Letters from Antarctica

One aspect that Chris didn't mention in his answer is the possibility that your images might under-exposed. If your images will contain a large amount of snow or ice then the cameras exposure system will be fouled. Most camera exposure systems assume that the world is on-average 18% grey. Which works great most of the time. But if you are in an environment where the world is 90% snow (white), then the camera will try to see the world as if it were 18% grey and under-expose by a stop or two. You can use Exposure Compensation on most cameras to give the camera a hint about the real world.

Hi Terry,
Thanks for that info. I've read a bit about this and a little about the zone system as well. I guess I'll get a bit of practice. I leave tomorrow.

It might be too late now, but Canon makes a "freeze proof" camera now.... don't know if it meets Antarctica standards though... But it has a lot of "proofs" like water, shock, low temp and has capabilities of a high grade P&S. Just thought I'd throw that in!

Hey Deb,
Thanks for the heads up but I've already got my cameras. Looks like the cold weather won't bother them much except for the battery life. Although it would be nice to have a waterproof camera. Maybe in a few years.