R7 cold weather issues

[Babemgnet]

Inside a building that's 68 no issues. As soon as you get outside in cold weather, you get shutter drag, and the codes start popping up.  Had I know this before purchase I never would have bought the camera.  I have a 5D mark II, and 2 90D's, no issues in the cold.  My old 40D, no issues. I've used canon my entire professional career, and this is my first encounter with bad equiptment. If your wondering why I'm not using full pro bodies it's because I get just as good photographs with the mid range cameras.

[EVaughan]

I live in Utah and shoot outside often in the winter where it's usually between 10-25 degrees and never had this problem at all. So I don't think it's something all R7 do, might want to have it sent in for service, because I don't think that is normal. 

[Babemgnet]

Brand new, shouldn't have to return for service. I am woundering if it's a battery issue.

[Waddizzle]

How “cold” are the temperatures when you go outside?  

Have you tried protecting the camera from the cold with some sort of wrap?

[Babemgnet]

Shouldn't have to cover it. All my other cameras work fine in the cold.  Battery issue?

[Waddizzle]

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@Babemgnet wrote:

Shouldn't have to cover it. All my other cameras work fine in the cold.  Battery issue?

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If it were a battery issue, then you should see the available charge on the battery drop significantly, possibly even shutting down the camera.  Carry a spare, and keep it warm.  Cold batteries should recover as soon as they warm back up.

I agree with Ernie below.  The camera should be able to tolerate exposure to below freezing temps for a longer period of time than you have indicated.

What error codes are you seeing?  Are you using an RF lens?  Or, an EF mount lens with the Canon EF-RF mount adapter.

[ebiggs1]

I worked in all kinds of cold in Colorado with my F1n and 1 series gear. I never did any special precautions and they all always worked as expected. I did always carry a spare battery in my inside coat pocket and something I recommend you do also. My basic rule of thumb is, if it's too cold for me it's too cold for the camera. Not an R7 user but I would be surprised if it did not work in colder conditions. When you are working and it's your job and they don't accept excuses your gear better work. If it doesn't you get rid of it and get something else that does. Canon gear has always got the job done for me.

[amfoto1 · Accepted solution]

On YouTube a channel called "Wild Alaska" has extensively used R7 (as well as R5, R10) in quite cold conditions without any problems. You might contact him to ask if he uses any special procedures.

My best guess would be that it's a battery issue. While I'm not using an R7 (yet), in the past with other cameras I've found that out n really cold weather the batteries would appear drained much faster, sometimes slowing a camera's performance or causing it to completely stop. But everything fully recovered and returned to normal function once the battery(ies) was warmed up. As a result, I'd carry one or two extra batteries in an inside pocket, where body heat would keep them warm, and would swap them out in the camera fairly often.

If this doesn't work for you, I'd recommend you have Canon look at the camera. In the R7 specifications they state an operating range of 0 to 40C or 32 to 104F, which is fairly typical. But I have used my cameras (again, not R7) well beyond both of those extremes without problems other than the limited battery performance noted above. 

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Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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[Babemgnet]

Thanks.