Best camera for canoe trip
DM
week in June and I would like to bring a camera to use while canoeing.
I took the troop, my Nikon FG with a couple of lenses and a digital
camera, on a 4 hour "float". At least twice the canoe took on a lot of
water and nearly swamped in entirety. It took a week for the digital
to dry out to where it would work again. The FG did not get wet.
As we will be doing a lot of portaging, or so I am told, I don't want
to bring as much weight as my FG. And I don't want to loose the
camera to getting drenched when the boys tip my canoe.
Of course, we will have water proof bags in which we will keep our
gear. But a camera in a gear bag is one that is not taking pictures!
Any recommendations as to a camera suitable to documenting the event?
We will do a slide show when we come back. I am really partial to my
Nikkor 50/1.8 AIS. So I don't want a junky P&S. I tend toward a fixed
focal length AF with decent flash GN. It seems that most of these are
fairly wide lenses. Are the wide angle lenses any good for people
shots? Or will I need to get into their face to get a pic that we can
put in the local paper?
Are any of the "water resistant" P&S cameras really resistant to a
good splashing? a *quick* dip in the drink? Or do I need to get a
water proof camera? (I don't plan to take underwater pics)
Many of the waterproof P&S are zooms. How good are they optically? Are
they any good other than during daylight hours? How useful are the
builtin flash units? especially on a zoom with a small max aperature?
I can give one solid recommendation to documenting a scouting event.
At our last summer camp, I gave out 10 disposable cameras. This is a
great way to get a lot of pictures. If you want to call them that! We
had almost every sort of bad photo that you can imagine! I strongly
recommend using decent cameras and putting them into the hands of
those who know how to use them.
NJFotomakr
A couple of Kodak Weekend 35's............waterproof,disposable.
Makepeace Lake/Weymouth Furnace
Black and White Photography
Yeti Man
It is TOTALLY watertight (unless you leave the purge valve open) and
bomb proof. Itis reasonably easy to access gear (as long as you dont buy
one that is too big) and can be submerged, but will also float.
It gives great confidence when camping, as it can pour out all it
wants, and is also imperviouse to condensation at night (I often dont
take a tent, or at least not one with a floor).
It will (or at least should) be less expensive then a new camera.
There are many sizes available. I have a 1400, roughly 13"x13"x6",
which fits an SLR, a 75-300 zoom, a 50 f1.4 and a 28 f2.8, and still
fits in a sea kayak between my legs, or on the bottom of a canoe in
front of the seat where it can be accessed quickly.
This isnt ultra light, or compact. It also slows access. It also
doesnt protect your gear while you are using it or when the case is left
open,or when you want to take pictures in the rain.
What it does, however, is let you use better equipment that you
already own and are familiar with for less then the price of a point and
shoot.
It also makes a great cutting board and a flat table surface for
coffee cups while in a tent (I camp Very light).
This is just one option, but it works well for me. Good luck, good
paddling !
Jeff Alexander
Just don't get the Max 800!
Bill Tuthill
>
> Are any of the "water resistant" P&S cameras really resistant to a
> good splashing? a *quick* dip in the drink? Or do I need to get a
> water proof camera? (I don't plan to take underwater pics)
The Yashica T4 Super and especially the Pentax WR-90 (and probably its
replacement, the Pentax WR-105) have been known to survive a dunking.
The Olympus Stylus Epic is a great value, but cannot survive immersion.
I maintain a list of weatherproof cameras at:
http://www.dsp.net/tut/cameras.html
> Many of the waterproof P&S are zooms. How good are they optically?
> Are they any good other than during daylight hours? How useful are the
> builtin flash units? especially on a zoom with a small max aperature?
Unless you want to pay $300 for a Leica Z2X or >$1000 for a Contax TVS,
the P&S zooms are mediocre, especially beyond 70 or 80mm. Their flash
systems generally work very well, however, better than all but the most
expensive Nikon SLR models.
Mark Langer
> > I would like to bring a camera to use while canoeing.
> A couple of Kodak Weekend 35's............waterproof,disposable.
This is a good suggestion, but from the posting, I assume that a
disposable is not what is wanted. I suggest finding an older 1960s or 70s
rangefinder. I've had very good luck with the Petri 7 or 7s with the
simpler Tessar-type f2.8 lens. It isn't as wide angle as some p&s. The
camera is amazingly flare resistant, is a great performer, and comes with
a selenium cell around the lens so that it compensates automatically for
filters. The rangefinder is sharp and accurate and the camera is fairly
rugged. These can easily be found for about $20, so your heart won't be
broken if the canoe tips over and the camera is lost or ruined.
For flash, yard sales and thrift shops are littered with cheap and simple
electronic flashes that you can get for a couple of dollars. If you want
something new, check out catalogues from places like KEH, Freestyle, etc. that
offer simple flashes for under $10.
Mark
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Langer
Email address: mla...@ccs.carleton.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon & Karen
very satisfied with the pictures. I was sceptical when i bought it, but
the pictures are very good. It is a fixed focal length 35 mm.
DM
box in which a camera and other items can be stored. Where can
I find such a box? I think I may get one.
How do you protect your gear while taking pictures while in the canoe
or kayak?
On Tue, 20 Oct 1998 09:13:57 -0500 (CDT), Yeti...@webtv.net (Yeti
Man) wrote:
>I shoot from a canoe or kayak a LOT. What i have is a pelican case.
> It is TOTALLY watertight (unless you leave the purge valve open) and
>bomb proof. Itis reasonably easy to access gear (as long as you dont buy
>one that is too big) and can be submerged, but will also float.
<snip>
David L Baer
boxes at their stores. Their web site is www.rei.com -- if they don't offer
the box through the web, you can call their 1-800 number. You can get
waterproof bags in all sizes that will survive a dunking (although the pelican
box will be safer).
I am partial to a P&S because they are small and portable (I use my Leica
Mini 3 for climbing). I shoot Fuji Velvia slide film and have been very
pleased with the results.
I find that I take more pictures with a small range finder or P&S. I have a
Canon A-1 (smaller and lighter than my old FTb) but it usually sits in my
pack. With a P&S, I can carry it in a pouch slung around my neck where it is
quick and easy to grab. More pictures are taken this way.
Dave
Yeti Man
them.
Several photo shops in town where i live carry them. (I needed mine in
a hurry and bought it at a paddle shop and got robbed for $95 for mine)
There are many sizes available depending on what you need from
9"x7"x4" ($35) on up to suit case sizes.
They are foam filled, and the foam is cut in about 1/4 inch segmants,
and you tear them out to fit your gear so it fits snugly.
As to protecting gear while you use it, you still have to be carefull
there. I use a monopod in the canoe with a quick release and the strap
around my neck with the camera against my chest when i maneuver the boat
with the paddle for shots.
I keep a towel handy and I am carefull.
www.bhphotovideo.com
Bill Tuthill
Yes, the use of 35mm film (instead of 110 or APS) can work wonders. I've
even seen great photos produced by a disposable. However note that the A-1
is stuck on f3.5, so you're not going to get great depth of field from a
stopped down lens. Also, with 1/250 the fastest shutter speed, you're in
danger of overexposing ISO 400 film in the brightest conditions.
Unless you specifically want a diving camera, the Yashica T4 Super (or T5
outside the USA) is a much better value. Its aperture ranges from f3.5 to
f15.5, and its fastest shutter speed is 1/700 second.
S. Gareth Ingram
done that.
GI
NJFotomakr wrote:
>
> > I would like to bring a camera to use while canoeing.
>
> A couple of Kodak Weekend 35's............waterproof,disposable.
>
S. Gareth Ingram
be the answer to your problem. A very nice lens indeed by the way.
I take a Canon Rebel on my trips because it is cheap (if it falls in the
lake, so be it, I get a chance to move up to the Ellan !) and you are
correct, the infamous portage is to be feared (reduce weight at all
costs, email me for further details). The Rebel is very light and you
can get some very nice lenses, e.g. 28-105/3.5 USM. I realise this is
not the same system you have now but you asked the question.
GI
DM wrote:
>
> I will be taking 30 Boy Scouts to the Boundary Waters canoeing for a
> week in June and I would like to bring a camera to use while canoeing.
>
> I took the troop, my Nikon FG with a couple of lenses and a digital
> camera, on a 4 hour "float". At least twice the canoe took on a lot of
> water and nearly swamped in entirety. It took a week for the digital
> to dry out to where it would work again. The FG did not get wet.
>
> As we will be doing a lot of portaging, or so I am told, I don't want
> to bring as much weight as my FG. And I don't want to loose the
> camera to getting drenched when the boys tip my canoe.
>
> Of course, we will have water proof bags in which we will keep our
> gear. But a camera in a gear bag is one that is not taking pictures!
>
> Any recommendations as to a camera suitable to documenting the event?
> We will do a slide show when we come back. I am really partial to my
> Nikkor 50/1.8 AIS. So I don't want a junky P&S. I tend toward a fixed
> focal length AF with decent flash GN. It seems that most of these are
> fairly wide lenses. Are the wide angle lenses any good for people
> shots? Or will I need to get into their face to get a pic that we can
> put in the local paper?
>
> Are any of the "water resistant" P&S cameras really resistant to a
> good splashing? a *quick* dip in the drink? Or do I need to get a
> water proof camera? (I don't plan to take underwater pics)
>
> Many of the waterproof P&S are zooms. How good are they optically? Are
> they any good other than during daylight hours? How useful are the
> builtin flash units? especially on a zoom with a small max aperature?
>
Jeff Alexander
<sgin...@venus.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>>I take a Canon Rebel on my trips because it is cheap
I wish I had as much money as you do!
real_...@my-dejanews.com
Okay. Time to grab this thread. Canoe trip, eh? Well, I'd not make the
surivability of your camera when it hits the drink after a capsize your first
priority. If you're paddling anything worthwhile, water-wise, it'll probably
be cold and remote and you'll be packing plenty of precious gear. If you go
over, you'll have bigger things on your mind than the fate of some crummy,
mass produced piece of plastic. Weather is another matter. Get a
weatherproof point-and-shoot. They're light and easy to use, and you can
store them into ziplock bags to keep them away from dirt, mud, water, etc. My
vote goes to the Yashica T4. I take mine everywhere and it takes great
shots. Nothing like a nice, hefty SLR with a good prime lens, but enough for
casual purposes.
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S. Gareth Ingram
>
> On Wed, 21 Oct 1998 19:24:08 -0400, "S. Gareth Ingram"
> <sgin...@venus.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>
> >>I take a Canon Rebel on my trips because it is cheap
>
> I wish I had as much money as you do!
I guess it does sound kinda bad to be saying that the Rebel is cheap,
but I have an original EOS 1000F which can be bought used for much less
than a new SLR these days - hence I consider it to have depreciated
already. Of course I take the precaution of looping my camera bag strap
around the canoe yoke so that if I flip, the bag is still there even
though it is wet. In fact I carry the critical gear (sleeping bag inside
a bin liner) in a ruc sac where the straps are also tide around the
yoke. If it can't float - tie it down.
Canoes are much more stable than you might think as you climb in and out
of one. Keep the centre of gravity low, put your gear right down on the
floor. If it gets a bit windy/wavy, kneel down or sit on the floor to
lower your centre of gravit. Lying in the bottom of the canoe it is
almost impossible to flip it. Of course, in white water you are talking
of a different scale.
GI
ISPIN1
>week in June and I would like to bring a camera to use while canoeing.
I've been to neighboring Quetico twice, most recently in June 97.
30 kids sounds like a handfull. Let me know if you need any help, as I might
consider chaperoning (spelling?) as a chance to get back out there. Have
already thought of doing so for the highschool program I originally went out
there on.
Admittedly, I understand such an offer from a stranger must be looked upon with
some serious evaluative thought. I'm 28, father of one 2 yr old, prior
tenderfoot, Currently an Army Capt with orders for Fort Polk, LA during that
time frame. I place some stock in the concept of getting "out of the box" and
contributing to the quality of others lives and experiences.
Anyways, a tentative offer is out there.
Thanks for your time,
Pat Smith
ISP...@aol.com