Best Multi-Pitch Camera

Best Multi-Pitch Camera (non dslr)

I am shopping for a new digital camera. I am between the Canon S95 or G12. A DSLR is way to large, while G12 is on the edge of the large size.

How are you carrying your cameras while climbing?
I have a small bag that I clip to my harness and I carry a small Canon Elf.

What Camera would you recommend? Keep in mind I am climbing first and taking pictures second.

I'm happy with my Olympus Stylus Tough 3000, it's pretty rugged and not too expensive. As for attaching it to my harness, I have a small case that clips directly to the harness with the camera inside which also has a foot long cord going to my harness (sorry if that's really confusing)

My choice is a Panasonic Lumix LX5, carried in an Optech neoprene case. Small enough to fit in the chest pocket of my Houdini windbreaker. Really good image quality, and a terrific large aperture lens.

The Canon S95 is another good choice. Smaller than the LX5, and still high quality.

Couldn't go wrong with either the LX5 or the S95. If you're used to the Elf, and like it, then the S95 is probably the right choice for you. S95 is the most compact of the high-quality choices.

Second the Olympus Stylus Tough. It is exactly that. I carry it in a small camera case that is clipped to my harness, or I just throw the camera in a pocket. It seems to take abuse pretty well, specifically being compressed.

It takes pretty good photos, though as with many cameras that have increased resolution (megapixels), the technology often has not been increased, namely the light sensor. As resolution goes up, you need a larger, more sensitive sensor to maintain quality.

That being said, it's still a great camera. I'm assuming you're not trying to take super high quality shots, right (or else you'd just haul a DSLR)?

Kai Larson wrote:The Canon S95 is another good choice.

Picked one up recently. I like it. A few minor complaints. The ring around where the lens pop's out, I don't really use it, and, it gets snagged on my case when I take the camera in or out. The camera would be even smaller without it. My eyes sometime really have a hard time seeing the screen especially if its sunny, or, the light is funky. With no viewfinder, just takes me a bit longer to find my subject and sometimes, long enough I miss the cool shot I wanted. Taking the camera out of the case, its hard to avoid grabbing it and turning on the photo viewer. Not a deal, but, a bit distracting. Not a big fan of the pop up flash unit, but, I've got used to it. Does take me by surprise in and out and has pinched my finger when I forgot it needed to close...but, its fast and flash is pretty reasonable. The amount of buttons and controls on the back can make it tough to shot one-handed with the camera held vertically. Seems like I constantly hit a button or control unintentionally. All of these are very minor complaints, though.

Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with the pictures and features (almost too many).

I have the Olympus SW1030, it's a year or two old, but the thing is great of outdoors. I take it climbing all the time and i've used it for snorkeling and underwater to about 3 meters. The lens doesn't protrude, it's waterproof to 10m, drop-proof, crush-proof, freeze proof. Very wide angle lens. I usually keep it in a small lowe-pro bag in a cargo pocket, and girth hitch the strap on the bag to my leg loop. Takes good pictures outdoors. Indoor results are not as good as my wife's much cheaper nikon S210, and definitely not as good as my DSLR, but can be decent as long as you switch it to "scene" mode and select indoors rather than using the automatic.

I posted on this thread recently about my Lumix DMC-TS1. Multipitch and small size (easily pocketable) is why I got it, and I've been pretty happy so far. No moving parts was another key feature for me, nothing external to break, no motor to drive the lens in and out = less battery.

Thanks so far great input.
Is anyone carrying a Canon G11 or G12 size camera around? I like the idea of having more control then most point and shots, but are the size of these cameras going to take away from the experience of the climb?

dinglestyle wrote:Thanks so far great input. Is anyone carrying a Canon G11 or G12 size camera around? I like the idea of having more control then most point and shots, but are the size of these cameras going to take away from the experience of the climb?

The G11 or G12 don't provide any more control than a S95 or LX5.

S95 and LX5 provide full control over exposure, including full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, e/v compensation, etc.

G11 G12 are, in my opinion, too large. If you're willing to carry something that big, you're better off with an Olympus Pen E-P2 or similar micro 4/3 camera. LX5 is as large as you'd want to carry with you climbing on a regular basis I should think.

Larry S wrote:I have the Olympus SW1030, it's a year or two old, but the thing is great of outdoors. I take it climbing all the time and i've used it for snorkeling and underwater to about 3 meters. The lens doesn't protrude, it's waterproof to 10m, drop-proof, crush-proof, freeze proof. Very wide angle lens. I usually keep it in a small lowe-pro bag in a cargo pocket, and girth hitch the strap on the bag to my leg loop. Takes good pictures outdoors. Indoor results are not as good as my wife's much cheaper nikon S210, and definitely not as good as my DSLR, but can be decent as long as you switch it to "scene" mode and select indoors rather than using the automatic.

I owned an Olympus SW1030 for about 6 months. It's tough, but I found the image quality to be rather poor. I ended up selling it and getting the Panasonic TS2. Same shock/wateproof characteristics, much higher image quality.

dinglestyle wrote:Is anyone carrying a Canon G11 or G12 size camera around?

Seen it done and I considered one of those models, but, for me, the darn thing is just too big. Fits into a weird niche. Smaller than an SLR, bigger than a P&S.

Ben here (SLC) uses one, and, I've seen him carry it on climbs. The photo's he gets out of it are top notch (that's only partly the camera, though...).

I wanted a camera that would always be clipped to my harness. Unobtrusive, easy to shoot, etc.

I've seen some of the pro guys in action with their rigs, and, they are good at the very large, cumbersome systems they carry. So, in part, it depends on what you want to adapt to. I just know for me, if its too big and clunky, it'll end up not getting used. And, most of the shots I like that I take are action climbing shots usually from multi pitch type climbs. I think I wouldn't shoot that much with a bigger model.

I'll offer up the Panasonic ZS1-ZS7, if you like a bit more zoom for creative control. Awesome wide angle and tele in a fairly compact package. Just a bit bigger than a normal pocket cam. The iA auto mode works quite well and you can just 'point and shoot' with it. The newer ones take HD video as well.

i recently got a canon power shot sx130is
12x optical zoom, the lcd screen is visible in the bright sun
has a fish eye effect, and other programmable features, full manual
shooting, video, in hd if you want....etc...
it fits under the coat, no bag necessary, and it runs on aa batteries.
anyway, i am pleased with the camera all around, and have used many canon cameras.

good luck,
cor

I need a camera that survives me forgetting to put it in my pocket before I start climbing and swings around and smashes into the rock. Also mandatory is the ability to survive me crushing it against the side of the OW I'm currently flailing on. I've gone thru three cameras that failed the above tests.

Avoid a touch-screen camera, and get something that is easy to hold onto and has large "feel-able" buttons. The ultra-compact models screens get broken, I, with frequency, accidentally touch the touchscreen, and they can take 2 hands to keep a hold of. Needs to be 1-hand-able. That nice polished "smooth flat" feel is a pain in the ass to hold.
I'm unhappy with the small digital I just got for the reasons above.
Also, if you wear polarized sunglasses, the LCD display will be very hard to see. Consider one with a view finder.

So far everyone has mentioned still cameras... I'm using a GoPro HD helmet cam for my upcoming trip to RR. You can shoot wide angle 720P 60fps or 1080p 30fps. One button control, very easy to set and forget. It takes 5mp still photos too on a time lapse of your choice. Stills off the video footage look good too. Small and light with a lot of different mounting options and very durable.

While the LX5 and S95 have a wonderful f2.0 lense they also only offer minimal optical zoom and 28mm equivalent minimum. A couple of good alternative options would be the FX75, which has f2.2 from 24mm and 5x optical zoom or the Canon DSC WX5, which has f2.4 from 24mm and 5x optical zoom... also has 1080p video (sensor is slightly smaller than the S95 though and doesn't shoot in RAW) the WX5 is smaller, lighter, shoots much faster and is cheeper.

snapsort.com/compare/Canon_…

kachoong wrote:While the LX5 and S95 have a wonderful f2.0 lense they also only offer minimal optical zoom and 28mm equivalent minimum. A couple of good alternative options would be the FX75, which has f2.2 from 24mm and 5x optical zoom or the Canon DSC WX5, which has f2.4 from 24mm and 5x optical zoom... also has 1080p video (sensor is slightly smaller than the S95 though and doesn't shoot in RAW) the WX5 is smaller, lighter, shoots much faster and is cheeper. snapsort.com/compare/Canon_…

LX5 has a 24mm equivalent. Zoom goes from 24-90mm (in 35mm equivalent.)

I am skeptical of lenses with large zoom ranges, particularly on small, relatively inexpensive cameras. You end up compromising optical quality to gain that additional "x" in a 5x zoom.

Kai Larson wrote: LX5 has a 24mm equivalent. Zoom goes from 24-90mm (in 35mm equivalent.) I am skeptical of lenses with large zoom ranges, particularly on small, relatively inexpensive cameras. You end up compromising optical quality to gain that additional "x" in a 5x zoom.

So is it better to have a better/bigger sensor than to have zoom? Can you still get detail out of a wider-angle shot by cropping from a pic taken with a bigger sensor? I'm thinking of a PAS for my wife. She loves to have zoom, but that can also compromise good f aperture values.

I have an S95, and really like it.

To answer your other question, I've found a pretty good way to carry it while climbing. I have a small zippered camera case, just big enough for the s95 and maybe a spare memory card, attached to a shoulder sling. The camera is tied to the case with a short length of P-cord.

Pretty safe and very accessible.

-Scott

Sensor Speed and quality matter more than 'megapizels' once over 8, unless you are blowing up pictures into posters.
Many top end SLR's are still only 10megapizels.
Speed matters (check ISO rating) because when you zoom in the exposure is slow and then you get blurry pictures. Get a 800+ (or better yet 3200 ISO camera). Consumer Reports Magazine updates the latest and greatest in digital still and video 2X per year and just updated again this past month. Your local public library will have it. Rated by feature and has a nice comparison chart.
Don't be afraid to shop at your local camera store. They will charge more than newegg.com, but prices are negotiatable and they'll near- match online prices, which you should expect to pay since you get to shop their stock and use their employees. prices are negotiateable though if you show them an on-line price print-out.

Most shops will throw in a really nice package of "goodies" with a camera. Mikes, in Boulder, will give you a few free blow-ups (small poster size, free digital photography classes, a free photobook (self published style), a photo calendar or mug or whatever of your choice, 50 free prints from a memory card, 50 more free prints on line, and on-line storage service, accessory discounts, (IE memory cards, batteries or chargers) and teach you how to use the camera with an individual consultation.

I bought a Nikon D-90 from them (very nice DSLR). It cost me a little more than on-line, but I'm happy and I feel like I got my money's worth so far, and haven't even used all my goodies yet.

I bought my small point and shoot digital on the net, based on product ratings and reviews and such... and that's the one I regret.