Pocketable backup???

I want to replace my venerable D-560Z (which goes to my wife as her snapshot cam) with a small, pocketable (must be that) backup with the following:

• good noise though ISO-800
• 6-8 megapix
• 28mm +zoom (35mm maybe)
• AA's
• CRV3 R's
• optical viewfinder
• well-built, and, ideally, able to withstand a shower or two

I am traveling more and more with my 330 and lenses, but as a railroad photographer I like to be as inconspicuous as possible and sometimes it is just best to use something small and 'touristy'. I've been stopped too much to know that is sometimes practical, particularly in stations. I could forego the AA's, etc. if the OEM battery can provide a lot of shots, but since I have a slew of good NiMh's and CRV3 R's would prefer to stick with them. I have a brilliant Oly 5060 but it is too big for my pocket or as a backup for 330 when on the road, which I am all the time.

What do you guys do for small backups? Advice? Ideas? Doesn't have to be Oly, of course.

Thanks much.

Ron,

I keep, in my car, at all times, a very, very old C-2040. While it doesn't meet all of your requirements, it does meet some.
OVF, yes.
CRV-3 or AA, yes.
Pocketable?, depends on the size of your pocket!
Zoom range? I don't really know but it works for what I need.
MP, forget it! Virtually none...

I primarily use it in my day job for recording accidents and damages so most of the images don't require high resolution. Unfortunately, Olympus doesn't make anything like this any longer but something like this might work for you.

As a side note, I put 2 CRV-3s in this 2 years ago and they're still very alive. The camera lives, literally, in my car in SE Florida and it gets a bit warm here in the summer so that's a great testament to the CRV-3s. I haven't tried the RCRV-3s so I can't comment.
I'll be interested in other replies.

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Troll Whisperer
Bill Turner

Check the Fuji's out.. they have an F40 (that I just bought for my backup) and it takes excellent (for a p&s) all around pictures.

Large 1.6 sensor, very nice high and low iso pics.

We took the F40 and the E-510 on our House boating trip last week. My wife used the F40 the majority of the time (I grabbed it once in a while). About 90% of the pics taken with the F40 were keepers. The 510 is an amazing camera and takes excellent shots.. lol.. but i'm still learnin .

I wanted a good all around camera (night/day, indoor/outdoor) that I could grab in a hurry and take a nice picture, and one that would be very easy for my wife to use. Well, I got it. Love the camera.

Well, thats just another opinion.. GL in your search.

Oh, and that video mode is really fun too.. very nice quality.

I dont know the size of your pockets but the Oly sp-350 will meet your requirements. Raw capable, hot shoe, 8mp.
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God bless our troops!.

Fuji F-31 fd.
Henry F. Smith
Http: www.glensummitimages.com

Nokia N95?

5 Mb stills and video

Comes with flash, phone, browser, music player, radio, SD storage and GPS

Abdullah

I have a fuji f11 as my backup camera. Pluses include an astounding battery life (equivalent to the battery life ive gotten out of my slr's or better), the best high iso shooting available in a pocket camera, and solid construction with a metal body. Downsides would be no optical viewfinder and no wide angle.

perhaps the canon sd800is? That would give good construction, OIS instead of high iso, wide angle lens, good construction, and a viewfinder. Only downside out of your requirements is the only average battery life. For your situation maybe a second lithium to go with it (on the plus side the charger is very compact and would easily slip in a pocket). This will probably give the closest to all the features youre looking for in one body, and since the 850is is now out, cheaper prices could be easy to find

Fuji F31fd not 28mm wide only 35mm but great otherwise.
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Jon Stony Plain Alberta

I second the SP350 - going at great prices - and I've used mine on a lot of travelling - quite tough sitting in a back pack with my other junk. Go on the Olympus forum for some great feedback and pics.

Cheers, Saras

Ron Goodenow said:

I am traveling more and more with my 330 and lenses, but as a
railroad photographer I like to be as inconspicuous as possible and
sometimes it is just best to use something small and 'touristy'.
I've been stopped too much to know that is sometimes practical,
particularly in stations.

Click to expand...

Ron Goodenow314865 said:

What do you guys do for small backups? Advice? Ideas? Doesn't have
to be Oly, of course.

Click to expand...

I am in the same predicament and have narrowed my choice to the Panasonic. I haven't bought one yet as I don't have time to shoot that much. Check out the specs here on dpreview.

What I like about it:

• small enough to be pocketable
• high quality leica designed lens 28-112mm equivalent
• useful max aperture f2.8~4
• Optical IS
• full manual exposure capability
• user selectable 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratio
• shoots RAW for those who need it

Dislikes:

• 10MP; would rather they kept the 8MP sensor for better IQ
• no hot shoe, though adding a large flash would make you very conspicuous

Hope that helps. Best regards.
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Trevor

I second the Panny DMC-LX2 - although I have the Leica equivalent D-Lux 3.

Excellent in all areas, but if the poster wants an OVF and low noise at 800 ISO maybe not for him, but then what would meet those specs!

Loads of manual control, very discrete to use in the street, and once you have fiddled with the settings and work with its strengths it capable of excellent images. My only gripe is the excessive noise reduction which can smear the image, though the Leica is said to be less so in this area.

Also have the Fuji F30 - outstanding at higher ISO. No IS and fewer controls so less of a photographer's cam maybe. Great pocketable camera though nevertheless.

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Kind regards,
Rich Simpson

SD-700IS (which I have) or SD-800IS both do very well. Not good at high ISO, but the image stabilization works very well.

Also, Canon TX-1. About the size of a standard pocket digicam (which is to say a bit larger than the really small ones like the IXUS/Elphs and Casios but still pocketable) but it takes really nice movies that look good full screen on your HDTV and it has a great 10x zoom lens with optical IS. But again - not good at high ISO, and in this case not good at any ISO over 100.

The Fuji's seem to be the high ISO kings when it comes to pocket cams.

Best,
Oly

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