Best Camera for Hiking?

[Chris Chastain]

I have never missed a shot because of the Joby… on the contrary, I have gotten shots that I never would have been able to bring home without it. Just don't expect to use it with a heavy camera… although they DO make some larger ones.

I would never consider taking my Manfrotto 3021 Pro and Canon 20D on a backpacking trip! Too high a probability that I would bring home a doorstop. Really, it just seems like it rains every time I put on my pack. Ya'll can thank me for ending the drought in the S.E. ;)

[Roleigh Martin]

Franco, of the 5 cameras (the 3 in Robert's link) and the two you mention (the Fuji and Pana), which one does the best wide angle shots? Which of the 5 cameras would you buy new if you were buying now (pretend you did not have any camera)?

Thanks.

[Roger Caffin]

The Joby GorillaPod tripod has been fully reviewed at BGT. I was one of the testers. It's great, even with a slightly heavy Canon A95.

[Franco Darioli]

Marti124
I wish someone could tell me…
For picture quality, definitely the Sigma DP1
I am waiting to test the Fuji F100 before I make my mind up.
(mostly I use my Pentax WPi for convenience)
At the moment I tend to favor the Ricoh, however the Pana is smaller/lighter and almost as good.I am really stuck with the idea of using a lens with the angle of view of a 24mm lens.
If you can, go to a store that has the various models and handle them. Better still buy a 1 GB card and take some shots with them and see how you like them. As Nia pointed out, a DSLR would be better but it would remain at home most of the times. (if you do, buy the camera from THAT store)
Christopher
Have a look at the Olympus 1030SW, 28-102mm, very tough and WP, just pretend that XD is OK for you.

Mini tripod
The shop I worked for was the first to sell the Joby here in Australia (we imported some just to "play" with them) About a year later I wrote an article about tripods, the Joby had the most follow up comments, the agents run out of stock soon after
But…I mostly take with me the Ultrapod because it is stronger and I can easily turn it into a monopod by attaching it to my Black Diamond pole (apparently you can do that with poles from other brands, if you must…)
Franco

[Adam Kilpatrick]

I also have a Joby.
I love it! It works really well. I leave it connected most of the time, its so small it doesnt get in the way of taking a normal hand held shot.
Wraps great around small tree branches, or is happy to mould onto the top of a rock or fence post or bigger tree branch and hold my camera very steady.

And yep, there are bigger versions designed for SLRs with big/small lenses. I reckon the smallest version would cope with an SLR with a small wide angle lense without too much hassle.

[Christopher Holden]

Franco,
Thanks for the tip. I like the tough and waterproof characteristics, but I'm one of those weirdos that still hangs on to film. I have an old 4MP Fuji camera, so XD is already in house. I just prefer to shoot film, usually 6x9cm folders or 4"x5".
Chris

[Chris Chastain]

> I also have a Joby.
-snip-
> And yep, there are bigger versions designed for SLRs with big/small lenses. I reckon the smallest version would cope with an
>SLR with a small wide angle lense without too much hassle.

— Posted 04/12/2008 20:44:00 MDT by Adam Kilpatrick (oysters)

There is absolutely no way that the small Gorillapod would hold an SLR with ANY kind of lens. Manufacturer rates it for point-and-shoot up to 9.7oz.
My Canon weighs in at about 1.5lb with no lens or batteries.

[Roger Caffin]

> There is absolutely no way that the small Gorillapod would hold an SLR with ANY kind of lens. Manufacturer rates it for point-and-shoot up to 9.7oz.
>My Canon weighs in at about 1.5lb with no lens or batteries.

There's theory, and there's fact.
The GorillaPod has been used with heavier cameras, quite successfully. The secret is careful set-up (balance) AND using the delayed shutter option so there is no vibration.

Cheers

[Adam Kilpatrick]

I wouldn't expect you to be able to wrap a joby round a vertical tree branch with an SLR off the side at right angles (I guess you could if you let the SLR flop gently into the upright tree). But, using it rather normally on a "horizontal" surface I reckon an SLR (without a big lense) would be fine. Its not going to break the Joby, just fall over on its hinges if anything, and if you have a small lense, and SLR won't be too hard to balance.

I have put my digital video camera on my small Joby on a horizontal surface and that worked fine, despite it weighing 500g, which is getting in the realm of an SLR.

[Chris Chastain]

Ok, so if you two guys say you have used the size small Gorillapod with a heavy slr, I'll take your word for it.

I retract my statement.

I should have said:
There is no way that MY size small Joby Gorillapod will hold MY Canon slr with lens and batteries. It just collapses.

I had assumed that my example was typical, and we all know what "assuming" does! Sorry for the confusion.

[Dondo .]

This camera caught my attention recently because of the fast 24mm Schneider lens, among other things. Any reason to rule it out?

[Franco Darioli]

Hi Dondo
The last time I tested a Samsung was more than a year ago and it was one of the NV series. The camera was fine but I did not like the way it handled the imaging process (colours/contrast/sharpening). A mate has the same camera and he loves it…
Thanks for pointing this one out, I saw it when it was released but forgot about it. I see if I can get one from the newly appointed Samsung advertising agency.
Franco

[John Carter]

Wow, Dondo, thank you, THANK you for posting the info on the Samsung! I've got my eye on a Panasonic DMC TZ-5, but this gives me another real option. I own the Panasonic DMC LX-1 and have found it frustrating how so few cameras have wide angle 16:9 with hi-res video. Unfortunately the LX-1 is very grainy in medium-low light and the video has many artifacts. If the Samsung can improve on these, I'm sold.

[John Carter]

Ricoh just announced a new camera model (G600) that has specs as close to ideal for backpacking as I have found.

Here are the major specs. I will comment on why I think these are ideal below:

1) Waterproof, dust-proof, shock resistant to military & JIS standards, and large buttons for use with gloves.

2) Compact point-and shoot fits in pocket, with no protruding lens, even during zoom.

3) 28-140mm equivalent wide-angle zoom.

4) Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery can be replaced with 2 AAA batteries.

5) 37mm filters can be attached (allows for polarizing/ND filters as well as optional 22mm Wide Angle)

6) Up to 3200 ISO allows for low light shooting (though probably very noisy; it is a point-and-shoot after all)

– – – – – – – – – –

Re: 1) This is really cool; it can be dropped from 5 feet, it is rain-proof and waterproof to 1m, it is dust-proof. These are huge deals, as I don't think the Pentax waterproof cameras are dust and shock proof.

Re: 2) This camera will fit into pants pocket or a hipbelt pocket. Anything big enough that it has to be stowed in my backpack I find I don't use. It also includes a lanyard for wrapping around your neck and stowing in your shirt pocket.

Re: 3) This is also really cool; for me 28mm wide is absolutely essential for outdoors. I used to carry around a huge super-zoom camera for backpacking, but it started at 36mm. 90% of the time I found I wished I could go wider. If you haven't tried a 28mm outdoors, trust me; it's essential. It gives me so much more foreground, and I can capture the whole mountain, not just the middle of it. It also allows me or my hiking parters to be on the side of the picture, not blocking the scenery but still visible. The 140mm is plenty long enough for most zoom needs, unless you plan to take close-ups of animals (but for that, you'd probably want a good DSLR; even with optical image stabilization on my old super-zoom, most of my animal shots were somewhat blurry).

Re: 4) This was the real surprise for me. It's hard to find a decent AAA battery camera, let alone a AA camera, especially a WP one. It's a great compromise; they include a powerful rechargeable battery, but it can be replaced with AAA if you run out of juice or are on a thru-hike. Now I only need to carry one type of battery for my Camera, GPS, and headlamp. Way, way cool.

Re: 5) Again, this is sooo cool. I can start using a polarizing filter again, and even a sun visor thingy (whatever they are called), which is helpful for wide angle cameras, which capture more of the sky and are more prone to lens flare. This was the thing I missed the most when switching from my old super-zoom to my current point-and-shoot.

6) We'll have to see about how noisy this camera is, but it's nice to know it offers high ISO settings for low light. Ricoh is a well-respected camera company amongst enthusiasts. Check out http://www.dpreview.com, a highly respected camera review website, for reviews of their other camera models.

The only major downsides are the poor video mode (640×480) that only lasts for 21 seconds, and Ricoh is not easy to find in the US, so it'll likely be an internet purchase. They are really behind the times with the video mode, but it should suffice for short comments or a quick pan of the scenery. It also doesn't offer 16:9 mode, which I really like in my Panasonic (but you can crop these later, though that sounds tedious). It's also likely to be more expenive than average P&Ss, and it weighs 9oz (not bad at all, though, considering it is ruggedized). And of course, all the downsides inherent in point-and-shoot cameras. But for a lightweight, pocketable camera, I think this will be pretty hard to beat.

I know that if I was attempting a thru-hike, this would be on my short list of choices (pending a good review of the camera after it comes out in May).

[Richard D.]

Wow John, that's an exciting new model. Thanks for the news.

[Christopher Holden]

Bah. The ideal backpacking camera would be an 8×10 large format camera that weighs less than 3 pounds, with film holders that weigh an ounce!
But for digital? This doesn't look bad. Keep us posted with any results you get with this.

FWIW, if you want to quit creating blurry photos, you don't need an IS lens. You need a tripod.

[John Carter]

Okay, perhaps 'ideal' was a little too strong a word; maybe our great-grandchildren will enjoy point-and-shoot large format digital cameras. =) But for the typical requirements I hear from typical lightweight hikers that want nice shots but mostly want them to remember the trail memories rather than to publish pro photos, this gets really close due to its ruggedness & AAA battery use, and the 28mm lens with filter options places it a step up from typical P&Ss.

Honestly, I'm still debating whether to get this or a Nikon D40 DSLR. But I have a hunch that, for most of my hikes, when it comes to actually walking out the door, I'll probably grab the P&S more often than the DSLR.

Oh, and show me a DSLR that I can drop on a rock on it's way into the creek!

Have you checked out the Tachihara 4"x5" camera? It's only 3.3lbs and $700. Great review of if it here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/tachihara.htm

Still not 8×10, but now we're gettin' picky! =) Come to think of it though, looking at that 4"x5", even thought it's the lightest one around, I see a lot of wood and brass used. I'll bet with modern materials, someone should be able to make a 4"x5" at half the weight (and 10x the cost, of course-I envision a titanium body with a carbon fiber tripod).

[Rick Dreher]

Good old iconoclastic Ricoh; nice to see they're still on their game.

They extended the zoom range quite a bit in the process, which is good news. They seem to have deleted the 500G Wide's optical viewfinder, which is not good news but also helps explain the smaller size and lower weight (14 oz). I'll hold out hope they've added a port for plugging in the GX100 OVF; otherwise I'll have to pass, darn it.

[Christopher Holden]

John,
Actually I just picked up a Gowland Pocket View 4×5 recently. 2.1 pounds (sans lensboard), and it's a monorail, so lots more movement than a Tachihara, or any field camera. I'm not doing it for pro photos, I just like film. Call me stubborn or old fashioned. Some say I'm both. Digital has its place in the world. If its in my bag, it's an addition to, not a replacement of film cameras.
Best of luck in your search for "ideal".
Chris

[John Carter]

That Gowland looks pretty interesting. Perhaps if I can shed a few more lbs from my base weight I can start bringing one of these along. But it's going to cost me in new gear as much as it will cost to get that camera, so it will have to be in due time. =)

I think shooting in medium and large formats is one of the best arguments for sticking with film; there's nothing old-fashioned about that! Ken Rockwell, on his website, points out "most amateurs don't realize that these old-fashioned bellows-type sheet film cameras are the dominant format for professional landscape photography in 2005."

I know DSLRs still don't have the dynamic range film offers, but the convenience of digital has moved me to DSLRs. Still, it's just a convenience with trade-offs; no one should be telling you film is old-fashoned!

[Rick Dreher]

Ricoh has released a spec page:

http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/g/g600/specs.html

They shrank the chip from the 500G wide, which explains the smaller lens with greater zoom range, but bodes ill for overall image quality. No RAW mode. US$700.

[Richard D.]

Those sample pictures did not impress me very much. I had gotten my hopes up…

[John S.]

And twice as heavy as my optio WPI

[John Carter]

Bummer about the sensor size. I've also given up on the Samsung NV24; Samsung doesn't a reputation for high image quality. I guess it's back to the Panasonic TZ-5 or a Nikon D60 for me.

[Dondo .]

Just became aware of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FX500. It looks pretty good to me. 25mm at the wide end with minimal distortion; F2.8 Leica lens; manual controls. Anyone care to comment? Franco?

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