basic camera Question

[NYC007]

When carrying a camera on rock route, ice , alpine what size does do people find to be a pain to use , store and worry about. I know the real small ones are easy and SLRs can be a pain but I am thinking of a size in the middle.

[Alpinfox]

I know the real small ones are easy...

yes.

...and SLRs can be a pain...

yes.

but I am thinking of a size in the middle.

why?

[NYC007]

I am looking at a few cameras that can take better pics and for most when the optical zoom increases to 10-12 the size does also. I have a smaller one which I am happy with but debating something a little different

[spotly]

The problem with these midsized cameras is that they don't fit into a pocket so are a pain to carry around - always flopping in the way or stored in the pack. Plus, if you just hang it off your pack, it's bound to take a beating from the rocks and the rain. If you insist on going with a "bigger" camera though, check out the Rebel. Fairly light and won't break the bank - too bad.

 

I use a D20 when size and weight don't matter and a small water resistant Olympus when climbing or hard hiking. The Olympus has a slide away lens protector and takes excellent photos. The zoom is pretty sparse for what you want but I personally have never found a need for a long zoom on my trips because the landscape shots are what I'm taking anyway. Something like the Olympus 810 fits in the pocket, weather proof and takes great photos. Kinda pricey but you get what you pay for - sometimes.

[crackers]

have you looked into the add on lenses for the canons? You can get optical 30x zoom lenses that work on the bayonet mount on many of the powershot series cameras.

[Alpine_Tom]

When I take a camera, I put it in a bag slung over one shoulder, under my pack. That works well whether it's a SLR or a small digital. It's far more convenient than keeping it in the pack, and keeps it clean, dry, and out of danger.

[underworld]

over-the shoulder sling and have a 'keeper' biner tied in right next to the camera. clip this to a gear loop on your side or back side to keep it out of the way when climbing. i'll do this w/ either my point and shoot or w/ my slr. i keep the p&s in a camera case but the slr just stays in the open (if the weather's good)

[chris]

I've purchased two camera's recently. One was to run on AA batteries, so that it could be taken to Asia and South America, and on multi-day trips here in North America and batteries are much easier to find than to carry around cords and plugs and adapters and whatnot. The second camera was to be as small as possible for day trips. I wanted both to be at least 5mpeg. That's it. Both models ended up being Sony's, which is nice cause it means I can exchange the memory card (which you have to purchase seperately).

[Chad_A]

Hey, Matt-

 

I just ordered a Fuijifilm F30. Just came out in the last month or so. 6.3 MP, goes up to 3200 ISO, and has image stabilization. I found the mandatory card (1GB) on sale for 39.99 from outpost.com.

 

It weight 155 grams, and the battery life is for 550+ shots, the top of its class. It does use a proprietary battery, but the battery power reviews have indeed been raved about. Also, to combat the cold temp thing on an alpine climb, I put it on a neck lanyard, and keep it inside my jacket. I find a stance, pull out the camera, and fire away. It's back in the jacket before it has a chance to get too cold (this is with my current Pentax Optio S50 that just developed a problem. That camera does use AAs.)

 

I'll let you know how it goes, but it looks very, very promising.

 

-Chad

[mattp]

For extended trips abroad, the capability to use AA's is a good asset. However, for any normal vacation climbing trip up to a week or so, I have never had a problem using the stock proprietary batteries that come with most small digitals - just buy one or two extras at the time of purchase and charge them up before you go.

 

One thing nice to have is a camera that shoots wide angle shots. The Canon S-80 and Panasonic Lumix Fx01 are small cameras that shoot the equivalent of 28mm. But the Canon, anyway, may not be as tough as some other small point and shoots-or at least it seems prone to a malfunction retracting the lens. The Panasonic is reviewed to produce slightly lower quality images.

[NYC007]

thanks all for your info. I used something like underworlds suggestion last week and work fine. The thing I found I didnt like about the more compact high zoom models by Panasonic was no view finder, which sucks in high light. Chad F30 looks nice, I have a fuji also for when I dont bring the canon, when I got the canon I was looking for something not as big as a SLR but with high optical zoom.