View Full Version : bought my thru-hike camera
wrongway_08
10-27-2007, 10:48
Bought an Olympus 790 sw for next year.
- shock proof from a 5 foot fall
- water proof to 10 feet
- freeze proof to 14 degree
- sand/dust proof (kinda a given if its water proof :) )
- 5.35 oz with battery and card
Will be taking it on this weeks backpack trip to see how it does at taking photos. One nice thing is it has a idiot menu that explains what the different modes do to your photos, so yo cant really mess things up.
The sales people took the display model and threw it to the ground, then smack it on the counter - took more abuse from them then any of my cameras have seen on a hike, still it worked without a problem.
I will miss my "real" camera on the thru-hike but for size, weight and durability this camera seems to be the way to go.
Here is a link for those that might be looking around for a camera also:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1314
Pedaling Fool
10-27-2007, 11:13
...Will be taking it on this weeks backpack trip to see how it does at taking photos...
Be sure to upload the pics so we can check them out.
Footslogger
10-27-2007, 12:20
Interested in learning how the battery holds up. Take a lot of pics, including night shots with flash.
I was looking at this line of cameras but I'm leaning not toward the Cannon A700 IS family (710, 720, 740), mainly because they are powered by 2 - AA batteries, which are easy to find and I wouldn't need to carry a charger.
'Slogger
I was looking at this line of cameras but I'm leaning not toward the Cannon A700 IS family (710, 720, 740), mainly because they are powered by 2 - AA batteries, which are easy to find and I wouldn't need to carry a charger.
FWIW, my Canon A620 takes four AA batteries. This summer I went six weeks (about 400 pix) on one set of batteries. Carried spare batteries for the last couple of weeks but didn't need them.
hopefulhiker
10-27-2007, 16:45
I just bought a new camera too, It allows one to stitch together panoramic shots, a feature I really like.. It uses two AA batteries and uses an SD card for memory.. It is a Kodak. 12 megapixels and 5X zoom...
Uncle Silly
10-27-2007, 17:35
I just bought a new camera too, It allows one to stitch together panoramic shots, a feature I really like..
I have a 35mm that does that. I take the shots, then glue the prints together to get my panoramic. Old-school. Glad to see the digital world is finally catching up with film features. :D
wrongway_08
10-27-2007, 18:45
This camera does that panoramic also, I have used this feature with my other cameras but then just get to lazy to photo shop them together and end up using tape to hold them together. :)
Footslogger
10-27-2007, 20:30
FWIW, my Canon A620 takes four AA batteries. This summer I went six weeks (about 400 pix) on one set of batteries. Carried spare batteries for the last couple of weeks but didn't need them.
================================
I know that ...but it takes 4 batteries. The A7xx series uses 2 batteries.
'Slogger
Pedaling Fool
10-27-2007, 20:45
FWIW, my Canon A620 takes four AA batteries. This summer I went six weeks (about 400 pix) on one set of batteries. Carried spare batteries for the last couple of weeks but didn't need them.
I had a similar experience with my Panasonic DMC-LZ2, using two AA alkaline batteries (about 1/2 of what you got). This is why, when at home I use rechargeable batteries, but on hikes I use alkaline - the rechargeables don't last as long but when at home it's easy to change them out.
nitewalker
10-27-2007, 20:45
i have my sony cyber shot5.0 and heavy if you ask me. for the next 5 days i will be lugging it with me thru the shenandoahs. i will be taking many pics..
Blissful
10-27-2007, 21:24
After dropping our camera in the Whites on a windy, cold day and destroying the lens on the rocks, was glad we did not opt for an expensive one but the $80 Samsung s630. Took decent pics for us and used 2 AA. Hubby sent us a new one in Gorham. So we went through 2 cameras (well, we still have the 2nd).
Sweet :)
Can't wait to see the photos posted.
MagicCityMatt
10-29-2007, 16:35
Great Camera, I have had one for a bit now. Battery life is great but you might want to buy an extra battery just in case. They are so small and weigh so little that a couple could not hurt. Better than triple As anyhow.
Ohhh. Another trick I learned was to make sure and set it to video in the program setting so you can get to it quickly when you are trying to record the bear trying to rob your food bag.
I cut the weight of my charger in half yesterday, now 3.4oz, by shortening the long charger cord.
What is a reasonable weight for a hiking camera?? I saw several cameras on WWW.BESTBUY.COM (http://WWW.BESTBUY.COM) that weights on 4 ounces and several that were 4.something ounces. They were under digital cameras under the "sleek and slim" section.
Is the problem that you can't get a good camera for 4 ounces?
Panzer
"dosen't know anything about cameras but needs a new one for my birthday next week"
little bear
10-30-2007, 23:35
i have that olympus 790 and love it. I take it on all my trips. When I went to St Lucia this spring I took it and dove down about 20 feet and took a pic of my wife swimming above me, without any problems. That was in the ocean, so salt water doesn't bather them either. GREAT CAMERA. Never had a problem with the battery.
Just my 2 cents.
LB
Is the problem that you can't get a good camera for 4 ounces?
Good enough for most purposes. Good enough for displaying on most CRT or LCD monitors and for making 5x7 or even 8x10" prints.
There are decent, inexpensive cameras (in most brands) in the 4 to 6 ounce range.
Now if you want to get technical... the "better" digicams have somewhat larger sensors and are likely to be heavier. Most folks will not notice the difference, at least not under the conditions noted above.
Digital SLRs (DSLRs) have the largest sensors and most folks would consider them too heavy for long-distance hiking.
================================
I know that ...but it takes 4 batteries. The A7xx series uses 2 batteries.
'Slogger
Yeah and I must have got over 1000 shots with the A700IS on a single set of lithiums under all conditions using the super fine setting. Flash recovery is slow, but I wasn't in a hurry! :D
wrongway_08
10-31-2007, 09:34
Bought an Olympus 790 sw for next year.
- shock proof from a 5 foot fall
- water proof to 10 feet
- freeze proof to 14 degree
- sand/dust proof (kinda a given if its water proof :) )
- 5.35 oz with battery and card
Will be taking it on this weeks backpack trip to see how it does at taking photos. One nice thing is it has a idiot menu that explains what the different modes do to your photos, so yo cant really mess things up.
The sales people took the display model and threw it to the ground, then smack it on the counter - took more abuse from them then any of my cameras have seen on a hike, still it worked without a problem.
I will miss my "real" camera on the thru-hike but for size, weight and durability this camera seems to be the way to go.
Here is a link for those that might be looking around for a camera also:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1314
Worked out good, the battery life was 2 full days for one battery - it will get better once I use that battery a couple of times, goofing off with it and using the night flash some. Only did one short video.
I was happy with the photos, the long shots (skyline shots) could be better but its not really designed for that anyways. All the other other photos came out great.
I will post some when in a little while, I have to down load the photo manager first.
I have the 720 sw the older version of the 790 (still basicly the same) and have been pleased. I have never used it underwater, but the rain doesn't bother it. I have dropped it a few times and it still works like new. I get about ~130-150 shots on one battery. I picked up a spare battery at Best Buy for $22.99. My only complaint for a thru is that the charger is seprate, and therefore adds more weight.
....Is the problem that you can't get a good camera for 4 ounces?...."
It all depends on what you want to do. You can't get a camera with a 12X zoom that weighs only 4 ounces, or a camera with a reasonably fast lens. Or a camera with sophisticated controls.
And if you are like me with more shaky legs and hands than I used to have, a four ounce camera probably is incapable of compensating automatically.
ON the other hand, a 4 ounce camera is always instantly at hand, so you don't miss whatever shots the camera is capable of getting.
However, as a late comer to the digital age, I shouldn't be commenting. Though I did a lot of research before settling on a 14 ounce camera. BTW. I've finally concluded that digital is the way to go.
Weary