What kind of camera?

G

GEC

Joined
May 8, 2007
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I was just curious on what kind of camera everyone for their hiking and camping pics?
I was thinking about getting a new one that was compact, takes very good pics, over 5 mega pix, good digital zoom, and good optical zoom.
 
They now have them with 8 megapixels cheaper than wht I paid for a 3.2 olympus. Id get 8 megapixels. You can later blow the image up and crop it. Im speculating that you could snap a deer at 75 yards blow it up and crop it and get a real good picture. 5 mega pixels wont do that.
 
I have two now. My first was also a 3.2MP Olympus C-725. Nice but no image stabilization. At 8X optical zoom it was tough to get shots off hand to look good. A true battery hog as well.

Last year I opted to get a small pocket camera. After a bunch of research I went with the Panasonic FX10. Its an outstanding little camera. Metal housing keeps it thin and durable. Leica glass, and uses the new SD/HC cards that are available as high as 8G. No regrets with this one.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=981
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0701/07013103panasonicfx10fx12.asp

The FX10 was the latest offering when I bought it. In fact, I ordered it a couple weeks before it was even available. The FX12 might be a better choice today.

HTH,
Chris
 
Regarding pixel counts - don't worry about them. Anything over 5 megapixels is adequate to blow up to 8 x 10. You are far better off getting a camera with a lower pixel count and a good lense like a Zeiss lens then the other way around. You really won't notice any difference between a 5 MP and 10 MP under most use patterns. My Nikon SLR takes great shots at 6 MP which I've had blown up to 10 x 12' without noticable grain.

Also when looking at zooms and ranges thereof, make sure that the advertisement refers to optical zoom not digital zoom. Digital zoom is just the camera cropping a part of the picture and presenting this in the viewfinder. Usually the advertisment provides both values - e.g. the optical zoom will be 3 x and up to 6 times digital zoom. Only pay attention to the optical number.

One other thing that helps is to have a camera where the memory is in SD card format. More and more PC computers now have a SD-slot where you can simply pull the memory card out of the camera and plug the card into your computer direct. File transfers by this method are about 3-4 times faster than hooking the camera up to your USB port. Also you have to have the camera on when it is hooked up to your computer via USB cable and this uses up the battery life of your camera while you are transferring files over.

Regarding memory, you can get SD cards of more than 4 GB. There are different thoughts on getting one big memory card or a bunch of smaller ones. I fall into having a bunch of smaller memory cards on hand. I like the 1 GB sizes myself. In my 6MP camera they will hold about 270 shots each at high resolution. It takes about 5 seconds to change the card to a new one and I see no real inconvience to this (consider the 35 mm films where we had to change the canister every 36 shots). The nice thing with multiple cards is the ability to manage, without the computer, pictures in different themes by switching the cards out. If a card decides to die on you (this has never happened to me though), then it isn't as big a loss as with a big memory card. Also, I find that picture management using just the camera interface is a pain. Having 200+ photos on one card can be a nightmare, even just to delete the images. Having 500+ photos on one card is something I just wouldn't want to think about..

Robustness is a good quality to have in a compact camera. Some, such as olympus make models that can be fully submerged in water. This provides one less worry in gear protection during hiking and camping.

Consider buying a good after market camera bag. Get one that is slightly larger than the immediate needs of your camera and has some pockets for storage. You will want room for spare batteries, an extra memory card or two, a USB cable (in case you make an impromptu transfer on another computer) and possibly some survival gear like a SAK etc.
 
Been using a new one the past couple months. A Sony Cybershot 7.2 mp. I really like it.
 
I have a Canon sx100 IS. This is about as good of a point and shoot as you can get. 8 megapixels, and 10x OPTICAL ZOOM!!! A lot of manual options as well as a lot of automatic settings. I love this camera, and in my opinion is the best you can get before you get into SLRs.
 
I have a Kodak Easyshare Z1275 that's doing a decent job so far. I use it for everything because I can't afford a DSLR. 12 megapixels, decent optical zoom. You might try looking into a Fuji S700. Nice little camera. 7 megapixels, but I think it has something like 10x optical zoom, plus digital.
 
Canon S80
8MP
I'm upgrading to a Canon G9 (12mp) very soon
It is a little bigger than the compact ones
Still fits in my pocket nicely though

DPReview.com is a GREAT site!!!!

I use this USB/SD card converter===>
http://www.iogear.com/product/GFR202SD/

The SD cards have different speeds
In order to use th HI QUALITY setting for videos I need to use a Hi Speed card
I think it is 52X speed or something like that
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1051)-SanDisk_Ultra_II_SD_and_SDHC_Cards.aspx

I never use digital zoom
I just crop/enlarge if need be

Make sure you post some pics for us to see when you get your new rig!!!
 
TemplarKnight21c said:
You might try looking into a Fuji S700. Nice little camera. 7 megapixels, but I think it has something like 10x optical zoom, plus digital.
Click to expand...


A friend of mine uses the S700. For the price, its a very nice camera. Definately not a "pocket" camera but well worth the price and worth considering.
 
I've been using a Canon Powershot 520, 4 megapixels. I'm looking to upgrade the next time I'm in the US. I like the camera, use it every week, but these things just keep getting better. Mac
 
sony cybershot dsc-t200
8.1 mega pixels
it would take really good pictures if i understood all the settings:o
 
I took a picture of a large buck about 100 yards away with a 3.2 megapixel camera and 10x optical zoom. I could not blow the picture up to get a good look at it. I think an 8 megapixel would have done the job.
 
i have alot of fricken cameras kickin around in my room.

although for hiking i carry my olympus stylus 700 all weather camera (water resistant)

olympus now offers a new line called the 1030sw which is shock resistant from a 6.5 foot drop as well as submersible up to 30 feet and can also withstand 220lbs of pressure. might be worth taking a look at if you plan on hiking with it alot.

heres a link with specs.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodd...=20220&PCName=camera_olympus&logon=&langid=EN

the camera is 10 mega pixel and also takes pics on a wide angle lens which is definetly a bonus. when i decide to upgrade my old olympus this is probably the next on i'll get for hiking and camping.

although i'm still saving to buy my lumix fz18 with the leica lens. :)

cheers
 
Sanyo Xacti for me:
* Waterproof digital camcorder
* 6 Megapixel still photos
* 5x Optical zoom
* 2.5-Inch LCD display
* Up to 1hr. 20min. digital video per 1GB memory card.

About $300 on ebay. Cheers :)

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