RE: [Philmont]: Cameras -( probably starting a long discussion thread) :(

IMO digital is the way to go. On my 2002 trek I took an Olympus D510. It
is an older, small, but not tiny, camera with a 3x optical zoom and weighs
only 8 oz. It uses four AA batteries. It is only 2.1 MP, but takes great
photos, though I have not printed anything over 8x10. The D510 is several
years old and has been replaced by models with more MPs and other features.

It uses SmartMedia cards, which are the size of a large postage stamps.
Unfortunately SmartMedia is limited to 128MB and is becoming obsolete. On
the other hand, I've seen 128MB cards for under $35. I took one each 64MB
and 128MB cards to Philmont. My photos (1600x1200) were around 500KB jpgs,
so that gave me 128 and 256 photos on each card, respectively. No contest
when compared to the size and weight and hassle of a dozen rolls of film,
plus you can delete bad shots and reuse the space. Except for long trips,
where I am taking over 250 photos, I just leave the 128MB card in the camera
all the time and download directly from the camera. No need for an external
reader or multiple cards.

I strongly recommend using lithium photo batteries for backpacking trips.
They are expensive, over $10 for a set of four AA, but they last several
times longer than NiMH and weigh half as much. I took two sets of lithium
batteries and never used the second set. I filled both cards (380+ photos)
on the first set, plus a took a lot more photos after returning from
Philmont before the batteries were drained. I rarely got over 100 photos
out of NiMH. The weight of several sets of four NiMH batteries can really
add up. Of course, YMMV, and its not as big an issue if your camera only
uses two batteries vs. four.

There is an advantage to using a common size battery. If you have several
devices that all use the same size, you don't need extra multiple size
backups. And if you do run out, you're more likely to find someone with an
extra they can spare.

The D510 was light and small enough to clip to my pack's shoulder strap. I
used a coozie Velcro-ed to my waist belt as a holster for it, so it didn't
bounce around. I could pull it out and shoot with one hand while it was
still clipped to my shoulder. Quick, convenient and safe. Around camp I
carried it my pants pocket or clipped to my belt.

I am not up on the latest cameras. Olympus has some follow-ons that are
similar to the D510 with higher MP, smaller physically, weight less (6 oz)
and use higher capacity xD cards for storage. I'm sure other manufacturers
have similar. Checkout the web as was mentioned. I'm sure you will find
something that will fit your needs well.

There are a lot of advantages to digital after the photos are taken. It's
simple to manipulate a photo, crop, adjust contrast, color, etc. It's also
easy and cheap to burn your own CDs. You can upload the photos to a photo
service web site and let everyone order their favorites themselves. No
hassles sharing negatives or managing orders from a large group of people.

I used to be heavily into film photography with my own darkroom setup and
everything. But digital is just so much more convenient, cheaper, etc...

 -- Jeff

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Jeffrey W. Knoll
Council Venturing Committee
Grand Canyon Council
Phoenix, AZ

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Received on Fri Apr 4 17:49:39 2003