I'm taking my OMD to Steamboat Springs next week and the high temperatures are supposed to stay in the 20s the whole time I am there. What is the coldest at which the OMD is specified to operate reliably? (Yeah I know I could look at the manual, but I trust you guys more than the manual.)
I don't know about the absolute minus temperature, but watch for fogging/freezing of the EVF. It doesn't affect the end image at all, but does look like looking through a bit of a haze. Andrew
I was out yesterday in 25 degrees in Cle Elum, WA and my OMD worked fine for the hour or so we were out.
The issue is NOT the cold temperatures (although it means reduced battery capacity) but going back into warmer temperatures...moisture will condense onto cold surfaces and may short out electronics. It's the recommendation to take a zip-lock bag with you and fill it with outdoor air (don't inflate it with your mouth, you want the dry outside air), and put the camera in it and zip it up before you go back into warm air.
Regarding condensation, if you give up trying to inflate a zip-lock bag with outdoor air, just don't take the camera from one extreme temperature immediately into another. Keeping the camera close to your body can regulate the temperature difference. I don't think you'll have a problem with camera performance in 20F temps. Just think of all those beautiful winter photo's of Steamboat Springs ;-)
Works fine at -30F (and a lot longer than my hands will!). Battery life and condensation are the two issues, as mentioned.
I used it yesterday in -5° C, no fogging. After 10 minutes the battery (charged a week ago) blinked red for the whole shooting (2 hours) but worked flawlessly.
I lived in Canada since I was 7. Never had any problems in the cold with any camera, film or digital. The biggest problem is the frostbite on your fingers. You can't take pictures with big thick gloves.
