camera for touring

[Georgem123]

hi all

anyone got ant advice for camera for touring ? and how to keep enough charge or battery life for a whole month?

 

[KneesUp]

I have a Pentax dslr. It's rugged, weatherproof and reasonably light, and the battery lasts ages because the viewfinder is optical rather than a big battery killing screen. It might be too heavy for some, but if (no, when!) I get chance to tour I'll take it because it's a joy to use. You can also use AA batteries with it if you add the (heavy, bulky) handgrip, but a standard battery is good for thousands of shots. Take a spare battery instead if you're worried.

 

[Kies]

I recently bought the Panasonic Lumix TZ40 for £194 .... Great reviews and very happy with it so far. It's first proper ride test will be this Saturday over 100 miles.
It comes with a removable battery, so having a spare battery or two would get round the need to charge it all the time.
The other option will be some sort of dynamo hub on the bike to take care of charging phones & cameras

 

[KneesUp]

As I'm in the kitchen and my camera is here I've just weighed it. Pentax k7 with strap, battery, sd card and gorgeous 40 year old Pentax f1.7 50mm lens is 976g.

 

[snorri]

anyone got ant advice for camera for touring ? and how to keep enough charge or battery life for a whole month?

I just take my one and only camera on tour with me and carry an extra set of batteries which I fit when needed. Unless touring in some fairly remote and isolated territory there is usually a battery shop on the route most days.

 

[slowmotion]

I used to use a Canon Powershot SX100 but I've switched to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 because it's smaller and lighter and it won't be the end of the world if I drop on the road. I hugely admire Ansel Adams but I just can't be bothered to carry the stuff about.

If I can whip a camera out of a pocket and snap away, I'm happy. I just tend not to take photos if it's a faff so the Panasonic is fine for me.

 

[Crankarm]

I have an older semi manual Sony point and shoot with a supposedly Carl Zeiss zoom lens which takes pretty sharp pictures which I Iike. I wouldn't take a DSLR as they are too heavy and bulky such as my Canon 5dMk2 with grip and pro lenses especially my 70-200 f2.8 plus they would increase the chances of being robbed or I would likely damage them such as dropping them or getting lube or a bottle of sun cream, if only, on them. So small and high quality is better imho. Also pulling out a huge dslr and shoving it in some one's face is really rather insensitive and frankly rude.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I used to use a Canon Powershot SX100 but I've switched to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 because it's smaller and lighter and it won't be the end of the world if I drop on the road. I hugely admire Ansel Adams but I just can't be bothered to carry the stuff about.
View attachment 46261

If I can whip a camera out of a pocket and snap away, I'm happy. I just tend not to take photos if it's a faff so the Panasonic is fine for me.
View attachment 46262

Ansel Adams had a big old Cadillac with a wooden platform atop it for his shoots, though. And probably a couple of assistants.

 

[slowmotion]

Ansel Adams had a big old Cadillac with a wooden platform atop it for his shoots, though. And probably a couple of assistants.

That's just the kind of help I need when a hill approaches when I'm out on my bike!

 

[Gravity Aided]

 

[slowmotion]

Ansel Adams invented Google Streetview....?

 

[Gravity Aided]

Yes, but it took forever to post. He had to process the 8x10, print it, then wait a few years for the internet to be invented. He's probably setting up a shot on a pull-off in Yosemite. Half-Dome, site of one of his iconic shots, in the background. Ansel Adams was the man who said"The ideal tripod would be a yard of concrete with a 1/4"20 bolt sticking out of it."

 

[raleighnut]

The Olympus Mju range are very good, weatherproof too

 

[KneesUp]

I have an older semi manual Sony point and shoot with a supposedly Carl Zeiss zoom lens which takes pretty sharp pictures which I Iike. I wouldn't take a DSLR as they are too heavy and bulky such as my Canon 5dMk2 with grip and pro lenses especially my 70-200 f2.8 plus they would increase the chances of being robbed or I would likely damage them such as dropping them or getting lube or a bottle of sun cream, if only, on them. So small and high quality is better imho. Also pulling out a huge dslr and shoving it in some one's face is really rather insensitive and frankly rude.

I wouldn't take an f2.8 zoom though, even if I owned one, which I don't. But then again I think I'd be unlikely to drop £3k on equipment just to leave it at home

Because the Pentax is weatherproof (as they all are) you can rinse it under a tap if it gets stuff on it, and as mine has the 50mm almost permanently attached it's really quite compact for an SLR - it will fir in a bar bag at least. Don't forget that your 5d is "full frame" whereas the Pentax is APS-C so the prism can be smaller.

I like riding my bike and I like taking pictures. For me the extra weight and bulk is justified by being able to combine my hobbies. That said the fixed lens Fuji's look nice is I ever have a spare £900 I can't think of another use for. But then I could get some of the very compact and lovely Limited lenese for my Pentax instead.

I'd suggest that "shoving" any sort of camera in some one's face uninvited is insensitive and rude. Quite why you think that is something unique to an SLR I don't know!

 

[Monsieur]

I find my iphone perfectly adequate for decent photography - the best camera is the one you have at the moment you need it