Point and Shoot while cycling

I have started doing quite a bit of cycling lately, with the Cherohala Challenge being the ride I participated this past weekend. Most of the time I don't want to stop for picture taking and instead, one-hand the camera (older Sony P&S). I want to get a newer, lighter, and faster operating P&S and, have decided on the Canon Elf since it has a great reputation.

Canon makes one model of the Elf as a SD-750 and, a near identical model named SD-770IS with optical image stabilization(and maybe a few other features). Both are light and relatively thin.

I would think the optical stabilization would be beneficial however, before I buy the 770IS I thought I would ask the question in case I'm missing something. Does this optical stabilization have any drawbacks? Most all pictures will be taken in daylight so, low light is of little concern.

You might want to consider the Panasonic FX35. It has an Image Stabilized 25mm lens! It's also lighter and smaller than the two Canon's you listed. I would think the 25mm wide lens would be beneficial for your 'grab shots' while cycling. The FX35 doesn't seem to be favored by reviewers... but the pics I've seen posted from the FX35 on the Panny forum have been detail-rich and quite stunning. Here's a link to some pics... (Be sure to view all his comments thru-out the links... many more images have been imbedded.)

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=28380517

Good luck on whatever camera you decide to best fit your needs.
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Regards,
Kirwin
http://timebandit.smugmug.com

Consider the toughness of the cam before buying, since you may have it in a bike bag (handlebar?) and bouncing around a little. I didn't buy my G9 for cycling, but it seems to work nicely for it. On longer trips, it stores pretty well in the Camelbak Mule.
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Googling for handlebar mount might provide some entertainment, e.g.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=135378

Then something like the A650 IS with a swivel screen could be good, so you could look down onto the cam and still see its LCD

Neal Hood said:

Most of the time I don't want to stop for picture taking and instead,
one-hand the camera (older Sony P&S).

Click to expand...

I've taken a number of shots from my bicycle, sometimes without even stopping. I use a belt pouch with a velcro flap that makes it really easy to grab the camera quickly.

I really like the Canon A-series cameras. They're larger than some, but the large battery bulge on right-hand side makes it really easy to grip the camera and the controls are easy to access with one hand. I find it my A710 and A650 cameras comfortable to operate with one hand while in motion without worrying about dropping them.

The IS works really well for long telephoto shots and shots in low light, but if you're thinking it will help reduce blur for pictures taken while cycling then you may be in for a bit of disappointment. The IS works, but it requires that you hold the camera reasonably steady to start with. It doesn't have enough range of movement that it can compensate if the camera is wavering around a lot. So for in-motion shots I think you'll still have to rely on a fast shutter speed to get a sharp picture.

Many thanks for these comments. The recommendation for a 28 mm equivalent lens is good advice and, another friend has also recommended this. So, I will include this in my selection criteria. I read up on the Panasonic camera but, I don't like the comments about noise and picture quality. I will do some more reading up on it today.

The "A" series Canon is also interesting as, another cycling friend uses this very same camera. I was a bit apprehensive since it's bigger but, I will admit it takes dexterity to grab my little Sony, turn it on (often hard to locate the power button this one), and take a picture without accidently moving the function wheel. In the end it just takes too much attention to use this camera - in addition to it being slow. I can see how a slightly more comfortable camera, though a tad larger and maybe heavier, might be a better choice after all is said and done. I need to consider one of these also.

I have a choice of keeping the camera in the back of my jersey (pockets back there) or, in a small Bento bag that straps to the top tube/head tube on the bike. This past weekend was the first time I used the Bento bag for the camera and, it worked pretty well. Retrieving the camera was quicker than when carried in my jersey.

I will have to do a little more research based on these comments.

I have used a Canon A620 on several two week cycling tours and it works great.
I use a small case on my belt, but don't take many photos while riding,
because they usually don't turn out that good.

While riding, I'll stop for 20-30 sec., compose using the viewfinder (Usually in P mode), shoot and then catch up to the group.

Sometimes I'll ride ahead a bit, and shoot cyclists as they come buy. At the end of the day, after we have checked into our hotel, I'll walk around the town
and take my time shooting pics of the area.

On trips, I'll usualy have 500-600 pics and I'll edit/reduce them to send to friends on a CD or post a trip slideshow on the web.

Once in a while I'll even make a fancier slideshow with all the bells and whistles,
using ProSow Gold.

John

Not sure if you mean to take pics whist in motion, in which case videos might be a possible choice. For stills I have found the Kodak Z885 useful for grab shots in daylight because at f8 and 1/2000 second it freezes motion quite well and also has a long depth of field. Although that is at ISO 3200, I feel that the pictures are adequate, considering the circumstances.
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Cyril