Just looking to get some opinions on what SLR's people are taking on the rivers with them. Interested in picking one up and while I have look at a few, would be cool to hear what paddlers are carrying with them as well.
40D in a box - on a raft it's doable and worth it, in a kayak a bit more of a spatial constraint. For day runs the big boy usually stays home unless I'm shooting in an environment where I'm thinking about sellable images or hanging pictures on the wall.
I absolutely LOVE my dSLR, also have a Pentax optioW20 for carrying in the front pocket at all times (waterproof), but would highly reccomend the consideration of the Canon Powershot G10 as a viable alternative to having a dSLR on the river with you. It's much smaller, yet still not waterproof, and shoots amazingly well...you can even attach a flash if you like.
I use a Nikon D40X on the river. I bought this model because it was smaller than most SLR camera. I didn't have an investment in old SLR lens, so I could go with the smaller DSLR format. It turns out the camera body size doesn't matter much - it is the lens that makes it big. But for rafting trips it works great.
I have a Nikkor 18-200mm lens which covers 90% of my needs. I also have a 70-300MM lens that I use for long rapids or when I can't get close enough. But the 18-200 is my favorite lens. It focuses fast and has a fast shutter speed.
Here are some samples from a Lodore trip a few years ago.
My only complaint is that the sky often comes out over exposed on scenery shots. It does really good in the sports setting, but landscape settings don't turn out as well as I would like. I am not yet very good at using the manual settings, but trying to learn.
I have been very pleased with Canon point-and-shoots and video cameras. I went with the Nikon because of the recommendation of friends, and the smaller body and the point-and-shoot modes that it supports. It seems that my Canon point-and-shoot gets better color on scenery shots, so I wonder if I would have been happier with a Canon DSLR. But I now have too much money invested in lenses to switch. I suspect they both have pros and cons. I also liked the feel of the Nikon better.
I shoot gore in my superstar & run a watershed bag, housing a 50d with a cheap shitey sigma 18-200 lens (towel wrapped around camera & a shammy for me to dry my face off with in the bag). Bag is biner'd to the seat rope & sits where the thruster goes for playboating, works great & size is minimal with the little lens.
I have been shooting this run with every **D series camer since the 10d & have never had one fail me, dropped my 10d in the water below scissors once, dropped my 30 at cataract creek above green mtn res. on some rocks, never lost a shot due to being a dumazz (aside from forgetting batteries or cards, yeah, those have lost me a few shots)
that 40D that twitch mentioned, that one's been down gore a bunch too
(btw, I need my gearbag & wide angle back, got to shoot a wedding in a coupe weeks...)
I use a canon G9 in a small peli case velcro'd to the bottom of the hull behind my seat for a backup (also biner'd to me seat somehow), if you're an SLR type of guy but need to cut down on size, the G series is your ONLY choice, all the other pointers are crap in comparison. (don't know about the other brands, I'm sure there are comparables to the G)
I used to carry quality optics on the river, but after lens #3 (2 kinda cheap, 1 mid grade) I started going for the cheapies, I tend to get 2 good seasons out of a cheap lens, but most intelligent people would get much more than that out of those lenses.
I'll have another D series for sale this fall if you want to wait. Hopefully I'll avoid dropping this one!
As for the Canon, Nikon debate, both are great mfg's, anothing else leaves you starving for proper selection of lenses, new or used, in the long run.
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I can put you in contact with someone who's selling some used but not abused Canon Rebel XT digi SLR's. She works for a company that does school pictures and they are moving through some of their equipment. Think they are selling them for $200 with a lens and such. Its a killer deal for a decent, if a bit dated camera. Its a great setup for doing outdoor stuff since its cheap. Definitely a good one to learn how to do DSLR stuff with too. Not sure what the lense is, but the camera is a 6mp variety I believe.
For what its worth, its really night and day difference between a DSLR and a point and shoot style camera, even the higher end ones. Having that optical lens that you can swap out makes such a huge difference. I agree that you should stick with Nikon or Canon, as they are both great and lead the pack (without being more expensive then the other competitors). I love my Nikon D50 and would stick with Nikon in a second. There's not much between them and Canon though. Lastly, unless you plan on blowing up your photo's way huge or need to take a bagillion pictures a second, get a cheap camera body and spend you money on lenses. They are the thing thats really gonna make a difference for what kind of pictures you want to take. Zoom lenses are great for sports stuff, especially kayaking and other outdoor pursuits.
Anyways, if you are interested in getting one of those camera's, I can check with my friend tomorrow. Shoot me a PM if you are (or anyone else). They had about 6 they wanted to get rid of, so not totally sure if they are gone or not.
I have carried my 20D along with several lenses in the raft for years. A 10-22, a 28-75 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/4. If you want sellable images and rapid fire sequences this is the route to take. However - including the peli-type case this is about 20-25 lbs, almost as much cash as a raft, and can be a real pain in the ass. I no longer sell my pictures and I have been selling my gear and replaing it with far cheaper, smaller and more portable stuff so my photography dosen't get in the way of my adventures. If i was going to stay with a DSLR I would get a 18-200mm type lens for most uses. Personally I eventually found that I wasn't taking my camera with me because it was expensive, not waterproof, bulky and heavy - and i missed out on a lot of great photos because of those limitations.
I have carried my 20D along with several lenses in the raft for years. A 10-22, a 28-75 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/4. If you want sellable images and rapid fire sequences this is the route to take. However - including the peli-type case this is about 20-25 lbs, almost as much cash as a raft, and can be a real pain in the ass. I no longer sell my pictures and I have been selling my gear and replacing it with far cheaper, smaller and more portable stuff so my photography doesn't get in the way of my adventures. If i was going to stay with a DSLR I would get a 18-200mm type lens for most uses. Personally I eventually found that I wasn't taking my camera with me because it was expensive, not waterproof, bulky and heavy - and I missed out on a lot of great photos because of those limitations.
I have carried my 20D along with several lenses in the raft for years. A 10-22, a 28-75 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/4. If you want sellable images and rapid fire sequences this is the route to take. However - including the peli-type case this is about 20-25 lbs, almost as much cash as a raft, and can be a real pain in the ass. I no longer sell my pictures and I have been selling my gear and replacing it with far cheaper, smaller and more portable stuff so my photography doesn't get in the way of my adventures. If i was going to stay with a DSLR I would get a 18-200mm type lens for most uses. Personally I eventually found that I wasn't taking my camera with me because it was expensive, not waterproof, bulky and heavy - and I missed out on a lot of great photos because of those limitations.
A body & lens (without battery grip or extra lenses) can fit in a pretty small peli, and now you can get a body (50D) & an 18-200 for less than $1150 new.
No need for the second mortgage these days!!
Don't miss any more shots!
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Hybrid Mode
