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Touring and DSLRs

Old 04-07-11, 12:15 PM
  #26  
tom cotter
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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.
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Old 04-11-11, 10:11 AM
  #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.
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Old 04-12-11, 10:42 AM
  #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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Old 04-12-11, 11:38 AM
  #29  
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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!
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Old 04-12-11, 12:07 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by naisme
My biggest concern with the DSLRs, since I plan to go bare boned budget, is the battery charging.
I bring the charger plus an extra battery, and charge whenever I can. Campground, restaurant, laundromat, ferry, rest area, etc.

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Old 04-12-11, 12:20 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by naisme
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.
One hint is to look into aftermarket spare batteries for your camera and carry two three or however many you need. Batteries from the camera manufacturer tend to be prohibitively expensive, but usually you can find similar ones that don't say Canon or Nikon on them for a fraction of the cost. I know that for one camera the oem battery was $30 and I was able to get batteries that worked fine for $7 each. I have actually left the charger home and just taken enough batteries for the whole trip on a month long tour, depending on the camera i might even do that for a TA length tour.

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.

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Old 04-12-11, 04:27 PM
  #32  
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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.
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Old 04-13-11, 10:56 AM
  #33  
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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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Old 04-13-11, 11:34 AM
  #34  
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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?
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Old 04-13-11, 11:50 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
But how do you folks carry a tripod on the bike? How about a carbon tripod made for tall people?
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.

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Old 04-13-11, 01:31 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
But how do you folks carry a tripod on the bike? How about a carbon tripod made for tall people?
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 this or something like this, although mine has a wood screw that I can screw into stuff to hold it.
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Old 04-13-11, 02:34 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
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
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.
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Old 04-13-11, 04:16 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by prathmann
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.
My Clampette is like this one



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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Old 04-13-11, 04:24 PM
  #39  
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There's also the Gorilla Pod.
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Old 04-13-11, 04:35 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by MKIV987
I'd love to take my Nikon D50 out on tour with me but I'm afraid of ruining it/breaking it. Anyone here take nice cameras out on tour? What do you do to shield them from shock extreme heat and cold? Should I just stick with a point and shoot?
"Just a point and shoot" may be much less limiting than you imagine.

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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Old 04-13-11, 05:11 PM
  #41  
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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?


Originally Posted by Erick L
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.

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Old 04-13-11, 09:41 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by imonabike
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.
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...
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Old 04-13-11, 11:12 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by sstorkel
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...
I have a Nikon D2x, a GF-1, a GH-1 and an LX5.... and for a bike tour I'm taking the LX5 all the way.

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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Old 04-13-11, 11:49 PM
  #44  
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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.
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Old 04-14-11, 09:28 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by garagegirl
For me a micro 4/3 would still be too big, but it might be a good fit for you.
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
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Old 04-14-11, 10:25 AM
  #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.
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Old 04-14-11, 10:35 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by AdamDZ
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.
If the weight wasn't the issue why not take a DSLR in the handlebar bag. I did that on the TA and found that It was accessible enough that I even used it while riding at times.

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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Old 04-14-11, 11:15 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by sstorkel
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
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!
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Old 04-14-11, 11:45 AM
  #49  
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For tripods I'm very happy w/ my ultrapod-
https://www.amazon.com/Pedco-UltraPod.../dp/B000ANCPNM
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Old 04-14-11, 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by garagegirl
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!
Like the body, the lenses are similarly lighter and smaller. There are nice "do all" range zooms and various primes all of which are much lighter than their full sized DSLR counterparts.
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