Ok.......as promised in the introduction, here is a synopsis of my bicycling cameras. I have had a total of three since I've started bicycling, all digital cameras. I love the digital age!! Nuff said!!! The digital cameras are tough, can stand a lot of vibration and other abuse, they're compact, and yet have features built in that only the most expensive cameras would have had thirty years ago. You don't have to develop and print pictures to find out you've got a dud..... just look at them on your computer, and delete the bad ones.....doesn't cost you a cent. Always, always, and I can't stress this enough, look at them on your computer and play with them for a while before you delete. Never, never....delete an image in camera, no matter how bad it may look at the time. My Kodak camera is history, it found it's way into the trash many years ago when it just quit working. It was a cheap camera to start with, and it took OK pictures for what it was, and it was reasonably small and I could fit it into a bicycling lifestyle. My first quality camera was a Canon A570is .... a camera with image stabilization. Certainly a worthwhile feature when age dictates that maybe you aren't quite as steady as you used to be. This camera was TOUGH! It has been dropped several times, once at twenty miles per hour from a moving bicycle, bounced several times and slid along the road for what seemed an eternity. I picked it up, turned it on, and it took pictures for me the rest of the ride, and they turned out just fine. It had taken about 5000 pictures by then however, and was getting to the point where it just didn't always want to focus and set the exposure correctly, and I ended up taking a half dozen pictures to get one good one. It also had only a 4X zoom and a macro setting that required you to get the camera very close for close up shots. So, I looked around to find a replacement. I had a large Panasonic Z28 camera that I dearly loved, but it was way too bulky for bicycle use, but because of the picture quality I got with it, I looked pretty hard at their compact cameras as well as Canon. I finally settled on a ZS8 Panasonic, and have had wonderful results. Trying to make sure this one doesn't get dropped or thrown off the moving bike however. It had many features that endeared it to me.....a snapshot artist..... a KISS photographer.... that's "Keep It Simple Stupid"....... and works just fine on full auto. I really don't have the time or desire to be messing around 5 minutes setting the camera up to take a manual picture when the camera will do better on it's own. You can set it for full manual, Aperture preferred, shutter preferred, and program. A zillion different settings as well as video, which I don't use. Here is a photo comparison of the two cameras I use..... the Canon and the Panasonic.....
As you can see, they are both compact, the Canon being a bit more bulky to carry. One of the reasons I like the Panasonic is the way it fits into a bicycling jersey pocket without being bulky, and it's still easy to remove, something the Canon wasn't.
I cut the zip closure off a sandwich bag, because it's bulky in your pocket and awkward to use that way. Placing the camera in the bag, I roll the open top down at least three rolls, then fold it over the camera and finally folding the opposite end over the camera, and stick it in my pocket. It is water tight, and is still fairly easy and quick to use. I used to leave the zip closure on, but like it so much better this way. I do the same with my cell phone.
I also like the 16X zoom (optical) and the Leica lens on the Panasonic as well. That is a great lens for a compact camera, and works very well. The Panasonic also has a zoom macro feature that I find myself using more and more. The Canon, not so.....you had to get right down and personal to get a macro shot. Not good with a creature like this.......
I didn't really care to crowd him any. So, I continue to enjoy all the features of the Panasonic that make it such a great bicycling camera, and will probably do so for a goodly time to come..... until something better comes along. But it'll have to be something a LOT better. So....what about filters, polorizers, and other photo enhancing devices you ask? Well.....remember when I said you have things you may have to make do with.......? This is one of them. We're entering DSLR territory now, and while those are wonderful cameras, they do not necessarily make wonderful bicycling cameras. Not for someone who likes to travel light anyway. There is one accessory that I couldn't do without however, and that is a tripod. Tripod, you ask?? How in the world do you carry a tripod on a bicycle?? Well, folks, that is another topic in itself. There will be another post about tripods shortly. But as a summary on cameras for bicycle use, it goes like this. There are many, many great digital cameras out there that will work just fine for bicycle use, the features that I find important are ones that have left me with a satisfying fat photo album, bulging with quality pictures. First of all, compact size, toughness, no fragile tiny, expensive cameras allowed on my bike trips. My Pan cost me $280 which is plenty enough, but not enough to break me if something should happen to it. I also require a great lens, one with good range of exposure adjustments, and a convenient focal length. A camera that has a long zoom, and has a good range of exposure settings to be able to take clear shots at max zoom is certainly a plus. What is more important to me though is a lens that is capable of clean, crisp macro shots without dancing with the rattlesnake. So..... decide what is important to you, research the camera market for those features, get a camera, and start shooting. It doesn't have to be an expensive one.... my Canon was only $120, and the Kodak before that was $70.... all took good pictures. As you take more photos however, you'll want more features, so always keep your mind open along with your eyes. Stay tuned for the post on tripods...... you'll love it!
No comments:
Post a Comment