View Full Version : A Photo Geek's Trail Camera
My latest blog entry covers my thoughts on which camera I'm going to take on my thru attempt next year. 'Course, I've been a photographer all my life ...
http://laughingdawg.blogspot.com/
Feral Bill
09-11-2011, 21:50
Very lucid discussion. Thank you.
Odd Man Out
09-11-2011, 23:50
I'm no photo geek, but after a lot of reading last spring, I got the Canon S95 for birthday/fathers day (had to combine two gifts into one to justify the $$). I really love it. Haven't had it backpacking yet, but got back from Yosemite a month ago (stayed in the lodge and day hiked). It has this awesome low light setting.
13831
Nice photo! I really think the S95 is the best quality to weight. To step up to a bigger sensor, one has to strap on a lot more weight. It may be the ultimate backpacking camera for those looking for quality imagery at this point in time -as long as one takes steps to protect it.
Someone recently posted the link below which is for a hiker/photographer's thru hike. His photos are probably the best pics of the AT I've seen. I realize he has an eye for good pics being a photographer but I was tempted to contact him to see what camera he uses. Awesome!
http://benbenvieblog.com/tag/appalachian-trail/
Thank you for that link. Amazing photos. He has a great eye.
Someone recently posted the link below which is for a hiker/photographer's thru hike. His photos are probably the best pics of the AT I've seen. I realize he has an eye for good pics being a photographer but I was tempted to contact him to see what camera he uses. Awesome!
http://benbenvieblog.com/tag/appalachian-trail/From another thread, from Ben:Ben Benvie: "I used a Canon 5d Mark II with a 35mm 1.4 lens. No flash, no tripod. It's big and heavy but I love it."
That Canon has a big, 36 x 24 mm CMOS sensor, which would account for the clarity and dynamic range of the pictures. That's the big trade-off for me. 7 ounces of camera with a sensor 1/8th the size of the Canon's? 1.8 lbs (w/o lens) for this level of quality? Or something in between?
http://blog.tylerginter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/sensor-size-11.gif
waywardfool
09-12-2011, 10:39
I want to get my hands on a Fuji X100 to play with...APS-C size sensor, RAW, 14.5 OZ. The "downside" is 35mm fixed lens.
Well, the other downside is the cost ... As for the fixed lens, that's the same focal length Ben Benvie used, and it appears he used just that one throughout his hike.
The S95 is a great camera. The F2.0 is nice, and it has RAW. Really can't go wrong with it. If you were looking for a DSLR to be more manual, I'd take something like the Nikon D5100 with a lens or two... maybe a consumer F3.5 zoom lens for the day, and a F1.4/F1.8 prime lens for night.
Honestly though, I'd probably just bring the S95.
Yup. I still want to see the new Olympus E-PM1 with the four thirds sensor. And, like I said, that Fujifilm X10 is a sexy little number ...
RWheeler
09-12-2011, 13:43
I'm trying to settle on a camera to bring along with me on my NOBO thru-hike next year. I (preferably) don't want to carry means to recharge the camera, meaning I'd likely have to settle for a camera that uses AA batteries (or AAA) and just replace them as I go - unless a camera with rechargeable batteries would last the duration of the hike with, say, two batteries?
I'll likely keep my camera close and take a decent amount of pictures, at least early on, and later on my picture quantity will likely depend on who I meet and if I end up hiking along with anyone.
Do you have any suggestions on digital point and shoot cameras that would use AA batteries? Or do you know an average distance that someone would get with two rechargeable battery packs? I /really/ don't want to have to carry the means to recharge the batteries myself...
Here's a March 2011 article on cameras that run on AA.
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/round_ups/best-aa-battery-powered-cameras
They are getting harder to find because most want small, skinny, sleek, and the lithium batteries allow designers to make em so.
The cameras I'm looking at get from 200- 400 shots on a battery charge. That's a lot of shooting for the average person. One could put a charger in a bounce box, if they were doing bounce boxes ... I hope not to feel the need to do so. I am concerned about carrying an extra charger, and if I find one that can plug into one of my .75oz Apple USB chargers, it's going to be a compelling point! I'm downloading user manuals to find that bit of info ...
Odd Man Out
09-12-2011, 14:35
I'm trying to settle on a camera to bring along with me on my NOBO thru-hike next year. I (preferably) don't want to carry means to recharge the camera, meaning I'd likely have to settle for a camera that uses AA batteries (or AAA) and just replace them as I go - unless a camera with rechargeable batteries would last the duration of the hike with, say, two batteries?
I'll likely keep my camera close and take a decent amount of pictures, at least early on, and later on my picture quantity will likely depend on who I meet and if I end up hiking along with anyone.
Do you have any suggestions on digital point and shoot cameras that would use AA batteries? Or do you know an average distance that someone would get with two rechargeable battery packs? I /really/ don't want to have to carry the means to recharge the batteries myself...
I used to think thing the same way about AA vs rechargeable batteries. But it seems most PaS cameras are moving away from AA. The AA cameras usually bigger, and though I have not crunched the numbers, I don't think you same much if any weight by going with AA vs rechargeables with a recharger. I used my Canon S95 on our trip to Yosemite and took lots of pictures every day. Since we were staying in the lodge, I could recharge every night, but I was still paranoid about the battery running out during the day. So I bought an extra rechargeable battery. The off-brand 4$ battery seemed to perform just as good as the name brand. Turns out I didn't need it. I could even go for a couple of days on one battery without recharging. On an AT thru hike you will be in town every few days anyway so I would think two batteries would be plenty. And a 4$ a pop, you could buy a bunch if you really feel the need. The Canon battery is no bigger than a AA (about 1" square and flat) and the charger is very small and compact (std 110v plug), only about twice the size of the battery.
13837
http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Adventure-Waterproof-Digital-Wide-Angle/dp/B004MKNJFW
this is what i plan on taking? unless someone here talks me out of it =p
RWheeler
09-12-2011, 15:26
Hmmm, if chargers are indeed that small, maybe I'll carry one and just freshen the batteries up whenever I'm in town.
Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Adventure-Waterproof-Digital-Wide-Angle/dp/B004MKNJFW
this is what i plan on taking? unless someone here talks me out of it =p
You might check this out:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest/
Hmmm, if chargers are indeed that small, maybe I'll carry one and just freshen the batteries up whenever I'm in town.
I just found the Canon charger weighs 2.5 ozs and the Oly XZ-1 uses USB! Now, I need to know if the apple USB charger with an output of 5V, 1A would overpower the camera that comes with a charger with an output of 5V, 500ma? Or would the camera just take the amperage it needs? Either way USB chargers weigh almost nothing ...
bigcranky
09-12-2011, 19:01
Good wrap-up on the camera issue, CW.
I've been carrying a GF-1 with the 20mm f/1.7 lens for the last year or so. It provides much of the functionality of the 5D Mk2 with the 35/1.4 that Benvie carried, at a more manageable size and weight for hiking. It's almost completely replaced point-and-shoot cameras for me. The micro 4/3 sensor is large enough for excellent raw files and good control over depth of field. The lens is excellent even wide open, and provides very nice out of focus areas behind the subject. I happen to like that focal length (~40mm equivalent) for most of my work, so I don't miss having a zoom. I do have a 14mm and a 50mm lens, but I don't think I've ever taken them hiking.
If I were thru-hiking I would carry the GF1, the 20, battery charger, spare battery, and enough 32-GB cards to last the trip. Maybe a large Gorillapod, too.
The four thirds are still on my radar. Olympus is releasing a new model they call the E-PM1 weighing considerably less than the other Olys and Panasonics. I think both Oly and Panasonic have improved image quality while limiting external controls as the "progressed" from their mod 1 cameras to the mod 3s out now. Which I think is a shame. OTOH, Panasonic has leapfrogged Oly with a new sensor in their GF3 that is a big upgrade over the GF2. A GF3 with the 14mm and the 45mm would be a nice kit. That's a lot to hike with, but it might be worth it.
Then Waywardfool got me looking at the FujiFilm x100 again ... Got a few months to make up my mind ... Geesh!
waywardfool
09-13-2011, 09:08
Then Waywardfool got me looking at the FujiFilm x100 again ... Got a few months to make up my mind ... Geesh!
It's only money....have you ever seen a hearse with a trailer hitch? You can't take it with you.
I've been reading more reviews of the x100...the sample pics are amazing...great job with skin tones. I think may the others can learn from their processing.
waywardfool
09-13-2011, 09:09
Oops... "be"...maybe the others...
If you're bound and determined to not take it with you, look at Sony's new NEX7. Body weighs 10 ozs, big 24mp APS-C sensor, Fast Zeiss prime lenses. Not quite as goofy looking as the NEX5. An NEX7 plus a Zeiss 24mm F1.8 lens (35mm eq) would set you back $2200 ...
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666375235
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1108/11082419sonynex7overview.asp (http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666375235)
bigcranky
09-13-2011, 18:02
OTOH, Panasonic has leapfrogged Oly with a new sensor in their GF3 that is a big upgrade over the GF2.
If you are talking about the G3, then I agree completely. That's the newest Panasonic, with the built in EVF. It's smaller than the G1 and G2, sort of like my GF1 with an EVF hump. I handled one in a shop and it was very nice - much better handling than my GF1 and the EVF is excellent. The new 16mp sensor is also supposed to be quite good.
If you really mean the GF3, then I would point out that it's been stripped down so small as to be unusable for me. Panny took away all the controls that made the original GF1 an enthusiast's camera. Oh well.
The 14/2.5 is an excellent little lens. Weighs maybe 5 grams. OK, a slight exaggeration. Very sharp. What I want now is the new Olympus 45/1.8 as a portrait lens, then I'll have the classic 28/40/90 (equivalent) combo for my GF1. Great travel system.
Good luck with your decision. In the long run, I guess you need to decide if this is a photography trip that happens to be on a trail, or a hiking trip on which you want to bring a camera. Big difference, and it'll help make the camera choice easier.
If you are talking about the G3, then I agree completely. That's the newest Panasonic, with the built in EVF. It's smaller than the G1 and G2, sort of like my GF1 with an EVF hump. I handled one in a shop and it was very nice - much better handling than my GF1 and the EVF is excellent. The new 16mp sensor is also supposed to be quite good.
If you really mean the GF3, then I would point out that it's been stripped down so small as to be unusable for me. Panny took away all the controls that made the original GF1 an enthusiast's camera. Oh well.
No, I meant the GF3. And, as I said, it's unfortunate that both Oly and Panasonic have improved image quality while limiting external controls. It's clear they think their market is the average user moving up from compacts, as opposed to the enthusiast who wants fine control over the camera. That's why the Fujifilm X series, and the Sony NEX series is popular with photo geeks.
In the long run, I guess you need to decide if this is a photography trip that happens to be on a trail, or a hiking trip on which you want to bring a camera.
For me the truth lies in between somewhere. I just need to decide how much quality I'm willing to sacrifice, and how much weight I'm willing to strap on... And how much money I'm willing to, uh, invest.
Here's one more announcement to consider: Canon just announced the update to the S95, the S100. Its lens' range has been extended to be both wider and longer, it has a new, faster image processor, and it has a new 12mp, 1/1.7" sensor - supposedly offering reduced noise and increased dynamic range, and HD video recording at 1920x1080 resolution. It now has an internal GPS unit, offering geo-tagging of images, and can log tracks that can be used with mapping software. It sports minimal grips that the S95 didn't have, and is just a little heavier than the S95 at 7 ozs.
Can't wait to see the imagery
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canons100/page4.asp
Fog Horn
09-19-2011, 09:34
Someone recently posted the link below which is for a hiker/photographer's thru hike. His photos are probably the best pics of the AT I've seen. I realize he has an eye for good pics being a photographer but I was tempted to contact him to see what camera he uses. Awesome!
http://benbenvieblog.com/tag/appalachian-trail/
I did contact him previously asking the same question, and he is extremely helpful, and passionate about the thru hiking experience. He not only told me what camera, but also a few things to look for/ avoid, a couple of tips for on trail, and some motivational words.
Great guy!
MyName1sMud
09-19-2011, 10:12
Yeah Ben's pictures are the best i've ever seen of the AT. He's got "that" eye.
I did contact him previously asking the same question, and he is extremely helpful, and passionate about the thru hiking experience. He not only told me what camera, but also a few things to look for/ avoid, a couple of tips for on trail, and some motivational words.
Great guy!
Awwwww! He didn't reply to me :(
Fog Horn
09-19-2011, 10:15
Great, now I'm considering the GF3 instead of just the s95 :(
I'm not necessarily all that picky when it comes to the image creation. I'm a graphic designer above novice photographer. As long as the photo composition is perfect, I can usually tweak a photo in post production if I am not completely happy with the way it comes out.
The key features I need in a camera are:
-crisp imagery/ fast shutter speed
- Ability to control the exposure to get those slow moving water shots and possibly a lightning shot or two
- Ability to get the imagery needed for an HDR photo or two.
I'm easy, and I'm pretty sure as long as I can get this out of my camera I will be happy. I'm not worried about the video function, as I will be most likely bringing along a flip camera as a journal instead of pen and paper. I enjoy taking amazing photos, but most of my skill is in selecting the right composition. I have an eye for the design of a photo, and not necessarily the skills with a DSLR that I should. I've been spoiled by my DSLR for image quality and size though, so there is no turning back for me.
Fog Horn
09-19-2011, 10:16
Yeah Ben's pictures are the best i've ever seen of the AT. He's got "that" eye.
Awwwww! He didn't reply to me :(
Maybe he was just busy? He seems like he is involved in a lot of big projects. I might have just caught him at a good time.
MyName1sMud
09-19-2011, 10:31
Maybe he was just busy? He seems like he is involved in a lot of big projects. I might have just caught him at a good time.
Yeah i'm not holding it against him or anything. I myself barely have time to reply to WORK emails.... haha
Snowleopard
09-19-2011, 12:13
...
- Ability to get the imagery needed for an HDR photo or two. ...
There are some cameras that have a builtin HDR mode, getting the several images needed automatically. I'm not sure which cameras have this.
[HDR = High Dynamic Range, takes multiple images with a short exposure and a long exposure and combines them in software so that both the bright and dark parts of the scene look good. It's sometimes pretty neat.]
I've been downloading pdfs of camera manuals to find unpublished specs, and always look to see what kind of auto bracketing they do. Some have limited bracketing within a narrow exposure range, some allow bigger jumps between shots, and some go crazy with all kinds of options ... Of course you can create hdr from a single RAW file too.
Last Chance
09-19-2011, 13:07
The Canon S100 is a 1-year newer version of the Canon S95, which in turn was a 1-year newer version of the Canon S90.
The Canon S100 adds a slightly broader zoom range, GPS and 1080/24p video over the S95 with a little more weight.
I would prefer my Nikon D-700 with an assortment of lenses but realistically one has to make compromises on the trail.
The S95 is the perfect trail camera for a serious photography and has served me well.
waywardfool
09-22-2011, 17:42
Nikon 1 released. I predict failure...
Good reading on it here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=206325
jeramie75
09-22-2011, 19:54
I have used the Fuji Fine pix for a couple yrs now and it has done well. I also have a Droid Incredible 2 that I am going to start taking instead due to its quick power up as well as versatility.
Rooster_2010
09-30-2011, 21:29
I did contact him previously asking the same question, and he is extremely helpful, and passionate about the thru hiking experience. He not only told me what camera, but also a few things to look for/ avoid, a couple of tips for on trail, and some motivational words.
Great guy!
You must have caught me on a good day! Life is busy and full of distractions, that's my excuse anyway!
The Fujifilm x100 and the soon to be released x10 are both good looking cameras, I'll buy one of them this Christmas. The x10 looks like an amazing camera and would suit most hikers. The x100 will give you less options because it has a fixed 35mm lens (my favourite!) but has better image quality. Every camera has it's own 'crutch', so you have to decide what's most important to you. My camera's (Canon 5D Mark II) crutch is it's heavy and doesn't have a pop-up flash, but it's almost unbeatable when it comes to taking photographs in low light. Low light and night photography are my favourite, so I will always suck it up and carry the weight. That is, unless one of you kind folks wants to give me $12,000 for a Leica M9?!
In the end, I got a Fujifilm X100, and hiked 650 miles of the trail with it before I had to go home with a hernia. I fell in love with it, and it responded by being a quirky, sometimes petulant brat that provides amazing imagery when I was patient with it.
https://picasaweb.google.com/107340056384354596027/AppalachianTrail?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Somewhere around Vermont, I got a message from another AT hiking/X100 packing friend about problems he had with water and dust intrusion. About that time, I was having problems with my power switch getting stiff... Here's how I resolved it, and how I intend to protect the X100 when I get back on the trail in spring:
http://www.laughingdog.com/2012/10/lessons-learned-cameras-on-trail.html
Another Kevin
10-12-2012, 10:41
If you're looking for features like multi-exposure acquisition for HDR, RAW image storage, and shutter-priority for those slow waterfall shots, almost any of the Canon compact cameras can do it if you upgrade them with CHDK (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK_in_Brief). It gives the point-n-shoots a lot of features that otherwise exist only in the DSLR line. (Of course, you won't have the DSLR detector or the DSLR lens quality, but you also won't have the DSLR weight. Life is full of tradeoffs.)
forrest!
10-12-2012, 13:28
Those are some great pictures LDog. I love the look of that X100 - reminds me of a Nikon FM - the good old days of knobs you could turn. I'm going to seriously consider that for my hike. But the price!
I just use my wife's Nikon coolpix. But I really miss the raw mode of my dslr. Im not risking my $750 outfit to my clumsy butt falling in a creek. Thanks to this thread I went searching and found my old a620 can be upgraded to RAW shooting. It was about $300 when I bought it. It has some great features, but it's heavy and uses 4 AA's! Unfortunately it doesn't use SDHC, only SD cards... But 2gb cards are cheap, if you can even find them now.
88BlueGT
10-12-2012, 14:41
Thanks for posting them pictures, just killed a solid hour at work :)
I will probably be taking my Canon T1i with a 10-22mm UWA lens. I was thinking of having a padded compartment sewn into my ULA bag for storage. It's heavy, but depending on your seriousness of photography can certainly be worth the weight. I'd much rather go without some comforts and have my camera then the other way around. Just my .02.
Those are some great pictures LDog. I love the look of that X100 - reminds me of a Nikon FM - the good old days of knobs you could turn. I'm going to seriously consider that for my hike.
Thanks for the comment. I still have an FE. The good old-fashioned shutter-speed knob, and aperture ring on the lens really appealed to me. A real old-school feel. Fuji has since come out with a couple of similar cameras with interchangeable lenses. The X-E1 looks like a sweet machine ...
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilm-x-e1/
And Sony is coming out with a full frame camera with a fixed 35mm lens:
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx1/
But the price!
There is that. Prices are dropping, and there is some rumors that they are moving inventory in advance of an X200. But if you look at what they want for the X-E1, or the new Sony, It'll make the X100 look like a bargain
Im not risking my $750 outfit to my clumsy butt falling in a creek.
Every time I crossed a creek, I thought the same thing, and I dropped my camera in a dry bag!
Thanks to this thread I went searching and found my old a620 can be upgraded to RAW shooting. It was about $300 when I bought it. It has some great features, but it's heavy and uses 4 AA's! Unfortunately it doesn't use SDHC, only SD cards... But 2gb cards are cheap, if you can even find them now.
There's a lot of folks who'd love a camera that uses AAs on the trail! I suspect one's not gonna get too many RAW files on a 2gb card, but like you say, they're fairly cheap. Certainly worth upgrading and trying it out!
Every time I crossed a creek, I thought the same thing, and I dropped my camera in a dry bag!
There's a lot of folks who'd love a camera that uses AAs on the trail! I suspect one's not gonna get too many RAW files on a 2gb card, but like you say, they're fairly cheap. Certainly worth upgrading and trying it out!
I figured it out. The 2gb card will hold 160 RAW images. I found the cards for $5 each. The software that enables the raw files resides on the card (it's called CHDK) so I didn't have to risk a bad firmware upgrade. Of course, it's easy to change cards, and my trips are pretty short, so I can probably use one card and be fine. I found a little case that fits on my hip belt, and with lithium batteries I'm sure it would last a while. With regular batteries the a620 sort of eats through them. I'm going on a trip in a couple of weeks, and will give it a good trial.
I'm no photo geek, but after a lot of reading last spring, I got the Canon S95 for birthday/fathers day (had to combine two gifts into one to justify the $$). I really love it. Haven't had it backpacking yet, but got back from Yosemite a month ago (stayed in the lodge and day hiked). It has this awesome low light setting.
I am looking to buy a Canon S100 and just happened to stumble across this thread. Seems like the way to go if you're looking for something small with great quality. However, am I going to miss not being able to zoom like you can with the cheaper point and shoots? I'm ready to pull the trigger on this camera, but this is my only concern.
Thanks!
I am looking to buy a Canon S100 and just happened to stumble across this thread. Seems like the way to go if you're looking for something small with great quality. However, am I going to miss not being able to zoom like you can with the cheaper point and shoots? I'm ready to pull the trigger on this camera, but this is my only concern.
I wouldn't think so. You may not have the extreme telephoto some cameras have, but you have a very wide angle for great landscapes, and a zoom to take great portraits, a great lens, and RAW capture allowing you to great creative freedom using tools like Lightroom and Photoshop.
Good luck and great shooting whatever you decide.