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| Digital Camera Internal Cooling Enhancement |
| In an effort to recapture the lower noise levels attainable while imaging on cold winter nights, I started using Internal Cooling Enhancement... uhhhh, that would be "ice"! Coleman makes the flexible ice-pack seen above (about $2 for the full 11x4 cube strip), which may be cut so as to more readily conform to whatever shape works best. I found that the first two examples in the upper right photo fit my CoolPix 995 best, rather than the third "X"ed out example. The frozen cubes are attatched via a rubber band as shown in the lower two shots. Typically they will provide 20-30 minutes or more of heat dissipation per pack, and have allowed me to shoot at ISO800 for 60 seconds in the NR mode (YMMV) during 60+ deg F ambient temps! The CCD array should throw off enough heat to keep internal dewing at bay, but the camera should be sealed in a plastic ziploc type baggie and additional wrap when brought indoors, so as to allow for more gradual adaptation. |
| Warning: No express or implied statement of suitability applies. These cameras are NOT intended to be used in this manner, and doing so is atyour own peril. The following is for informational purposes only! |
| Sample Images |
| These images were taken at 72 deg F, lens cap on, 60 seconds, in the "Fine" mode (2048x1536 jpeg), and ISO800. Column 1 shows the results after 10 minutes of use, the lower image was taken in the Noise Reduction (NR) Mode. Column 2 is 10 minutes after ICE application, again the lower image was in NR mode. Even after an additional 10 minutes, noise levels remain suppressed, as seen in column 3. |
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| Traditional 10 minutes ICE 10 minutes ICE 20 minutes |
| N O R M N R M O D E |
| On a recent session with M13 (23-May-2002) the ambient temperature in Madison, Connecticut was 60+ deg F. The use of ICE allowed a series of 40 to 50 second shots at ISO800, one of the raws is shown below (taken with an 8" Mak-Newt): |
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| And with some Images Plus processing magic, they become this: |