Photo Gloves

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ccirelli

ccirelli

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Hi friends, I'm looking for a good quality pair of winter photo gloves in the $75-$100 range. I don't need arctic-level protection, more like northern PA. So far these gloves by Heat Company are in the lead. Any good? Needs:
  • mitten style / "convertible"
  • magnets that hold mitten open reliably
  • liner / pocket for standard hand warmer packs (without falling out)
There's a ton of options at B&H, with somewhat inconsistent reviews. I figured this would be the best group to ask :)
 
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Vallerret any day for me. Markhof Pro for cold days and Milford for wet / coldish days.
‘The Markhof takes a heating pack and it has a zipper. It’s not an open mitten design though, only the tip of the fingers flip back and are held back by magnets.
‘If you need super warm they have one warmer model but I have not tried it.
‘I like their attention to details, their is a tripod key sown inside the pocket so handy when unmounting a camera plate in the cold. And there is a microsuede patch on the glove in you need a quick lens wipe in the snow.
 
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No one pair is going to be the best in all situations. I use the Setwear Stealth gloves the most as they provide wind chill protection which is often all I need when I am active. Silk liners are also helpful for use with thinner gloves.

When the body core is cold there is an automatic reduction in blood flow to the hands, feet, and then the energy intensive brain. Adding more insulation for the legs and torseo will minimize the loss of blood flow to the extremities. I noticed this when switching from a wetsuit to a drysuit when diving in 40 degree water with my hands being a lot warmer at the end of my dive.
 
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ccirelli said:
Hi friends, I'm looking for a good quality pair of winter photo gloves in the $75-$100 range. I don't need arctic-level protection, more like northern PA. So far these gloves by Heat Company are in the lead. Any good? Needs:
  • mitten style / "convertible"
  • magnets that hold mitten open reliably
  • liner / pocket for standard hand warmer packs (without falling out)
There's a ton of options at B&H, with somewhat inconsistent reviews. I figured this would be the best group to ask :)
Click to expand...
This is a hard topic to offer or receive any meaningful advice. Different things work for each of us. Best you can do is get some ideas and then try different options until you find what works for you. But I'll offer my perspective.

In my experience the gloves w/mitten tops like the ones you linked are more trouble than good. The benefit of mittens is that they allow your fingers to touch and therefore warm each other. With this sort of design that benefit is mitigated by having the gloved half fingers the way the they are. So if your fingertips get cold it's very difficult to get them warm again. At least that's my experience. Another design flaw is the magnet holding the mitten top back out of the way. If you get water/snow on your hands and shake them or smack your hands together to get it off the magnets have a tendency to disengage and hit your fingertips at high velocity. Which isn't pleasant.

I've tried many different glove/mitten designs and various combinations and finally settled on a simple but effective option. Which is either bare or very lightly gloved hands inside conventional mittens. I wear both when not shooting and just remove the one from my trigger hand when ready to shoot. If it's really cold I put a heat pack in the tips of the mittens and one in the pocket of my jacket on the side of my trigger hand. If I need to be ready to shoot quickly I leave the mitten off of my shooting hand and put my hand in the pocket with the heat pack. Also if my hand gets too cold I can put it in the pocket and grip the heat pack which warms frigid fingers really fast.
 
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NorthernFocus said:
This is a hard topic to offer or receive any meaningful advice. Different things work for each of us. Best you can do is get some ideas and then try different options until you find what works for you. But I'll offer my perspective.

In my experience the gloves w/mitten tops like the ones you linked are more trouble than good. The benefit of mittens is that they allow your fingers to touch and therefore warm each other. With this sort of design that benefit is mitigated by having the gloved half fingers the way the they are. So if your fingertips get cold it's very difficult to get them warm again. At least that's my experience. Another design flaw is the magnet holding the mitten top back out of the way. If you get water/snow on your hands and shake them or smack your hands together to get it off the magnets have a tendency to disengage and hit your fingertips at high velocity. Which isn't pleasant.

I've tried many different glove/mitten designs and various combinations and finally settled on a simple but effective option. Which is either bare or very lightly gloved hands inside conventional mittens. I wear both when not shooting and just remove the one from my trigger hand when ready to shoot. If it's really cold I put a heat pack in the tips of the mittens and one in the pocket of my jacket on the side of my trigger hand. If I need to be ready to shoot quickly I leave the mitten off of my shooting hand and put my hand in the pocket with the heat pack. Also if my hand gets too cold I can put it in the pocket and grip the heat pack which warms frigid fingers really fast.
Click to expand...
My technique as well Dan.
 
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For extreme cold (-10°F is as low as it gets here) I use Heat Company shell mittens with thin liner gloves and heat packs inside. I flip back the mittens only when shooting, and cover back up ASAP. It’s inconvenient, but beats staying home, and my hands are sometimes too warm.

If it’s warm enough to leave the mittens home, I prefer to use a light glove with an electric hand warmer in my coat pocket for my right hand. I’ll sometimes use a heavy glove on my left hand so I can keep it exposed full-time. Where I think the extreme gear has some winners and losers, I don’t think general-purpose gloves are something to recommend… fit is so personal that what works for me might not work for you. I just look for gloves that don’t have seams in places I touch things and don’t bunch when I’m contorting my hands.

If it’s particularly nice out (above freezing) I’ll often just skip the right hand glove and keep my hand in my sleeve, and use an electric hand warmer if my hand to quickly warm up if I get cold.

Electric hand-warmers are a great tool for cold-weather shooting, and I recommend you check them out! Mine is a portable battery with a heater built-in.
 
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I bought some of these for cheap at a local Dick's a few years back. Didn't expect much, but they are quite warm with the covers down. Velcro to hold them back.

Men's Manzella Cascade Convertible Glommits | Duluth Trading Company

Winter is perfect convertible weather when you’re wearing flip-top Glommits that convert to agile fingerless gloves.
www.duluthtrading.com www.duluthtrading.com
Mine are Camo. I would have bought black if they had them. I'm in Indiana, so not much subzero here.
 
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The 2 previous threads

Glove Ideas

Hey everyone, I was looking around this morning for some new gloves and just wanted to see if anyone had a favorite brand that they love. I tend to lean towards either gloves or mittens that have a fingerless options rather than a "touchscreen" sensitive pad since I find those hardly ever work.
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com


Gloves for winter photography (Help required please)

Hi Guys As this will be my first season shooting Autumn and Winter scenes plus hopefully some birds I`d like some advice from you guys as to what type of Gloves you would recommend for shooting in Winter conditions ? I suffer very cold fingertips when the temperatures drop even a little in...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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From one of the other threads I got the idea of getting a pair of ski gloves. I got them with snug fit, are very smooth and gives fairly good feel and control for the camera buttons and dials. Works well down to -5°C. In colder I put warmer mittens over them that I take off when photographing.
IMG_1029.jpeg
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ccirelli said:
Hi friends, I'm looking for a good quality pair of winter photo gloves in the $75-$100 range. I don't need arctic-level protection, more like northern PA. So far these gloves by Heat Company are in the lead. Any good? Needs:
  • mitten style / "convertible"
  • magnets that hold mitten open reliably
  • liner / pocket for standard hand warmer packs (without falling out)
There's a ton of options at B&H, with somewhat inconsistent reviews. I figured this would be the best group to ask :)
Click to expand...
I use the SWIX cross country ski gloves. Mitten with trigger finger. Using now for over 5 yrs. I love these things. Only problem, , no touch screen ability
 
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I own a few pair of Aquatech Sensory gloves which are my favorite gloves to use in cold but not extreme cold weather (when I use Heat 3 Smart gloves). They are no longer made but sometimes can be bought used on eBay.
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ccirelli said:
You (and others) have actually offered plenty of meaningful advice here - thank you! I truly appreciate your time & helpful info. :)👏
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I’m curious about what you decide to do, and whether or not you’re satisfied with what you get. Finding a good solution for keeping hands warm in winter interests me, since I haven’t yet found one for upstate NY wintertime shooting. I have a cheap pair of “photo gloves” that are OK, but I also carry along heavier gloves when I no longer have feeling in my fingers. 🥶 The Vallerret gloves seem promising, but at $80, I’d want to be sure they actually do the job before buying a pair.
 
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I still haven't found a way to shoot with any feel and control unless at least my thumb and index finger are uncovered, at least until I lose all feeling. I was out on a whale watching boat tour a few days ago and it was 40 degrees at the highest and with wind chill much lower. There are extended periods where I need to keep my thumb on the AF-ON button and index finger on the shutter button. While the Heat Company mitten style gloves keep my hands plenty warm my thumb and trigger finger go numb due to the cold after awhile. The Vallerret gloves can cover more of the finger and thumb and might work better but I imagine the thumb and finger tips will still go numb due to pressing against the cold camera for extended periods of time. That constant pressing and flex tends to limit blood circulation. An advantage to the mitten style is they are easier to cover and uncover the thumb and index finger if I do get a break to warm back up. I have another trip this week and it will be in the mid 30's with wind chill in the low 30's.

Are there liners or solutions thin enough to add some warmth while retaining touch and feel control? Thanks.
 
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Midway said:
I still haven't found a way to shoot with any feel and control unless at least my thumb and index finger are uncovered, at least until I lose all feeling. I was out on a whale watching boat tour a few days ago and it was 40 degrees at the highest and with wind chill much lower. There are extended periods where I need to keep my thumb on the AF-ON button and index finger on the shutter button. While the Heat Company mitten style gloves keep my hands plenty warm my thumb and trigger finger go numb due to the cold after awhile. The Vallerret gloves can cover more of the finger and thumb and might work better but I imagine the thumb and finger tips will still go numb due to pressing against the cold camera for extended periods of time. That constant pressing and flex tends to limit blood circulation. An advantage to the mitten style is they are easier to cover and uncover the thumb and index finger if I do get a break to warm back up. I have another trip this week and it will be in the mid 30's with wind chill in the low 30's.

Are there liners or solutions thin enough to add some warmth while retaining touch and feel control? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I have Raynaud's syndrome and have a challenging time keeping my hands from losing all circulation at times. I have not found a catch all solution that works without fail, but one thing I do like are Smartwool liner gloves. Yes, they are not thick, nor do they provide protection in long periods of really cold weather, but they do seem to keep my hands a bit warmer than a lot of other liners and thin gloves, and I suspect that is due to them allowing circulation between my fingers. I have more gloves, mittens and liners than I care to count, but for casual or short-term use, I tend to grab these as I can still operate camera controls while wearing them. And they tend to be affordable.

Good luck,

--Ken
 
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Midway said:
Are there liners or solutions thin enough to add some warmth while retaining touch and feel control? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Yes. The Heat Company themselves offer a glove liner (first link below), but I haven't tried theirs. There are several others on Amazon if you search for "glove liner"; I ended up with a pair of wool liners that work well (2nd link). You can also get poly liners, some of which are good protection from biting arctic winds, but also remove the touch too much for me; I got a pair (3rd link) that keep my fingers from being frozen solid in the coldest of conditions, but I prefer the wool ones for touch/feel.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMRQQ4Y/?tag=backcogaller-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZA21JMQ/?tag=backcogaller-20
 
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I have similar Heat Company liner gloves:


I perhaps had unfair expectations, but I was underwhelmed. Warmth-wise, they're near-zero. They block the wind to a significant degree, but do very little for heat. Their best traits are the heat pack pocket on the back of the hand, the palm rubber grip dots, and fingertip capacitive-touch pads (which do little to reduce touch feel ). I'd only call them warm if they're under a shell or if you are warm-climate-adapted and need something for the rare snowy day in your climate. They retain almost 100% feeling (for my hands), but they retain very little heat, and the heat pocket is only useful with a paired shell.

I tend to "underglove" compared to most, but I use:
  • >40°F - Nothing
  • 30-40°F - These gloves
  • 10-30°F - Ski gloves or "thinsulate-style" gloves depending on wind
  • 0-10°F - These gloves with a heat pack in a mitten shell liner
  • -15-0°F - "Real" gloves on under my mitten shell
Incidentally, my shell mitten is also Heat Company, and I like those very much.
 
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