what digital camera do you use?

[blaze]

I thought this might be a useful thread for anyone who hikes and is looking to buy a camera for outdoor use.

Here's the question, or questions:

- What digital camera(s) do you use for your outdoor adventures?

- What features do you like about your camera(s)?

- What features don't you like?

- What were the most important features when making your purchase decision?

- Would you describe yourself as a "serious" photographer or more a casual taker of snapshots?

As I think has been shown in recent threads, there is really no wrong answer. Of course I do not expect this discussion to come up with a single camera that will perfectly meet every outdoor photographer's needs. Still, this discussion might shed more light on why people have chosen what they've chosen, and help first time buyers (and those who are looking to upgrade) find a camera they'll be happy with.

Also it might give me an excuse to go buy another camera. =)

 

[David Metsky]

The problem is that camera models change so frequently that data more than a year old is nearly useless today. Oh well, here goes.

I thought this might be a useful thread for anyone who hikes and is looking to buy a camera for outdoor use.

Here's the question, or questions:

- What digital camera(s) do you use for your outdoor adventures?
Mostly a Canon SD800. Also a Canon S5

- What features do you like about your camera(s)?
SD800 - small, just enough functionality, tough, nice burst mode, wide angle lens, optical viewfinder
S5 - good zoom, optical zoom during video, great auto focus

- What features don't you like?
SD800 - no manual controls
S5 - poor low light performance, size

- What were the most important features when making your purchase decision?
SD800 - size, image quality, wide angle lens
S5 - Zoom, optical zoom during video, image quality

- Would you describe yourself as a "serious" photographer or more a casual taker of snapshots?
Yes

 

[MichaelJ]

I currently use three different cameras for my outdoor activities. Yes, at times I've taken all these cameras hiking.
My point-and-shoot is a Canon Powershot A720 IS
My hiking dSLR is a Canon Rebel 300D
My good dSLR is a Canon 40D

Historically I've also had a Canon Powershot S230 Elph & a Kodak DC4800 for digital, and a Pentax ME Super for film. I'll leave out the 126 and 110 cameras.

Features I like:
A720: uses AA batteries just like my headlamp and GPS, has a large enough lens to actually get depth of field, good optical zoom, quick to focus, takes beautiful pics
300D: lightweight plastic body, takes beautiful pics when I put a good lens on it
40D: everything

Features I dislike:
A720: very slow to recycle on flash shots, faster ISO has a lot of noise, isn't really pocket-sized, doesn't go as wide-angle as I'd like
300D: slow card reads/writes, tiny display, so-so metering, only 6MP, RAW file format does not include EXIF info (instead in separate file) so hard to work with
40D: big n heavy

Most important when choosing:
A720: I wanted the larger lens, AA batteries for gear interchangeability, and a good optical zoom
300D: I wanted a dSLR, the only prosumer/enthusiast models available were the Rebel and the Nikon D70, and I chose Canon (yes, really, that's all there was to it!)
40D: I was waiting for the right time to "evolve" from the Rebel, and this model camera had the right feature upgrades, including great limited-noise ISO range, wicked fast processing and card access, a huge beautiful display, numerous focus points, wicked fast shutter, burst mode, and a plethora of other pro features

Sometimes serious, sometimes snapshots, sometimes using the right camera for the task, sometimes not!

 

[DougPaul]

Canon SD800is for hiking.
* lens goes down to 28mm eFL
* image stabilized
* viewfinder
* small and light
* good overall performance for a P&S

Canon A590is: general carry around
* image stabilized
* viewfinder
* small and light
* AA batts
* good overall performance for a P&S

Canon Digital Rebel XTi for the majority of non-hiking use
* DSLR for when I want the additional capabilities
* Light enough to carry hiking--18oz body, lenses are 7--22oz.

Doug

 

[JoeCedar]

Consumer Reports magazine frequently reports on digital cameras, ranking them according to size/class and various characteristics. You can look at back issues at most libraries.

 

[DougPaul]

Consumer Reports magazine frequently reports on digital cameras, ranking them according to size/class and various characteristics. You can look at back issues at most libraries.

I have a number of their reviews--unfortunately they are very cursory--an overall rating plus ~14 columns. Perhaps ok if you don't know much about cameras, but if you do know a bit you are likely to want more detail and are likely to place different importances on the individual features.

FWIW, their ratings often disagree with mine.

I learn a lot more by reading such web sites as:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/MFR1.HTM
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/

Doug

 

[Jean]

I'm partial to Olympus. I use this baby:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1367

Not the most compact but it's got all the tools and not too heavy for it's size.
I absolutely love the 20x wide angle.
On the down side, I find the lag when adjusting focus to be quite annoying.

I'm definitely a casual photographer... slowly learning.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I consider myself a serious photographer and I absolutely required a dSLR for hiking as I use a polarizer filter on nearly all of my scenic photographs.

I use a Canon XTi dSLR for hiking and all other digital photography. I am generally quite happy with it. I usually hike with three Canon lenses: EFs 10-22, EFs 18-55, and either the EF 75-300 IS lens or an older EF 70-210 which has better macro capability. I have never found the small gap in my lens range to be a problem while hiking. Note: the 18-55 lens was the nearly zero cost kit lens at the time of my camera purchase. It has proven very adequate as a general walk around lens. I considered it a potentially throwaway lens, but I have seen no reason to buy a better lens.

Positives: The XTi allows me to use all of my many Canon lenses from my film cameras, and I can use filters. The camera is very light and quite adequate for hiking.

Minor negatives:

• the LCD screen on the XTi can be difficult to read in bright daylight. The replacement XSi reportedly has an improved and larger LCD screen which improves this situation.
• I wore out an optional RS-60E3 remote switch (for use with a tripod) in a little more than a year. I believe it shorted out (not too uncommon). I may have exasperated the wear by generally leaving the switch attached to the camera when I put it away in the my camera carrying cases. With the replacement switch - I plan to detach it before putting the camera into the cases.
• There is no extension tube set for macro use with the EFs mount lenses. I have a Kenko extension tube set (although a much earlier model from my film days). I find that this works very well with my EF telephoto lenses, but for some reason not so well with my Tamron EF 20-40 lens on the XTi. Anyway with the telephotos this is a great poor man's macro set up, but it requires the use of a tripod as the depth of field becomes extremely narrow and impossible to hand hold. Kenko makes extension tubes for many popular dSLR camera mounts.

To some degree I consider the XTi a toy as it is a cropped view dSLR, but it is more than adequate for my hiking. At some point I believe any serious photographer (including myself) will want to buy a full frame 35mm dSLR camera to fully utilize the coverage of their full frame (35mm film era) lenses. However, at the point I take this plunge I expect that I may still use my XTi (or a later cropped-view model) for most of my hiking. I will reserve the expensive full frame 35mm dSLR for civilized environs and a few extremely short hikes when I don't mind carrying a larger camera case, and where the camera will be less exposed to potential damage.

 

[Taconic]

- What digital camera(s) do you use for your outdoor adventures?

Canon 350D (hopefully upgraded to a 50D before too long.)

- What features do you like about your camera(s)?

Pretty much everything. It does everything I'd like it to do. And enables me to use L glass.
It's also fairly compact for an SLR, which makes it easy to fit into my pack.

- What features don't you like?

No weather sealing (hence my interest in the somewhat more rugged 50D since I won't be able to afford a 1D any time this century.)
I could do with a bit more resolution.
No full frame sensor (though that can also be a plus in that it can save you from needing to buy longer lenses to an extent. You'll just need wider wides.)

- What were the most important features when making your purchase decision?

Access to L series lenses.
That and the fact that the 350D was all that I could afford after getting a couple of new lenses.

- Would you describe yourself as a "serious" photographer or more a casual taker of snapshots?

Serious.



I think SLRs get a bad rap for not being portable. An SLR with one lens will fit into any pack. Even two lenses isn't much of a hassle. Three is where things start to get a little complicated (at least with my setup.) The tremendous amount of added versatility (and polarizers) is more than worth the slight increase in bulk vs. a P&S if you ask me.

 

[blaze]

Thanks for all who responded. This was exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for. I hope more readers will chime in.

I will take this opportunity to answer my own questions!

- What digital camera(s) do you use for your outdoor adventures?

• Pentax K100D, digital SLR, 6.1 megapixels. Purchased new with kit lens for ~$375. Later I upgraded the lens to a Sigma 17-70 for better macro capability, longer focal range, and improved sharpness. I also have an inexpensive Sigma 70-300 for wildlife and macro use.
• Canon S2 IS, fixed lens, 5 megapixels. Purchased used on Ebay, ~$100 including shipping
• A recent acquisition, Nikon 5400, fixed lens, 5 megapixels. Purchased used on Ebay, ~$60 including shipping.

I won't include cameras I no longer own. The list is too long! To me, cameras are like Doritos... impossible to have just one.

- What features do you like about your camera(s)?

• Pentax K100D - image quality, manual controls, useable high ISO settings, wider range of apertures and shutter speeds than fixed lens cameras offer, lens interchangeability, image stabilization, AA batteries, ability to use filters, battery life, price. I love the 17-70 lens! I also discovered (after the fact) that it's got good infrared sensitivity. I bought a no-name 720 nm filter on Ebay and I've been having great fun since then.
• Canon S2IS - great zoom lens, size/weight (smaller than my SLR), image quality, manual controls, good macro capability, video capability w/zoom, image stabilization, AA batteries, ability to use filters, battery life, price
• Nikon 5400 - wide angle lens, image quality, size/weight, manual controls, ability to use filters, price

- What features don't you like?

• Pentax K100D - weight and bulk. Performance is not as good as some other digital SLRs. Auto white balance, when shooting indoors, is not good, must use manual white balance. Clunky menu system.
• Canon S2IS - highest ISO setting is 400 and images at 200 or 400 are noisy. Doesn't have wide angle capability (without an add on lens). Video files are way too large.
• Nikon 5400- poor implementation of "auto bracketing." Sluggish performance. Optical viewfinder is inaccurate (w/respect to framing) and provides no feedback re. aperture and shutter speed.

- What were the most important features when making your purchase decision?

• Image quality, price, manual controls, ability to use filters.

Note that resolution (megapixel count) was not on the list!

- Would you describe yourself as a "serious" photographer or more a casual taker of snapshots?

• I have aspirations... =) But on hikes I take many snapshots.

To the buyer on a budget (and who isn't these days?) here are some points to consider:

• Do you really need 12 megapixels? The real question is, what are you going to do with your photographs?
• Consider buying used. Yes, there is risk involved, but you can save a LOT of money. That $60 Nikon is far from perfect - but it takes really nice photos, and its original "suggested retail" (not that anybody paid that, I hope!) was $800. Even after buying an extra battery and a lens adapter (so I could attach filters) my total was still less than $80.
• There are still tradeoffs, but consider the SLR/fixed lens question carefully. I love my SLR, but do you really need one? For example, you do not have to have an SLR in order to use filters. The "capability gap" between SLRs and fixed lens cameras is narrowing. As you can see from this thread, many photographers have both an SLR and a fixed lens camera. I'm not going to rush out and buy an Olympus E-P1, but I do think it's a very cool concept (a small, non-SLR, interchangeable lens camera) and it will be great to see more cameras like the E-P1 emerge from multiple manufacturers.

 

[MichaelJ]

[*]I wore out an optional RS-60E3 remote switch (for use with a tripod) in a little more than a year.

I have to admit being quite disappointed that the infrared RC-1 (EDIT: not RC-5 as originally posted) remote that worked so well with my Rebel was not supported by the 40D.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I wore out an optional RS-60E3 remote switch (for use with a tripod) in a little more than a year.

I have to admit being quite disappointed that the infrared RC-5 remote that worked so well with my Rebel was not supported by the 40D.

Thanks for mentioning that. The choice between the RC-5 and the RS-60E3 was a serious debate with myself a year ago and again now. The reviews and literature are not entirely in agreement per how well the RC-5 will work with the XTi. Neither of the two options is that expensive (probably not worth a lengthy debate), and I have decided to buy both this time.

In the interim time since the RS-60E3 finally died (it sputtered and hung on for a while) I have been using the camera's self-timer -- which is fine although slow for general scenery. But for many critical moment and/or finely focused macro photos when even a slight breeze is blowing -- it becomes oh so darn frustrating, if not impossible.

 

[MichaelJ]

In the interim time since the RS-60E3 finally died (it sputtered and hung on for a while) I have been using the camera's self-timer -- which is fine although slow for general scenery.

I lied - I just double checked and I have the RC1, not 5.

And to that end, one thing I really liked about the RC1 was that it could trigger instant or 2-second delay shots, selectable on the remote itself. Not nearly as long as the full camera self-timer, perfect for being just long enough to settle the tripod and take the shot then move on to the next.

I've never had to play around with mirror lockup prior to shutter trigger (for absolute minimum vibration), I'm not sure what my cameras support in that regard.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I lied - I just double checked and I have the RC1, not 5.

And to that end, one thing I really liked about the RC1 was that it could trigger instant or 2-second delay shots, selectable on the remote itself. Not nearly as long as the full camera self-timer, perfect for being just long enough to settle the tripod and take the shot then move on to the next.

I've never had to play around with mirror lockup prior to shutter trigger (for absolute minimum vibration), I'm not sure what my cameras support in that regard.

Once again thanks. I had also momentarily forgot there were two remotes. I also misspoke and meant the RC-1, which I had decided upon because of the instant shutter option. Like you I have never found that I really needed the mirror lock up feature. The critical moment when the darn breeze wasn't blowing always seems to be more important.

Sorry for the lengthy sidebar discussion (although it may useful to some).

 

[Fisher Cat]

I use a Fuji Finepix S700. It is not the trimmest or slimmest of designs, some may say its even a bit bulky, but I'm very happy with it and have begun to use its macro & super macro settings for floral closeups. I've only encountered one other hiker using it and that was this year on Mt Flume, but I'm very pleased with it. It has a lot of the features of my Nikon N80 which I used (still do sometimes) before I went digital.

 

[roadtripper]

Canon Rebel XSi with an EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L lens. True, it's a bit heavy and it definately doesn't fit into your pocket, but the pictures are fantastic.

I sometimes use a circular polarizer as well since more often than not, landscape photos come out better for me when using one.

The Canon 5D Mark II keeps pointing and laughing at me, but until the price drops by about 50%, I'm not going to even think about it

 

[1ADAM12]

I use a FujiFilm point and shoot 6.1MP and I got it cheap off ebay.

What I like about it.......well it does take some awesome pictures and if I drop it and break it when hiking it is ok cuz it was cheap

 

[BlackBuffalo]

What digital camera(s) do you use for your outdoor adventures?
Nikons 4800 and now p90

- What features do you like about your camera(s)?
8x and 24x lens

- What features don't you like?
Pics never being able to compare with being there.

- What were the most important features when making your purchase decision?
Like the digital viewfinders and megazoom type cameras.

- Would you describe yourself as a "serious" photographer or more a casual taker of snapshots?
Im a casual photographer but have taken some seriously good shots over the years (since 05 when I started with digital).
DaveG.

 

[Paradox]

....
- What features do you like about your camera(s)?
I love the 17-70 lens! I also discovered (after the fact) that it's got good infrared sensitivity. I bought a no-name 720 nm filter on Ebay and I've been having great fun since then.

Uh, just what do you use this for? Nighttime wildlife shots? Photographs through neighbors tents?

 

[blaze]

Uh, just what do you use this for? Nighttime wildlife shots? Photographs through neighbors tents?

Good one!

If you are really asking, it is used for landscape photography, and is another facet of creative photography that got much easier with digital cameras. It gets you to look at the landscape in a different way, and it gets you out and shooting in light conditions (for example direct overhead sunlight) that are considered less-than-optimal for traditional photography.

There's lots of information available online.

Here is a sample image.

And here is a good site to get started - "Infrared Basics for Digital Photographers."