Overland Use Point & Shoot (PNS) Cameras

[nwoods]

In the G11 thread the idea has been tossed around about what makes a good point and shoot camera for Overland use. The intent of this thread is to start people thinking of qualities and attributes that a good overland PNS camera should have. It is NOT intended to be a thread about how Model A is better than Model B.

I suspect that ultimately, the camera features we all agree on will not exist on any one camera...yet.

I'll start: I think the following features are important:
1. Viewfinder
2. SD card media
3. Manual lens cover instead of the auto-retractor thingies
4. 400 pix battery life, minimum
5. Flash capable of illuminating up to 20' distances
6. Manual ISO controls
7. Manual Flash on/off/fill controls, and preferable, adjustable flash strength
8. Built in Pano or Wide format image capture
9. Wide - 28mm minimum lens
10. Zoom - 135mm minimum lens
11. Aperature - F3.5 minimum aperture speed (or better!)
12. Setting lock function so that the controls don't change each time you whip it out your pocket
13. Face recognition
14. Selectable multi-focus points (like focusing on the upper left corner of the frame where the Eagle is resting, instead of the elephant in the middle background....)
15. Ability to swap in conventional Double AA batteries if the lithium main battery looses its juice enroute
16. Minimum 2.5" LCD view screen that articulates.
17. Ability to zoom while shooting video
18. 720p video, at 15fps
19. Instant on/wake up
20. Auto shut off
21. Imperceptible shutter lag (I wish!)
22. No need to have the lens fully extend every time you turn it off (see item #4 above about battery length)
23. Ability to remove lens and/or camera back to clean sensor (those retractable lenses work like bellows in dusty conditions)
24. Have a really good, compact wrist strap that hangs on to you without you having to hang on to it
25. Be physically small enough to fit into a large pocket.

 

[dhackney]

26. 12VDC charger
27. 3 frames per second or better
28. Auto lens cover (conflicts with #3)
29. Image stabilization
30. Excellent low light performance / high ISO
31. One hand capable operation
32. Full auto, A (Aperture priority) and T (shutter priority) modes
33. Small enough that the camera, two spare SD cards and two spare batteries fit into a very small belt pack.
34. Fixed lens to minimize/eliminate sensor cleaning issues (conflicts with #23)
35. 1080p / 30fps video 16:9 (as a recent review stated, this ship has left the dock, it's now an expectation in the PnS segment)(conflicts with #18)
36. Integrated GPS with auto population of meta data
37. Manual focus capability
38. Integrated ring light for macro work (hey, we can dream can't we?)
39. Innocuous/drab camera body color choices (better to blend in and not stand out in markets, etc.)
40. Shock proof / water proof / temperature resistant / reasonable immersion depth (2 meters?)
41. Remote shutter release capable, wireless preferred
42. Integrated WiFi for remote "live view" capability from smart phone or laptop
43. Automated image distribution to laptop, smart phone, social media sites, web photo sharing sites, etc.
44. RAW format files
45. Dynamic range, resolution, and high ISO performance of pro-sumer DSLR of three product/model cycles prior (meaning this PnS provides the image quality of a pro-sumer DSLR of two or three years ago)

 

[Michael Slade]

Discounting the obvious conflicts of one feature vs. another, I don't think the above fantasy-camera truly exists.

Vapor-ware at it's finest.

 

[Lost Canadian]

I look at the smaller P&S cams as documentary cams, as such the criteria I would like is a little different then that of other camera formats. Meaning I won't be shooting wildlife or doing landscape with a P&S so zooms, teles, and ultra wide lenses are not really a priority for me in this type of camera. My list would include a cam with:
1) High IQ- Good dynamic range 9-10 Ev, resolution in the 8-12 mpix, print worthy ISO 400-800. (Big sensor??)
2) RAW+JPG
3) Full manual control. Easy access to exposure control a must.
4) Sharp, fast prime, F2 or faster in the 35-50mm equivalent (full frame) range.
5) Snappy AF with AF lock.
6) Zero shutter lag.
7) Minimum 3 shot burst.
8) Good LCD for focusing,... make that an articulating LCD.
9) Small and light but not too small. It should fit comfortably in hand.
10) Good solid build.

Bonus would be a flash sync connection. On camera flash not really needed IMO.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I rock a pentax optio, waterproof.

its only 5mp, but i've had it for going on 5 or 6 years now and it hasn't let me down. its tiny with a gasket sealed SD card and battery compartment, AND it takes very good video...

I've taken it on too many trips to count, and just got some underwater footage of my three girls interacting with bat rays at sea world last week.

Its digital zoom only, but I haven't really been hamstringed...

Here's a few shots I like, and some video...

 

[dhackney]

We forgot some of the assumed basics:
46. Rugged
47. Reliable
48. USB 2.0
49. HDMI

 

[dhackney]

I don't think the above fantasy-camera truly exists.

Agreed.

It will be interesting to compare the list of desired features/capabilities from the ExPo community for an overlanding / expedition PnS against the available products.

 

[nwoods]

Agreed.

It will be interesting to compare the list of desired features/capabilities from the ExPo community for an overlanding / expedition PnS against the available products.

Right, I think that's the general idea. People always post, "Please recommend a camera for me", and then there's the litany of questions, "well, what do you want it to do?" This list is to be used as a filtered checklist, letting people see what features to consider in making their decision.

In a day or so, I will complile the list, eliminating redundancy's and listing the disparate features as options.

 

[Photog]

Water / Dust resistant seems like a high priority.

Shock resistant would be good.

Large pocket size - fits hand well, but still fits in large shirt pocket.

Pistol-grip or movie-cam format would be handy for non-tripod usage, on the go.

Shutter and aperture control would be nice; but knowing what the "Scene" functions actually control, will usually allow you to create the image you want.

Sturdy lens cover. Automatic would be nice, but most of the automatic lens covers are to delicate.

RAW + JPEG file types

High quality LCD, for focusing and image evaluation in the field. Articulating would be nice; but not a deal breaker.

One hand operation would be handy, once the general settings are in place.

Think of it as a backpacking camera for your vehicle.

 

[78Bronco]

I also have a Pentax Optio waterproof model and it's great bang for the buck.

 

[Beowulf]

I know it will not help much, but DPReview.com did a nice write up on the available waterproof P&S cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/

 

[Cody1771]

i LOVE these cameras, shockproof, waterproof, great pictures, and easy to use.

http://www.olympuscanada.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1448

 

[ExpoMike]

Not sure if this would fall into the PNS catagory but seems to hit a lot of the "wants' above, the Canon SX1 IS.

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3974&review=canon+powershot+sx1

Removing the HD video aspect, the similar SX10 IS is a little lower price point.

I haven't used either one but have been reading some very good reviews about them.

 

[RHINO]

i think all the point and shoots are about on equal playing fields, its just a matter of buying the one that has features you want?

but i think the so called compact DLSR's might be the weapon of choice for overland photography. you get all the controls of a true slr with a sealed body to really help keep the dust at bay. of course you limit yourself to glass (or lack of) but that might not be a big deal to most of us.

 

[Photog]

Clay,
Are you referring to the P&S's that look like little SLR's, such as the Canon SX1 IS, mentioned above?