Digital cameras

[torags]

Wow! You keep your D70 on your chest while riding? That's pretty hardcore. I'd hate to have something that big on my chest if I got in an accident.

I'll probably always take my dSLR with me but I definitely want to get a decent small digital to have easily accessible, especially for road shots. Is the Panasonic the same as the Leica D-Lux? I was considering both these cameras before my friend at work suggested the Canon. I do like that the Canon runs on standard AAs and not some proprietary battery. How's shutter lag on the Panasonic? That's my biggest complaint about smaller digitals and why I bought a D70.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

same as the Leica D-Lux? = Yes, its the same lens. Except for price. The newer LX2 (more $) has IQ noise problems.

You keep your D70 on your chest while riding? = Only when I get to the destination, not on the journey to...

I haven't noticed shutter lag (or hunt). My knock on the cam is that it eats batt power. I got an extra battery & keep it in the charger. I also have a converter (12v to 110) I plug in my BMW outlet to charge batteries.

Canons are great, you can't go wrong; I just like the wide aspect ratio for landscapes.

[PAULBACH]

Good idea about camera tethers especially if they are stowed in tank bag and used for the quick shot without getting off the bike.

[RTRANDY]

The majority of decent point and shoot brands were usually around 3X optical zoom and around 5 megapixels. Now they've all moved up to around 7 megapixels and more zoom for even less money. They fit in your pocket and take great photos from your bike.


Great place to buy a cameras on line is B&H Photo in NY . You can select cameras by brand and or features and they have every model you could ever want. Good place to shop and compare since their prices are low and they have every model imaginable. Extremely knowledgeable staff with great service.

[jld2872]

I am an amatuer in every sense of the word, but I enjoy photography. I used to carry a SLR with a few different lenses, but it was a load to lug around, set it up, etc. I now have a Kodak Easyshare v550 digital, which I really like a lot. It has 5 MP resolution, a large LED display (2 1/2'), strong battery and takes very nice photos. It's light, so I attach an ordinary lanyard to it and wear it around my neck and tuck the camera inside my jacket. I don't notice the weight on my neck, and it's handy to reach for a quick shot without stopping (still dangerous under the best of circumstances!), and I don't have to worry about dropping it. It's worked well for me and I have some great shots to remember some of my rides by. You can even shoot short video footage with it. It's probably hard to go wrong with any of the suggestions posted so far.

[PAULBACH]

The larger the LED display the shorter the battery life. Use the optical viewfinder and the batteries will last much longer.

[SNC1923]

Rangepig:

Digital SLRs are great; they do take wonderful images. However, most people can't tell the difference between the images from an SLR and a point & shoot. There are major differences, but they aren't visible to the average joe.

Like others, I would (and do) carry both. My DSLR fits easily in my tank bag with a 17-85 image stabilized lens. If I want to carry other lenses, they ride in the top case.

But don't discount the power and convenience of a P&S. I bought a Canon S80 because it was the only camera with a built-in 28mm lens (35mm equivalent). However, the camera is too small and refined to handle with gloves on. And some of the most interesting shots are taken while piloting the bike.

IMHO, it's no good mounting it with a RAM mount for stills, because you'll have no control over the composition. I've tried it; it's impracticable. But mounting it is great for taking videos, something the P&S can do that a DSLR doesn't provide for. Wearing it around your neck gives you a place to drop it in case you need to. Obviously do this at your own risk.

If I had it to do over again, I'd look really hard at one of these:



Your buddy is right on with his suggestion. They're about $325 online (at B&H). 7.1 megapixels, huge screen, lots of user control, a smooth and friendly user interface, and image stabilization. What more could you want? Canon is far and away the best selling digital camera, and they are pouring tons of money into their research and development. It's hard to buy any camera today that doesn't have some Canon proprietary technology on board. They are making great stuff.

[ian408]

dslr. 5D and a 24-105 will fit nicely in the tank bag. For on the road, I have
an SD600. I keep this on a lanyard around my neck. One thing is the SD
series aren't as easy as you might like to work with gloves. It just takes
practice.

As far as a ram mount? Forget about it. Ignoring composition, it will rattle
the bejesus out of your camera. Now if you want a tripod, grab a little
backpacker from REI. It's got a hook & loop fastner that will attach the
whole thing to a mirror if you need to.

Good luck and let us see some of your M/C shots!

Ian

P.S. I'll put a shameless plug for www.dgrin.com. If you want to learn
more about photography, that's the friendliest place

[rangepig]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I'll probably continue to bring my dSLR along and keep a point and shoot in my jacket pocket or tank bag as many of you have suggested.

I actually have been into photography for years. I've used 35mm SLRs since I was a teenager in high school, which is why even in a point and shoot I like having full manual control as an option. Kinda quit for awhile as film processing became tedious. Digital has rekindled my interest, and Photoshop is not nearly as messy as measuring chemicals!

[ian408]

There are plenty of P&S cameras that run full manual. Some of the coolpix
lineup as well as S60/S50's from Canon.

[dancogan]

As far as a ram mount? Forget about it. Ignoring composition, it will rattle
the bejesus out of your camera.

That's exactly what I would have thought, too. But I mounted my P&S on a ram mount to the mirror on the left handlebar and shot video. The shots are as steady as can be. Maybe because the RT has a good ride, and I was on relatively good roads...

[177195]

[QUOTE=SNC1923]Rangepig:

Digital SLRs are great; they do take wonderful images. However, most people can't tell the difference between the images from an SLR and a point & shoot. There are major differences, but they aren't visible to the average joe.

Like others, I would (and do) carry both. My DSLR fits easily in my tank bag with a 17-85 image stabilized lens. If I want to carry other lenses, they ride in the top case.

But don't discount the power and convenience of a P&S. I bought a Canon S80 because it was the only camera with a built-in 28mm lens (35mm equivalent). However, the camera is too small and refined to handle with gloves on. And some of the most interesting shots are taken while piloting the bike.

IMHO, it's no good mounting it with a RAM mount for stills, because you'll have no control over the composition. I've tried it; it's impracticable. But mounting it is great for taking videos, something the P&S can do that a DSLR doesn't provide for. Wearing it around your neck gives you a place to drop it in case you need to. Obviously do this at your own risk.

If I had it to do over again, I'd look really hard at one of these:



I just picked up one of these sd800's,and am impressed.

[ian408]

That's exactly what I would have thought, too. But I mounted my P&S on a ram mount to the mirror on the left handlebar and shot video. The shots are as steady as can be. Maybe because the RT has a good ride, and I was on relatively good roads...

It's not so much the big bumps but constant vibration that does the damage.

[stealthrider]

Time to add my 2 cents...
I've been a Nikon fan forever.. Starting way back with my first F-2 film camera to my D200 digital, with many in between.. However when I decided I wanted something small to carry while riding I opted for the OLYMPUS STYLUS 720 SW...
The reason being I wanted something small to fit in the breast pocket on my jacket. And besides being flat and thin the 720 is shock and waterproof.. Just thought I'd throw another option out for you to consider.

[GREGFEELER]

There are so many good P&S digital cameras today it's hard to pick through them, and lot's of good ones mentioned here. However, I'm going to suggest a camera you can't buy new any more, but can readily get used for a reasonable price (plenty on eBay): the Nikon Coolpix 5400. Some of the reasons I like it:

- 5.1mp (good for up to 16x20)
- 4x optical zoom, 28 ~ 116mm 35mm equivalent
- flip out (articulated) screen which folds w/screen against the camera body
- real lens cap (better protection than built-in leaf-type lens covers)
- excellent optics (ED glass)
- secure hand grip and can be run with gloves
- shutter lag times as low as 2/10th sec
- will save in true RAW mode (best for post-processing)
- fully Auto mode, but with Shutter or Aperture priority and fully Manual
- diopter adjustment for optical viewfinder
- will take an external flash

I believe I read it has an alloy frame, and with the fold-in screen and lens cap I think this camera will live in a tank-bag just fine. IMO a 28mm lens is more useful than a longer lens for so many situations. I can hold this camera securely with one hand on the bike and use the articulated screen to get a good guess of what I'm shoot (sitting still, naturally - never shoot pictures while moving ). Lots of P&S cameras have manual or semi-automatic modes, but using them is so hard they are not very useful. To me, the controls on this camera let you use all the modes very similarly to an SLR. In fact, it reminds me much of my digital SLR camera.

Knock offs are the relatively small screen size (1.5") and it only gets moderate life out of a battery charge. You can use fairly common 245 lithums, however as spares. More here: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_...nikon5400.html

[kbasa]

I shoot with a Nikon D50 (DSLR) for these:



I use a Canon S500 point and shoot for these:



For shooting in motion, I use a lanyard around my neck and keep the camera in the big right side pocket of my 'stich. I can get the camera out and operate it with one hand pretty much by feel now.

I used to shoot pictures with a Pentax K1000 or ME Super, but the form factor kept me from taking many pictures. I added a Canon IQ Zoom P&S about 15 years ago and started taking many more photos because the camera was handy.

That's been my experience with digital P&S cameras - they get used because you can keep them handy.