camera advice to travel with in mountains

[BullcreekBob]

G'day

A friend of mine is going travelling shortly and trecking through some mountains in Sth America. He wants to get a camera to record some of the sights but he is not likely to use the thing much afterwards.

His budget can stretch as far as a D50 but are there any single lenses that can go from wide angle to telephoto? Something like a 30-300mm?
If so, any opions on quality? I think a single lense is easier because of space, easy of carrying and theft avoidance.

Does the D50 have any problems with altitude? They will be over 4,000 metres.

What is the battery life life? Would 2 batteries cover him when away from power supplies for over a week?

All input and opinions appreciated.

Rhanks
Bob in Bull Creek

[LOZ]

I posted this before and I would consider it reverlent to answer your question My daughter has a second hand Pentax *istDS. which was purched for $500 as new in the trading post this is a excellent camera and she has taken 1000s of pix over the last 3 months .We had our Casio ps stolen and were about to replaced it with another until the Pentax *istDS. came along .The quality is great and for $950 new. .Pentax don’t have VR lens so all her pix are SHARP. When I now think about it her camera cost less than half of one of my lens and she still gets pix equal to the $1000s I have spent over the past 2 years and been smaller and lighter she useses it a lot more than I use my gear .LOZ PS now under $900 new

[DaveB]

Have you/he considered a compact digital?
They do have their places, and this sounds like a possibility to me.

Trekking at those altitudes he'll definitely notice any extra weight, and there are models available with decent zoom ranges.

[sheepie]

...but he is not likely to use the thing much afterwards.

I would recommend he didn't get a DSLR.

Seriously, an SLR camera of any sort requires someone with a few clues about what they're doing, or at least a mentality of wanting to utilise the benefits of SLR's and willingness to accept the downsides as well. I am not suggesting for a moment your friend has no clues about photography, but the use you list above points strongly to a good quality Point and Shoot.

To loosely quote something I read not long after getting my D70 (just wish I could find it again)...
"The D70 is not a camera to give someone who is clueless about photography. It has far too many bells and whistles..."

There's a long-going thread here somewhere about a guy that bought a D70 and took a couple of photo's. He wasn't happy with the results, so promptly packed the camera away never to be used again - taking every opportunity to bag the camera as being useless!

Whatever is chosen, strongly suggest they get it well in advance of the trip so they can be well practiced and aware of any problems before loosing their once in a lifetime memories

[radar]

Hi Bob,

have a look at something like the Canon PowerShot Pro1. It's all in one, has a good zoom, options for jpeg/raw, macro, lots of control, similar to DSLR, but without the weight.
http://www.canon.com.au/products/camera ... tpro1.html

Or the Fuji FP S9500 or S5600.

They both have a 28-300mm zoom. The Fuji even takes AA batteries.

http://www.fujifilm.com.au/digital/cameras/

Note that the cold will affect the performance of the batteries. He should keep the spares close to his body. I would probably have at least 3, if not 4 battery sets.

HTH,

André

[Ivanerrol]

I'm with Sheepie,

P&S best for the job. However even with a digital P&S the book still needs to be read. Backup batteries and extra Memory are a must.

I got caught out last year in third world area with no power and no way of downloading images from the memory cards. Lucky I had the F100, however it was a pain to carry it around. Probably would have been better off with a Film P&S which could have been picked for microdollars.

[DaveB]

André, in the Canon line the Pro1 does sound like a good match (28-200mm lens). I have one which I use as my infrared camera (as in I've modified the internal filters) and it even has a dedicated RRS L-plate.
The images do get a bit noisy at high ISOs, although if you shoot RAW it's not as big an issue as if you shoot JPEG. The G6 will produce cleaner images but its lens doesn't have quite as wide a reach.

There may be appropriate Nikon models as well, and others (such as Fuji).

Devices that use AA batteries do provide the fallback of being able to get alkaline batteries anywhere, but LiIon batteries are a much better technology for these cameras than NiMH (and unfortunately not available in AA size). The BP511-compatible batteries used in the Canon Pro1 and G6 last for ages, don't self-discharge like NiMH, and if you get extra (non-Canon) ones they only cost ~$15 each.


So many choices...
FWIW, I bought my Pro1 as an ex-demo unit for ~AU$800.

[gstark]

Bob,

Please add my vote into the PHD camp for this.

Either the afforementioned Conon, or an equivalent Nikon, would be ideal for this sort of trip and person.

No lenses to carry or change, easy to use, just make sure that they're armed with lots of memory and spare batteries and they'll be set.

[kipper]

I'm gathering we're talking above the tree line here? As with all cameras tell your friend to be easy on using the camera with the flash if he can help it. I remember using my Uncle's PS with flash and it drained the battery fairly quickly (as with most cameras).

[Nosh]

Hi Bob,

Had been to NZ last year with a Nikon FM3A a couple of lenses and my Canon PS A85. Found that I used the PS more than the Nikon. In the past the Nikon has served me well in remote areas in the Himalayas.

The basic reason i choose this Nikon apart from the quality was that it could run even without batteries.

The reason for the Canon A85 is that it uses AA batteries, found anywhere in the world. Though I suggest using rechargable batteries. I think you can only get the A95 now, not sure though. My 16 X 20 prints from the A85 look great as well.

Ofcourse now I have the D70, but a lot of times still use the Canon.

Some shots from the Canon are here:

http://www.dslrusers.com/viewtopic.php?p=24915&highlight=#24915

http://www.dslrusers.com/viewtopic.php?p=24912&highlight=#24912

Nosh.

[BullcreekBob]

Hi

Thanks folks for all the replies.

I must admit the the adea of a non slr didn't really cross my mind, however it does make lots of sense.

After some reflection, I think he *wants* an SLR because of an ego thing rather than any practical purpose. I'll steer him as best I can (and point hime to this thread).

Once again thanks for the input.

Cheers
Bob in Bull Creek