"Holdout Camera" - Ideas for something tolerable?

[b.j._porter]

You know the concept of a "Holdout Gun" - the little gun in an ankle

holster so you're never unarmed?

 

Well - anyone have any ideas a good "Holdout Camera" that wouldn't

drive a 20D user with some nice glass nuts to use in an extreme case

of no real camera handy and a great photo op? I've been doing some

freelance PJ work for some local papers, that sort of stuff.

 

Something sharp with decent enough optics that is small enough and

light enough to carry in your pockets everywhere (guy pockets, no

purse), so you are never without.

 

A cruddy one would probably make getting the shot worse than missing

it, because you'd always be reminded of what you could have gotten.

 

This is not strictly an EOS question, but EOS is my comfort zone, and

as such it is the capability level against with which any digicam

would be measured.

[chiswick_john]

In the same way as there are laws against carrying a concealed firearm I think there should be laws against carrying a concealed camera - you should be arrested!. Think of all the deviants and terrorists out there walking our streets with small cameras in their pockets ready to sneak them out and take inappropraite pictures of our wives, children, pets and defense instalations.

[kram]

BJ, I'm sorry that I can't be of any real help but I'll say this: how I wish they made a digital

Minox GT-X! I have two that fit easily into a pocket, have great optics but only shoot film.

[chiswick_john]

Back in the day of good old film you could sneak around with a Minox or Ricoh GR1 on your pocket safe in the knowledge that if WW3 broke out on your way to the mall you could fire off some frames of vital historic importance safe in the knowledge that when you picked the film up from the lab a few days later you could print them up or scan them in and they wouldn't look any different than if you had shot them on your SLR ( infact due to super lenses on these babies they would actualy be better) These days digicam sensors just can't cut it the same way DSLR sensors can and you would alway be left with the sneaking feeling that you should have brought the big one when the big one happens.

[PuppyDigs]

<P><I>"In the same way as there are laws against carrying a concealed firearm I think

there should be laws against carrying a concealed camera - you should be arrested!. Think

of all the deviants and terrorists out there walking our streets with small cameras in their

pockets ready to sneak them out and take inappropraite pictures of our wives, children,

pets and defense instalations.</I></P><P>Inappropraite pictures of pets? On cold nights

my dog used to sleep with my dog. The cat seemed to feel such behavior was

inappropraite and was greatly offended. I assume you

wrote that entire with tongue firmly in cheek. [giggle] However, if you are actually

serious--which I doubt--you should know there are many countries you can move to

where such wishes are true.</P>

[chiswick_john]

Yes tongue was firmly in cheak and no I do not want to move to the USA.

[bobatkins]

You could always use film. Lots of nice small cameras there. Yashica T4, Olympus Stylus, Olympus XA series, Minox etc.

 

I have an Canon Powershot SD200. 3MP and the size of a credit card (but the thickness of a stack of 25 credit cards...). Works very well within the limitations of a tiny 3MP camera. You can get 4MP, 5MP and 7MP versions if you're really hung up on pixels!

[maury_cohen]

The Canon SD models mentioned above should do the trick.

Canons digic processor is truly amazing.

[WM]

Fuji F11 to be released soon. Good low noise to ISO1600, and a short range zoom, have M, Tv, Av and P modes.

 

Or larger would be the 350d + 35/2. Nice powerful combo.

[ajweiss]

Another vote for the SD Series. I have the SD300 and use it regularly when my 20D isn't

with me. I do find some things limiting, but it is a good trade-off for the size.

 

<p>When I was looking for a small camera, I thought I would want an Av mode to have

some control over depth of field. However, after a few calculations, I realized that the

difference in DOF between f/2.8 and f/8 on a 1/2.5" CCD camera is negligible. These kind

of cameras are not well suited to action shots anyway, so the "long shutter" was enough

for me to give up Tv mode. The SD series do have +/-2-stop exposure compensation and

a "low sharpening" mode to help in post-processing. Better high-ISO performance would

be good, but an f2.8 lens is pretty good in the dark, even at 200 ISO.

 

<p><img src="http://adamweiss.smugmug.com/photos/47114395-M.jpg">

 

<p>A nice bonus with small-CCD cameras is their macro ability. You can get REALLY close

with these guys because the sensor is so small. Who need 1:1 when 5:1 is amazingly

close? Of course, that small sensor means staying away from the new 7MP versions due to

noise and dynamic range issues (I would assume).

 

<p><img src="http://adamweiss.smugmug.com/photos/21849702-M.jpg">

[jake_cole]

Another vote for SD series. I use an SD20 (discontinued now, a little hard to find), but the single-focal-length lens might be too hard for many to accept. I use to use, still have, a SFL Olympus Stylus so easy to see why I like the SD20; I think I liked the SD10 even better (less MP). Small enough to always have with you, quality lens so the pictures are worth something.

[ky2]

If it has to be digital, then any digicam Canon is terribly crippled in high ISO. I vote for the Fuji F10, or the soon to arrive F11. I have used the F10, and I simply thing it's gorgeous. I compared it to the Canon 620, and at ISO 400 (something I'd LIKE to shoot indoors), the 620 is pathetic. With high ISO performance, you also get good flash coverage... The Canon's flash is powerless since you're basically limited to low ISO for anything but cell-phone style snapshots.

 

Film? that's easy. Get an olympus epic, the one with fixed (non zoom) lens.

[markplawchan]

In lieu of my Fujica G690Bl, I'll carry a SD400--amazing quality, and with a 1GB card-good for A LOT of shots...

[neil_v.]

Just Monday, I received shipment of a Canon SD450 "holdout gun" (and actually used that term the other day to characterize it).

 

In addition to the SD450's use as a ubiquitous carry camera, I also expect to use it for wide-angle shots when I have my XT with me, since the XT almost always has the 50/1.4 on it.

 

In limited playing with the SD450 thus far, the only imperfections I've noticed are: (1) some pieces, such as the door over the USB port, seem of surprisingly poor/cheap design; (2) it's heavier than you'd think, and it definitely needs a bulk-adding case to protect the LCD and automatic lens cover, and even a slim case makes for significantly bulkier carry; (3) surprisingly grainy images daylight-lit indoors, at all ISOs; (4) at the long end, indoors, I've not yet gotten an image that wasn't very blurry.

 

These are preliminary impressions after only a couple hours, I expect to figure out flash-less exposures eventually, and there are many good things immediately obvious about this camera. But I must say that the out-of-box experience was disappointing, compared to my 50/1.4 or even my old PowerShot S10.

[mark_man]

Another vote for the Fuji F10 - really very good high ISO performance for a digicam (ie not DSLR). Manual control not great - get the F11 if this is important to you. Fast response time and very easy to use. Only con - not super small (but similar in size to the A610/620 others are recommending). Hope this is helpful.

[ibcrewin]

Mac 26x in fourth mode....oops wrong forum. LOL..