I’m going to do something on the blog today that I’ve never done before, and that’s ask a question to the ENTIRE INTERNET!
Well, ok, that’s a slight exaggeration, but this can’t hurt to try. I’m doubtful that I’ll find the answer immediately from regular readers, but by putting this question out there publicly, I hope that perhaps one day someone else might be searching Google for the same information, and then stumble upon this post.
Many of you know that I shoot with the wonderful Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II super telephoto lens. This lens is sharp as a tack, and the autofocus accuracy is usually spot on. On a recent trip to the Yukon though, I found myself using the lens in extremely old temperatures, and I had some issues. When I say cold, I mean properly cold! We’re talking below -30 celsius, which means that’s also below -30 fahrenheit for those of you in the US.
In these temperatures the lens appeared to be front focussing by a fairly significant margin. Enough that I immediately thought I must have damaged the lens at some point. To my surprise though, once the lens was warmed up again back at base, it worked just fine again!
I have definitely shot photos in temperatures this low before, but in all of those cases it has been landscape images and I’ve been using wide angle lenses. Due to the deeper depth of field from those lenses, and that kind of photography, it’s possible that any shift in focus accuracy isn’t visible with a wide lens. On a super telephoto lens with a wide open aperture the plane of focus is very narrow, so it’s possible that this is just when it becomes more obvious.
Is this something that anyone else has experienced?
I shot a quick email off to polar photographer Joshua Holko earlier today, and he graciously replied with some experience of his own on the subject. Basically he said that he hadn’t experienced the exact same thing, but possibly something similar when his 600mm f/4 was subjected to temperatures of -40 for a very prolonged number of days. After this, he had to have his lens re-calibrated by Canon because things seemed a little off. Maybe it’s the same sort of issue?
There’s a lot of metal in a big super telephoto lens, and clearly there will be some contraction in temperatures that low. That much makes sense to me, but it caught me by surprise simply because I had not seen it discussed before. I realize that there aren’t huge numbers of people taking lenses like this into arctic conditions, so I’m hoping that by writing this, I might unearth a few more experiences from other people.
UPDATE
- I discovered an interesting article about lens microadjustment, written by Roger Clark, in which he talks about needing to change the microadjustment of his lenses depending on the ambient temperature. He goes on to state that a 6-7 point adjustment is often required when a 20 degree fluctuation in temperature occurs.
Leave a comment below, or shoot me an email if you have something to share!
Cheers,
I suggest that there is not an electronic nor mechanical problem but rather at these extremities of temperature glass and metal are at their limits of mataining tolerances. In astronomy for example a telescope needs to set in such temperatures for hours or days to equillibrate for the mirrors to reach stability and after all a complex long focal length lens is a refractive telescope with the same issues. I live in northern Alberta and I always keep my camera under cover when outside to prevent any number of cold weather possibilities. I shoot Canon as well. Those temperatures are asking a lot to be sure of both camera and the user! I suggest if the lens is working at normal temperatures then it is not defective.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s defective, it’s just not something I have ever heard discussed before. Interesting note about the telescope. I’m wondering whether a men’s left out in the cold would work better than one that is constantly subjected to fluctuations temps.
Hey Dan, just wanted to say love your work and site. I recently watched a bbc program called wild cameramen at work, and there was a small section where Doug allan talked about having to strip his lenses down and replace the grease/oil with a thinner oil due to the extreme temp, not suggesting you try that! but I guess it does affect the lenses.
P.S. on a side note, I read your article on the mrk 1 300mm f2.8 with the 2x tc., just wondering if you think there would be any advantage at all using the new mrk iii tc’s on the mrk 1 lenses? any help is appreciated. cheers, Scott
I’m going to have to look for that show! Sounds very interesting, appreciate the tip.
I do not believe there would be any advantage to using the III 2x over the II 2x. Optically they are very similar, it’s mainly new electronics in them that were designed to work with the Mark II super teles. If you have a Mark I 2x, there might be a slight optical upgrade.
I just got back from time-lapsing the Aurora in Yellowknife. The temperatures were around 0 F, or just below and the focus on my Sigma Art 14 f/1.8 drifted throughout the night. The focus on my 24-70 f/2.8L II stayed consistent in the exact same conditions so I’ve concluded that Sigma Art lenses are not weather sealed. I manually focused both lenses. Bummer to discover this out in the field on such an important shoot. Made me realize that L glass is indeed the real deal and well worth the price.
Well you say that… but the lens that caused my issue is an L-series lens, and one that cost over $7000 haha. It also depends on your definition of “weather sealed” – I think most would take that to mean rubber gaskets in important places to protect against moisture. I think some of Sigma’s ART lenses are weather sealed by that definition, and I’m not sure what a manufacturer can do to prevent the cold getting into a lens and causing this issue. The likely cause of all this is the contraction of internal lens parts, so I’m sure it’s a complex issue because all metal and plastic will contract in the cold. I guess it’s just unlucky if it happens to an extend that ruins the image. It’s a bit of a bummer to hear that it happened on the 14mm though because I would think that’s a likely candidate for cold, night work for many people.
Hi Dan,
i just experienced this with the same lens (DO Mark II) mounted with a 1.4X TC III on the 5Ds R…. The temp was a balmy 25F…. the focus was definitely soft and for my BIF shots very much useless. I had recently calibrated (in San Diego) using the Focal and was spot on for our temps here in San Diego. As an FYI, my wife was shooting the a 5Ds R as well using the 100-400 Mark II and she had ZERO issues with focus… very disappointing for me. Did you get any resolution to this from Canon?
That is VERY interesting. I didn’t get a resolution from Canon because I didn’t feel as though I had enough data to approach them. 25F would be surprising though, because that’s not cold at all. Troubling…
I will be spending more time in the cold with the lens this winter (around 0F) so I will now try to do some more specific testing now there is some evidence that it wasn’t just my imagination. If I get a result or an answer, I’ll update here. If you yourself have the issue again and speak to Canon about it, I’d love to hear what they say.