Lightweight digital cameras

I have the same question, but mabey eeven longer hiking.

I am considering a Pentax Optio WP

I have the Pentax Optio S50, and really like it. There are lighter cameras out there (like the Optio WP), but they all have proprietary rechargable batteries. The S50 takes AAs, so I can just bring along an extra pair of lithiums.

They weigh 0.5oz ea, or 14.1g. Add this to the weight of the camera (4.6oz/130g empty) and you have a 5.6oz/158g camera. This is heavier than the WP at 4.8oz/135g, but I can easily bring extra batteries, or buy them when I’m out travelling in the civilized world (I hear they are selling the AA lithiums in europe as well.)

Batteries for the Pentax are available on eBay for about $6 the last time we bought some (my two sons and I all have pentaxes, wp, s5i, etc.) The batteries last a surprizingly long time. If you shoot several hundred pictures in your two weeks you might want one or two extra batteries plus an extra 1GB SD card. There is a newer 6MB version, called the WPi, I think. The S5i is 125g with card and battery. An extra battery is 16g.

I like the Pentaxes for size and weight. However, the S5i is too fragile. The WP may be better. My son took many pictures snorkeling that are pretty neat. It really is waterproof to a meter or so.

Craig Shelley

Craig Shelley

I’m seriously considering the Casio Casio EXILIM EX S500.

http://www2.butterflyphoto.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=dealtime&sku=EXS500GY#

It’s just over 4 oz w/o batteries. Anyone have any experience with this one?

I was just in a camera shop looking at this very camera today.

It is pretty lightweight and thin – I mistook the battery for a CF card when I popped the bottom off.

The startup time was about a second or so. Shot to shot lag was very acceptable, even with flash.

As a photog, I wish it had a bit more resolution, but 5 is acceptable in a pinch. Sadly, it it does *not* do RAW which I see as a real downer, but no mini-camera really does yet. Sigh.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Casio/casio_exs600.asp

I also played with the Pentax Optio WP camera – very nice design (and no lens protrusion). A bit bigger/heavier than the casio.

4 oz is just right for me – my current 5 MP mini-digi camera weighs in at 9 oz – a real porker by comparison.

Of course, I’d rather shoot with my medium format rig or even my Leica M6, if it didn’t weigh between 30-40 oz plus film.

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would you recomend the optio WP?

>would you recomend the optio WP?

I like mine a lot. I just hang it on my shoulder strap or stick it in my pocket. I don’t worry about it being rained or sweated on, as long as I have a clean bandana somewhere to wipe the lens before shooting. I bought the skin to protect it a bit. It takes nice pictures and has way more options than I ever use (I especially like the 2-second shutter delay feature; it gives me a chance to stabilize the camera after pressing the button).

The biggest problem for long-trip use is the battery. As mentioned previously, it uses a rechargeable D-Li8 battery and even though I carry a spare, they do need to be plugged into a current bush occasionally to recharge.

The D-Li8 battery performance in cold weather also leaves something to be desired. If the camera gets cold the battery appears to be nearly discharged, and I’ve even had the camera shut down after only a half-dozen pix even on a full charge. So if the weather is below 40F, you may want to keep it warm in a pocket.

Check out Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FX9K 6.0 Mega-pixel camera with Leica Lens… IT’s NICE!

Features Include:

· Yeah in case you missed it that’s 6 Mega-pixels.
· It’s a mere 0.95-inches deep, less than 2-inches high, and only 3.7-inches wide!
· Stunning High-Speed Auto Focus.
· Super-Fast Shutter Response and MEGA BURST Consecutive Shooting. Handy when your buddy takes one of those hilarious mishaps off the trail, you can snap consecutive shots at 3 frames per second with full resolution.
· 2.5″ diagonal high-resolution LCD monitor.
· MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer (No Tripod needed, eliminate blurry pictures).
· Best Part a genuine Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT Lens that’s a 3x Optical Zoom with 7 elements in 6 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses (35mm equivalent: 35 to 105mm).

I bought an Optio when they first came out a couple of years ago. The size and weight is great… fits inside an altoids tin… but the image quality was crap. Very noisy… at any ISO setting. I returned it right away. Maybe the newer ones are better… but seriously… the one I got two years ago had really bad image quality. I exchanged it for a Canon S400.

I now use a Canon SD500. It’s a little heavy… but the size is good… and the image quality is stellar… extremely impressive. I doubt you’ll find better image quality in a 7MP sub-compact. However… the weight may be too much for some people.

The SD400 is smaller and lighter… but it has a smaller sensor (but actually the same size sensor as ANY other camera in it’s class… same size as the Optio). The smaller sensor means slightly lower image quality… compared to the SD500… but I think it would still beat the Optio in objective image tests. It’s NOT weather resistant though… which may also be an issue.

Bottom line is… for image quality… personally… I’d go with a Canon. But you have to balance other factors like size, weight, features (i.e. some people will want manual controls) and weather resistance… etc… and then decide what’s best for you.

The best resource for reviews is dpreview.com. Don’t buy anything without reading some reviews there first.

As a counterpoint, I had a early canon S200 and found the image quality terrible compared to the larger nikons I’d had before (coolpix 950, 990) and much worse then the minolta G500 I now own.

They may have gotten better, but I’ve not bothered. The larger canons were always good (PS and DSLR) but those small ones soured me.

Wade… I don’t doubt that… but these days, Canon sets the standard for compact digital image quality. The S400 is a classic and many people still seek them out. It’s images were absolutely stunning for a camera of it’s size. The newer SD500 is a close second. It has the same sensor as the older S400 but with more megapixels (7MP)… so natually you lose a little when you cram more pixels into the same amount of space.

By the way… for those doing comparison shopping… two of the most important factors for image quality in a digital are the lens and the sensor size… and a 1/1.8 sensor is bigger than a 1/2.5. You won’t find many tiny cameras with the bigger sensor though.

Anyway… check out dpreview.com. It’s the place to go. Tons of reviews there with every spec you’d want to know and controlled image quality tests.

p.s. that Lumix does look like a nice camera! I’m not a brand fanatic… I just found that both times I bought digitals… 2+ years ago and again last spring… I read all the reviews and looked at all the test shots and Canon just came out on top (for me) both times. But new cameras are coming out all the time of course… and you have to look at all the options.

I agree that Canon is generally the digital brand to beat.

The pro level DSLRs are top notch, bar none and the pro photogs I deal with for work all use them.

And the mid-size canon p/s cameras have always been good too. I guess I’mjust a bit ansy since getting a real dud a few years back – the S100 and S200 were pieces of crap, and I was suprised because the usual review sites gave them good reviews.

But that was several years ago, so it is quite possible they have improved dramatically.

And yes, the size of the sensor is something to pay attention to. That 5d rocks with its full frame!

> The best resource for reviews is dpreview.com. Don’t buy anything without reading some reviews there first.

Another place for in-depth reviews is Steve’s.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I’ve not yet found a digicam suitable for me, but I bought my wife an SD400 for her birthday (to replace her dead digicam). It’s a very competent little camera, and I’m pleasantly surprised at the overall picture quality and latitude in differing shooting conditions. I regret that the many shooting modes don’t include a snow mode.

It’s got the all-important optical viewfinder, criminally missing from many subcompact digicams, but is very difficult to critical-focus when doing macro work (a problem I find with all digicams other than SLRs).

It uses a proprietary battery and isn’t weatherproof, but remains a strong contender in the quarter-pound segment. Also of note is the very easy to use Canon interface software.

I purchased the Pentax Optio 5Si and an extra proprietary battery with a 1GB memory card for a 9-day hiking trip. The camera, card, and extra battery weigh less than 5 ounces. The new Optio WP came out a few months later, which would have been great. My only complaint is that the LCD gets washed out in brighter light, but there is an optical viewfinder. I haven’t seen anything else out there with such a nice balance of size, weight, and features. One battery would have easily lasted for two weeks, but I only took 100 pictures or so.

A common comment from my customers is about how good their digital SLR is or how sturdy their 3kg tripod is, the trouble is that most of the time those “top quality items” stay at home, too big, too heavy.
When I go bushwalking I don’t want to baby my camera, it has to be in my pocket ready to be used. Hence my choice , the Pentax WPi. After 120-150 shots the battery will be dead,less than 1 oz for an extra batt. will double that.