Camera recommendations

[Stephen M]

Deleted

[Jen Churchward]

I'm not sure how into photography you are, but if you're looking for a good camera that will shoot in RAW format but won't weigh as much as a DSLR, the Canon S100 is the way to go. It's light and takes excellent pictures (for a compact). It doesn't take AAA batteries… though I'm not sure how many high end cameras do these days. You can even get a kit for it that allows you to use filters… pair that up with a mini tripod and you have the makings of a pretty decent landscape photography setup. IMO, the RAW capability is the key factor here… you pay for it, but if you're good with Lightroom & Photoshop, RAW allows you to pull so much more from a photo than .jpg.

[drowning in spam]

I don't know of any cameras that use AAA batteries. The camera comparison tool on dpreview.com doesn't show any cameras that use/used AAA's.

There are a few that use AA's though. Canon makes most of them. Do you want a moderate amount of zoom or a lot?

I like a lot of zoom for hiking trips, so the Canon SX150 interests me.

http://www.dpreview.com/products/search/cameras#criterias=SpecsCoreParams%2CSpecsBatteryNew&includeDiscontinued=No&sort=newestFirst&view=list&page=1&paramSpecsCoreParamsBodyType=UltraCompact%2CCompact%2CSLRLike%2CLargeSensorCompact&paramSpecsBatteryNew=AA

[Yang Lu]

Stephen,

I would recommend panasonic sz 20. Try to google for its reviews. I think somewhere online is on sale now for about $250.

[Stephen M]

Hi folks,

I am not in to photography at all but I did get some lessons on a BPL trip a few months ago, alas all now forgotten.

I am looking for a point amd shoot camera that can take good landscapes, if its too heavy or bulky it will get left at home.

Even though I work in IT I dont know the first thing about photoshop, the best i cna do is few minor alteration with MS Paint.

The reason I asked baout AAA's is that what my GPS and Head lamp use but its not a big deal. We do have a decent camera at home (cannot even remember what brand it is) but when I am off backpacking my wife is often on holidays herself so we need two cameras.

So I am complete novice.

Will have a look on that website.

Cheers,

Stephen

[Manfred]

Stephen,

I use the Canon Powershot SX 150 that Eugene brought up before. It uses AA batteries, as does my GPS receiver (Garmin Etrex 30) and my headlamp (Zebralight H51). My kids use the Canon Powershot A1100 and A1300 which also use AA batteries. I'm very happy with the picture quality of the SX 150. The A1100 is great for the snapshots the kids take, but I prefer more zoom and a bigger lens – even if it means more weight.

Best Regards,

Manfred

[Stephen M]

Thanks Manfred,

It is certainly worth looking at that type of camera for the extra features.

Also I am a bit of a tech nerd (I work in IT) so I like my toys.

Cheers,

Stephen

[Rick Dreher]

If you can find one, the Ricoh GX200 can use AAAs and is a very advanced compact as well.

The current demands of digital cameras pretty much excludes powering them with typical consumer batteries, which is why everything not entry-level takes proprietary Li-ion cells.

Cheers,

Rick

[Stephen M]

Hi Rick,

From what you have said and the previous posters have mentioned AAA's are problay out of the question, something I can charge from a USB cable will do me.

Cheers,

Stephen

[drowning in spam]

If you really want to use AAA's, you could get AAA to AA adapters. It won't save much weight, and there's a chance that the AAA's won't provide enough juice to operate a camera meant for AA's, and of course the battery life will be much shorter than with AA's.

As far as AA cameras being lesser than those with lithium ion batteries. That's rubbish. Lithium ion batteries give camera manufacturers an opportunity to downsize their cameras, gives them the perception of prestige, is slightly faster to swap, and gives them another revenue stream. What they don't tell you is that providing you with those 'advanced' lithium ion batteries almost always comes with a shorter battery life. The people that dispute this either haven't done their research or they are only considering alkaline batteries instead of MUCH better options like nimh or lithium.

[Stephen M]

Hi Eugene,

I have some AAA to AA adapters at home, I think I will just go with the best camera for the job and not worry about battery cross compatability with other kit.

Cheers,

Sstephen

[drowning in spam]

It's not a bad idea. There are quite a few excellent compact cameras. Sadly there are much fewer AA choices than there used to be, so a camera with another battery type is likely to serve you best. Pentax seems like the last company that's still trying to produce a nice camera that uses AA's, but that's a DSLR and much heavier than what you're looking for.

You said you wanted something durable. Are you looking for something that's ruggedized? Crush resistant, waterproof and probably more tolerant of cold temperatures? They weigh a little more and the picture quality suffers somewhat, but it might be worth it if that means you're more likely to get the shot. The worst thing is seeing a critter, and having to pull a camera out of its protective case and watch the shot fade away before the camera is ready to shoot, or missing all kinds of spectacular weather pictures because you don't want to get your camera wet.

The cameras in this comparison report may be slightly outdated, but it's a decent place to start:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest/

[Stephen M]

Thanks Eugene,

Will look at that review.

I would like to be able to use it as you describe.

[Author]

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