Boating and cameras, HELP?

huckit21 · 04-01-2006

just got a new digital rebel xt, and was wondering what kind of precautions i should take while carrying this thing in my boat. Suggestions on pellican size and what type of foam would be great. Plus, is it safe to run drops like big drops or bumpy drops with it in my boat. Any tips at all would be great thanks

benrodda · 04-01-2006

For those of you looking for a digital camera look into the olympus line. They have a line that is water resistant so you do not have to dry your hands off. Plus they are small enough to fit into the smallest size pelican cases which can then fit in the front pocket of your vest (astral). They have a very low level of latency and and shoot pretty decent video. (30 minutes with 150 pictures, 1 gig card)

All of this ads up to the ability to shoot from the boat. In the past a took a lot less pictures becasue i had to get out of the boat, unpack the boat, dry my hands, take the picture, repack the boat, and then get back in..... Maybe I am lazy.

They probably will not take as great of a photo as the rebel I just like the convience.

ToddG · 04-01-2006

huckit --

the rebel is a nice choice because it's light & fast & takes a pretty good shot. you'll need to be a bit more careful with handling the rebel because it has a plastic casing, as opposed to canon's better models' magnesium case. i'd recommend losing the chinsy lens that they sell with that camera & upgrading to a good piece of canon glass (EF or EFS). the lens is super important.

as for cases, i use peli 1200 case for my 20D. it's a tight fit, but works as long as you tuck the strap & fasteners away from the body of the camera. you can make a spot in the foam where you can roll the strap up & tuck it in. the peli case will provide adequate protection for the camera while running the shit (or portaging, for that matter). i've dropped my case onto the rocks numerous times with no damage. i have friends that shoot with $5K HD cameras & they use Watershed bags with foam inserts .. more because of the fit into the boat than anything .. but i am too rough on my shit to use a bag instead of a peli.

having said all this .. DO NOT make the same mistake i did recently! i pack a rag in a ziplock to dry off my hands & face. when repacking on a recent trip, i must've not cleared the gasket totally (some plastic from the bag interfered), & so my box took on water. i had to send my camera into canon yesterday.

as for the olympus waterproof stuff .. anyone interested in the art of photography, will need to get a real camera & deal with the inconveniences inherent in using an SLR as opposed to a point & shoot. if you simply want some pics of you & your friends to email around, then the olympus stuff will work fine. beware the water droplets, fog, & film buildup on the lens though.

gh · 04-01-2006

A real camera? Yes the SLR is king but the convenience and great photos of the Optio WP are all most people will ever need. Take great photos, enjoy your SLR, do cool stuff but its a stretch to say these cameras are not REAL cameras.

ToddG · 04-01-2006

Sorry man. Didn't mean to offend you.

gh · 04-01-2006

Just bought one so I was amazed at the pictures and convenience. I understand that what I do with my pictures and what you will do with yours are vastly different.

TheKid · 04-02-2006

Here is my advise to you. I just had a 20d, that my pelican case leaked on and totaled. So, screw the peli case. Get a water shed dry bag and put some pading inside of it. A towel is what I have seen most people use, that way if somehow a little water gets in the towel will absorb it. Now this might not work the best if you are running water falls or something where you could give your camera quite a jolt. But I think after I get my 20d replaced I'm going to use the watershed bag. Oh and I wouldn't use any dry bag, use a watershed bag. They are the best, far and away. thats my two cents.

benrodda · 04-02-2006

Hey all,

I was not offended by the comments about the SLR vs point and shoot deal. I just thought that some of the people interested in the post at some point might be interested in shopping for a digital camera so I made a recomendation. It was a little off topic.

So just to provide a little bit of background for my recomendation.
My wife is a professional photographer with her own portrait studio. The money she makes supports my habit.

I could very easily use her old Fugi S2 and pack it in a case. I have just found that I take way more pictures with my point and shoot than with the SLR camera because of the convience. Even when we took our family on vacation to Costa Rica we left her SLR at home and took the point and shoot. I have just found that by taking more pictures I get more good pictures reguardless of the camera. Another way of saying it is If your camera sits in your boat because you do not have the time to take it out or you just dont feel like the hassle then it is not going to take good pictures reguardless of how much you paid for it.

That being said if I were a whitewater photographer I would drop the bones on an SLR with a super special bag or case or something. But since I am recreational paddler that happens to take pictures, a really small olympus that might fit in the front pocket of your vest is a pretty killer set up. I go because I want to paddle the river, not unpack and repack my boat all day.

syotr,

ben

ps. here is a link to the new 7.1 megapixel waterproof and shockproof olympus camera. looks like no need for a case now?
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?product=1225

COUNT · 04-02-2006

Quote:

The money she makes supports my habit.

Taking pictures? Skiing? Kayaking? Or is it your other habit?

Livingston · 04-03-2006

The Pentax Optio WPI (6 megapix)is down to $196. Spec's are a little less than the Olympus but who cares for half the price. Don't let them talk you into a $60 battery though, you can get extras on Ebay for less than $2.

http://www.bwayphoto.com/product.asp?id=pnoptiowpi

I just got mine so I can't give much of a review.

-d