An extraordinary opportunity fell into my lap this fall - I was invited to spend the first week of December on the summit of Mt. Washington - famous for its reputation of hosting "the worst weather in the world!"   And December, being a transitional month where anything and everything is not only possible but probable, offers the worst of the worst - freezing rain - blinding whiteouts - winds blowing steadily at hurricane force (over 75mph) and gusting to 150 - and temperatures, when combined with wind-chill, plunging to a bone-chilling -60f!    So - what better time and place to put my L-45A field camera to the ultimate test?

            My mission was to see how the L-45A camera faired generally in extreme conditions, hoping that the camera's forward-looking, streamlined shape would act to spill the wind, and that the combination of sturdy, "bombproof" materials, plus simple, straightforward construction - with no delicate or otherwise exposed components, would facilitate the camera's continued usability, without any specific modifications, in an environment where few large format photographers would readily choose to venture forth.   Why such an extreme test?   Simply this:   if the L-45A can work on the summit of Mt. Washington in December, continually exposed to "the worst weather in the world," then it will also work flawlessly for you, wherever you choose to use it!   

WIND TEST:

            Within seconds of setting up the L-45A in a steady 30mph "breeze" (gusting to 50) it quickly became obvious that any kind of darkcloth would be totally useless.   I ended up devising - out of Duct Tape - a semi-rigid viewing hood (visible in photo) which, when combined with close-up glasses, worked like a charm - the hoods streamlined shape cutting through the wind perfectly - much better, I surmise, than would a more traditionally configured, "box shape" collapsible viewing hood.   And so an accessory "shaped by the wind" viewing hood, configured like my Duct-Tape version, is now on the drawing board. This hood will be semi-rigid and collapsible, and I promise I'll use something nicer than Duct Tape!

            Aside from the above, the camera remained generally useable in the winds described above (blowing at 30, gusting to 50), with my being careful, when possible, to release the shutter during "lulls" between the more severe gusts.   Hurricane force winds (75mph and over) presented some very unique challenges - like the act of simply attempting to stand upright, much less taking well-composed, thoughtful photographs - with any kind of camera!   Nonetheless - I did take some photos in such winds, using the L-45A, holding onto my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod for dear life!  

ICE (and water) TEST:

            The summit of Mt. Washington in winter is also famous for its "rime-ice," spectacular, crystalline displays, which form when super-cooled water vapor collides with anything solid - like trees, rocks, and cameras!

            So, on an especially icy, foggy morning, I simply left my L-45A exposed to the elements for about an hour, while I went inside the summit observatory for a nice, warm breakfast!   Surely enough, when I returned outside, the camera had developed its own coating of rime (see photo).   But look carefully at this photo - and you'll notice areas where the rime seems to have been cleared off.   These are areas freshly exposed during normal (yes, normal!) operation of the camera.   In other words, the camera, in its rather severe state of "rimy-ness," continued to work!    Focusing remained smooth and even - as did shifts, swings, tilts, rise and fall, film back operations, lens changing - even the rear standard dovetailed slider!   Furthermore, all locking operations remained both smooth and solid.

            The other spectacle, aside from seeing the L-45A in its "iced over" condition, occurred when I brought the camera back indoors and watched it "melt."   I simply allowed the ice to revert to water, without doing anything to try to prevent the camera from getting thoroughly soaked - which indeed it did - so much so that I might as well have held the camera underwater!  

            After this, I did find that there were a couple of areas where water tended to get trapped - like in the front and rear swing/slide lock/release mechanisms.   But these levers come off in minutes with an allen wrench and are easily dried.   Furthermore, water cannot harm these mechanisms, nor will the presence of water compromise the cameras performance.  

            I also found that a bit of water had seeped between the Maxwell focus screen and its protective cover glass - but this is likewise easily disassembled - the two simple ground glass retainers easily removed, with no "boinging away" springs to worry about.

            The cotton/nylon bellows also faired well, both during and after this "meltdown" phase - although I'd tend to worry about this if the camera were to be doused repeatedly over time.   My advice therefore would be to remove the bellows, if possible, for a careful drying-off - followed by checking the ground glass to see if any water has accumulated there, and of course any lenses should be carefully warmed and cleaned.   But aside from this - the L-45A camera may as well be kept in an aquarium with the fish!

USE WITH HEAVY GLOVES:

            Using a view camera with heavy gloves on is another "holy grail" issue.   Here the L-45A truly shined - I found nothing about the camera itself to interfere with hand-in-glove usability.   I did find it a bit difficult to operate the existing Copal shutter mechanism, as I also did to grasp the small finger-pulls on my film holders, without at least removing my heavy, outer gloves - but my inner gloves were plenty warm for the brief interval that these operations required.

SUMMARY:

            I was more than pleased with the L-45A's performance - in conditions well beyond what most photographers would ever consider reasonable.   Long term use of the L-45A, in the conditions I've described above, should present no hardship for the camera - aside from attention to the bellows and groundglass as mentioned. I might also recommend an occasional check of the (easily replaced) leaf-springs under the ground glass frame - as these may, if left wet for long periods, slowly corrode over time.