Camera for Climbing

[ADKSherpa]

I've got a big trip in the Adirondacks as well as a climb of Mount Rainier planned for this summer and I want a better camera than what I currently have to record it all. Here's some of what I think I'm looking for...

-Hiking, climbing, mountaineering. I need something portable, easy to grab out my my pocket and light. Right now I keep my camera either in it's case on my pack's chest strap, in a breast pocket when it's cold, or in my pack's belt pockets. That kind of accessibility is key, I can't carry a big DSLR.

-I take very good care of my electronics so I don't need it to be bomb proof but I've always been scared by that little bit of water that always gets on cameras from sweat, rain, snow, etc.

-I know a little more than the average point-and-shoot user, which isn't saying much, but its something I want to learn and I think a good camera that gives me close-to-full control would be awesome. With what I have right now, I can't mess with anything about the shot more than changing it from landscape to party mode. I would love to be able to set it up to take pictures of stars or just customize it really nicely in general.

-I take a lot of panoramas. The camera I have right now allows me to just sweep across the horizon and it stitches them together for me but the quality is horrible so I've gotten pretty good at just taking consecutive pictures and stitching them on my computer. I used to have a camera that, when you switched it to panorama mode, it had me take individual pics but in each one it showed the edge of the last on the screen so I could line it up nicely. Loved that but this isn't a deal-breaker. I'm all about quality with my panos, the imperfections on the 4 foot one in my kitchen are torture.

-I like to take a lot of video too. I have a separate 1080i/p video camera but I don't really like taking two cameras. It's just easier to take out my regular camera and take not-so-good quality video from there. So something that take's nice video is important, too.

Obviously, the higher the quality/the richer the color/the bigger the zoom/etc., the better but I'm a cheap college student so my budget is tight. Somewhere around $400 would be my limit, I think, considering all the other gear I have to get. I know I'm asking for a lot but any ideas or suggestions you guys might have would be awesome! Thanks a ton!

Ryan

 

[marnof]

This might not be useful info, but if you could cobble together a couple extra Benjamins, the Sony DSC-RX100 looks like an incredible little camera. Good luck on your camera search.

 

[DougPaul]

My approach is two pronged:
1) If pictures are my primary goal, I carry my DSLR. I deliberately chose a relatively light-weight crop-frame body (one of the Canon Digital Rebel series) to keep the size and weight down (compared to top-of-the-line full-frame bodies). With a mid-range zoom and case it weighs 3lb 4oz. If you add wide-angle and telephoto zooms (for a 16-480mm eFL range), it comes to just over 6lbs and a good chunk of pack space. (Note: the consumer lenses tend to be a good bit lighter than the professional-quality lenses.)
2) If hiking is my primary goal, I carry a decent quality P&S--a Canon SD800 (no longer available). It fits in my pocket (in a case) and only weighs 8 oz (with case). If I were buying now, I'd probably get a Canon S95, S100, or S110.

None of the above cameras are weather resistant. If weather resistance was a serious issue, a professional quality DSLR body (eg Canon 5D3) and lenses would be required for case 1 above. This would increase the size, weight and cost significantly. For case 2, I'd get a water-proof P&S such as the Canon D20--cost wouldn't be too bad, but the water-proof cameras tend to lose some image quality.

If a wide zoom range is important to you, you might consider a Canon SX40, SX50, or SX500, however wide zoom ranges generally sacrifice some image quality.

If I were taking hiking pictures for professional purposes, I'd probably get a Canon 5D3 and professional lenses and pay the price in size, weight, and $$.

Most of my hiking related pictures are taken with a wide angle lens (28 mm eFL or shorter) and most of the remainder at a medium eFL (85mm or less eFL) so I have a strong preference for cameras with a minimum eFL of 28mm. (My wide angle zoom goes down to 16mm eFL.)

eFL=equivalent focal length on a 35mm camera.

Info on all of the above cameras can be found at http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras and http://www.imaging-resource.com/MFR1.HTM?view=Canon_reviews. Other manufacturers make similar cameras, but I am most familiar with the Canon line, so I only mentioned Canon models.

Doug

 

[Gritter]

I was in the same situation as you last year when I was planning for Rainier. I ended up carrying a Canon G 12 and an Olympus TG 820 tough. The G12 is a compromise between an SLR and a point and shoot and it takes great photos. When the weather is good I can carry it attached to the sternum strap of my backpack. If the weather is bad I can stuff it in my pack and rely on the Olympus, which is waterproof and crushproof, for photos. I know this isn't the lightest weight option but it lets you take photos in any situation where it is safe to do so!

 

[SherpaWill]

I have a Fuji film XP. It takes good pics with a lot of shooting modes, inc. panorama360. It also takes very good HD video. It's waterproof, shockproof, dust proof and freeze proof down to around 15 deg. I think the price is around $250.

 

[TomD]

One of the best sources I have seen for camera reviews is www.dpreview.com
Very detailed reviews of pretty much everything on the market, plus cameras from the past few years. I don't have any recommendations. My old Canon 95 died a few years ago and I never replaced it. I would love to find a reasonably priced rangefinder camera, but alas, no such thing these days. I hate the screen only cameras, even the good ones. I go back to the days of the Leica M2 and the Nikon FTN, so a camera without a real viewfinder just doesn't do it for me.

 

[David Metsky]

I hate the screen only cameras, even the good ones.

There are precious few remaining today with an optical viewfinder, but the Canon G15 (and the previous version, the G12) are pretty good choices.