1DX Autofokus did not work when really cold -20 C

[Ekpil]

I am often on remote locations and Expeditions. On a dogsledge Expedition i used a 1dx and a 5dm3.  Temperatur was allways below -20C. We were staying in a tent and could only warmup the batterys in our sleepingbags. The 5d did well but the 1Dx did Not operate with autofocus. I never had these problems with my 1Dm3 and1Dm4.
The main problem in extreme cold are the batterys (and your nose) but never the autofocus.

[expatinasia]

Sorry to hear about your problem. Have you spoken to Canon about it? Were you using the same lens on the 5D Mark III and 1D X?

I imagine replies will be limited, as only a few people here will have used a 1D X in such cold temperatures. I am rather the other end of the temperature spectrum. Hope you find a solution. Cheers.

[Click]

I have never tried it below -20... Maybe next winter. I will follow this thread closely.

[Ekpil]

Sorry to hear about your problem. Have you spoken to Canon about it? Were you using the same lens on the 5D Mark III and 1D X?

I imagine replies will be limited, as only a few people here will have used a 1D X in such cold temperatures. I am rather the other end of the temperature spectrum. Hope you find a solution. Cheers.

I will do a Test in a coldroom with all EOS bodies to show that the new autofocus System has limitation.
The 5Dm3 did well but I have to to wait for the firmware update to compare it with the 1DX.
My 1Dm4 never failt.

[Viggo]

I've used in -20 it's a normal winter temp here, but haven't used like you have spending days only outside, so can't really say something. I have been out for a few hours and the camera was certainly what I would call very very cold, but it worked normal except a bit more resistance when pushing
Buttons and the smaller lcd's responded a little slow. Battery capacity wasn't much to brag about, but we know that is a problem.

IMO though, the AF should work in places WE don't work, so I find that strange.

[M.Merlin]

I've been shooting the 1dx for a week in cold conditions -40C/F sometimes below with the windchill.
We were 2 of us shooting the 1dx and were struggling with batteries, that is to be expected, but what is not is other photographers with former bodies (even 7d) doing better...

On the coldest days the battery did work for like 20mn before running low on voltage. So I had to turn with 3 bats, using one warming 2 up, which is annoying as you cannot be sure to be ready to shoot when something happens.
Though even when the bat indication read empty bat you still could shoot for a while as the first volts were dropping faster.

On this shooting I wasn't taking full advantage of the AF as my subjects were quite far away from me (20 to 40m), so I didn't notice a major issue with its usage. I'm pretty sure it was slower as the lower voltage would drive the lens slower, specially on telephotos. The AF was not the major concern to address there, but we were out of the working temp range of the camera, so...
The general use of the camera was slower, displays, buttons pushing (except shutter release though)... Once warmed up, a drained battery would read full charge again and the camera work properly.
Maybe you were using a neoprene cover on your camera body and not on you lens in this case you may have felt the cold effect on the usm first (that is a wild guess).

I guess the problem comes from the higher voltage that the 1dx requires compared to any previous canon body, you loose these first volts too fast in cold weather. Moreover the 1d4 bat seemed to better cope with the cold than the new one (even on the 1dx), but I haven't tested that extensively.

Hope it helped. 
Cheers.

[M.ST]

I don´t have problems in cold conditions. But I only work a few hours in cold conditions and return then to the warm car.

[Timothy_Bruce]

Has ever someone tried a DR-E4 DC-Coupler with an 12,6 V Voltage Regulator and an external Akku Pack that could be held warm under your cloth ?

I have used the 1Ds3 in temperatures as low as -10°C for times like a 10 hours or so and never had problems beside that the batteries doesn´t give the normal amount of frames and that the came back to live after been warmed up.

[marvinhello]

I don´t have problems in cold conditions. But I only work a few hours in cold conditions and return then to the warm car.

Will that cause serious condensation inside the camera body?

[East Wind Photography]

Oooo my.  You must be careful with the 1DX.  The shutter is carbon fiber and can become brittle at those temps.  Carbon fiber was used to enable the high speed drive mode.  The design wasnt for real use below 0C.

Also note that canon's operating temperature limit is 0C on all of their models.  Damage caused by using it in colder temps will void the warranty.

Get yourself a small cooler and some heaters (battery operated only) to keep your gear warm(er).  Pull it out when you need to shoot.  Internal temps will stay warm for a while, especially if the camera is on.  Battery heat will not form condensation (as long as there is no water in the cooler).  Keep your extra batteries in there as well.

I am often on remote locations and Expeditions. On a dogsledge Expedition i used a 1dx and a 5dm3.  Temperatur was allways below -20C. We were staying in a tent and could only warmup the batterys in our sleepingbags. The 5d did well but the 1Dx did Not operate with autofocus. I never had these problems with my 1Dm3 and1Dm4.
The main problem in extreme cold are the batterys (and your nose) but never the autofocus.

[East Wind Photography]

One of the problems with lenses, particularly older ones that have been used extensively is that the lubricating grease inside loses it's viscosity and becomes thick causing the motors to labor harder.  The USM motors are quite strong and can cause barrel deformities.  The lubricants on all parts are not designed for use below 0C.

It's best to find ways to give them some warmth between shoots to keep the lubes flowing and LCD's from cracking.

I've used in -20 it's a normal winter temp here, but haven't used like you have spending days only outside, so can't really say something. I have been out for a few hours and the camera was certainly what I would call very very cold, but it worked normal except a bit more resistance when pushing
Buttons and the smaller lcd's responded a little slow. Battery capacity wasn't much to brag about, but we know that is a problem.

IMO though, the AF should work in places WE don't work, so I find that strange.

[Bolt]

This is why we all need a Pentax K5. Still the best made camera [in terms of build quality] in my honest opinion.