Touring and DSLRs
#26
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I agree that DSLR's are durable, there is a wide range of durability. For purposes here the D40/50/60/70 with their plastic bodies, and mounts, as well as being unsealed don't qualify as durable. This is not a slam on these excellent cameras. It's just that they are what they are, and F5s they are not. Drop one and they are, most likely, done.
Protecting the camera in foam padding in a waterproof container/bag should give plenty of protection. Give it the same protection you would give a laptop or netbook while traveling by bike and it should be fine.
Protecting the camera in foam padding in a waterproof container/bag should give plenty of protection. Give it the same protection you would give a laptop or netbook while traveling by bike and it should be fine.
#27
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I'm pretty happy with my Nikon D70. Certainly durable enough. I think on every trip I ponder if I just take my wife's P&S but end up carrying the DSLR. The trips are my best photo opportunities and so if I don't use it then why have it at all. Besides the camera is so much nicer to use than a P&S.
I find hiking a bit easier than biking. Just recently I did a three day hike with tent, sleeping bag, etc on my back. The D70 stayed around my neck ready for photo opportunities.
On a bike it unfortunately has to go into a bag. Handle bar bag is the preferable. BTW, make sure to zip it up. One day I took a video camera along to tape my kid riding his bike to school. I lazily threw the camera in the handle bar bag without zipping it. It jumped out and fell into a storm sewer hole as I went over a curb. Luckily the camera still worked after I called a utility guy to retrieve it through a man hole.
I find hiking a bit easier than biking. Just recently I did a three day hike with tent, sleeping bag, etc on my back. The D70 stayed around my neck ready for photo opportunities.
On a bike it unfortunately has to go into a bag. Handle bar bag is the preferable. BTW, make sure to zip it up. One day I took a video camera along to tape my kid riding his bike to school. I lazily threw the camera in the handle bar bag without zipping it. It jumped out and fell into a storm sewer hole as I went over a curb. Luckily the camera still worked after I called a utility guy to retrieve it through a man hole.
#28
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Great thread. I have been debating this for my open ended tour coming up. My biggest concern with the DSLRs, since I plan to go bare boned budget, is the battery charging. Have yet to find a solar battery charger for my DSLRs, so i have a small collection of P&S that run on rechargeable AA batteries. I have looked at the trunk idea for a camera bag, and the handle bar idea. I want to take one or two, because of the places I plan to visit and the shots that I don't want to miss.
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For me, the bigger isssue is security. I love my cameras, and the opportunites they bring me. But, with no way to secure them on the bike the big stuff stays home. For biking, hiking, boating etc I picked up a good point and shoot compact. Like they say, it isn't the camera, it's the person behind it. And, the results from this camera are excellent. Best part, no worries!!!!! If it's lost, stolen or broken, so be it!
#31
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Great thread. I have been debating this for my open ended tour coming up. My biggest concern with the DSLRs, since I plan to go bare boned budget, is the battery charging. Have yet to find a solar battery charger for my DSLRs, so i have a small collection of P&S that run on rechargeable AA batteries. I have looked at the trunk idea for a camera bag, and the handle bar idea. I want to take one or two, because of the places I plan to visit and the shots that I don't want to miss.
Also there are often very light (as little as an ounce in some cases) aftermarket chargers for a lot of camera batteries. Unless you will be in the wilderness the entire time it isn't too hard to find chances to charge batteries. Any time you are shopping, eating in a restaurant, visiting a library, or maybe even stopping at a town park pavilion you can usually charge a battery.
Last edited by staehpj1; 04-12-11 at 12:25 PM.
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I'm carrying a Nikon FE-2, Holga, and Panasonic LX-3, all in an Arkel Big Bar Bag. The key I've found is being able to easily reach your camera, whatever kind it is. I've had to rearrange the contents of the bag to make all 3 cameras accessible, as I found I wasn't using the Nikon at all with it buried at the bottom.
If you think a handlebar bag will protect your gear in a crash, remember that the bag has to be closed for this to work. And a closed bag means you'll take far fewer pictures.
Take what you're comfortable having destroyed.
If you think a handlebar bag will protect your gear in a crash, remember that the bag has to be closed for this to work. And a closed bag means you'll take far fewer pictures.
Take what you're comfortable having destroyed.
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I hadn't given this much thought, I will be washing clothing, so this would be a place to set up and charge the extra batteries I will/can carry. Hmm, wonder if this would allow me to bring along the iPad.
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Just wrap it in some clothing and jackets, and be on your way. Charge a few spare batteries before you leave.
How else are you going to get a horizon-to-horizon 24 mm shot?
But how do you folks carry a tripod on the bike? How about a carbon tripod made for tall people?
How else are you going to get a horizon-to-horizon 24 mm shot?
But how do you folks carry a tripod on the bike? How about a carbon tripod made for tall people?
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I use a Feisol tripod and ballhead. The screws on the ballhead aren't captive and lost the tension adjustment screw (don't care, never use it) and later the locking screw, which rendered the head useless. I walked back on the gravel road I was riding and was extremely lucky to find it. Now I keep the locking screw tight when not in used.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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I don't. The world is full of flat surfaces if I need to steady the shot. If I absolutely have to have a tripod, I carry ... something like this
For bike touring I prefer reasonably small non-SLR cameras. I keep mine in a handlebar bag so it's easy to grab and take photos even while still riding. Am willing to give up a little quality in exchange for not having to worry about damage to the camera. That lets me take more pictures, esp. the spur of the moment type.
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Thanks for the reference. I haven't seen the 'Clampette' around anywhere for many years. I got mine about 35 years ago (I think it cost $5 then) and am still using it. It can be made into a usable tripod by clamping it to the bike frame or by clamping a couple sticks in it. I've also used it to record video of bike rides by attaching it to my handlebars.
For bike touring I prefer reasonably small non-SLR cameras. I keep mine in a handlebar bag so it's easy to grab and take photos even while still riding. Am willing to give up a little quality in exchange for not having to worry about damage to the camera. That lets me take more pictures, esp. the spur of the moment type.
For bike touring I prefer reasonably small non-SLR cameras. I keep mine in a handlebar bag so it's easy to grab and take photos even while still riding. Am willing to give up a little quality in exchange for not having to worry about damage to the camera. That lets me take more pictures, esp. the spur of the moment type.
I don't know what brand it is. It was given to me by a friend.
There seems to be dozens of these kind of things around. A very interesting one is the Hama Bike Pod
This one looks like it might work well off bike, too
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Last edited by cyccommute; 04-13-11 at 04:25 PM.
#39
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There's also the Gorilla Pod.
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I'd suggest picking one of these.
You're a Nikon guy (as am I), so you'll probably favor the p7000 (as did I).
But I endedup getting an LX5 because it's more pocketable.
Having used it for a while now, I find there is very little I can't do with the LX5 when out and about.
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Thanks! That's awesome! I can probably mimic the setup with stuff I've already got. It's pretty stable? D you worry about the CF in the legs?
The old Arkel T-42 I use have two straps on top of the left panniers. That's where it goes. I've also carried it on top of a trunk bag when day riding.
I use a Feisol tripod and ballhead. The screws on the ballhead aren't captive and lost the tension adjustment screw (don't care, never use it) and later the locking screw, which rendered the head useless. I walked back on the gravel road I was riding and was extremely lucky to find it. Now I keep the locking screw tight when not in used.
I use a Feisol tripod and ballhead. The screws on the ballhead aren't captive and lost the tension adjustment screw (don't care, never use it) and later the locking screw, which rendered the head useless. I walked back on the gravel road I was riding and was extremely lucky to find it. Now I keep the locking screw tight when not in used.
#42
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I tour with a micro 4/3 (Olympus PEN EP1) - almost the quality and versatility of a DSLR with much less bulk. I just wrap it in a clean dry t-shirt and the legs of my Gorillapod then stick it in a giant zip-lock bag. In the past, I kept that in a pannier (did about 800 km that way with no problems at all) but this summer I am planning to keep it in a bag on top of my front rack.
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I'm planning the something similar. Recently acquired a Panasonic Lumix GF-1, which is a Micro Four-Thirds interchangeable-lens camera. With the 20mm/f1.7 pancake lens, it's not much bigger than a P&S and the image quality is superb. I've also got the Panasonic 45-200mm lens (equivalent to 90-400mm for a 35mm camera), which is surprisingly good given the wide zoom range. I'll wrap the lens, and maybe the body, in a Tiffen/Domke lens wrap and throw them in the handlebar bag. It's a great setup and much less bulky than my DSLR...
Unless it's specifically a bike photography tour (ie it's going to photgraphy specific destinations) in which case I'll take... hmm... maybe the GF1 and GH1 or maybe the nikon, but the nikon w/ lenses definitely weighs a ton.
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I think it depends on you and your needs as a photographer. A lot of people who use dslr's would probably get by just fine with something like a g12, lx5, or micro 4/3. If you expect to sell work from the tour or are printing larger than 11x14 then bring it. If the answer to those is no, than it comes down to your shooting style. If you need the things that only a dslr can offer, like shallow dof or fast frame rate, then yes, you should bring it. Personally I can't imagine what I'd need a fast frame rate for on a tour, but I love shallow dof.
However, I'm not so attached to it that I can't make do with the macro function on my lx5. All I really need from a camera is a fast wide angle lens, an aperature priority mode, and bulb/ really long shutter setting, and my lx5 meets those requirements.
My concern with bringing an slr is not hardiness, instead it's the unnecessary weight and ease of use. The smaller a camera is, the more I use it. For me a micro 4/3 would still be too big, but it might be a good fit for you.
However, I'm not so attached to it that I can't make do with the macro function on my lx5. All I really need from a camera is a fast wide angle lens, an aperature priority mode, and bulb/ really long shutter setting, and my lx5 meets those requirements.
My concern with bringing an slr is not hardiness, instead it's the unnecessary weight and ease of use. The smaller a camera is, the more I use it. For me a micro 4/3 would still be too big, but it might be a good fit for you.
#45
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The Micro Four-Thirds cameras are actually pretty small! My GF-1 isn't terribly larger than my buddy's PowerShot G9 when the 20/1.7 is attached, though it does weigh more. It does enough of what my DSLR does that I haven't missed the larger camera... yet
#46
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I've hung a padded case inside my pannier. Bu like many others I found it very inconvenient to get it out every time I wanted to shoot. I tried to just carry it on my shoulder, but that was annoying too. It also pretty much occupied the pannier entirely. So I think I'll skip the DSLR and try to see how Canon S95 performs. So far, in plentiful light, it takes shots that are very close to my Canon 40D quality. The only issue I have with it is that I can get the kind of DOF I'd like. We'll see. But mainly it was the inconvenience not the weight.
#47
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I've hung a padded case inside my pannier. Bu like many others I found it very inconvenient to get it out every time I wanted to shoot. I tried to just carry it on my shoulder, but that was annoying too. It also pretty much occupied the pannier entirely. So I think I'll skip the DSLR and try to see how Canon S95 performs. So far, in plentiful light, it takes shots that are very close to my Canon 40D quality. The only issue I have with it is that I can get the kind of DOF I'd like. We'll see. But mainly it was the inconvenience not the weight.
The weight is the reason I stopped doing that, but the DSLR and an extra lens was very convenient in the handlebar bag.
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Also, if I am bringing a larger camera, I figure I may as well be able to compose ttl. I tried out the viewfinder on the g1 and didn't care for it at all. That said, your gf1 is a gorgeous camera, and if I could justify having another camera I'd buy one in a minute!
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For tripods I'm very happy w/ my ultrapod-
https://www.amazon.com/Pedco-UltraPod.../dp/B000ANCPNM
https://www.amazon.com/Pedco-UltraPod.../dp/B000ANCPNM
#50
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The bodies are small, but the problem is the lenses. I have an oly 420 w/ the pancake, and if I bring just the pancake I often find myself wanting a wide angle and something with more reach.
Also, if I am bringing a larger camera, I figure I may as well be able to compose ttl. I tried out the viewfinder on the g1 and didn't care for it at all. That said, your gf1 is a gorgeous camera, and if I could justify having another camera I'd buy one in a minute!
Also, if I am bringing a larger camera, I figure I may as well be able to compose ttl. I tried out the viewfinder on the g1 and didn't care for it at all. That said, your gf1 is a gorgeous camera, and if I could justify having another camera I'd buy one in a minute!