Cameras for motorcycle camping

[snowcat]

This subjects probably been covered before (SORRY)
I'm going to my first rally (national) this year and want to upgrade from throw- away/point n shoot cameras.
Thinking about buying a entry level but good SLR to pack on the bike.
I know good and entry level are usually an oxymoron but I'm a poor dilettante.
Any ideas?
Dave
88K75C

 

[LORAZEPAM]

I would go digital instead of film. You can take hundreds of pictures for basically nothing, and see the results right away and take a better one if need be. With an average printer and a 3 megapixel camera you can print out up to 8.5x11 photo if you like, or get excellent 5x7 prints.

The pictures store on your hard drive, no external storage for pics and negatives, and for a small annual fee you can put them on smugmug to share with family and friends. They can also order prints they like from the site.

There will always be a place for film photography, but for the casual user, digital is the way to go.

By the way you can pick up a 3MP camera for around 100 bucks if you shop around.

 

[naddy100]

You might want to think about a tripod and whether the camera has a timer. You'll want to be in the picture!

A co-worker's family was sorting through their father's effects. The father had a lot of photos from quite a while back. Pictures of the sunset over the beach/mountains probably meant a lot to the father, but what the children kept were the pictures where the father was in them.

That's not supposed to be a Dirk Downer story. I think the point is that adding you to the picture will add interest.

Noel

 

[burnszilla]

Canon SD400 is the smallest form factor with the highest megapixels.
Fits into the small pockets on any motorcycle suit.

 

[RTRandy]

Not anymore. The good thing about electronicsis they get better and cheaper as time goes on. Truthfully all the name brand cameras are all good. The competition is very sharp so they tend to be similar for the same buck.
The higher resolution of 5 megapixals and above are good for enlarged photos and with the right paper and printer, one could argue the stuff comes out better than what you were used to from the drug store photo developers. Digital is great!

 

[R100RS]

Why do you want an SLR for the bike? An SLR (analog or digital) is a lot of camera to carry around on a motorcycle. I have an SLR, but when I'm on the bike, I take the wife's digital compact point-and-shoot 4MP camera.

If you want a really good all-around camera that is small enough for the bike but good enough for other times and gives you lots of manual controls, check out the "pro-sumer" digital cameras. These are one step down from DSLR and give you most of the advantages of SLR in a more compact size. I just got one of these (8MP, 28mm to 200mm equivalent):

 

[burnszilla]

Not anymore. The good thing about electronicsis they get better and cheaper as time goes on

That Sony may be slimmer but its width and length are larger.

 

[bobwalker]

Carrying a SLR on a bike is a risky business. Some do it but they pack the lenses very carrfully. Lenses do not like vibration. I have several cameras and the only one I will take on the bike is my Nikon 4200 digital. Takes fantastic photos and fits in a shirt pocket.

 

[MarkF]

Canon SD400 is the smallest form factor with the highest megapixels.

So where can you find these at a discount? It might be time to stop borrowing my son's digital camera and retire my 35mm.

 

[ChrisM47]

We bought a Kodak for $400.00 with a 1gig memory card, 4megapixel and 10x optical zoom that is equal to a 380mm focal length lense. It weighs nothing and will shoot video for about 60 min on the card. Compuserve had them. I just don't know the model number but it looks like a mini slr. We love it.

MTBATP

 

[mcohen]

I carry my Canon D-SLR, a bunch of lenses and tripod when I travel--packed in typical soft stuff and so far no problems. It's probably more than you need but I like keeping my options open. There are a few great D-SLR cameras in the market so you might want to surf around to a few camera websites and see which fits your abilities and budget.

I was thinking of adding this 5MP Pentax Optio WP, point-and-shoot camera as a back-up for motorcycle travels. Since it's waterproof I can use it at times I wouldn't dare use my Canon.

Michael

 

[knary]

So where can you find these at a discount? It might be time to stop borrowing my son's digital camera and retire my 35mm.

Dell has coupons floating around for those regularly on their web-site. You can also get decent prices from places like Amazon. The 5mp SD400 is around $350 through Amazon. The 4mp SD300 is around $300. A friend just picked up the latter for, I think, about $275 from Dell.

 

[colofan]

Well I prefer an HP camera because though the form factor is slightly bigger than the canon sd400 the performance is better and the software is a lot easier to use on my computer.

The R717 is the model I am thinking is the best. List price is $299 but is a 6.2 megapixel camera.

I would insert a picture but I can't seem to get the paste function to work.

The camera is online at www.hpshopping.com

 

[knary]

Well I prefer an HP camera because though the form factor is slightly bigger than the canon sd400 the performance is better and the software is a lot easier to use on my computer.

The R717 is the model I am thinking is the best. List price is $299 but is a 6.2 megapixel camera.

I would insert a picture but I can't seem to get the paste function to work.

The camera is online at www.hpshopping.com

How is the performance better?

 

[dancogan]

Truth is, there are lots of really good cameras out there. I agree that an SLR and its lenses are more delicate that a typical point 'n shoot, and would need to be packed in good foam and weatherproffing for most travel. The advantage of a shirt pocket camera like the Canon Digital Elph or any number of others, is that you can slip it in a zip lock bag for weather protection, and they're so small there's no excuse to leave it behind. For a place with great prices, very dependable, try: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/. I've been ordering from them for many years. You can also get 1gb cards for under $100. Just KNOW what you want before you call.

 

[sgborgstrom]

I have been quite happy with my Pentax Optio WR43. Bought it because I wanted a camera to take out on the kayaks and on the bike so something waterproof was top priority.This camera is small enough to ride in the left chest pocket of an aerostitch roadcrafter, where it spent the better part of one very wet ride in the pool of water that formed in said pocket- no problem.
Not an underwater use camera, but it is good for immersion up to 3 meters.

Steve

 

[paulj]

but some folk just want film

For whatever reason, some want to use film. I now carry a Leica Minilux. No interchanging of lenses, but the quality of lens is so good that with the 40mm it comes with, you can crop and bring in just about anything. Before that, and for about 35 years, carried a Rollei 35. Both pocket size, very high quality, and getting cheaper because of the digital boom.

Another suggestion that I did for a time when I did want SLR, is to get a Pentax K1000 in a pawn shop. Probably about $35 these days. The body will last about a year in a tank bag, but the lenses never failed.

 

[RTRandy]

So where can you find these at a discount? It might be time to stop borrowing my son's digital camera and retire my 35mm.

Try here:
B & H Photo in NY

If you're ever in NY city, this place is so incredible it's a tourist attraction.
It's so unbelievably crowded, you'd swear they are giving the stuff away in there.

 

[rocketman]

This subjects probably been covered before (SORRY)
I'm going to my first rally (national) this year and want to upgrade from throw- away/point n shoot cameras.
Thinking about buying a entry level but good SLR to pack on the bike.
I know good and entry level are usually an oxymoron but I'm a poor dilettante.
Any ideas?
Dave
88K75C

Entry level Digital SLR are gonna run you around a grand to start, there are three that run about neck to neck, the Nikon D70, Canon Rebel and Pentax just came out with one same price range. All great cameras but unless you plan on some serious photography and are willing to haul around a camera of that size, a good point and shoot is prob. better for taking camping/rally events etc. Olimpus makes some nice ones called Ultra-zoom with up to 12 X Optical zoom (stay away from digital zoom) but they are also a bit larger than the compact point and shoot. Go to a good camera store, look at a lot of different sizes/prices compare features ask lots of questions, any good camera store can prob. help you out better than opinions on a forum. Cameras are like motorcycles, everyone has their fav. and will defend it to death, a good sales person at a good camera store can give a ton of info and help guide you to the right one.

RM

 

[knary]

The 'base' canon rebel digital SLR is now more like $750 or less - including lens.