Hi, I am going to Harbin, China in the coming December.
I have check the temperature, The mean temperature at there is about -20°C
Any special equipment or special needs that i need to prepare for shooting photograph at there
i am using Nikon D3000
Thank You!

This post has been edited by Loi Chung Ling: Oct 29 2010, 07:59 PM

http://ezinearticles.com/?Keeping-Your-Cam...ures&id=3249722

BTW, the minimum operating temperature for d3000 is 0 degree celcius or 32 farenheit..so i don't think it's a good idea to bring it to places under 0 degree celcius..it might still be functional and you need to be extra careful but i'm not sure what harm can it cause to your camera

This post has been edited by evilhomura89: Oct 29 2010, 08:13 PM

unless your gear is weather seal (WR)

As long as its dry... No rain and no heavy snow, should be ok. Biggest worry will be your battery going flat fast. Need to keep it warm, in your pants pocket or in your shirt pocket under your jacket. Swap with a warm spare while you warm the cold battery up.

Other than that, be mindful of condensation when you move from the cold outdoors to warm indoors. While it doesnt harm your camera, the fog up means you cant take photos till it clears up. If possible keep your cam under the jacket and just bring it out to take photos then back into the jacket.

Finally, some lenses might jam up in the cold when the lubricant grease freezes up. Just warm it back up and it will be fine. Dont force it to focus or zoom if it jams up, just warm it up. Not all lenses behave this way. Ymmv.

I've hiked up Yosemite in below zero weather and taken photos during snowstorms in Europe, no probs. Just keep warm, both yourself and your camera. Chances are your body will fail in the cold before the camera.

if using a tripod, insulate part of it as metal can be very cold to the touch and for a better grip, especially if you are not wearing gloves ....

Thanks, these tips really helps me alot~

when u are going? i am departing 20 nite..hahaha..

juz make sure your camera inside your jacket all the time except when you taking photo then it will alright...do not ever hang it outside, one of my fren got his camera lens cracked due to these extreme weather...kful~

I am going on 22nd nite~
hahaha

Ok,thx for your advice!
Btw, enjoy ur trip~

I went to Harbin in b4 during winter time approx 3 years ago.
May be i can share some points :

1. U need the proper clothing + jacket + gloves + others protection to withstand those very tough weather.

2. when u reach harbin city, go look for a kind of boots that specially made to walk on the ice and their cold weather. They called it snow walking boots. This is a must as it will help eliminate the cold, if temp fall below -15c (ie ice castle).

3. Regarding shooting in -10 to -20 weather, we further went to a place called snow village, the temp is ar -30c with non stop snowing. A weather seal camera and lens is highly recommended. Its still ok to try luck if it doesnt snow. but if the weather continue snowing, i find the photo shooting will be much complicated. That time, i brought the Olympus E-1 and Sony T-30 compact. The sony compact shut off immediately after 2 shots. Olympus E-1 is weather sealed, and i hv no problems continuous shooting and shooting during entire trip. The challenge is when the camera died, u need to wait for time to get it up. So it may distract attention and some important shot for the trip will be missed. Some suggestion by earlier posting may help to preserve the working conditions of the camera.

4. like others saying, when entering a warmer place, pls take note the sudden temp diff will cause fog. If the temp diff even bigger, it will cause body sweating (ie from -30 to 26c) . What i did last time is b4 entering the house, i zip the camera in the bag and leave it for 1/2 an hr to close the temperature gap before taking it out. My suggestion is to bring some more cloths to wipe the equipments if needed.

5. Due to the freezing weather, the view finder will get frost up very quickly. That will affect the shooting experience. I dont have solution for this apart from wipe it more consistently with my fingers in the glove.

Apart from this, Harbin is fun and the snow is very thick, dry and very beautiful.

same here... end of this years going to China too and maybe will spend few days in Harbin. But mostly will be in Beijing!

Using D5000... thinking any picture to take especially during winter !? not sure whether Raynox DCR250 can take snowflakes ... cant wait to be there ... just scare too cold only...

Thank you for sharing your experience~
I really appreciate it!

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Added on November 7, 2010, 5:12 pmHaha,anywhere take care and have fun!

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Added on November 17, 2010, 3:37 pmAny Other Pro wanna giv suggestion?
I am very appreciate to every single suggestion~
Thank you

This post has been edited by Loi Chung Ling: Nov 17 2010, 03:37 PM

I understand that there is no direct flight from KL to Harbin, can anybody advice what is the best practice to travel from KL to Harbin? Should I go from KL to Shanghai or Beijing for a transit to Harbin?