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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 15, 2009 - 02:03am PT
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Looks killer, esp the size aspect!
a little beyond what I wanted to pay (without a signed contract) has somewhat limited zoom and that pesky $$ proprietary battery, but could in many ways, be an, ultimate, on the spot, climber rig!
Thanks Malcom,
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Shrug
Trad climber
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Sep 15, 2009 - 01:59pm PT
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I second the Lumix, I've had mine for a couple years. It's been banged around, dropped, kicked, scratched and some other actions I can't think of verbs for right now. And it still takes good pictures.
I got it as a pocket replacement to my SLR.
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nutjob
climber
Berkeley, CA
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Sep 15, 2009 - 04:35pm PT
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What Shrug said. I go cheap because I'll probably drop it or smash it in a chimney. I've done both before.
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Jim Herrington
Mountain climber
New York, NY
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Sep 15, 2009 - 04:38pm PT
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Here's me with mine.
Heavy, but never needs repairs and never runs out of batteries.
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mongrel
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Sep 15, 2009 - 05:51pm PT
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Not a specific model recommendation, but I've had a Canon PowerShot S50 for at least 5 or 6 years and used it heavily everywhere from climbing to field work in W. African rain forest. Very durable and super high quality pictures. All the symbols have finally rubbed off the selection wheel on the top and I've scratched in the two that I need to use (auto and manual, forget the other programs). I bought an extra (yes, moderately pricy) Canon battery and rotate them. Between the two, I can photograph with abandon for at least 3-5 days (but need to warm up the camera a bit in a pocket in cold weather, or get very little battery life). The lens and metering on this camera has been outstanding, which will make me either stick with Canon or go Nikon if I ever kill this one.
I'd say, get whichever Canon has a viewfinder and is the largest size you're willing to carry climbing, and call it good. Elph if you need small, or another as recommended in other posts. But I think it's a mistake to limit to AA batteries; even if you do, I think you'll want to get rechargeables anyway.
Banquo - good forum name - can't you employ the editing function that "fixes up" the mood of the image's subject??
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PhotogEC
climber
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Sep 15, 2009 - 06:32pm PT
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Jim - sweet rig. I periodically pull out my 4x5, too. What kind of legs do you have on it?
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Jim Herrington
Mountain climber
New York, NY
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Sep 15, 2009 - 07:22pm PT
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PhotogEC,
I can actually hand hold it in good light...
But in that photo I'm using the tiny but very sturdy Bogen mini tripod. There's always a rock somewhere to sit it on...
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Sep 15, 2009 - 08:37pm PT
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Haven't had the Crown Graphic out in years.
You need cargo pockets in the pants for the film holders too.
On the digital front, my trustworthy Fuji E550 finally gave up after too many years of abuse on my last Sierra trip.
Fortunately it was at the Norm Clyde exhibit on the way up.
I replaced it with the last Cannon A1100IS they had at K Mart
View finder and 2 AA's. Not quite the versatility of the Fuji, and I really miss the "Velvia" setting. The ergonomics are a bit better, even though it is smaller.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 16, 2009 - 04:14am PT
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Mongrel, the whole point of AA'sis rechargibles, the easiest ones on the planet to replace in times of need.
My friend Jerry, had speed, and Crown, graphics, also a Russian Hasseblad knock off, ($40) wonder whatever happened to that stuff?
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reddirt
climber
Elevation 285 ft
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Sep 16, 2009 - 10:47am PT
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this is a repeat...
My primary criteria for a climbing camera is waterproofness/resistance after water from a random hailstorm in Tahquitz killed the zoom motor on my minolta.
Our household currently has a pentax optio w10 & w20.
Olympus also makes a waterproof/resistant camera but the last I chked it didn't take SD cards, which I already had a bunch of.
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tv
climber
CA
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As a bit of a camera "weeny" wanting something between my Canon 1dMKIII and my Canon Powershot A620. I wanted 1. compact; smaller than digi SLR and 2. versatility of interchangeable lenses, 3. depth of field control and 4 - instant on and instant next shot. HD vid would be a distant 5th priority. I recently purchased the Panasonic GH1. Has HD video, too...IQ doesn't hold a candle to my 1d tank but for the weight it is quite satisfactory. Luminous Landscape (.com) has a page on the camera's video capabilities.
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reddirt
climber
Elevation 285 ft
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if I didn't already have the W20...
I'd consider the Pentax W80
http://www.pentaximaging.com/digital-camera/Optio_W80_-_Gunmetal_Gray/
12.1 Megapixels
12.1 Megapixels for detailed images that can be printed in large sizes.
5X Internal Optical Zoom
5X internal optical zoom in a slim 1 inch body is equivalent to 28-140mm.
Wide angle lens
Wide angle 28mm lens gives an expanded perspective to images, ideal for indoor, landscape, or group shots.
2.5 inch LCD screen
2.5 inch LCD monitor features anti-reflective coating, making it easy to view, even in bright sunlight.
Waterproof
Waterproof design withstands depths up to 16 feet (5 meters) to protect from rain and spills, as well as allowing full underwater photos and video.
Shockproof
Rugged Shockproof design protects against drops of 3.3 feet, ensuring the camera is protected from hard use and the occasional “spills” on dry land.
Coldproof
Coldproof design allows the camera to be used in sub-zero temperatures of -10° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit), ideal for cold weather activities such as skiing and snowmobiling.
HD Movie Capture
Widescreen, HD movie capture records resolutions up to 1280x720 pixels at full-speed 30 frames per second.
Face Detection
Fast Face Detection technology sees up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds, with Smile Capture and Blink Detection, for perfect portrait shots.
Shake Reduction
Pixel Track Shake Reduction (SR) ensures sharp images in any lighting condition, without adding high ISO noise. Digital SR and Movie SR are also available.
Super Macro Mode
Close focusing, Super Macro mode brings out the details in even the smallest subjects as close as 1 cm.
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Mattq331
Mountain climber
Superior/Boulder/UK
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Big up for the Canon 570is. Compact, 7.1 megapixels, takes 2xAA with the option of an external power supply. It also can take add-on lenses, although the range is limited.
Picture quality is solid, and it has an external view finder which you should never be without if you ever go into bright sunlit conditions. Don't trust those who claim the viewfinder is necessary - you'll need it one day, and curse it if you went without.
I got mine from EBay a few weeks ago for $80.
What's really cool though is CHDK - open source hack software for certain Canon compact cameras - that allows you to unleash the hidden features. For instance, you can set it to take photos automatically every 5 seconds or so, for as long as you want. This makes cool time-lapse videos. You can also boost shutter speed up to 10,000 of a second and down to really ssllloowww speeds as well. Another unusual capability you can unleash is motion-sensitive camera shots. Set the camera to only take a photo when something moves in the frame - good for when the shutter finger is not fast enough - perhaps shots of lightning or taking a not unexpected fall? All this added capability for no cost, and easy to load as well.
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honemasterT
Trad climber
Arizona
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I have an older Canon Powershot S400 that just wont die..
keeps going and going.
Metal body.. optical viewfinder, can hack it with CHDK
4Mp is quite limiting by today's standards though, but
shooting RAW with such a compact cam is kind of a trip :)
Canon has just revitalized the 'S' line
(meant to be a compact version of the powershot "G" series.
no optical VF though baaaah!
The G11 promises to fix some of the G10's shortcomings..
Still own the G6 which had a really nice/fast lens.
Right now, the Pany's are up and coming.. I'd check
these two sites for reviews myself:
imaging-resource.com
dpreview.com
for outdoor adventure stuff, a viewfinder is 'not'
an option IMHO
have been also digging some of the Kodak stuff
lately, but their Z980 is definitely *not* a
compact.. but has an amazing 24x zoom
you can check my photostream out here..
lots of shots from several different cameras
http://flickr.com/photos/honemastert
http://www.timschneider.org
tim in arizona
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Francis
Trad climber
San Francisco
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this is my recommendation to my friends looking for an affordable point and shoot:
Canon SX 200....
This is a sweet point and shoot. Complete manual over ride as well as a TV and AV functions. Nice big glass up front.
No view finder but you won't miss it. I am a prof. photog and while my slr's have them, I use the point and shoot in a different way.
and the AA batteries are not used because of the size. They can pack the juice in a smaller compartment with the rechargeable. If it is an issue with you... like you are going off for 2 weeks then just get an extra battery and make sure it is charged up.
good hunting!
f
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Wes Allen
Boulder climber
KY
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I think we are going to pick up a canon G11 pretty soon (once they are available) to take out with us when we don't want to bring all the gear. Hotshoe for an external flash is a killer feature for me.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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I got a Pentax Optio W80 just a couple weeks ago to eventually replace my W30 Kite-Camera. Over two hundred flights, a half-dozen crashes, about 14,000 aerial pictures and it's still going strong (the W30), but it is starting to show it's age.
Wind conditions haven't allowed me to do anything besides bench-test the W80, so it's only snapped a couple shots.
Looks good for what I'll be doing with it. The extra mp will let me crop smaller corners of my shots.
Two problems: The socket for the tripod screw is off-set to the extreme edge of the camera. Not a big deal for most users, but the tripod screw is how I attach the camera to the flying rig. I've rigged a "safety lanyard" usung the wrist strap and a snap-swivel, but I would still rather see it better centered.
The other thing it needs is an intervolmeter (sp?) to allow the camera to take shots at intervals. The W30 has one, it'll take a shot every ten seconds until the card is full or the battery is dead. Not the W80 though.
There is no lens cover. You're looking straight at the glass in the picture on Reddirt's post. I wouldn't want to see what the lens looks like after carrying it in my pocket for a season of wandering around the boonies. That's good for me, however. Less moving parts means less to damage in a crash. The W30 doesn't have a lens cover either, and it still looks to be in fine shape. I've been real careful with it (besides crashing it a few times from considerable altitude!)
I really like stuff that can take my abuse and still work, and Pentax's Optio series does that.
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