Point and Shoot Camera for the woods

Sharp Eye

Sharp Eye

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
Messages
1,551
It looks like my pocket-sized point and shoot just died.

Does anyone have a camera that will:

  • Fit in a pocket
  • Has a decent zoom
  • Takes good macro photos
  • Can handle low light conditions well ?

As always, thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
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Bearthedog brought a Canon on our recent hike ("mini W&SS gathering" thread) that looked great. But it was around a $500 unit. Canon also makes a 10 meg camera with a 20x optical zoom that gets top reviews (about $370). I may buy something like that. Perhaps Bear will ad some details on his Canon.

DancesWithKnives
 
Personnally, I'm very satisfied of my waterproof Fujifilm Finepix Z33WP:

z33wpBlue.jpg


The waterproofness, the small size (3.6"x2.3"x0.8"), and the sturdy case makes it a constant companion in any wilderness adventure (hiking, fishing, geocaching, canoeing, winter sports, beach). I feel I'm not qualified to comment on picture quality; I'm satisfied with it though.

Here's a link to the camera on the company's website.

(no, I don't work for fujifilm - I'm just a happy customer!)
 
I've been looking at the waterproof Olympus cameras. Curious if anyone has any experience with them?
 
I don't think any of the tiny pocket sized cameras handle low light well. But they are handy. I have the Canon SD1100IS and like it fine.
 
Well, I have a Nikon Coolpix L15 and I am quite happy with it.

It takes reasonably good pictures in low light, though I have no specific frame of reference.

Macro works good.

These are some examples of images I have taken with my camera....


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DWK2 said:
Bearthedog brought a Canon on our recent hike ("mini W&SS gathering" thread) that looked great. But it was around a $500 unit. Canon also makes a 10 meg camera with a 20x optical zoom that gets top reviews (about $370). I may buy something like that. Perhaps Bear will ad some details on his Canon.

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...
IMG_2612-1.jpg

I use the Canon 1100 Powershot for a light point and shoot. I use it on manual for the best pics but you have to be like a sniper, steady and calm.
More recently I have been using or trying to use the Canon G-10. I will say this about Canon cameras, I know a few pros that seem to love the Canon 20D, 40D, and new G-10 and over the years while hiking in humid places I have never seen a Canon shut off from humidity like lots of other brands.

What do I know, I eat bugs?

-RB
 
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I just got the new Consumer Reports.The Cannon PowerShot A590 IS at 110 dollars and the Cannon PowerShot SX110 IS at 210 dollars are listed as best buys.

I myself , would have to have a viewfinder . I never use the digital screen. Cant see good enough without reading glasses to use one.
 
I just got a Canon PowerShot A480 for myself last week. So far I really like it !
It takes some Really good shots....I still haven't got all the functions down but I'm learning.
 
Maybe each of you could post a couple pictures (bright and low light pictures) from your cameras so we can get an idea how it performs. I'm also looking for a cigarette pack sized camera for hiking but i want decent pictures.
 
+1 On Canon Powershots- I'm on my third and every one has been great. I think RF has the one to get right now for a "pocketable". The anti-shake (or whatever they call it) is a big plus and I believe the macro is pretty good (based on reviews).

I have an older version of the same camera, so I used the excuse of an upcoming trip to Europe as an excuse to get the 10MP 20x zoom model he mentioned- seems great so far, but I'm still making friends with it- LOTS of features! That one isn't fitting in anyone's pocket though.

There are lots of good reviews and digital camera sights on the net- last time I made the rounds Canons were pretty much favored in that category. Regardless of your choice, pay attention to what type of batteries- I like to stick with AAs and use rechargeables- interchangeable with the rest of my gear.
 
Good point on batteries MVF. My Sony batteries are $$$. So are the Sony Memory Sticks. I'd like to stay away from this type of thing with my next camera.
 
This is a pic taken with my camera last winter.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b264/Rat1fink/09 files/IMG_0153.jpg

PorcupineMtns66 said:
Good point on batteries MVF. My Sony batteries are $$$. So are the Sony Memory Sticks. I'd like to stay away from this type of thing with my next camera.
Click to expand...

The small batteries with my camera are not too expensive, at least for off brand. Canon wants like $40 for theirs, but the off brand was 15 or 20. Seem to work just fine. They recharge in a couple hours. AA batteries can be handy to use, but they only fit in larger cameras, and in the long run you end up spending more.(except with rechargeable) 4 gig SD card was like $20.
 
I agree with RAT I think that you will be hard pressed to find a great low light camera...I prefer to stick with Cannon, Nikon, then Sony in that order. They have the best lens in the market (arguably). How ever when in comes to DSLR Nikon does handle low light situation better. just my 2 cents
 
I don't know much about cameras, but after using lots of them, the best one i had for macro shots and just point and shoot was surprisingly a simple HP photosmart that I gave away when I bought a nikon. and I regret that, cause the HP was much better.
here a pic of the macro shot showing the quartersawn figure on a guitar fingerboard I was working on.
03112006027.jpg
 
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