Camera

[Snake Farm]

Who brought along a camera with them on their hike? Im trying to decide between a Sony Cybershot or the Nikon Coolpix. Cybershot only weights 4.8 oz and takes a charged battery pack. Coolpix is 6.5oz but takes batteries. Any thoughts? Anyone bring either of these with them? Feel free to mention any other good cameras.

[kayak karl]

im using the pentax optimo w90 after destroying three on the trail. one froze. one crushed in fall and one drowned.

[kayak karl]

oh, 5.76 oz with chip and leach.

[johnnyblisters]

My Kodak easy share has been my go to backpacking camera. Changeable batteries, great lifespan, relatively lightweight, and has survived my shenanigans.

[BitBucket]

I took an Olympus Stylus 850SW and a similar one by HP....the Olympus is waterproof to 10' and the HP wound up getting thrown in the trash can at Neil Gap after it got wet....I kept the HP in a ziploc and it still got too damp to work....the Olympus I kept in my pocket and used it to take most of the pictures

Spend a little more and get something that is made for outside use and can take a little abuse....you'll be glad you did by the end of the trip

I had paid about $300 for the HP,and picked up the Olympus 850SW at Walmart on closeout for around $90 (~70% discount)

[Blissful]

I use one that takes AA batteries and doesn't need recharging so I don't have to deal with another charger

[SurferNerd]

I use one that takes AA batteries and doesn't need recharging so I don't have to deal with another charger

+10 for sure. I wish that Olympus mentioned above ran off regular AA instead of stupid propietary ones. It's the only waterproof camera that's decent that I want. But alas..no luck yet.

I carry a Canon SD120X, it's an SLR in a compact body. A bit heavy, but very feature heavy.

[rockytop7]

What cybershot is only 4.8 oz? Is it a new one? Mine weighs 9 oz but its a few years old.

[JaxHiker]

I think the pics from the 850SW suck. I use a Canon A590IS but I can't find it now. :(

[RockDoc]

I recommend the Rollei 35.

[Powder River]

Which Nikon? Which Sony? Not every camera is made equally, and there are some real lemons out there. My suggestion would be to NOT shop by weight - this coming from someone who weighs everything and buys a new jacket/sleeping mat/tent/stove just so I can save a few ounces. You could have a really crappy camera that is one ounce lighter than a really good camera. Post which models you're looking at and what your price range is, and someone will be able to help you a little better.

Bottom line is read a lot of reviews on whatever camera you decide to buy, before you buy. If Amazon and B&H Photo reviews say it sucks, then it probably does.

[fredmugs]

I have a Coolpix S560. Personally I would not recommend it for hiking because the body is thicker than most cameras in that spec range. I like it and it takes great pics. I nave no idea what it weighs and I really don't care.

BTW - If you want to see some serious camera reviews check out....

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I don't know about B&H but I do know that Amazon is chock full of reviews from idiots and you can't base a purchase decision on how many stars it received.

[wrongway_08]

Take the one that uses batteries. You dont need to carry a charger and two sets of battieries weigh less then the charger, are more compact then the charger and you can buy the batteries along the way.

If you take the recharge one, buy an extra battery pack or two.

Keep it simple.

[Pedaling Fool]

All my pics in my gallery are from my Panasonic DMC-LZ2. Panasonic is a very good camera, with very good zoom capability. The DMC-LZ2 is kind of an old model now, there are more up-to-date versions available.

[strollingalong]

As far as I'm concerned I'd never use any brand but Canon. Ixus is a great little model and hardcore.
I've dropped mine off a balcony, the lens filled with caribbean sand, it's had a beer split over it, numerous terrible bangs and drops, rained on, left outside. Works perfectly.
Lion king walked the AT, PCT and almost all of the ADT with one canon. (that's over 10,000 miles)

[swjohnsey]

The Canon S95 is really cool but a bit pricey. I got one for my 2011 Thru-hike.

[TheChop]

I use a Canon Digital Elph that's a few years old. The biggest plus for me is the menu system on a Canon. A friend of mine bought a similar Sony brand and changing anything with the settings on his is a complicated mess. It's like it was designed by an engineer who'd never photographed anything before. I'm two or three clicks away from almost every setting on my Canon. I can adjust ISO and put it in macro with one button push and adjust exposure with three. Simple and intuitive.

With my friends camera it was a nightmare of searching through menus and submenus to adjust even rudimentary things. He had nothing but bad things to say about his Sony. The response time on the shutter was also laughable. The joke was if he wanted to take a photo he had to schedule it a day ahead of time.

[Buffalo Skipper]

I am using a Fuji XP10. It is about 6 oz (that is an estimate--I weighed it but forgot how much it was). The camera is waterproof to 10', freezeproof to 10*F, dustproof and shockproof to 6'. 10mp with a 5x optical. It takes some fiddling to find the comfort level for good pics (which may be an issue). Now available for about $120, this is a great camera which will survive the trail. Also does HD video.

If you are willing to figure out the settings and practice (learn) how to use it, this camera is a great deal. I love mine!

[Snake Farm]

Probably should have been more specific. Looking for one that runs off batteries, is hardy and im looking to spend $100-$200 on it. Digital of course.

[KingKrawler]

I carried the Nikon Coolpix L20 on my thru hike last year. It went on the fritz in New York and I replaced it with the Nikon Coolpix L22 for the remainder of the trip. They both use 2 AA batteries, and I used lithium ones. I think I only had to change them out once.

I got them both at Costco and I think I just saw the L22 at Costco online for around $90. It did everything I needed it to do and it was easy to figure out how to work it.

Whatever you get, I suggest you take a lot of "people" pictures; other thru hikers, trail angels, motel and shuttle operators, etc. Those'll bring back memories of your hike more than a mountaintop view, believe me!

Good luck on your hike.

[Wags]

i use this one i think...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B0011ZCDKS

[JaxHiker]

i use this one i think...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B0011ZCDKS

Great camera. I wish I could remember what I did with mine. :(

[BradMT]

Good thread... I'm looking for a quality camera too that uses AA/AAA batteries rather than the proprietary battery in my Pentax Lumix...

[swjohnsey]

You pay a price to use AA/AAA batteries. The cameras are generally bigger/heavier. Most folks are gonna stay/shower somewhere along the AT occassionally. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge a Canon battery. The camera will take about 200 shots on a charge. I am taking a charger and extra battery. I can go a couple of week before needing to charge cellphone and camera batteries.

[BradMT]

You pay a price to use AA/AAA batteries. The cameras are generally bigger/heavier. Most folks are gonna stay/shower somewhere along the AT occassionally. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge a Canon battery. The camera will take about 200 shots on a charge. I am taking a charger and extra battery. I can go a couple of week before needing to charge cellphone and camera batteries.

I'm not an AT hiker and if I were doing a thru hike it would be PCT. Also I can burn through a rechargeable battery in three days.

But you're likely right about the AT... haven't been on it in decades. Last big hike I did on it was 1977 and we often were out of towns for a week or more at a time. I hear things have changed considerably...