I'm finally gonna get a digital camera, but not quite sure what kind yet. Can anyone recommend a good hiking/backpacking digital camera that can take the trail and is 3 megapixels? Also I will want to boost the memory up quite a bit.
BoyNhisDog wrote:
True to a certain extent Joe. I usually end up cropping my photos and the extra pixels come in real handy for this. The more the crop, the more the pixels are appreciated. There is a huge difference in the 2mp to the 4mp in the two cameras that I have used. The lens does make a huge difference in resolution which is another issue. Wheather they use every one of the megapixels or they can't, they certainly use a large portion of them and when you are editing the photos, I have found it useful in Photoshop. I always size down my photos for the web but not for printing. When you are printing there is no comparison between a 2mp photo and a 4mp photo. The 4mp will blow the other away. You can make your enlargement much larger too without the pixelization that you get with the 2mp.
Probably a valid thought for printing, I'm just not into printing with the WEB and portable devices these days.
However, I stand by my opinion
Guess I better keep my Photoshop opinions to myself ( diehard Corel user here )
teva wrote:Probably a valid thought for printing, I'm just not into printing with the WEB and portable devices these days.
However, I stand by my opinion
Guess I better keep my Photoshop opinions to myself ( diehard Corel user here )
Fair enough. I don't even know what Corel is and your computer skills are up on another plateau. I do prefer viewing photos on the computer myself as the luminesence lends a beautiful life not totally unlike a watercolor painting.
I use a Fujifilm FinePix that is a 3 meg extrapolated to 6 (they say) what I like it the big optical zoom. I like to print out my photos and blow them up so I want as near photo quality as i can get but you don't need this for the web or email. I still take my SLR too as a security blanket. I like digitals ability to manipulate photos. However the quality of the photo depends because at full quality I fill up my Hitachi 1 GB memory really fast!!! (bummer) On the trail, Canon takes abuse well, I've had to replace my Nikon once ( dropped it in the Dirty Devil River- glad I had that extra all purpose warranty)
I also too have the Canon Elph s100. I love the small size of it and take alot more pictures since I have gotten it. Just leave it on my belt for quick pictures. This last time in Australia I took over 700 Megs of pictures... That and a digital image bank is all I needed for the trip down under...
Dawn
--On the loose to climb a mountain, on the loose where I am free. On the loose to live my life the way I think my life should be...For we only have a moment and a whole world yet to see...I'll be looking for tomorrow on the loose. ---unknown--
It has a lot of features that most cameras dont. one that I like is the continous record. most of the cameras out on the market let you take 30 or so secs of mpeg. 602z will let you take a higer qulity 640 x480 mpeg for as long as you have memory. 15 mins or so with 1gig card or microdrive. I have a few compac flash cards that are between 256meg and 512 meg. I can take about 7 to 9 mins of video and it really easy to take that data and send it right to my cd recorder and then pop it in my dvd player and watch. most newer dvd players play mpeg and mpeg2 formats on cd-r's . you can also edit the data if you like before you send it to cd-r.
all the pictures on my website are done with the 602.. I have done vary little to them post processing wise. http://www.pbase.com/stich
the 602z uses both compac flash and smart media. so if you have a older cam this is a good choice so you can still use some of your old memory and start making a move to compac flash.
if anyone is looking for a new cam.. I would strongly recamend that you get a cam that uses compac flash card. the reasons are, its cheap, its small, and its the future.. at least for the next few years
also something that uses AA baterys is a BIG deal. I use 5 sets of NIHM bats. because when Im hiking or out somewhere I dont want o miss a shot because I dont have enough juice. These are common, cheap, resueable and last much longer then regular store bought AA's. 602z is one of best when it comes to battery life.
We use an Oylmpus C-740 Ultra Zoom, 3.2 mega pixel CCD sensor, 10X zoom 38mm-380mm
(35mm equivalent) 30X seamless zoom (10X optical X 3X digital) Quicktime movie mode, etc... It's a good digital camera, awesome zoom, good
macro. Not as small as some tiny digitals but slightly bigger than a box camera. It's little on the $ side but it's nice to have a good zoom, great clarity, and uploadable digital pics to have of hikes etc..
Joe and Sara
I have a really really old digital Panasonic 1.0mp? that actually uses a removable hard drive. (superdisk)It holds tons of pictures, I didn't even use up all the space when I went to the Canyon.And it weighs like 3 lbs too :roll: I think the rechargeable battery would wear out before the thing would run out of room for pictures...... HMMMMMM. unless i turned the auto flash off...... Have had it for at least 2 years now. And the battery still charges up to max. Really want to get a much lighter version, can't take this thing backpacking anymore, unless I have a mule.
Being an engineer I poured over the performance numbers vs. price and went
with the Olympus D-40ZOOM. It fits in your shirt pocket and also comes with
a belt-mount carrying case.
Two things I consider are must-have accessories are rechargeable NIMH
(nickel metal hydride) batteries and a smart battery charger. Stay away from
NiCad batts because of the memory problems. You want a smart charger because
it senses the state of charge of the battery and stops charging as soon as
it reaches full-power. Over-charging shortens the battery's life. Stay away
from so-called "automatic" battery chargers that just run for a period of
time and then just shut-off. These don't check how much power is already in
the battery and can cook them.
I've had a Canon S100 for quite a few years and added the G2 several years ago. They both take great pictures. The S100 is extremely light compared to the G2, but I always take the G2.
The S100 batteries don't last very long and the batteries on the G2 seem to last forever. The G2 can take hundreds of pics without draining the batteries. They both use CompactFlash and work very well.
I've gotten a couple of 128Mb CompactFlash cards and each will hold more than enough pics for a day hike, even at a high resolution setting.
There are 10 kinds of people in this world, those that can read binary ... and those that can't. http://www.loveliberates.com
I am actually going to buy the Sony DSCU60, which is just coming out. It is a 2 MP camera without an optical zoom, but it is only 6 ounces and is waterproof and ruggedized. From what I can see, it will do everything I need it to in order for me to save my memories...that and a 128 memory stick.
Has anyone else had a problem with their digital camera's shutter failing to open or only opening part way? It only does it occasionally, but my Canon Power Shot A550 has been doing this since July. Its a fine camera otherwise. Still, with this development at the 10 month mark for ownership, I would think it is not a very good camera. I always keep it in a case and out of dust. I have heard that the mechanism that opens the shutter is all plastic and is probably the reason for it not lasting very long.
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
I don't understand how that happened. I always keep it in a case, I don't think I've ever used it in windy or dusty areas and I think I've been pretty gentle with it. Did the manufacturer slip some sand into the camera to give it a usable life?
I had a little Sony that did that. I just had to change the batteries.
For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination. Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.
Its been doing this with both the old and the fresh lithium batteries I have had in it. I do believe some dust got into the shutter gears, I just can't understand how. I guess its dustier here than I have come to expect.
jhodlof wrote:Its been doing this with both the old and the fresh lithium batteries I have had in it. I do believe some dust got into the shutter gears, I just can't understand how. I guess its dustier here than I have come to expect.
This happened to my old Powershot; I tried like heck to keep it clean and it still got mucked up over in the sandbox while I was deployed there. When I got home I took it to Kit's here in town and they cleaned the daylights out of it putting an end to most of the issues...
This has nothing to do with recent topics, but my how the pixels and functions of these cameras change. I mainly shoot with a Canon XSi and my favorite lens is an EFS 10-22 mm lens. My telephotos aren't as good. But I quest for a good camera for backpacking that is not a DSLR and a bunch of lenses, cause I'm getting older and want less weight, and some of my trips have a high potential for camera damage.
I am an unofficial tester for a friend of mine who buys, sells and reviews some of the newer digital cameras for several ebay storefronts. She knows I am mainly a point and shooter, don't read the manuals, and just take off with it. She was interested in what I could get out of some of the cameras. So I've tried Olympus, Panasonic, Fujifilm, other Canons etal.
I have two cameras right now I would recommend as walk about cameras--alternative's to a DSLR.
One--the Sony DSC-H50-- this camera has some nice optics, good shooting at the long range telephoto without a tripod, and a nightvision option that is kinda cool. Able to do quite a bit of modification in camera if that's your thing to photos. I shot some of my Upper Paria, and Rucker Canyon pics with this camera. Also comes with a remote control.
Two-- the Panasonic DMC-LX3 this is a very small sturdy camera with a fairly wide angle for a fixed lens at 24mm ( yes it's not wide compared to what I am used to) and has a pricey wide angle conversion lens that can get it to a more respectable 18mm.
This camera is able to go fully manual and has a hot shoe mount for a larger flash, not the norm on a camera this size. Also different is the LCD has 460K pixels for crisp photo review---most of these cameras have 260K detail of the LCD.
The lens is fast and sharp. I took some of the water photos in Rucker canyon with this camera, and went for the "slow" water and I think this little jewel did a fair job for handheld and in sunlight.
Forget this one if you want telephoto as it is limited in that scope. Otherwise I think a fine backup camera that is small but not cheap.
If I wanted to buy a camera that's a point and shoot but still could take those soft water effect shots I think are so awesome, what it the spec I'm looking for...the abililty to take 5-10 second exposures?? Is there a name for it?
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
That's difficult to do even on a good point and shoot like the G9/G10. It isn't just increased time, you also need to stop down past f16. 20 to 22 works nice. A G9/G10 only goes to f8 (I think). If that doesn't make sense then think of it this way. You're allowing a smaller amount of light to come in over a prolonged period.
You can always mask the water in photoshop, pull out the blue and motion blur
)
It's a good digital camera, awesome zoom, good
but it's nice to have a good zoom, great clarity, and uploadable digital pics to have of hikes etc.. 
Have had it for at least 2 years now. And the battery still charges up to max. Really want to get a much lighter version, can't take this thing backpacking anymore, unless I have a mule.
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