D800e and cold temperatures

cowleystjames

I'll be travelling down to the Ross Ice shelf in Antartica next month and the latest temp' forecast is -20 to -25 C.
Last time I went batteries were kept warm inside my clothing, but the major problem was misting of the optics when taking camera out, Nikon D90, worked ok though but battery life was well reduced.
Do any of you guys have any tips to share with me?
Is there a battery pack that I can keep inside my clothing with a trailing lead to plug into the camera?
At Vostok Station previously if I remember correctly, they're using Nikon D3 and Quantum battery packs which are kept inside their "wooly bears" (mid layer clothing)then connected by electrical harness.
Looking for something similar, but it doesn't seem to exist anywhere

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I've recently shot in -40c, and I found the key to avoid misting is to not expose the camera to rapid changes in temperature. I used to put the camera in the bag out in the cold, and kept the bag zipped when it was inside, so the camera stayed colder than the room when I was inside, making it less of a temp change when I pulled it out to shoot.

Another tip was to put a neoprene sleeve over the lens (I used a beer can cooler lol) which will also help insulate/stabilise the lens temperature. and minimise condensation/misting

I just kept 3 batteries charged and kept swapping them. I foud that after a cold battery has died, that it rcovers a fair amount of charge if you just put it in your pocket and warm it up again. I read on the net that some use chemical hand warmers on the battery grip, but that seemed a bit risky to me.

Not sure about anything D800 specific, but the battery grip takes D4 batteries with the right adapter, so maybe a D4 solution might work?

cowleystjames

Thanks for that ads, unfortunately Quantum don't make a D4 battery pack otherwise there may be a work around as in the EN-EL18 battery upgrade for the D800.

Ironheart

So it looks like the CD100 cable from quantum is what is recommend for the D7000. It also requires the EP-5b power connector from Nikon. This power connector replaces an EN-EL15 battery, which is used by both the D7000 and the D800. So viola! You are good to go (I'd call and check, but I'll bet it will be just fine).

cowleystjames

So it looks like the CD100 cable from quantum is what is recommend for the D7000. It also requires the EP-5b power connector from Nikon. This power connector replaces an EN-EL15 battery, which is used by both the D7000 and the D800. So viola! You are good to go (I'd call and check, but I'll bet it will be just fine).

You are a star, I'll look into it when I'm back home.
Many thanks.