alaska outdoors

[gregory]

i have a ? i am doing a backpacking trip to alaska this summer and i am trying to figure out what is the right camera to take,the only thing i have been told is to get at least a 10x,so i need a camera that is 10x and i won't have the room for lenses,weight is an issue,battery life, i will be gone 10 days is there a battery that will last that long,i can always carry spares,and i would like to keep the price range 5 or 600.00,this is the trip of a lifetime and i want to have really good pictures,any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
greg

[EOSThree]

To save weight and space I would suggest one of the super zoom cameras out there. Canon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony all have models that fit in this category. I have owned a Canon S2(the S5 is the latest incarnation)and played with a couple of the Panasonics and now own a Panasonic TZ3.

If you don't mind a little bulk then the Canon S5 is right near the top of the list for super zoom cameras. The image quality is excellent, the build quality is good, the size is pretty big.

The Panasonic FZ18 is nearly the same size with a stouter build but also a little more weight. This has an 18X zoom starting at 28mm and going to 504mm. Some don't like the heavy handed noise reduction of Panasonic cameras which tends to sacrifice fine detail for reduced noise.

The Panasonic FZ8 is basically a compact version of the above camera only with a 12x zoom starting at 35mm and going to 432mm. There are several other differences between these cameras only you know what features you can live with and without.

An interesting camera that I have just purchased is the Panasonic TZ3. TZ stands for travel zoom. The body isn't much larger than the smallest cameras out there but houses a 10x high quality zoom. The lens starts at 28mm and zooms to 280mm. The TZ3 has no manual controls and no viewfinder, but the viewfinders on all of the super zoom cameras are nothing but a miniature screen anyway. So using the screen isn't that much different.

I am not at all familiar with Sony's or Olympus' offerings.

You'll also notice I haven't mentioned megapixels at all when talking about the various cameras. That's because for the most part, it really doesn't matter. I have seen great 16"x20" prints from a 6mp SLR and all of these cameras have 6mp or more. When you increase the number of photo sites on a sensor of a given size, you do two things:
1. You increase the resolution(this is good)
2. You increase the amount of noise(this is bad)
6mp is plenty for most photographers needs unless you plan on enlarging photos very large.

[EOSThree]

P.S. What part of Alaska will you be backpacking in?

[gregory]

hiking wrangell st elis

[Loupey]

Hi, Greg, and welcome to the site!

Without knowing more about your expertise and hiking level (10 days without electricity?), it's difficult to be too specific. But based on your 10x zoom and budgetary constraints, I think we are talking specifically about "point-and-shoot" cameras.

Since I only know Canon products, I would recommend the S5 IS. It meets both requirements but it is not small. It takes relatively inexpensive memory cards but you may need several spare batteries which I assume are not cheap.

What about weatherproofing? Will that be an issue for you? Who told you about the 10x requirement? Sounds like size would be near the top consideration for a hiker.

[EOSThree]

hiking wrangell st elis

Excellent choice. The Wrangell's are beautiful I have spent time in McCarthy and Kennicott and flown a bit in and around the park. There is a hostel/hotel in McCarthy if you are looking for a shower and a bed, visit the New Golden Saloon for a beer or two.

[Dylan8i]

which ever you choose i would reccomend you get it well before the trip learn the camera thoroughly and learn to see how many batteries you'll be using in the 10 days.


when ever i go backpacking i don't really care about the weight and just bring my slr (granted i don't have a big telephoto lense yet). even if my canon si is (also a super telephoto camera) still worked i would want the speed and versitility of the slr despite the 5x? weight.


as loupey points out, for light weight weather proofing, i use a dry bag which folds down several times and then clips around the side. its basically just a waterproof compression bag so pretty light weight.

[Greg McCary]

Curb weight of a Canon S2 is 14.3 oz without lens. I checked their site, An Olympus E-410 is 13.3. Add a lens and the Olympus still comes in just over a pound. On a once and a lifetime trip I would carry the extra weight. If you only take a few pictures a day the battery should last the trip too. Throw in a filter or two as well. I also agree with Dylan. Time learning how to use it will save battery life in the field.

[Telecorder]

For your back pack adventure, I'd recommend, as others, considering one of the Pany superzooms. Genece (Gene) has some images taken on a vacation to Alaska where his wife used her FZ30... http://imageevent.com/grc6

John Reed has a number of TZ-3 and FZ30 wild life images for your review, as well
http://john-reed.smugmug.com/

The Pany FZ-xx series have great Leica glass, Optical Image Stabilization, 10X - 19X reach and a fair movie mode, as well. Probably best to have a lot of SD card memory and spare, charged batteries -- If you'll have access to a car battery, there are 12VDC chargers. If not, either spare batteries and/or a solar charger.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp...cfz50&show=all