips you have gotten here will allow you to use the camera at least most of the time!
~Spot~
Your alright, It doesn’t freeze there, does it?
’tis the season to be weepy…having a time with it myself and it is very unusual for me
Happy HOlidays and hope your camera turns out to work anyway!
Thanks, everyone who responded to my whines, in comments or by email. I’m ready to blog again, but I guess the weekend traffic is too much for Xanga, and I can’t get my X-tools to work. Maybe that’s a sign I should be doing something else…*turns to mess at her elbow and sighs….*
Sounds like you are having a rough week. Good luck with your camera. Hopefully Beek’s advice was right on target and you will still be able to use it. Who would’ve thought a camera wouldn’t operate in cold weather??
Don’t get too discouraged…it really is the perfect time to give in to being melancholy and maudlin. A lot of people seem to experience those feelings around the holidays. Keep your chin up! *hug*
Beek is right. Almost no electronic equipment is built to withstand ordinary operating temperatures below freezing. Here’s what you have to do: a) Like Beek said, don’t use the LCD outside. b) Don’t leave your camera outside. c) When it’s inside, keep it in its pouch rather than leave it laying about. d) When using it out in the cold, keep your hands wrapped around it to protect it from wind etc.
I think you’ll be OK. Film cameras had limits like this too, you know.
I’m late but just thought I’d offer some empathy anyway {{{{HUGS}}}}
I use my digital in the cold all the time. Haven’t had any problems yet. I’m sure if you left it outside it wouldn’t be good, but just for quick jaunts, it should be fine.