pathlesspedaled

Hey all..I've been in the process of switching to a lighter and smaller camera kit for touring. I shoot stills and video so would like a camera that could possibly do both. I've been experimenting with the Olympus PEN cameras and micro 4/3 system and have so far been pretty please. I just put up a video reviewing some of the cameras here:

https://pathlesspedaled.com/2011/10/v...s-ep3-vs-epm1/
https://pathlesspedaled.com/2011/10/p...tem-for-video/

Some sample photos here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/russroc...7627912576198/



Best,
Russ

pathlesspedaled

Some video shot with the PENs!

Russ
www.pathlesspedaled.com

Aushiker

G'day

Timely post. There has been a discussion at the Australian Cycling Forums on cameras used when touring. Seems a bit of support there for the Panasonic Lumix LX3 or LX5.

Regards
Andrew

pathlesspedaled

The LX3 is a fine camera! If you look back in our archives (www.pathlesspedaled.com), I've shot many a photo with it. It has a great wide angle and is very light weight. Ultimately, I wanted something that was a little quicker focusing and shooting and could handle low light better. While the EP3 and EPM1 and other micro 4/3 cameras aren't perfect, they come in pretty close and are reasonably priced!

12bar

The new Nikon 1 looks promising also.

MichaelW

Travel cameras are a hard balance to strike between size/weight, usability/features, and image quality. Think micro 4/3 is probably the optimum balance available right now.
The premium compacts such as Panasonic LX, Canon G12 are limited by their sensor noise. The Ricoh GXR is a serious contender.
I think the Nikon 1 has missed the mark. It has potential but is really a point and shoot rather than a photographic tool. It seems like a digital version of the Pentax 110. Now if they put that 1" sensor and technology in a handy bridge camera with a wideangle zoom lens, it could make a great all round useful tool.

staehpj1

I really like the Olympus Pen 4/3 models. I have been delighted with mine.

BTW: The Nikon Coolpix P7000 is a very nice camera for that kind of usage as well.

rjl33

I use a Panasonic GF1 with the 14-42mm and 20mm lenses and have been very happy with it. Another new camera possibility is the Fuji X10-small, nice lens, optical viewfinder. I am looking at the upcoming Sony NEX 7 as a fairly compact travel camera with very good image quality and lens choices. www.randylarsonphotography.com

nun

I can see why a professional photographer or serious amateur might want these dedicated cameras, but for basic documentation of a trip and even video I've been amazed at how well the iphone4 does. The optics are basic, but good enough for the 99% ;0 and now that there's some zoom and flash capability the worst problems of the previous iPhones are gone. Electronics can add up to a lot of weight so I've gone away from netbooks and carry the following electronics

iPhone4, cable, ear buds
iPhone4 wall plug
Hyperjuice mini and cable
small AM/FM radio (use for NPR if out of wifi/3G range)

This all weighs just under 1.5lbs and I find I can do everything I need to do, like email, photos, blogging, radio, music, audiobooks etc. Of course if you want to professionally publish your media from the road you'll need a laptop and a real camera, but most tourists don't really need the extra capabilities, image quality and weight.

Storage might be an issue for long trips, but the new i-flashdrives solve that and there's the i-Cloud, although that's giving up too much control for me, and the hyperjuice mini external battery will recharge the iPhone 5 times. I used the no-no orientation on this video and it wobbles a bit as it's hand held.

myrridin

Leica M1

sstorkel

Actually the worst problem of the iPhone, the difficulty of composing and focusing a shot with direct sunlight shining on the screen, is still present in the iPhone 4 and 4S. They're certainly better than nothing, but I'd pick my Panasonic GF1 (with the LVF1 view-finder) and 20mm/f1.7 lens over my iPhone 4 any day of the week...

BigAura

too trendy

nun

I agree, i usually set stuff up as much as possible and then use a spare hand to shade the screen. It works ok. The iPhone will never come close to a dedicated camera, but for most tourists it's good enough and the utility of having everything in one place is nice. The convenience of being able to take a video and immediately upload to youtube or to a wordpress blog is great. Of course you can do that with some cameras now, but I like the integration of the iPhone solution.

pasopia

These micro 4/3s cameras are awesome. I carried a Lumix GF1 with the 20mm prime lens for me recent trip through South America. It worked out great. You can see the photos on my blog (https://www.awesomebiketour.com).

That being said I'm with nun, next time I'm just bringing my iphone 4. The convenience factor is just too high. Plus I didn't love having to worry about a nice camera being stolen my whole trip. I've been using my iphone as my go-to point and shoot lately, since it's always in my pocket. It's great, because it allows me to be spontaneous with photo taking.

If you want to have a great looking blog, definitely go with a micro 4/3 camera.

Tom Spohn

I am a fan of the shockproof/waterproof cameras, my favorite being the Panasonic ts series. I carry it skiing, mountain biking, river rafting, etc. and it has never missed a beat.
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311...pactgrouptest/

nun

Nice looking blog, the camera takes great pictures. Here's my blog with some iPhone photos from Iceland. The quality of the pictures isn't as good, but it's probably 50% the iPhone and 50% my lack of skill. Still it's a perfectly acceptable way to document a trip and with some skill I'm sure the pictures would be better.

https://wheelsofchance.org/

pasopia

Thanks! I'll check out the Iceland blog, I'd love to ride there at some point.

The iphone is no 4/3 slr, but you can get some good results if you are careful. It also helps to have an app like camera+ to edit the photo. I love that you can do a bit off image editing in the phone and immediately upload it. Here's a photo I took on the way on the manhattan bridge with my iphone.

ctyler

I have the Olympus Pen and just bought a Nikon P7000. I think my touring camera is going to be the Nikon. I can use my Cactus wireless flash trigger for off camera flash as well as a wireless shutter release. (Granted I can use the Cactus on the Pen.) I also carry my iPhone 4 with me but I want more control over ISO, white balance, shooting modes, etc. Would not depend on the iPhone for my only camera.

Tourist in MSN

A lot of the newer cameras are great, it is hard to find a bad one out there. I prefer a very wide zoom range so that I can take good wildlife photos and also do landscape. This link to some camera reviews is a year old, thus the cameras reviewed are that old too. But, it gives you an idea of what I am talking about, I got the Pentax X90. A few examples from that camera - uncroped and no post processing, the only change to these photos was that I resized them to smaller electronic size.
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q110superzoomgroup/

Not very artistic, this photo is mainly to show the capability of the camera.


Outstanding lighting, Isle Royale


This bird was sitting in a window in an old castle in Czech Republic, I was inside the castle shooting out the window so the lighting is not very good for the shot.


Sunset in Boundary Waters Canoe Area, northern Minnesota.

Niles H.

I've been considering cameras like this one,

https://www.samsung.com/us/photograph...EV-NX200ZBABUS

and the Sony NEX-7.

pathlesspedaled

Just picked up this tripod today. Great. Small and lightweight. Not the tallest when extended but I think it will do for a lot of shots!

https://youtu.be/X5-OkEN9hEY

nun

Iceland was a rough few weeks for me, the weather was awful. Here's a video of typical weather, I was riding into the wind!

NPR had a short piece about smartphones vs dedicated cameras. The conclusion was that smartphones are good enough for day to day snaps and win out for sharing applications and that cameras are still best for those holiday pictures you want to keep, but smartphones are getting better and better. As I emphasize gear weight reduction the iPhone is perfect as it combines so many functions into a single device and I'll accept the camera's limitations.

fietsbob

Smartphone camera functions are probably adequate now.

campylover

Looking for a new camera with a price range of $250 to $300 . Like to hear some opinions of owners.

Niles H.

This is a little outside your price range, but it is a very nice camera:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-EC-TL5...9743935&sr=8-1

I've seen the price go down at times to about 330.00.