Canon EOS cameras in car in summer - question

I picked up a 5D Classic last summer partly for what I heard about its color depth but also because I wanted to be able to have a camera I could leave in the car all the time so even on a short hop to the store I would have a camera with me.
What I had been doing was using a point and shoot Olympus Tough or my smartphone, keeping them in my pocket but I wanted something different.
I had the 5D in the car all winter, seemed to do fine, although battery didn't seem to last as long but I have 3 batteries.

The question I have is about keeping a camera in a car during the summer. I live in SE Massachusetts near Gillette Stadium, so not near the coast.we are still in the 60's at this time and will hit low 70's next week. normally we are in the low 80s during July and August but usually have a couple hot spells in the 90's
CAR TEMP when it is closed up and sitting in the sun will usually hit 140 F.

What is the effect if any on the high temps inside a car on the 5D and on the battery?

Here is a copy of the Operating temperature range of the Canon 5D Mk IV according to my manual.

I assume that you should be able to store it, that is, in a non-operational mode, at a slightly higher temperature. I suspect deep inside the boot (trunk?) of the car, might be cooler than inside the vehicle?

I would tend to be more worried about any grease or lubricants becoming thinner and perhaps collecting at a low spot?

Cheers

Dennis

I guess in twenty years of digital gear and being on this forum, I would have heard of people losing their gear because they left it in their hot vehicles, but don’t remember any such thread. I have left gear in vehicles myself, and haven’t had issues so I have to assume it’s okay. Just be sure to cover it up and put it on the floor by a seat, it will be cooler that way if it isn’t in direct sunlight.

I am only interested my my 5D classic which isn't worth much. I have trouble with steps and carrying things so may just go back to my P&S Olympus.

or will try it and see what happens to the 5D1

Hi Jeff,

I leave my camera in the car all the time. I do what TS mentioned, camera on the floor with a white towel over it. And I leave the windows open just a tad. I also have one of those thingamajigs that i place on the front windscreen. I haven't had a problem with over-heating yet.

Jeff USN Photog 72-76 wrote in post #19235365
The question I have is about keeping a camera in a car during the summer.
CAR TEMP when it is closed up and sitting in the sun will usually hit 140 F...

What is the effect if any on the high temps inside a car on the 5D and on the battery?

Heat makes for MORE NOISE in the sensor, heat shortens battery life.
"The optimal operating temperature range of LIBs is generally limited to 15–35 °C. Both low temperature and high temperature out of this scope will affect the performance and may cause irreversible change to the LIBs. "

35 °C = 95 °F

"As the operating temperature of LiB changes from 25 to 55 °C, the degradation rate of maximum charge storage after 260 cycles is found to increase from 4.22% to 13.24%. "

Batteries are so cheap, so whatever they decrease by over time, you can get new ones for about nothing these days.

I would only be worried about the mirror issue on the 5D, since it was adhesive that gave way and Canon no longer services the 5D.

Just shooting the camera on a sunny day will heat up the sensor, likely more than what it would be sitting in a bag on the floor in a car that has the window or sunroof cracked a bit. I just run the 5fps burst for about 30 seconds to flap some nice cooling air over the sensor to cool it off before I start using it, lol.

OP did ask what the effects were, so I told him!

OP could put a cheap styrofoam insulated 'cooler' in the trunk, with the camera inside that to diminish the effect of heat accumulation.

Wilt wrote in post #19235593
OP did ask what the effects were, so I told him!

OP could put a cheap styrofoam insulated 'cooler' in the trunk, with the camera inside that to diminish the effect of heat accumulation.

Yes that would work too, never used one, but could see doing that and they are usually white too. The temps on the floor of a vehicle are lower than the rest of the vehicle too. We also tint the windows on all our vehicles which helps tremendously with internal heat.

I personally haven't seen any such additional noise effects in my images however when I store gear, nor on the batteries, but then again, how would I really be able to quantify the effects of heat on the longevity of my batteries? BP511s though are so ridiculously cheap vs LPE6, I wouldn't really care that much.

I’m surprised there hasn’t been more discussion about the effects of heat on lenses. I haven’t checked recently, but years ago Canon didn’t give operating or storage temperature range for their lenses. But years ago, Chuck Westfall said high temperatures could cause issues with the lubricants used in lenses, gaskets & seals and this would likely occur before the camera electronics are damaged. And of course, their is always the rumor that “L” lenses are white to help reduce temperature.

The trunk is usually cooler, much closer to ambient temperature, than in the passenger compartment.

Less likely to be seen and stolen, too.

Wilt wrote in post #19235593
OP did ask what the effects were, so I told him!

OP could put a cheap styrofoam insulated 'cooler' in the trunk, with the camera inside that to diminish the effect of heat accumulation.

Styrofoam coolers are great for short periods but do not on their own offer any cooling. All any insulator can do is slow the transfer of heat. Eventually the inside of the cooler will reach the ambient temp and then hold the heat in releasing it slowly. So, put your camera in a cooler early in the morning and it warms up much slower than the interior of the car but will eventually reach the same temperature. Then when things cool down, the camera will stay hot much longer.

Jeff USN Photog 72-76 wrote in post #19235365
I picked up a 5D Classic last summer partly for what I heard about its color depth ...

I'm actually more interested in this part of the OP. I loved my 5D, it was a great camera and did have a certain look, but color depth was great for the time but all the later 5D's did better. I mean you wouldn't think 2 extra bits would make a big difference but I find the color depth of my 5DII or 5DIV much better.

Capn Jack wrote in post #19235608
The trunk is usually cooler, much closer to ambient temperature, than in the passenger compartment.

Less likely to be seen and stolen, too.

I would not bet on that. I have a small tag type thermometer attached to my gear bag. It goes to 120 deg F and on many an occasion I have found it pegged after a 45 minute lunch. Having said that my car is a burgundy color so that contributes.

John from PA wrote in post #19235630
I would not bet on that. I have a small tag type thermometer attached to my gear bag. It goes to 120 deg F and on many an occasion I have found it pegged after a 45 minute lunch. Having said that my car is a burgundy color so that contributes.

The trunk of a car will be significantly cooler than the passenger compartment. It's the windows in the passenger compartment that cause the dangerously high heats.
Ice lasts longer in the trunk. Someone did that experiment using two identical coolers with the same amount of ice and beer in each, both filled up at the same time.
Some else put a thermometer inside. it was 110 in the trunk when it was 90 outside. Thermometer in a shaded spot in the passenger compartment in sun was 125.