Point And Shoot for hiking

[taude]

I, too, have a big SLR setup. But now days, when I hike and climb, I take the Canon G9 with me. Love it. (Wish the higher-iso settings were smooth like a DSLR, but the quality/size are spectacular.)

 

All the photos in the following gallery are from the Mt Whitney's Mountaineers Route -- there's some nighttime slow shutter shots in there, too: http://picasaweb.google.com/taudep/MtWhitneyMountaineerSRouteClimb2008

[taude]

Meant to include one of the nighttime shots, so you don't have to sift through the gallery.

 

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U8VS9HBMx2lXfXkconaeyA"><img

src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tX1PN2L097o/SM_tD5TqnbI/AAAAAAAAJUM/Ylm97pNZDAE/s144/mt_whitney_climb_2008_71.jpg"

/></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a

href="http://picasaweb.google.com/taudep/MtWhitneyMountaineerSRouteClimb2008">Mt Whitney Mountaineer's Route

Climb 2008</a></td></tr></table>

[rachiddahnoun]

Also if your camera not performing in the cold is an issue, you need to always remember to keep your batteries on your person (in your inner layer) or in your sleeping bag at night when you're not shooting. Good luck.

 

Rachid Dahnoun

[buster douglas]

The new Canon SX10is has a 20x zoom that is the P&S I'm getting

[vonzo1974]

Hi Jennifer, Check out the Canon G9. I have no experience personally, but here's a helpful link: http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles1207/dw1207-1.html Good luck! Jason

[jenn photo]

After all these wonderful responses and suggestions, I wrote all of the cameras down and took out, luckily we save them, Consumer Reports and I think that I am going to go with the Canon G9. It seems to be the one that more people will suggest and Consumer Reports gave it a great rating. I thank all of you for all the links, suggestions and help. Now I have to make sure I have the gear to stay warm up there this year!

 

Thank you!!

Jenn :)

[jdrose]

I've never had a P&S that I liked.

 

I often go hiking with a Nikon D50 and a 50mm F/1.8. I have walked literally hundreds of miles with it. Very light and affordable. $100 bucks for the lens about $200 for the body.

[keith_anderson7]

The Canon G10 would be my choice, hands down. It shoots in RAW in addition to JPG (if desired), in addition to already having Canon's unparalleled image quality and a reasonable focal range in the fixed lens. I would have one of my own if only I could afford it.

[mjferron]

Jennifer I'm a dedicated Nikon user but am not ashamed to admit I own a Canon G9. Nikon has chosen not to be competitive at this level. Keep the camera set at ISO 80 and shoot raw. The results are great. It's the one camera that goes everywhere with me. You might want the G10 if you don't need the 210mm reach of the G9.

[dave_holland]

Here's another vote for the Olympus Stylus. That little film camera was a classic. And I think there is still a niche for film in adventure photography, when your valuable digital camera is at risk. Digital cameras have front-loaded costs, with a much more expensive outlay compared to film, but less in ongoing costs for developing. If you drop your film camera in a river, you replace a relatively inexpensive body. If you drop your digital, you pay more....

 

Dave

[frolov]

Take a look at Sigma DP1. Small body, good lens, big sensor...

[frank_bunnik]

On the Luminous landscape site I recently read an article in which a landscape photographer compared images from his Hasselblad H2 with P45 digital back and his Canon G10. The conclusion is that up to A3 prints, the difference can hardly be seen. Only when you do partial enlargements or big blow ups, the differences are obbious.

This is the link:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/kidding.shtml

[chris_brandstrom]

Has anyone mentioned the new micro 4/3 format? Something like the Panasonic G1 sounds like a winner from the

size/weight perspective. I know there isn't much on them as they are not quite available yet, but it sure sounds like

something to keep an eye on!

[lester_hawksby1]

I love to hike and agree entirely about not always wanting to carry the bulk of a serious SLR and heavy lens. Not liking compacts, I have settled on a D40 with Nikon 45mm f/2.8 AI-P pancake lens as a hiking camera. The body is somewhat smaller than the pro models, but the lens is tiny compared with almost any other Nikon. The resulting combination is about the size of a 35mm film compact and only slightly larger than a large compact digital. It fits in my overcoat pocket. Even the superbly-designed lens hood only adds a few mm to the total length; without the hood, the lens barely protrudes forward of the grip.

 

Image quality is excellent. The lens is sharp and clear and doesn't seem to distort. It vignettes a little at 2.8; otherwise there are no defects to speak of. Bokeh is pleasant; although not the best ever, it's better than any compact. Low light ability is fine. The body may not be a solid metal d300 but it's a lot tougher than most compacts; the lens is extremely well made and robust, with very smooth and precise focusing action. This makes it nice to use, which I think is a major factor in making me glad I brought the camera along! The controls are much easier than a compact and the battery life is enormous. I have a viewfinder magnifier fitted, a DK-17m on a little adaptor, which gives a big clear life-size view; it's not necessary, but definitely recommended.

[photo5]

Jennifer, the Canon G9 is discontinued in favor of the newer G10, which looks pretty amazing. As an aside, I recently traveled to London and bought a little Panasonic DMC-FX35. It is absolutely tiny and produces a decent enough photo for a point and shoot. I can carry it in the front pocket of my trousers if I want to (though I usually try to leave it in the case in my jacket pocket). It has a very wide angle lens, equal to a 25mm in 35mm format. And the stabilisation, coupled with ISO as high as 1600 (total noise city, but you can limit the high ISO down to 400). So far I love this little camera when I don't want to lug "the big Nikon" around.

[Not Here]

Jennifer... No matter which camera you choose, you still need a support for it in low light. A tripod is difficult to manage, as well as heavy. There are some hiking poles that have a camera mount, but they tend to be long and won't stick into the ground, more like a monopod. I have taken a typical aluminum hiking stick and tapped the top to receive a very small ballhead, available from B&H, and it works great. The stick is height adjustable and sticks into the ground for hands free use. Now, it will still sway in a strong wind, but you have to work around that. Just $.02 more to think about... good luck! Mike

[hal_edmonds]

I owned an Olympus PS and found its lens quality outstanding...

[silverfox]

I bought the DP1 to take hiking with me, its perfect for landscapes, image quality is excellent, it fits in a

pocket. I rarely use my D200 now. Maybe an expensive option, but I recommend it.

 

The Canon G9 or G10 may also be good choices. Regards

[Rod Sorensen]

Sorry to answer a question with a question, but I have been thinking about this same thing recently and decided my Canon Elph series isn't enough and my D200 with several lenses is often too much when I'm hiking.

I've decided I'm going to start taking my seldom used D70 when hiking, but would like to have one lens to use with it since my current lens line-up is heavy with 2.8 zooms and prime lenses.

I'm skeptical of the Nikon 18-200. What are people's experiences with the 18-105VR DX or 18-135 DX compared to the 18-200? Or is there a better idea?

[donald_weston1]

Also a Nikon dslr user, but my P&S is a G9. You will never get the quality of a dslr out of it, but otherwise it is a great little camera. There are times when any dslr is intrusive or undesireable. For my kids I bought Olympus models that were water resistant as well as shock, and I believe freeze resistant. They love them, and so far about a year old they are doing well. IF you goal is to have a memory kept, a P&S is fine, if you expect to shoot low light images you will be better with a compact lens on a small dslr, only you can choose. Once can't have enough cameras, I keep both the P&S and a smaller dslr for those reasons...the right tool for the right job....ymmv, If I was buying today, it would be a G10 or if that was too big the LX3...

[tompowell]

One more vote for the Olympus Stylus Epic. Full frame image quality, spot metering and always ready when you are.

[george_paulides]

Another non-Nikon option is the Ricoh GR Digital II. It has the equalivent of a 28mm lens (F2.4) - but no zoom. It is very compact as a result. The lens is very sharp, perfect for landscapes.