NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Other => Topic started by: Jyda on January 15, 2016, 15:03:42
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Here in the northern hemisphere we're in the middle of a bitingly cold winter. So what gloves do you use when you step out from the comforting warmth of your house and go out photographing?
I've tried quite a few types but like camera bags the perfect cold (as in nordic cold) weather glove seems elusive.
(Edit by Bjørn Rørslett: I changed the thread title to make clear the topic is about winter photography)
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There will be almost as many answers as there are photographers. Basically, one needs several different approaches depending on the ambient temperature and your own propensity for getting cold fingers :D
A layered approach with thinner inner and thicker outer gloves is what I normally use. Depending on the camera UI, one might need to work practically bare handed which is not pleasant in true cold conditions, thus having an inner layer of medical cotton gloves gives finger dexterity to operate the camera yet prevents contact with cold metal. These are way too thin to keep you warm more than in brief intervals so plan ahead and remove the outer (Thinsulate or similar) just for the short time it takes to work the camera. Needless to say, really cold weather is NOT a condition optimal for moving through camera menus and suchlike brain-dead interfaces. You really need good old-fashioned dials that stay put after being moved into position.
Our esteemed Arctic photographer Bjørn J hopefully shares his vast experience on this topic. This is his home turf so to speak. Our expat in Alaska, Øivind Tøien, has a vast knowledge of working under harsh temperatures (down to the -40s if I remember correctly) so is sure to contribute his golden nuggets of insight .
My main problem used to be glasses and view finders fogging up in the cold, these days hypersensitive airways and cold-induced asthma put an effective end to how cold weather I endure for photography.
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Smooth leather gloves with fingertips cut off...
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These work to slightly below 0C, for colder conditions they might not suffice.
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I use wool mittens inside wind stopping cotton mittens. If the camera isn't usable with this, I don't want that camera.
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I would say it depends on many factors how cold to go... ;)
How much physical work you do, wind and what else you do with your hands...
Here are mine, both Black Diamond the one with inner glows are goretex and fantastic ;)
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Designed for cyclists? They look nice and probably are expensive too ...
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Black Diamond 'Stuff' is originally designed for climbing or that's where I came to know them, harnesses and other safety equipment...
I use them for cycling and skiing etc. as well
Don't know the price but the leather and general quality is top ;)
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It depends on weather conditions.
In cold dry (subzero down to -30) I use thick wool/thinsulate covertible mittens with leather reinforcements o the palms, and a thin polypropylene liner. They work well if there isn't too much wind. You can even add a disposable hand warming sachet in the mitten (many of these mitten have a small internal pouch for it).
This setup is moderately wind resistant and does not cope well at all with water.
It has kept my hands warmer in Canada at -20 than in Scotland at -1. The difference was dry and light breeze in the first case vs wet snow and gale wind in the latter)
In wetter and windier conditions (near 0) I use a normal insulated waterproof glove whose outer material is not too stiff. Dexterity however is much worse than in the other case.
If it is less cold a simple polypropylene liner or other kind of thin glove should do it. Better if of a material that does not lose much insulating power when wet.
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I like Freehands gloves. Nice to have my important fingertips available when needed without removing my gloves.
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I normally use a pair of thin wool or woolmix thin inner gloves (Lowe Pro Photographer's glove with rubber "dots" for better grip), then wool mittens, and a pair of shell mittens with wind stopper as the outer layer. Thinsulate or similar synthetic material is nowhere as warm or comfortable as pure wool.
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Very thin inner gloves (7€) with touchscreen-compatible tips when temperatures around zero, otherwise additional mittens with "tiltable" extremities, made in Iceland, which should be OK even in Norway...
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For dry and moderately cold (about -5-10C) weather I use hunters' gloves.
Not exaclty theese, but of the same kind.
(http://www.chevalier.se/wp-content/uploads/1117G-Fleecehandske-m-huva3-819x1024.jpg)
If it's colder I do use mittens with liner gloves, but find it a bit cumbersome to take them off and on.
For around 0C I use finger gloves. I've tried some type of neoprene gloves, but they just made it feel even colder!
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Moose Peterson on his site, has an interesting article on glooves
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I use Sealskinz Ultra Grips as long as I can remember for any activity outdoors, from hiking, canoeing, abseiling, chopping wood to photographing and anything in between. They are great for temperatures between -10 and +10C when active in the outdoors as they are totally waterproof, have a warm merino wool lining, tough nylon outer shell, rubber dots for maximum grip (hence the name) and have great dexterity for handling cameras, lens changes and working those big buttons and dials on the Nikon cameras, etc.
Still have the older model but the new model has touchscreen tips which solves the one caveat I had with them, they are very tight fitting so taking them off all the time to check the iPhone was a pain. I had a little accident with a sharp knife while wearing them and cut my triggerfinger, the good part of that story was that I could now take the tip of my trigger finger off when needed to check for messages without taking the gloves off ;D
Here's a link; http://www.sealskinz.com/UK/gloves/ultra-grip-touchscreen-glove (http://www.sealskinz.com/UK/gloves/ultra-grip-touchscreen-glove)
For colder stuff I have Low Alpine Gore-tex gloves but use them rarely, the Dutch winters are rarely cold enough for them to be more pratical than the Ultra Grips.
Some of you will probably remember this image; me wearing the Low Alpine gloves while pretending to be a seal, and yes the other gloves would have been more appropriate name wise :P
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3281/3282182861_f62f80967d_o.jpg)
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There will be almost as many answers as there are photographers. Basically, one needs several different approaches depending on the ambient temperature and your own propensity for getting cold fingers :D
Very true and wise words. For instance in a really cold climate gloves become inadequate as one cannot provide enough insulation for the fingers. Sometimes a differential approach can be used depending on the time of exposure.
At normal Fairbanks temperatures in winter (more typical -20 to -40°C), my own preference is a rather conservative/classic Scandinavian approach with windproof cotton shell mittens over 1-3 layers of wool mittens depending on temperature. One of these layers are preferentially of non-compressible ("tovet" for those understanding Norwegian) wool. Needless to say dexterity suffers quite a bit so it becomes necessary to take these off for shorter periods of time to perform needed operations. For how long and when also very much depend on the camera body used. Small consumer bodies like my D5100 will typically require mittens to come off while shooting (but have the advantage of a less heat conducting poly-carbonate exterior), while with my D200 and D7100 basic operations can be performed with mittens on with some effort. Zooming in to 100% with the center button is not possible though. The AF-on button on D7100 and similar bodies can easily be activated with thick mittens, same with the rear wheel and to some degree exposure comp. button and front wheel. There can be an issue with accidental operation of controls, and it can be a bit hard to find the shutter release.
When it becomes necessary to shed the mittens in severe cold, I find it essential to be able take them on and off very quickly. (Heat will remain in wool layers for some time thus help rewarming hands after a trip out in the cold.) I have personally never found the approach with an inner thin liner glove that is kept while taking off the mittens working, or similar liners with free finger tips. It is just too much friction for me to efficiently slip the mittens on and off quickly, and I want to keep fingers together and freely moving inside the mittens. Often when I start on a ski trip, my thumb gets cold and I can then bring it together with the other fingers to warm up.
I do sometimes change from mittens to a pair of sheep skin lined leather gloves or fleece gloves to operate camera equipment for a shorter time over a 5-10 minute period. During one field trip in on the North Slope of Brooks range I worked for periods of hours at a time day after day only wearing a just pair of fleece gloves (bought in Johannesburg!) at temperature between -20°C and -30°C, but then the rest of my body was very well insulated to a degree that would not allow exercise for extended periods and I initially accumulated a lot of excess heat skiing up to the site hauling a sled (wearing less layers). In addition I was well adapted to cold as it was towards the end of winter. I would not call that work comfortable though... . The work was photography related so I might get back to that another time.
Normally a glove approach can work for me at temperature down to -5°C to -10°C if I can move a little around and do not have extended waits. For advice on gloves I am probably not the right person to ask as I am wearing something pretty traditional and not anything "high-tech" since mittens is my normal wear.
Also wet vs. dry climate needs to be considered. The breathable membrane approach can of course be nice for a wet climate, but for a dryer really cold climate, the membrane is not breathable enough; one can get condensation/frost buildup, and the fabric can feel very cold as it is a better heat conductor than windproof cotton fabric.
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Hi
i have these gloves :
http://www.theheatcompany.com/en/gloves/heat-3-smart
i have "tested" these about -27c , sufficient for me so far ..
BR
Juha
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Thanks for the heads-up, Juha. They look nice and price although not the lower range might reflect quality and usefulness.
My main concern at present is replacing my previous breathing mask that has ended its service life. The one below should suffice and will provide a stern 'Darth Vader' look as well.
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Thanks for the heads-up, Juha. They look nice and price although not the lower range might reflect quality and usefulness.
My main concern at present is replacing my previous breathing mask that has ended its service life. The one below should suffice and will provide a stern 'Darth Vader' look as well.
Is this for the cold air Bjørn? I can't imagine it's to deal with airborne pollution.
A friend almost died of pneumonia due to exceptionally cold air in the Canaries a couple of years ago.
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I can go into shock-like asthma attacks and subsequent coma when I breathe really cold air. This has happened too many times than I care to remember. So better be proactive. Waking up in a hospital bed is frustrating even with free health care :(
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OK, makes sense, especially if you are on your own at times.
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Hi
i have these gloves :
http://www.theheatcompany.com/en/gloves/heat-3-smart
i have "tested" these about -27c , sufficient for me so far ..
BR
Juha
I have a pair of wool mittens based on the same principle; the zippers on the ones linked seems to solve the problem with those wool mittens which tend to fill with snow when digging, as there is no good closure to the opening.