Camera in cold / high altitude

Hi,

I'm going to attempt Kilimanjaro in a few weeks time and obviously want to get a couple of photos at the top. Most likely will be bringing my Canon S95. Its 6 days to the top, and will be starting out with 2 fully charged batteries.

Could anyone please provide some do's and dont's or other pieces of advice/suggestions ..... as in .... what would you do!

Example: Should I remove batteries during nights to save power? I know I have to try to keep the batteries warm the further I go up. I read somewhere that if I keep the camera too warm, it could develop condensation when I take it out, which could then freeze and damage the camera??

Is it possible to use / take pictures with an iphone up there? (without damaging the phone).

Thanks, appreciate any help.

Should I remove batteries during nights to save power?

Batteries may appear dead when frozen , but will revive when you warm them up. The energy doesn't go anywhere. In cold camps I put the batteries inside the boots , which goes below my knees in the sleeping bag . I doubt nights on the Kili ascent goes seriously subzero though , but I could be wrong.

Cameras , electronics etc do well at high altitude , used it around 5000 meters on every trip to the Himalayas over the last decade , like the pic above . First video conference call from Everest was a month or two ago. The one big caveat is that hard drives have their own form of altitude sickness , this is a technology that depends on air pressure. Seen a couple drives crash in Ladakh & Tibet. Solid state memory ( as in iPhones , camera cards , MacBook Air etc ) run problem free.

high road to...

Thanks vistet ..... so should be ok just keeping batteries warm.

Which route will you take? The most popular one supposedly has electricity in the huts.
Maybe invest a few a bucks in another spare battery or two if needed.

Taking the Machame route .... all tents! .... yes, extra batteries seems the way to go.

Thanks

I had no issues with my canon dslr while camping at the top in late September. The batteries didn't last as long, but I had four. The generic ones I bought on amazon are cheap, and just as good as the canon one. Also like they said, keep them warm. Good luck. It's amazing.

Thanks brett

I lugged a 5D to the summit a few years ago and although it was cold at the upper camps, I didn't use as many batteries as I thought I would. I had several fully-charged, and I recall I used three for the full Machame climb. Keep the spare batteries near your body and keep the camera screen reviews to a minimum. I found that neither the altitude nor the cold affected the camera or the batteries. One thing to monitor....the condensation that can get on your lens and body when you go from the cold outside to a warmer tent.

Brian

Thanks Brian.

I was wondering exactly about this .....

"One thing to monitor....the condensation that can get on your lens and body when you go from the cold outside to a warmer tent."

How do i avoid this? .... and what do i do if it happens? .......... sorry if these are ridiculous questions

At home , near the Arctic Circle , I use an extra woolen cap . Put it on just before going inside a warm house. Condensation is less of an issue at high altitude , since air also gets drier as you go higher. Condensation is also about the temperature difference : I've never worried about this in tents.

Thanks vistet