Selecting a ultra compact for a long hike (hiking/camping)

[shay_ohayon]

Hi All,

 

I am searching for a ultra compact camera to buy for our upcoming trip.

I am not a beginner and have had a lot of experience with (d)SLRs and MF.

However, since this is going to be a long backpacker's trip with many long

hikes, it seems that taking a SLR will be just too heavy.

 

Therefore, I decided to buy a ultra compact camera.

My main considerations are:

1. Weight

2. Battery life (and good charging options)

 

I thought about the new Panasonic TZ5, which have many great features, such as a

wide zoom (28mm), but the lack of manual control is a bit of a downside....

 

Can any of you guys suggest other good alternatives?

 

Thanks,

 

Shay

[zacker]

Sigma SD1 is an awesome camera, only draw back, no zoom.. fixed at 28MM i believe.

 

Canon G9 would work, I think its gonna be tuff to find an Ultra compact with Raw or fully manual controls. I got the canon sd850 IS because it got good reviews but its manual mode only lets you choose ISO and flash on, off or, auto...lol oh well, its still in my pocket all the time!

[ken munn]

The Ricoh Caplio range of compacts often get overlooked, but they have lots of bells and

whistles, good lenses, are admirably compact, and are usually a few millimetres wider-angle

than their competitors.

 

http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/lineup.html

[phule]

Canon G9 or Ricoh GX100 would be my choices. But these decisions would be based on the availability of places to charge them.

 

Otherwise I would go with a Canon A650 IS, install the CHDK firmware for RAW support, and carry couple packs of AA-sized Lithium batteries.

[carbon_dragon]

Compact cameras are an area where 35mm is still king (though the DP1 may change that). There are lots of pretty cheap cameras which work very well for small carry-along cameras. My favorites are the Contax T2 (for it's lens) and the old Leica CL (for it's lenses and total manual control and low weight). The CL has the annoying zinc air cells these days though due to the banning of mercury batteries.

 

There are some very small DSLRs too. The XTi is pretty small and light, and with a lightweight lens could be pretty easy to bring along I would think.

[john v.]

As an owner of the G9, I can say it would make a great camera for a long hiking trip. It's small enough to fit into a backpack or a coat pocket. I've worn it under my coat many times while skiing and you never even know it's there. As far as powering the camera, I see two options. One is to buy several batteries from <a href="http://www.sterlingtek.com/canbeqba80.html">Sterlingtek</a>. At $10.99 apiece, you can get several and charge them up before you go. Unless you're shooting constantly, that should easily last you a week or more. The other option is a portable solar charger. <a href="http://www.solio.com/charger/">Solio</a> makes some chargers that you may be able to hang on your backpack to catch the sun's rays while you hike, then use the stored energy to charge batteries at night. I haven't haven't tried the solar charger method myself, so I don't know if this method would work, but it may be worth looking into.

[w_t1]

I have a g9, but I would take my Rollei35se film cam for "really long hikes" as I have done before. (if taking a g9, i would also redcommend the sterlingtek batteries) less hassle, and if the battery craps out, which it won't, cam will still work. Check over in nature forum, there have been similar posts. I've taken quality pics that were sold while backpacking a week with this little cam, I see no reason to carry a digital to take infinitely more pics, if your'e seriously trying to cut the weight.

[wgpinc]

Take a look at these cameras that Canon lists and see which features ring your bell. Canon has a wide range of excellent small cameras with minor variations of feature set that produce great images. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113 I personally like the A590 that takes AA batteries and has IS. Good luck.

[anthony_zipple]

I got a G9 and will use it for this purpose. I am getting too old to haul an SLR with a couple of lenses on a 10 day trek in the mountains! It shoots RAW, has an attachment that lets me attach filters (like a polarizer) and delivers great shots within the limits of a P&S.

[shay_ohayon]

I found something interesting.

It's similar to the TZ5, but has manual control (and even a 25mm-125mm lens! WOW!)

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0803/08031802panasonicfx500.asp#specs

[davek57]

I'm going to go in a different direction here. The Fuji F-series compacts -- F31fd, F20, and F40fd -- all have pretty great battery life. The F40 uses either xD or SD cards, and is slightly slimmer than the earlier models. And all three are terrific in low-light image capture.

 

On the other hand, when faced with a long hike and a lack of charging alternatives, I'll be reaching for my Olympus XA 35mm rangefinder. Runs on two S76 silver-oxide batteries that last forever. Try one, you'll wonder what the fuss with digital is all about...!