backpacking camera for point and shoot

[Matt Spence]

Hi, I am looking for a compact point and shoot camera for hiking and backpacking that won't break the bank.

Image quality is most important, I would like to frame some shots.

Thanks!

Matt

 

[Osvaldo Cristo]

You can looking for shockproof and waterproof cameras at dpreview and refine your search criterions:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/se...amSpecsDurabilitySearch=Waterproof,Shockproof

IMO they are the best choice for backpacking.

Best regards,

 

[EthanP99]

realistically youre asking about the rx100. but i dontknow what break the bank means

 

[Matt Spence]

EthanP99 wrote:

realistically youre asking about the rx100. but i dontknow what break the bank means

I was thinking the same thing, I have heard only good about this camera. I was hoping to speak to someone that has used a great camera such as this on the trail.

 

[EthanP99]

i have a friend who takes their nex camera hiking all the time with a 10-18 lens and he just throws it in his bag. he loves taking photos with it and it never weighs him down. i think it might be a very similar experience with the rx100

 

[tkbslc]

Osvaldo Cristo wrote:

You can looking for shockproof and waterproof cameras at dpreview and refine your search criterions:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/se...amSpecsDurabilitySearch=Waterproof,Shockproof

IMO they are the best choice for backpacking.

Best regards,

-

They are probably the absolute worst if you want to frame your shots. Small sensors, mediocre and slow lenses, etc.

 

[tkbslc]

RX100 is great, but it is expensive. The LX7 is about half the price, and it has a much wider angle lens, which I really enjoy for outdoor scenery pictures. It also has a much faster aperture lens that can nearly compensate for the larger sensor on the rx100 (by allowing you to shoot at lower ISOs).

S100 is also an honorable mention as it goes to 24mm, too, but the lens is slower than the LX7. It's more compact and has GPS which could be nice for automatic photo tagging while on your journey.

If you are gone a long time, battery life may be an issue, so check on costs for extra batteries, too.

 

[Osvaldo Cristo]

tkbslc wrote:

Osvaldo Cristo wrote:

You can looking for shockproof and waterproof cameras at dpreview and refine your search criterions:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/se...amSpecsDurabilitySearch=Waterproof,Shockproof

IMO they are the best choice for backpacking.

Best regards,

-

They are probably the absolute worst if you want to frame your shots. Small sensors, mediocre and slow lenses, etc.

I do know your experience in backpacking but my own experience shows they are very convenient for backpacking where size and weight are a premium. Additionally for my backpacking in the (rain) forests, including rafting and occasional cavern exploration - I cannot see better option despite I agree they are not the best performer for image quality.

My real system based on DSLR and some high quality lenses go with me for relatively easy and short tracks (one day - two at maximum).

Regards,

 

[areichow]

EthanP99 wrote:

realistically youre asking about the rx100. but i dontknow what break the bank means

I was thinking the same thing, I have heard only good about this camera. I was hoping to speak to someone that has used a great camera such as this on the trail.

I've used it car camping and on some short kid friendly (two miles a day) backpacking trips. Quite pleased. One aspect I really like is that I can take cool star photos without a DSLR or CSC, which are heavier than I'd like on trail.

Great battery life too.

 

[AlbertTheLazy]

To the original poster:

Ignore all the 'if it's a P&S it's useless' brigade.

I'm a retired pro photographer with 50-odd years of experience. My current camera cost about 20 times what my wife's camera did. She's never been interested in the technicalities of photography.

We recently came back from a trip to Thailand and had a photobook printed to treasure our favourite photos. For outdoor daylight pictures printed to about 8"x10" (20x25cm) it is not easy to immediately spot which ones were shot with which camera.

Yes, if I look critically I can see differences in dynamic range, noise or fine detail resolution, but quite honestly, they are marginal under good shooting conditions. Most people are more interested in the picture than the image.

Last year I went on a joy-ride flight. I had my little 5 year old canon P&S with me and shot a small boat leaving a perfect fan of a wake. That picture was selected as part of a high-profile local exhibition. I'd confidently bet that nobody visiting the exhibition would have said 'P&S rubbish!'.

The reasons I have a much more expensive camera are to do with quality under less ideal conditions -- I don't like using flash except when shooting seriously so for social occasions I need a camera that gives good quality under poor lighting, one that I can control easily when shooting against the light or wherever.

Yes, you need to understand the limitations of a P&S, but much of the time they are all you need.

 

[Rod McD]

Hi,

There are many cameras that will fill these goals but it depends a fair bit on your ideas of image quality and budget.

The waterproof 'ruggedised' cameras have a folded light path and very small sensors. Their IQ isn't as good as better non-waterproof compacts. OTOH, they may get you a photo in situations and places where you wouldn't get any other camera out of its case. (No-one makes a WP rugged camera with a significantly bigger sensor, though many people wish that someone would just get on with it.....)

In good light, any high-end compact (Canon Gs, Nikon 7700, LX7, XZ2, X20 etc) will do an excellent job and the output will be frameable at 8X10. Several of them have a waterproof housing available if that appeals.

Compacts with small sensors won't do well in poor light, and if you want to cover that you're looking for a camera with a bigger sensor. The Canon G1X has the biggest - a 1.5" sensor - and IMO the best IQ in a fixed zoom P&S style camera. It also has a flash shoe, a VF for harsh lighting situations and a swivel screen. I find mine great for travel, hiking and landscape, but it has to be said that it's a bit slow for sports and action. And it needs an accessory lens to do macro. The G1X would be followed (in IQ) by the Sony RX100 which has a 1" sensor. The RX100 has the benefit of being quite a bit smaller, but you get no VF, no flash shoe and no swivel screen.

I've not gone into compact APSC cameras like the Nikon Coolpix A and the Ricoh GR. They are small and P&S-ish, have a fixed prime lens and very high IQ, but they are relative expensive and don't have the versatlity of a zoom lens. You could also consider the wide range of MILCs/CSCs if you were to move your budget up, but you did say P&S.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your decision-making.

Cheers, Rod

 

[Red5TX]

Good as the Ricoh GR is, you really need a zoom lens when backpacking. There's so much to take picture of and foot zoom often isn't practical, especially for distant mountains and other landscape features.

Lens quality matters a great deal for landscapes. For daylight landscapes, it matters even more than sensor size. Go with something known for having a really excellent lens so you get edge-to-edge sharpness. People have already mentioned the LX-7, G15, and P7700. I would start my search with those three for a good balance of size and performance.