Tips on keeping camera cool

[Guest Paul Wizikowski]

Though I am sure there are some forums with suggestions on this, please pardon the minimal effort in tracking them down...I am being pulled in several directions at the moment.

 

Problem:

Forecast states temp to be 104F degrees. Heat index will be over 110. We are shooting with a Sony F900 with a Miranda box...outside and often without cover. I have had this configuration shut down due to heat in a milder circumstance, I am trying to think up ways to fend off the seeming inevitable.

 

Solutions thus far:

Keep the camera covered (umbrella of sorts) and out of direct sun light.

 

Keep extra cans of compressed air around to blow cold air on the camera.

 

What if I use ice packs contained in zip-lock baggies to keep moisture off the camera rotating from cooler to camera?

 

Thoughts? Any other ideas?

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

If there's a barny made for the F900 with a reflective exterior, that could help a bit. Ice packs will only help temporarily since they'll melt fast under those conditions.

 

Otherwise, just keep it out of direct sunlight, whether it be with an umbrella or whatever.

[e gustavo petersen]

An AC once sewed a barney made from white jersey material to place over the camera. The holes allowed for ventilation and the white material helped keep the camera cool. Others have used the often seen "space blanket" with the silver side out. But be cautious with the space blanket because it can trap the heat if it's not properly ventilated.

 

We also kept the camera in "Save" mode instead of "Standby".

 

One last note, be careful with the canned air. You don't want to shoot it too close to fans and circuitry or else you might might end up with a cracked circuit board from the sudden temperature change. In other words, don't invert the can and spray willy nilly.

[Andre Labous]

In the maintenance menu page 11 you can select the internal fan to max. It runs high enough that you'll hear it.

[Guest Paul Wizikowski]

Thanks guys. Heres a recap.

 

Temp ended up at 104. Add the humidity and it was insane.

 

I did set the fan to max and I think that helped...

In my previous experience with this setup (Sony F900 + Miranda Box) the Miranda box is what went on the fritz and shut down the whole rig. This time it again had issues but not like before. This time all the lights along the side, showing which options have been selected, all went out and all "OUTS" but one of the HD-SDI quit working. We could keep shooting but we lost video village. Any other day this would have been a big deal but the clients were so miserable with the heat they didn't bother paying much attention.

 

Anyway I constantly had the grips build a flag or two around the camera to keep in the shade and after the Miranda box started flippin out I asked Craft for iced towels in double plastic baggies to place around the butt of the camera. This seemed to help as after a few rotations of fresh "ice packs" the lights came back on on the Miranda, but I never did get the "OUTS" to work again.

 

It was miserable but I got through it.

 

Again, thanks for the suggestions.

 

Paul

[James Steven Beverly]

Let me ask the same question about 35mm movie cameras. I live in the desert and 104 is commonplace, it can get to 115! The Kinors (at least the 35H, I don't know about the 35C) all have internal heaters because the were made for Russian territories so the handle the cold very well, but the heat is something different. I'm sure this is the same with Arris, Moviecams, Panavisions, Mitchells, Eclairs and Aatons. I've seen old school camera set ups with a big umbrella attracted to the rig but haven't seen that in a while. I'm concerned with this also because my camera is black satin finished (beautiful new paint job from Aranda) as are the mags I thought about using blue ice packets and a Barney with optical glass to help keep it cool and keep the dust and blowing dirt out of the camera. (That we got in SPADES!!!) the only problem with that is a Barney won't breath. I also thought about using a rain cover for dirt, but I don't know how well that would work either. How do you guys do it? B)

[Paul Bruening]

I'm glad to hear of your success with the ice packs. I would have avoided that approach since condensation is a greater hazard than heat shut-downs. I had the same problems out of my XL2. I clamped two of those little, white, plastic fans from Malmart to the tripod legs. I pointed them up. They had two speeds. Then I duct (excuse me, gaffer) taped a thinnish, white towel around the camera. The airflow passed through the towel and it kept the sun from directly beating onto the plastic. I turned the fans off during takes. It worked great on the XL2. I can't account for other cameras.

[Michael Palm]

If protecting from the sun...

I've always kept the camera in the shade with an umbrella. This past weekend the midwest was hit with intense heat, that umbrella worked really well.