[FreespiritAZ]

So on my last hiking trip to Fossil Creek I slipped into the water while holding my faithful little Sony Cyber-shot. As soon as I went under with the camera I popped back up out of the water and took the battery out. I didn't try to turn my camera back on. I let it dry out. Then a day later I tried turning it on. It was alive, but not functioning properly. I have given it a week in hopes that it would restore itself, but unfortunately I think the damage is permanent.

My poor little camera. I have really squeezed some good shots out of her. She has survived getting water on her (but not getting completely dunked) at Oak Creek Grasshopper Point, and withstood being kept in the sports bra on long hot hikes. The sweat got to her one time and I thought for sure she was dead, but she came back to life. My little cyber-shot has been like a cat with nine lives. She was dropped a handful of times and it didn't faze her.

Well let me get to the reason for this rant...I am looking for another camera and am not sure if I should go the DSLR or point and shoot route. I really want to delve deeper into photography. The past couple of years I have developed my interest and skill with taking pictures and am thinking that now is the time for the DSLR. Still I don't know which one to get. I want one that works well in low light situations because I love night time photography. I also want to be able to capture the detail of mountaintop views and get nice close ups of flora and fauna that I encounter on my hikes.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Vaporman]

Get a Pentax W80 comes in red, gray or blue for $171 on amazon. End of discussion...

[cindyl]

i love my sony cyber shot and i'll keep it for a point and shoot - i'm going to buy the waterproof case, though, in the next month so i can take it with me on the water. if something were to happen to it, though, i think i'd go with something with more of a zoom. there's a panasonic (DMC-ZS3) that my buddy randy has that's nice. it has the 12x zoom, wind angle, and takes great macros, too.

[desmo40]

Hi,
I've spent so many time to search for the perfect Point & Shoot... I just received 3 weeks ago my new SONY Cyber-shot® Digital Camera HX5V/B for $338.30 (all included) @ sonystyle.com whith a discount for students.

I wanted a small one, but efficient, to carry it during hiking. This one has a 10x zoom, wide angle, GPS and I can tell , it works great.
So far so good...

Check this out: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 1666077169

[coanbru]

@cindyl
I have a newer generation DMC-TZ5 that I love and it's been through hell.

Here's a good site to compare when you nail it down to a few choices
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

and another to help you pick a camera based on your needs
http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/cam ... Summary.do

[big_load]

I have a newer generation DMC-TZ5 that I love and it's been through hell.

Mrs. big_load and I each have DMC-TZ3. Mine is used mainly for backpacking, hers is used mainly to scout location shoots. I like the wide angle and nice zoom range.

[Jim Lyding]

I'm pretty impressed with the Canon G10/11 shots that some users have posted on this site. I have a Canon Rebel XTi DSLR, and I doubt I'll ever go to a point-and-shoot except for a secondary camera.
What kind of budget are you looking at?

[joe bartels]

I like my G10 but wouldn't recommend it anymore as the cheaper cameras have FAR better video.

[chumley]

For point-and-shoots, I have always loved the user interface and quality photos that Canon Powershots provide.

Unfortunately, I'm not very gentle with my cameras, and I ended up breaking three different models over about 5 or 6 years. I finally got sick and tired of dropping $300 on a new camera every two years.

The biggest problem I found on the Canons was that the power button could be pushed by accident while in my pocket, or in luggage ... if not in a case. When the power comes on, the lens tries to extract, and if there's not room for that, its a big problem and ultimately causes a permanently fatal lens error.

I dropped another one while ice-skating and it never worked again.

So despite my love for the Canon product, I decided it was time to pick something new.

I went with the new-ish Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1. It's waterproof and shockproof and dustproof! AND the lens doesn't extract. And 12MP. Canon has a waterproof/shockproof/freezeproof model (D10), but these features make it a little bit too bulky for me to want to carry it around in my pocket. The TS1 is not the smallest point-and-shoot out there, but it still is very comfortable for me to have along. Not obtrusive in jeans pockets, and definitely not in some hiking cargos. It shoots HD video, but only zooms to 4.6x (128mm). The wide side is 28mm which I find to be better than many point-and-shoots, and I'm especially happy about being able to bring it along to the pool, lake, stream, swimming hole, monsoon storm etc. without having to pay any attention to the water.

It's not waterproof for diving purposes. Its technically only rated to 10 feet, but that's more than adequate for my point-and-shoot needs. Oh, and the shock-proof is great too. Made to drop from 5-feet onto a concrete floor. I rarely hold it over my head and drop, so I'm pretty ok with that. The dustproof is a favorite feature of mine as this state can get pretty dusty in the summer, and all three of my Canons ended up with dust inside the lens that could not be removed. It showed up on any picture that I used the zoom on. Really annoying.

The user interface took me a little time to figure out because its different from the way Canon handles things, but there's a ton of features, lots of automatic settings, and still quite a few manual controls for doing custom manipulations if you want.

One thing I consider important is the lens. A 12MP camera with a good lens will take much better photos than a 12MP camera with a crappy lens. Being 12MP does not make them equal. Canon makes great lenses. As does Nikon. They are camera companies and have been making lenses for generations. The tech companies that now make digital cameras often buy cheap lenses from random companies in China. Panasonic Lumix cameras use lenses made by Leica ... a very reputable German company that has also been making lenses forever. Be cautious and read reviews carefully when considering a non-photo-company brand (HP, Samsung, Ricoh, Sony, etc.) Some are better than others.

Everybody wants something different from their camera. To somebody who takes better care of things than I do, I'd recommend a Canon Powershot. I know many people who have and love them. For my outdoor adventures, I found that something a bit more durable was in order, and have been pretty happy with the first 6 months of my TS1.

Wow. Sorry I got carried away there ... anybody still awake?

[Jim Lyding]

A Leica would be unbelievably sweet

[hippiepunkpirate]

I love my Canon t1i dSLR, but it does take more effort to lug it everywhere. If you're willing to invest the energy and money, dSLRs are awesome, but the higher end point and shoot cameras are definitely worthwhile. sundevilstormin was using a Canon G11 on our Flatiron hike, and it looked pretty sweet. Honestly, I think learning Photoshop or some sort of editing program (GIMP is free and extremely powerful) is far more important in improving your digital photography than buying a dSLR.

[Jim Lyding]

StorminNorman is also a professional photographer on the side. One trick I've learned that really helps lugging my DSLR around is to get a neoprene neck strap because it has some "give" to it. The neck strap cost $12.95, and makes my life sooooo much better not only because it stretches, but it doesn't rub my neck raw.
Denny the TortoiseHiker has a pretty cool hip-holder for his Nikon that I like.

[coanbru]

But there is nothing like just being able to slip it in and out of your pocket at a moments notice.
While I like the picture the DSLR's take and the ability to manually adjust the different settings, I love the convenience of a Compact that can focus to 5", go to 12X optical zoom, and take HD movies all from the palm of my hand.

[joe bartels]

You take both

I did a hike once with a pro and he was like one of those knife crazed dudes only this guy had a camera in every pocket.

[FreespiritAZ]

I am such an avid picture taker that I ended up just keeping my camera in my sports bra while hiking. The only thing I could compare my picture taking to is....um maybe a chain smoker I get a little crazy sometimes. I am rough on my cameras. I use them a lot. They get dirty and they get dropped and sometimes they even get wet. So, Coanbru, I completely agree with your comment about the necessity for easy access to a camera. I don't want to have to fiddle with a camera case every time I see a good shot because if I do the photo opp could be missed. I want to be silent and speedy when it comes to my picture taking. A lot of the wildlife is scared away by the sounds of velcro or zippers from the cases

There are two reasons I was thinking of switching to an SLR: the lens and the manual settings. Chumley, your point about the lens quality was helpful. I loved my Sony cybershot, but was often frustrated with the graininess that I got in low light settings. I always thought that was a drawback with ANY point and shoot. I really didn't think about each brand's specialty. You are right Canon and Nikon are known for their lenses. I made up for the lack of clarity and crispness in my photos with editing. I like Flickr and Picasa because they are free. Hippepunkpirate, I will have to try out GIMP. Thanks for the tip. Also, I am going to look into the G11. Also, I am big fan of night hiking. In the phoenix city limits, the glittering city lights look amazing. One thing I was not happy with was the manual settings on my Sony for those types of photos. I had very little ability to manipulate the shutter speed with the Cybershot.

Bigload, cindyl and Vaporman- much thanks for sharing your brand of choice I will look into their features and see how I like them. It helps me to narrow my choices down. Having a place to start in the search for the perfect camera for me is less overwhelming.

Joe, I haven't done much with video, because all the editing programs are a little convoluted. I just downloaded a MAGIX Movie Edit Pro and am slowly learning how to use it. If you think there are more user friendly programs out there, or if you have any tips for video making, I am all ears

Jim, hmmmm so now you got me stuck in the middle again. SLRs can be good, and you do a lot of hiking with one and have found a way to make it work with your neck strap. Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Well everyone has been really helpful. Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions. Tomorrow I think I might go shopping......

[chumley]

I am big fan of night hiking. In the phoenix city limits, the glittering city lights look amazing.

One of the things I like about my new Lumix vs the Canons is that the Canons had a maximum "manual" shutter of 15 seconds. Made for some nice night sky photos, but often still a little lacking.

My Panasonic has manual night settings that extend the shutter to 30 and 60 seconds. I haven't had a chance to really test it yet, but am definitely looking forward to playing with those settings on a camping trip soon...

[Jim Lyding]

FreeSpirit, the one hike we've done together was about the only hike I've done over the last 4 years when I haven't had my DSLR slung around my neck. I'm still kicking myself over it because the scenery on that Mazatzals Divide hike was unbelievable, but that's life. Joe told me that the lighting would have destroyed any shots I would've taken, but I think differently. Sorry, Joe. I'm still kicking myself (gingerly, as my tootsies may never recover) about trying out my B-level boots on the Reavis Falls hike w/ Wally and Dave the next week. I've learned to stick w/ what works for me.
I've taken over 13,000 shots with my Canon XTi (about 12,000 of which were on hikes), and have loved every minute of it. 'Ol Bessie has been down the Colorado River, conquered the Pinals, been dropped in the Mazatzals, and made it all the way to the top of Humphrey's. However, I'm a machine-gunner (to use parlance from StorminNorman sundevilstormin...he would be a great person to talk to w/ respect to this subject), and I've become a firm believer in taking shots that don't require editing. My belief is that if a shot requires computerized editing then it's not worth keeping. That's just me, however, and many other HAZ uses have shared unbelievably great shots that have been edited. Keep to the Code: framing, direction, subject, lighting, and setting. If you take 200 shots on a hike, then 30-40 of them are bound to be cool

Another thing to consider when comparing a point-and-shoot to a DSLR is that the latter will require a substantially greater dollar investment beyond the camera. If you buy a DSLR you'll probably want to buy an extra memory card or three, the before-mentioned neck-strap, a spare battery if you're going on a long trip, and most certainly some sort of UV filter if for no other reason than to preserve your factory lens. A $19.99 UV filter is a great way to protect a factory lens that will cost a hundred bucks to replace. At least, because we all know that if you scratch the factory lens you'll want to upgrade.

[RedRoxx44]

I am enroute to Utah but thought I would chime in. I pretty much always carry two cameras. One will have a super wide angle something only available on DSLR type cameras and one the more reasonable with a zoom. They don't make a wide enough angle for me but my current set up of the Oly Pen EP2 with a pricey 7-14mm lens coupled with my Sony with a 20x zoom works well.
I will be using a Canon D-10 and a Panasonic Ts1 f9r the Dirty Devil. I make pack also a small Sony PS. I am taking a DSLR with but not for the river. Lots of cameras, some permanently borrowed, but gives me lots of flexibility on the shooting. Haven't found the perfect all in one yet.

[gringoantonio]

Canon makes, by a wide margin, the best point and shoot cameras. They have the best image quality and the most user-friendly and intuitive menus. A great option that is compact but retains full manual control and shoots RAW + JPEG is the Canon S90. It has the same sensor as the G11 (the biggest of any compact camera from any brand), plus a bigger screen, plus a faster lens (f2.0), yet is more compact than the G11:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... amera.html

The only other point and shoot worth considering is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5 ... amera.html

Quite a few pros use the Lumix as their pocket camera. Though, the majority use a Canon G11, G10, S90 or some other Canon Powershot. The Lumix has great image quality and an even wider lens than the Canon S90 (24mm equivalent vs the S90's 28mm). The only major drawback of the Lumix is limited optical zoom range (24-60mm equivalent). All of these cameras have full manual capability.

If you decide to get an SLR, this is the most comfortable strap I've come across in over 10 years:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5 ... lease.html

One more thing--if you buy your camera online avoid any prices that seem to good to be true. There's a ton of scams and rip-offs online when it comes to camera gear. The best stores online are B&H, Amazon (only if sold directly by Amazon) and Adorama. B&H and Amazon have the best customer service. And all three charge no sales tax to AZ.

[gringoantonio]

One more thing--if you get a compact camera, these cases are great:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1 ... 23features

They're shock-absorbing, water resistant, compact and snug. The sewn-in plastic belt clip can very easily be removed by cutting the stitching.