Landscape photographers: Fingerless mitten gloves keep your fingers from freezing, yet allow you to change settings on your camera
Winter is one of my favorite times to make landscape photographs. I like the weather. I like the look of the landscape. I like the light and mood. I like the fact that there are no mosquitoes or snakes. What I don’t like are numb fingertips.
Of course, every outdoor photographer knows gloves are impractical because it’s impossible to work the controls on the camera. Even shutter actuation is dicey while wearing gloves.
The next step is to wear fingerless gloves. I tried a pair, and the problem is obvious . . . the fingertips are still exposed and susceptible. I resorted to wearing a regular glove on my left hand, or doing this weird thing with my fingers.
The perfect winter protection for the hands of outdoor and landscape photographers
Last year at Christmas, I received a pair of fingerless gloves with attached flip-down mittens that fasten back with velcro. Nirvana! Just what I needed but never knew existed. These things are warm — they’re lined with 3M branded Thinsulate. They allow me to quickly expose my fingers when I need to adjust camera settings or use my phone, and then easily slip back into the toasty warm mitten cover.
I wore my pair a lot last winter. They became caked in snow and sleet, which later melted, getting them wet on the outside. My hands stayed surprisingly dry and warm. My pair has very long cuffs, which can extend inside your coat, or fold over for extra protection.
Men’s Thinsulate 3M Thick Wool Knitted Half Mitten Suede Palm Gloves on Amazon
This pair comes in four colors, a wide variety of sizes, and runs $10.99 to $19.99.
Metog Suede Thinsulate Thermal Insulation Mitten Gloves Unisex
These unisex mitten gloves come in beige and brown tweed, and are made of 50% wool 50% polyester outer shell, fleece interior, 100% Thinsulate thermal insulation, with a leather palm. The opened mitten flaps are held in place with velcro. $16.99.
Hot Headz Polarex Glomitts Gloves
These gloves are 100-percent polyester. I’ve never tried them but they look great in my opinion. These “glomitts” use Storm-Tec insulation, rather than 3M Thinsulate. Comes in black and gray. $11.33 to $24.99.
Alki’i 3M Thinsulate Thermal Insulation Fingerless Texting Gloves with Mitten Cover
I like the clever marketing . . . texting gloves. They are certainly good for that, and Instagramming from the field as well. Available in two colors, cream flake and gray flake. Insulated with 3M Thinsulate. Uses velcro to secure the open mitten flaps. In the comments, it appears these gloves are too large for a lot of the women customers, in spite of being unisex.
Thanks for reading!
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~ Keith
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