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Oct 21, 2026

Camera cold weather tips: lens fog, flat batteries and Arctic nights

We regularly meet guests who have waited years to see the Northern Lights, and then watch their phone switch itself off at the exact moment the sky starts to move. Others go back into a warm car after a good show and find the lens covered in mist, just as the next burst begins.

Neither is bad luck. Both have simple physical causes, and both are easy to manage once you know what is happening. These are our camera cold weather tips for long nights outdoors, with the science behind them from sources we trust.

Short answer: cold slows the chemistry inside lithium-ion batteries, so they deliver less power: keep spare batteries (and your phone) in an inside pocket close to your body and swap them often. Lens fog is condensation, which forms when a cold camera meets warm, moist air: before you go indoors or into a warm car, put the camera in a closed bag and let it warm up slowly. Never breathe on the lens to clean it.

At a glance

• From: 199 €
• Experience type: Northern Lights tour
• Duration: Total duration of tour is usually 4-10 hours depends on conditions of the day
• Difficulty: Easy
• Book in Advance: Cut off: 1 hours before start time
• Included: Small group 2-8 persons; Professional Northern Lights guide & photographer in English (other languages available on request: (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German & Finnish. PLEASE NOTE LIMITED AVAILABILITY FOR OTHER LANGUAGES) If another language is required. Please send us an email or WhatsApp after booking.); Winter clothing (Adult & Child size), overalls, boots, gloves, socks; Information about the Northern Lights; Pick-ups and drop-offs are included in the price in 10 km radius from Rovaniemi city center; Professional DSLR photos (delivered securely online); Air conditioned car; Northern Lights guarantee, if we don’t capture Northern Lights you get 100% your money back!; Hot drinks & light snacks; Unlimited mileage & time (typically 4–10 hours)
• Cancellation: Free cancellation 24 hours before the activity. We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled less than 24 hours before the activity.
• Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible; Not stroller accessible

Why cold drains camera and phone batteries

Almost every modern camera and phone runs on a lithium-ion battery. It works by moving lithium ions between two electrodes. Engineers at the University of Michigan put it plainly: in cold temperatures this movement of the ions slows, reducing both the power the battery can deliver and the rate at which it charges.

For a photographer that means two things. A battery that shows plenty of charge in the hotel can drop quickly outside, and a camera may shut down even though the battery is not truly empty. It is the cold, not a broken battery. Warm the same battery up in your pocket and much of that charge usually comes back.

Repeated deep cold is not good for batteries in the long run either. Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory found that cathodes stored below zero degrees Celsius lost up to 5% more of their capacity after 100 charges than those stored warmer, because the cold can crack the tiny particles inside. It is one more reason to keep spare batteries in a warm pocket rather than in an outer bag.

Why lenses fog up, and when it happens

Fog on a lens is condensation. NOAA’s explanation of humidity gives the two facts you need: warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air, and the dew point is the temperature at which that vapour turns into liquid droplets. When moist air touches a surface colder than its dew point, it condenses there, in the same way a bathroom mirror mists over.

Outside on a clear winter night, a camera that has cooled to the air temperature usually stays clear. The problem starts when you bring that cold camera into a warm, humid space: a car with the heater on, a teepee with a fire, a hotel lobby. The warm air meets cold glass and metal, and water forms on the lens, on the viewfinder and sometimes inside the body.

Go straight back outside and the moisture can freeze onto the front element. That is how a promising night turns into a series of soft, hazy frames.

Our camera cold weather tips, in the order you need them

These are the habits we recommend for any aurora night:

1. Charge everything, and bring spares. Fully charge the camera and phone before you leave, and pack at least one spare camera battery if you have one.
2. Keep spares warm. Carry spare batteries and your phone in an inside pocket, close to your body. Swap a slowing battery for a warm one and put the cold one back in your pocket to recover.
3. Let the camera go cold, and keep it cold. Once you are outside, leave the camera outside. Do not keep tucking it inside your jacket between shots, where your body warmth and breath add moisture.
4. Bag it before going indoors. Before you get into a warm car or building, put the camera in a closed bag (a zip-lock bag works) and let it warm up slowly inside it. Condensation then forms on the bag, not on the lens.
5. Do not breathe on the lens. Breath is warm and moist and will fog or ice the glass instantly. Turn your head away when you look through the viewfinder.
6. Keep a lens cloth in a warm pocket. If frost or snow lands on the lens, wipe it gently with a dry cloth.
7. Use a tripod and do not fight the gloves. Aurora photography needs long exposures; a tripod and a remote release or self-timer mean fewer bare-finger adjustments.

How cold does it get, and for how long?

The Finnish Meteorological Institute describes winter as the longest season in Finland, lasting about 200 days in Lapland, and says winter usually begins in mid-October there. The coldest day of winter is usually well after the winter solstice, at the end of January, and the coldest temperatures in Lapland and eastern Finland are from −45 °C to −50 °C.

Most aurora nights are nowhere near those extremes, but even a moderately cold night is long when you are standing still waiting for the sky. The tips above matter less for a quick photo on a street and more for an evening of four hours or longer outdoors, which is exactly what an aurora hunt is.

Phones: what helps and what does not

Phones suffer most, because they are thin, have small batteries and are often carried in an outer pocket or in a bare hand. Keep the phone in an inside pocket until you need it, take your shots, and put it back. If the screen stops responding with gloves on, touchscreen-compatible gloves or liner gloves help.

Avoid charging a very cold phone the moment you get indoors. The University of Michigan research notes that charging is slower in the cold, so let the phone warm up in your pocket or bag first.

Night modes on newer phones can capture auroras, but they need you to hold still for several seconds. Resting the phone on a small tripod or a solid surface makes a big difference.

How this shows up on our tours

On our Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour from Rovaniemi – Guaranteed, cold-weather photography is built into the evening. You travel in a group of 2 to 8 with a professional Northern Lights guide and photographer, and professional DSLR photos of you under the auroras are included and delivered securely online within 2–3 business days. So even if your own battery gives up, the moment is still captured.

The tour moves between locations in an air-conditioned car, which is exactly the warm-cold cycle that fogs lenses. So bag your camera each time you get back in, and keep spare batteries in your pocket. Winter clothing (overalls, boots, gloves and socks), hot drinks and light snacks are included, and the tour usually lasts 4–10 hours depending on conditions.

Our product page is honest about two things photographers should know: the Northern Lights appear stronger on camera than to the naked eye, and aurora hunting involves a lot of driving and waiting. If we do not capture Northern Lights, you get your money back in full.

Which of our aurora tours suits your photography

Book the small-group tour (from 199 €) if you want a guide with time for your questions about camera settings and a smaller group around the tripod. Choose the Professional Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour by Bus (from 109 €) if you want the same professional photos and guarantee in a larger group, with a usual duration of 4–5 hours. For a group who wants the whole evening planned around them, our private Northern Lights hunting tour starts from 1990 €.

For more background, read how auroras are formed, our overview of the Northern Lights season 2026–2027 in Rovaniemi, and our photography tours in Rovaniemi. All our activities in Rovaniemi are in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my camera battery die so fast in the cold?

Cold slows the movement of lithium ions inside the battery, which reduces the power it can deliver. Keep spare batteries warm in an inside pocket and swap them often; a warmed-up battery usually recovers much of its charge.

How do I stop my lens from fogging up?

Fog is condensation from warm, moist air meeting a cold lens. Put the camera in a closed bag before you go into a warm car or building and let it warm up slowly inside the bag.

Should I keep my camera inside my jacket between shots?

No. Keep spare batteries and your phone warm, but let the camera itself stay cold while you are outside, so it does not collect moisture.

Do I need my own camera on StayLapland’s aurora hunting tours?

No. Professional DSLR photos taken by our guide and photographer are included on our Northern Lights hunting tours and are delivered online within 2–3 business days. You are welcome to bring your own camera too.

Is winter clothing included on the small-group aurora tour?

Yes. Winter clothing in adult and child sizes, with overalls, boots, gloves and socks, is included on our Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour.

What happens if no Northern Lights appear?

Our hunting tours carry a Northern Lights guarantee: if we do not capture Northern Lights, you get 100% of your money back.

Ready to book?

You may also like

• Professional Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour from Rovaniemi by Bus — from 109 €, Total duration of tour is usually 4-5 hours depends on conditions of the day
• Professional Northern Lights Hunting Tour from Rovaniemi – Guaranteed (PRIVATE) — from 1990 €, Total duration of tour is usually 4-10 hours depends on conditions of the day

Sources

• Finnish Meteorological Institute – Seasons in Finland
• NOAA NESDIS – What is humidity?
• University of Michigan – U-M engineers addressing EV battery shortcomings in cold weather
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory – How extreme cold can crack lithium-ion battery materials