Hello all
Looking for a little advice here. I am the proud owner (finally) of a brand spanking new canon 600 f/4.0 L IS. I have had some amazing shots prior to the weather turning cold but am having some issues now. Shooting in cold weather, the only way I can get a tack-sharp shot is to keep the camera and lens stored outside at ambient temperature. when shooting out of my truck, I drive to and from with the heat off and windows down to keep the lens acclimated. I can't blame the camera-1DmkIII-as I have used it extensively while skiing, snowmobiling and any number of cold weather sports with no regard for "cold-sinking" and had amazing results. I have shot from my truck with any of my 3 bodies and lens combinations(up to 500mm) and never encountered this problem(My 12 year old sigma 500/f4.5 gave me better results than the 600).
Is it just the size of the canon 600 that makes it that much more susceptible to temperature change? Just to be clear, this is not a condensation issue-on the rare occasion that I bring the gear inside, it is via a plastic bag, filled with (outside)ambient air, etc, etc. I thought maybe heat shimmer radiating from the warm vehicle, but in the wimberley head, away from the vehicle yields the same results-soft focus.
If this is a common problem, then I can adapt to that. However, it seems strange that I can carry an ancient sigma 500 on the heated seat beside me and throw it out the window at will, while still achieving acceptable results, yet my new "pride and joy" 600 is so finicky that I have to banish it outside at temperatures of only around zero in able to get a decent picture.
Any and all comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Rob