Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Will do! going with the fam, brother & his Gf so I think we will be tame, but still excited to go.

 

I love Bozeman

 

New lodgings! Found an Oztent brand new on craigslist for a nice discount. Excited to use this, hopefully in Banff, this summer.

 

Dang, that is a lucky purchase right there!

 

Been thinking of picking up a camera for all my backpacking and traveling. I don't want a huge camera so something like a mirrorless would be nice. Any recommendations for an entry level mirrorless camera?

 

GoPro 4?

 

Fuji xt1 or 2!

 

I've always had Asolo boots... Nothing wrong with them from all the ones i had. A box of Scarpa boots just arrived. Wowza these are comfy right out of the box.

 

I use it a Nikon P530. It's got great optics, a nice zoom, and it's pretty light. I prefer a camera with a viewfinder rather than just a view screen. This one has both, so you can switch back and forth. The screen allows you to view the pictures you've taken, and I find using the viewfinder allows me to frame the shoot with less movement. It took great photos on my recent trip to the Grand Canyon.

 

Idoits in Yellowstone face Jail time

http://www.grindtv.com/random/hooligans-face-jail-time-antics-yellowstone/#JGwf9tdcUq2LlCtD.97

 

Good. But still not enough jail time or high enough fines if you ask me...

 

OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 14-42mm 2RK lens (Silver)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H...ess+camera&dpPl=1&dpID=51DuvPRo7jL&ref=plSrch

Is that a good camera for backpacking and night photos? And for a beginner.

 

I use a Canon Powershot 710IS.
It uses standard batteries not special propietary. So I can use rechargeable.
AA batteries.
Viewfinder and screen.

 

A If you want to get into photography then I suggest going SLR right out of the gate. Spend your money on glass and better lenses. The latest greates body is great, but the glass is what gets the image. I still shoot film with an old Nikon f2. I only shoot black and white with film. (Kinda have a Ansel Adams thing) here's my trick... I set my digital cannon to match the film speed and f stop. I pre shoot it digitally to know the results, then off the tri pod I let the film work its magic. It saves hours and rolls of film for what-ifs. Now wildlife, or anything that moves... cannon 30d is still my favorite. In digital cameras, the model that is 2 generations back is still amazing. I don't chase the newest biggest baddest. Buy glass and change bodies as you go. Hardest decision is cannon or Nikon. Either one is a win. If you know anyone in the business then tuck under the wing and learn a great lifetime hobby!
If you are point and shoot... my stupid go pro has taken some amazing shots when I least expected it to

 

I'd look at a Sony Nex 5, 7, or Alpha 5000 or 6000. The bodies are smaller and better for backpacking. Almost any real camera will knock the socks off the point and shoots or non-high end smartphones. The notable exception is the iPhone 7 camera is pretty darn good.

Glass does make a difference but I'd recommend just get something, stock glass on the mid to higher end cameras is decent for a beginner. Go shoot a lot of pictures with stock glass and then you'll figure out what glass you want to get after awhile based on what you want to improve on. Crispness, wide angle, narrow angle/zoom, macro, nights, etc....

If you are an iPhone person (I'm not) I'd almost say get an iPhone 7, and buy some photography technique books and go out and mess with that a bit. It's amazing some of the shots people get without any super fancy gear. Also with the rise of smart watches I'm pretty sure you can take a picture using the watch as a control so you don't have to worry if it's a night shot and pressing the camera/phone might wobble the device a little resulting in blurr. An honorable mention is the latest Galaxy smartphones on the Android side which take pretty good pictures too. They make tripod adapters for the phones these days as well.

 

Questions:
Backpacking, how many days? Or, just hiking/overnight?
How long do you want the camera batteries to last?
How will you replace/charge the batteries?

Where are you going? Cold, hot, windy, sandy, dusty, altitude, salt water, etc?

I've thought of this since you asked, and there are more details you left out that one would need to give a suggestion, or we can just about recommend any camera.

Ken in NC

 

Canon G12, G15, G16 series are super popular with climbers and long-distance travelers for lens quality, battery life and viewfinder features. You've seen many magazine cover shots of extreme sports taken with these.

 

Didn't even think about battery life. Wow so much I need to know. Backpacking for up to 5 days. I would say mid 20s would be the coldest I'd be in. Hoping to get lottery for mt Whitney this year so I guess highest altitude would be around 14k ft. Doing lost coast this year so wind and sand would be a concern.

I use to have one of those old canon A5 film cameras but can't find it now.