D3200 Questions -- Sound and Cold Weather

Hello,

I'm new to this forum and a new D3200 owner and I have 2 questions for the experts.

1. I like to take photos outdoors, nature, birds, wildlife etc but I'm worried about fogging on the lenses and having that damage them. Is it safe to use my camera outdoors in the winter or should I wait until the weather is not quite so cold so I can avoid the fogging on the lenses when they hit warmer inside temps?

2. I have 2 lenses (AF-S 18-55mm and 55-300mm) and the smaller lens is quiet, no issues. On the telephoto lens, however, as it autofocus' on a distant object I hear what sounds like "slight crunching" noise or like "sand rubbing" noise. This happened the first time I used the lens and was inside my home, shooting out at the birds in my backyard feeders. Is this normal?

Thank you, in advance, for your thoughts.

Ken

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If you wait for perfect weather you will never shoot. When you start looking at all the photos on this site you will see a lot of snow photos and -20°f areas these people are shooting in. I am sure some of them will pop up and give you the best way to handle the cold. I get that here in the summer when it is 90% humidity and 95° and the house is at 70°.

I have the 55-300mm lens, and while it's focus motor is a bit louder than the 18-55, there isn't any rubbing noises or crunches - Is the lens new? If so, I'd pop it back to the retailer and try it in a different camera - If it does the same then get it checked / swapped while the warranty is still valid. It should be smooth to focus in manual maode too, so try that and see if there is any resistance.