A new contender for best climbing camera?
|
It seems like every few months, pocket cameras take a leap forward in quality and function. |
|
My Luminex lasted about a month. Dust/dirt etc. I have destroyed several cameras. Now I only buy "tough" or "rugged" cameras. Waterproof is a must. Ok, I destroy them also. RIP Fuji. My GoPro and the Olympus Tough Camera have lasted the longest, almost 6 months now. Either they are pretty good or I am slowing down. |
|
Sorry. But from my experience, this isn't a good choice. Either you are taking semi-pro level photos, or you're just like the rest of the climbers around and you'll end up banging this around. A lot. |
|
Canons in this series are good: |
|
Pros bang their cameras a lot too. But they are getting paid. I think if you aspire to take magazine publishable photos but don't actually have a dedicated photographer, this can be a very good lightweight package. At least on paper, this thing is fast enough (AF/frame rate) for climbing action, with an enviable fast lens & excellent video specs. |
|
I was thinking about this topic JUST this afternoon. I have a Canon T3i and Fuji X100s, and barely use either of them. Both take fantastic pictures but I never seem to bring them. The Fuji sensor has INCREDIBLE color but I'm finding myself really wishing it had a zoom. It makes a phenomenal street and portraiture camera, but not a great adventure camera. |
|
Simon W wrote:Canons in this series are good: usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer… small, cheap, hold up to abuse fairly well. Takes way better pictures than a phone. I have mine in a case I can clip to my harnessWhy not the D series, which is designed to be waterproof and dustproof? usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer… The original D10 isnt so good because of the bulk, but the D20 and D30 slimmed down quite a bit. |
|
I've been using the Olympus Tough, as mentioned above. Im not a photographer and am not interested in photography, but I like being able to take 'ok' shots while Im up there. I bought the camera used on craigslist for $60. Here's a shot of Jaimie following me up an FA last week: |
|
Kai Larson wrote:It seems like every few months, pocket cameras take a leap forward in quality and function. Just when I thought that the new Sony RX100iii was going to be the "best" all around climbing camera for some time, the folks at Panasonic have introduced a very interesting competitor. Micro 4/3 sensor, built in view finder, good (24-75mm equivalent) lens, nice controls. A bit larger than the Sony RX100iii, but if I were in the market for a climbing camera, I think that the LX100 would be on my shopping list. It seems like a very nice combination of good image quality in a reasonably small package. Preview here: dpreview.com/previews/panas…Almost the size of a small DSLR. I've got one of those and a cheapy small camera. The "tweener" seems like an awkward thing to rack up with, frankly. |
|
I second the powershot ELPH series. Best climbing camera I have found. Takes amazing shots, records 1080, IS, and can fit in your shirt pocket or pants pocket. |
|
I picked up a Nikon CoolPix s9700 at the start of the year and I've been very happy with it. The MSRP is in the $300 range but I was able to find mine on sale for $240. That was still more than I wanted to pay but it also had a better zoom than what I had been looking at. |
|
The Lumix LX100 is not even close to the size of a small DSLR. Even though DSLR's are getting smaller, they still use big lenses. The LX100 is certainly a lot smaller than a DSLR coupled with an equivalent zoom lens. Tony B wrote: Almost the size of a small DSLR. I've got one of those and a cheapy small camera. The "tweener" seems like an awkward thing to rack up with, frankly.Here's a size comparison of the LX100 with a Panasonic mirrorless micro 4/3 camera (which itself is smaller than a DSLR) In hand: |
|
I am a little rough with my cameras. I have gone through at least 10 over the past 10 years. For multipitch climbs I picked up the Panasonic Lumix tough camera. It is about the size of the digital Elph cameras but is far more rugged. It takes nice photographs in good light. |
|
Kai Larson wrote:The Lumix LX100 is not even close to the size of a small DSLR.I guess I was comparing it, relatively, to a compact that is no bigger than a Altoids tin or my wallet, which is the size of my P&S camera... But yes, a lot smaller than my D610. |
|
I like a more rugged camera. The buzz word I guess is "adventure proof." |
|
I have loved Sony's offerings of the last couple years. The RX100 is too small and the image quality too good NOT to take! Unfortunately, mine fell into a creek and while it is all dried out and works mechanically and electronically. There are waterspots all over the sensor and glass. IF the photography becomes a primary focus of the climb, then the A7r (or any other A7 series body) is another great camera especially now that they released the FE 16-35. I carry mine in a Mindshift camera cover, and its not in the way too much. |
|
I've had Panasonic compacts in the past (ZS-19 and such), and liked them. I would probably wait for a ruggedized version of this one before I dropped $900, though. This season I used a Sony NEX-6 , which is almost the same size, but with a larger sensor and removable lens. It's not ruggedized or anything, but it seems pretty tough -- it survived everything from the dust of Utah, to the rains of Washington, to the snows of Canada -- and it's light enough (barely) to carry like a compact. |
|
I've dragged my 5D mkII up multi pitch routes as long as about 200m and can recommend firmly against that, as excellent as the 16-35L II is in that setting. Anything that has to be in a bag is useless and might as well not be there at all. |
|
I have a t3i and for a million reasons never take it climbing. The main reason is the Canon S110, which is tiny, cheap and takes awesome photos. Another option is a good phone camera. I've seen some truly amazing things done with an iphone. I'm an android girl (galaxy S4) and like the quality quite a lot. |
|
DP Review now has a review posted of the Panasonic LX100. |
|
My IPhone is always in my pocket. That works best for catching the shots I want whether a great landscape or evidence of a personal victory. I either 1, never pack the camera. 2, don't wanna stop to take the shot. I feel like there's no time. Or 3, forget the camera. |