Hey folks I need some advice on a good point and shoot for a climb on Denali. I have been looking at Olympus SW series and Canon's. I really like the ruggedness of the Olympus but the reviews are a mixed bag. The other camera company that I hold in high regard is Canon but don't know much of their models. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
advice on P&S for Denali climb
- Thread starter colotaco
- Start date
Colorado David
Explorer
I am a Nikon shooter. I am not really pleased with any of the P&S cameras from Nikon. I have struggled with this very choice and never came up with a satisfactory answer for me. I continue to carry a DSLR everywhere. I realize that is not a viable option in some circumstances. The owner of stock agency, Windigo Images carried a Canon G9 with him everywhere a couple of years ago. I'm sure he's replaced it with the G10. I don't like the shutter lag time on most P&S cameras, vinetting at the wide angle, and other things. Part of the attraction of the G9/G10 is the full sized hot shoe so you can use a full sized flash. That wouldn't help me that much because I don't own any Canon accessories. If you have the opportunity, go to a well-stocked camera shop and compare them. It's getting harder and harder to find a good dealer that stocks a variety of equipment. You may wind up at a Best Buy although I think B&H will always have a better price than a Best Buy.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
When I went in '05 I was concerned about the extreme cold on a P&S camera's lubricants (mechanical zoom) and also on batteries. I didn't think it was a good idea to store a camera within a jacket where it might end up collecting moisture due to condensation. Maybe store it in a small Pelican case inside a jacket? In the end I brought some disposable film cameras and they always went click! even at 20k feet. Extremely light weight and I just cached them with gear as we moved up the mountain.
Now a days you could probably find a P&S with few moving parts (electronic zoom) and one that accepts memory cards and disposable lithium batteries. Otherwise you have to have a way to charge batteries and if you don't get much sun a solar panel won't work.
Now I want to know all about your plans: Route? Schedule? Group? Guided? Gear? Air taxi company? Have you practiced pulling a loaded sled?
Now a days you could probably find a P&S with few moving parts (electronic zoom) and one that accepts memory cards and disposable lithium batteries. Otherwise you have to have a way to charge batteries and if you don't get much sun a solar panel won't work.
Now I want to know all about your plans: Route? Schedule? Group? Guided? Gear? Air taxi company? Have you practiced pulling a loaded sled?
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
I've used Canon's DSLR's since they were introduced and swear by their ruggedness.
Their P&S line can take a hike. I've owned 5 of them, yep, call me stupid! Mostly because I bought a Underwater housing for both the A70 when that first came out and then one for the A75 or 80, can remember which model, but the cameras themselves all break very fast.
Canon has no problem fixing them, but it's not something you want to have to keep doing, especially on a trip like yours.
I just recently bought (Last Week) the Olympus 1050SW P&S and so far love it. It says its waterproof to 10 feet, shock proof to 260lbs of pressure and freezeproof.
So far all I've tested it with was bringing it into the shower, and playing with all the controls while the water was running over it just to make sure there wasnt any leaks before I really went out and used it.
The battery lasts for about 4 full days in the sleep mode and the start up is pretty fast. Another feature it has that might be perfect for your expedition is it comes with a tap mode.
If you have gloves or mittens on, all you have to do is tap the camera with your hand and it will come on.
It looks like the thing is built pretty solid and I dropped it from shoulder height on the concrete just to see what would happen. It says it can handle this no problem and this is what killed 2 of my Canon P&S's.
Picked it up, snapped a picture and it's still working perfect. I bought mine from Wal-Mart.com just incase while we're traveling, I know there is one at almost every exit no matter what town we're traveling through.
It came with a 4gig card and was $100 cheaper than the next competitor.
I was planning on using it for a few weeks to feel it out before doing a full review on it, but so far so good. Give me a second and I can post a few shots I've snapped with it in the past week. I'll just need to upload them to my server.
One thing that it lacks is a strong zoom. Only a 3 times Optical, but for the thin size of it and all the other options it offers, I'm fine with that.
Since I got it last week, I havent left the camper without it in my pocket and forget it's there half the time
As of right now, I'd recommend it.
Their P&S line can take a hike. I've owned 5 of them, yep, call me stupid! Mostly because I bought a Underwater housing for both the A70 when that first came out and then one for the A75 or 80, can remember which model, but the cameras themselves all break very fast.
Canon has no problem fixing them, but it's not something you want to have to keep doing, especially on a trip like yours.
I just recently bought (Last Week) the Olympus 1050SW P&S and so far love it. It says its waterproof to 10 feet, shock proof to 260lbs of pressure and freezeproof.
So far all I've tested it with was bringing it into the shower, and playing with all the controls while the water was running over it just to make sure there wasnt any leaks before I really went out and used it.
The battery lasts for about 4 full days in the sleep mode and the start up is pretty fast. Another feature it has that might be perfect for your expedition is it comes with a tap mode.
If you have gloves or mittens on, all you have to do is tap the camera with your hand and it will come on.
It looks like the thing is built pretty solid and I dropped it from shoulder height on the concrete just to see what would happen. It says it can handle this no problem and this is what killed 2 of my Canon P&S's.
Picked it up, snapped a picture and it's still working perfect. I bought mine from Wal-Mart.com just incase while we're traveling, I know there is one at almost every exit no matter what town we're traveling through.
It came with a 4gig card and was $100 cheaper than the next competitor.
I was planning on using it for a few weeks to feel it out before doing a full review on it, but so far so good. Give me a second and I can post a few shots I've snapped with it in the past week. I'll just need to upload them to my server.
One thing that it lacks is a strong zoom. Only a 3 times Optical, but for the thin size of it and all the other options it offers, I'm fine with that.
Since I got it last week, I havent left the camper without it in my pocket and forget it's there half the time
As of right now, I'd recommend it.
Follow this link to our website: www.theveteranscoalition.org/operation_denali
Yes, I live in Colorado so I've been pulling sleds, tires and have done a few winter camps at altitude.
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
I'm going out for my morning walk with the wife and dogs right now, I'll snap some shots and post them up when we get back. I wasnt too happy with anything I've taken so far as they've all just been goofing trying to figure out all the settings
Here is one to tide you over.:sombrero:
Here is one to tide you over.:sombrero:
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Cool site! We learned that attaching the sled lines to a pack's waist belt is the best bet. Too many folks attach on the body of the pack and the sled's weight is tugging on your shoulder strapss and keeping you off balance. Since the sleds are guaranteed to flip over from time to time we also used small turnbuckles in the lines so that we could flip the sleds back over without twisting the lines up.
Rob O
Adventurer
Note that Olympus have introduced two new models which effectively replace the 'SW' line, the Stylus Tough 8000 and 6000. Unfortunately, they suffer the same mediocre IQ as the outgoing SWs (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0901/09010703olympusstylustough.asp).
Canon G10 or Panasonic LX3 would be my choice. Neither are rated "rugged", in that the don't offer extended shock or moisture protection, but will give you outstanding IQ (in most light) while affording considerable control (near DSLR level) in a compact package. The Canon offers a nice range, from wide enough 28mm out to 140mm, while the Panny goes even wider, at 24mm, but doesn't offer quite as much reach (60mm). (See dpreview of these two and alternatives here
Your biggest challenge IMO will be battery life. Both of my recommendations use proprietary batts -- i.e., you can't just carry a MMMMload of AAs -- so you'd need to buy extras, have them charged and ready and have means of charging while out.
Sounds like an exciting trip ... look forward to a post trip report and photos!
Oh ... and good luck, and thanks for your service!!!
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
Here are a few shots I've snapped in the past week with this little camera. I'm also going out tonight to cover a show in Baton Rouge, so I'll try and use it there for some different shots to see how it deals with low light situations.
First, if you havent actually held the camera, I snapped some shots of it beside a Chap Stick so you'd get an idea of how small it actually is. Some of the buttons on the back might be pretty hard to use with gloves on due to the small size.
The 1050SW is pretty narrow
See the bar that runs parrellel across the front of the camera that says Olympus on it? Well if you slide that shut, it shuts the camera off and puts it into a sleep mode. All you have to do is slide that bar back open and the camera turns back on.
Didnt really have too much to take pictures of on the walk this morning. We're staying at my wifes sisters right now and they live in horse country.
Those two are the same shots. I just zoomed all the way in on the 2nd shot. Like I said, dont expect much from the zoom. It has a digital zoom, but I've learned not to use those if you want to do anything with the picture other than post it on Facebook
First, if you havent actually held the camera, I snapped some shots of it beside a Chap Stick so you'd get an idea of how small it actually is. Some of the buttons on the back might be pretty hard to use with gloves on due to the small size.
The 1050SW is pretty narrow
See the bar that runs parrellel across the front of the camera that says Olympus on it? Well if you slide that shut, it shuts the camera off and puts it into a sleep mode. All you have to do is slide that bar back open and the camera turns back on.
Didnt really have too much to take pictures of on the walk this morning. We're staying at my wifes sisters right now and they live in horse country.
Those two are the same shots. I just zoomed all the way in on the 2nd shot. Like I said, dont expect much from the zoom. It has a digital zoom, but I've learned not to use those if you want to do anything with the picture other than post it on Facebook
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
What I'm really impressed with the camera is the Macro feature. It will allow you to get amazingly close and even has a little LED light that will light up if you're so close you start to shade the subject.
This shot was taken at night with the LED feature on just to see what it would look like. I also bumped the ISO up to 800 on this shot to see how the noise was.
I'm really impressed so far.
Here are some shots I snapped on the walk this morning
Baby Turtel we saw on the side of the road
Cool looking weed we saw in a field
Close-up of some wild flowers
Another weed that I thought looked cool
Here is a 100% crop of the above image
Close-up of the weed in the first shot
I'll fool around some more this weekend and put together a full review on Monday.
Remember these are all straight out of the camera. There is also a new line of these cameras they call the Tough Series. They're waterproof deeper, there is no closing piece on the front and the megapixles have been uped to 12mp.
This is why I think I got mine so inexpensive from Wally World. They're probably trying to clear out their old stock to make way for the new models.
One thing I should also mention is I dont work or have anything to do with Olympus. Just trying to make suggestions to fellow photographers.
This camera would work for you on a tough climb, but I'm not sure of the finished outcome of a once in a lifetime situation like that, so please dont go 100% on my recommendation.
This shot was taken at night with the LED feature on just to see what it would look like. I also bumped the ISO up to 800 on this shot to see how the noise was.
I'm really impressed so far.
Here are some shots I snapped on the walk this morning
Baby Turtel we saw on the side of the road
Cool looking weed we saw in a field
Close-up of some wild flowers
Another weed that I thought looked cool
Here is a 100% crop of the above image
Close-up of the weed in the first shot
I'll fool around some more this weekend and put together a full review on Monday.
Remember these are all straight out of the camera. There is also a new line of these cameras they call the Tough Series. They're waterproof deeper, there is no closing piece on the front and the megapixles have been uped to 12mp.
This is why I think I got mine so inexpensive from Wally World. They're probably trying to clear out their old stock to make way for the new models.
One thing I should also mention is I dont work or have anything to do with Olympus. Just trying to make suggestions to fellow photographers.
This camera would work for you on a tough climb, but I'm not sure of the finished outcome of a once in a lifetime situation like that, so please dont go 100% on my recommendation.
Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
I would give the nod to a G series Canon. They are not sold as "rugged" but they can take a beating. They are all metal. Mine looks as though it has been through a war, but still works. It has been dropped from a table onto the concrete in the Dom. Republic, twice, it took the heat and humidity with no problems, it has survived the coldest of Canadian temps, and keeps going, despite looking a little worse for wear.
Not to mention it takes stellar pictures up to ISO 400.
Of course the proof is in the pudding. A few samples from my G9.
Not to mention it takes stellar pictures up to ISO 400.
Of course the proof is in the pudding. A few samples from my G9.
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
I've heard nothing but stellar reviews of the G9 and G10 series cameras.
I actually heard that it is the camera of choice with many of the underwater photographers. Was reading through a forum on underwater photography and many were raving on the quality and lightness (Weight) of it compared to a fullsize underwater set-up.
I'm just not sure how easy it would be to fit into a big expedition sized parka with a underwater housing on if you were to put it in one. I know the body by itself isnt too bad, and the pictures from it speak for themselves.
Guess it's just on how light and small you want to go
I actually heard that it is the camera of choice with many of the underwater photographers. Was reading through a forum on underwater photography and many were raving on the quality and lightness (Weight) of it compared to a fullsize underwater set-up.
I'm just not sure how easy it would be to fit into a big expedition sized parka with a underwater housing on if you were to put it in one. I know the body by itself isnt too bad, and the pictures from it speak for themselves.
Guess it's just on how light and small you want to go