What is a good camera for caching?

[+Rider1124]

I want to buy a camera for caching, but i dont know which kind to get, can anybody help me out pls.

Edited April 13, 2007 by RIDER24 & JNEGRON

[+FamilyDNA]

What camera you should buy depends greatly on what you want to do with it, and your budget. I personally don't use a camera to geocache (mine doesn't get good satelite signals ). I do sometimes take a picture to upload to the log, any digital camera should do that for you.

[+Hotlanta]

I would recommend something small, light weight and not too expensive. Last fall I dropped my $200+ Kodak while trekkin’ down a trail. When I got home and downloaded the pix’s the sky was all pink and fuzzy on the shots after the fall. So, my wife used this as a good reason to go out and by a new higher dollar and heaver Kodak. It has all the bells and whistles and super zoom, but she won’t let me take it out geocaching. So I just picked up a new digital Sanyo at Wal-Mart. It was less than $100, small, light weight, 6 mega pixel, 4X zoom and the works. It’s more powerful and cheaper than the one I broke. So far I like it.

 

P.S. Use the wrist strap while hiking and taking pix’s!

[+Too Tall John]

Sonys are pretty tough and can take a beating.

I like the color quality of Canon and Fuji the best.

Don't get something too small, you'll cover the flash or the lens or something with a finger trying to grasp ahold if it is too small. Be sure you're comfortable holding it.

You can get a decent camera pretty cheap at the online auctions, which might be a good way to go for a camera you're taking off into the bushes with.

Oh! Get something that takes a common battery size. I like knowing that if my GPSr batts die I can steal the camera ones 'til I get home if I've forgotten to pack extras. Not to mention if you get a camera that takes a special battery, you'll spend a lot more on replacements.

Get something with at least a 4x OPTICAL zoom. All digital zoom does is crop the picture you take, giving you a grainier picture.

Get a case that doesn't have a zipper. You'll scratch the heck out of the LCD display taking the camera out of the bag if there's a zipper involved.

[+StarBrand]

It depends on your budget and what you want out of it. Above posts show the wisdom of cheap if you just want some outing "snapshots". If you want hi-res quality and features - there are many choices - I personally like Fuji Finepix cameras - I have a s5200 but there is a replacemnt model now.

 

More expensive cameras require good trail protection. Get a cheapie and a better one if you can afford it.

Edited April 13, 2007 by StarBrand

[+monahmat]

I just purchased a Canon SD1000 strictly for this summers outdoor adventures, its small and lite weight like I was looking for so I could bring it along easily in my pocket. It also has some impressive image quality for a point and shoot. I would highly recommend it. I shopped around quite a bit and found http://www.dpreview.com/ to be a good resource. They have a lot of good information and allow you to compare a bunch of different cameras. Previously I had a older Kodak, DC290 to be exact, I was happy with it but just got sick of lugging it around.

[+Miragee]

I have a Fuji Finepix E900. It is 9 megapixel and has lots of settings for either automatic or manual photography. It uses AA batteries, just like my GPSr, so I always have spare batteries, should I need them. It was under $250.00, which I thought was a good price for what it can do.

[+TrailGators]

Small digitals are nice but they don't take as good a photo as an DSLR, but DSLRs are bulky. Look at some photos taken by others and find the best of what you like to be able to shoot. Then ask them what they used.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I bought myself an Olympus 765 Ultrazoom. 10x optical zoom, and a macro setting that lets me get within inches of a subject. The latter is great for taking closeups of nature (such as flowers, etc).

 

Here are some closeups:

 

 

 

 

[+Hobo2]

I want to buy a camera for caching, but i dont know which kind to get, can anybody help me out pls.

Unless you are a pro, just get the simple and easy to use Cannon Power Shot A520. This camera is great for everyday, or some fancy stuff. In fact you will probably never use all the tricks it can do. It is very affordable… around $200, light weight, and comes with a nice, very user friendly program for storing your photos on your PC.

 

Here is an example of what it can do. This is four shots stitched together of Glen Canyon Dam in AZ.

 

 

To view a larger clearer immage of this same photo just click on this link.

 

Edited April 13, 2007 by Hobo2

[+Too Tall John]

Small digitals are nice but they don't take as good a photo as an DSLR, but DSLRs are bulky. Look at some photos taken by others and find the best of what you like to be able to shoot. Then ask them what they used.

 

I'll agree with this to a point. I remember seeing a website where a professional photographer was trying to get people interested in photography. To make his point about not needing to make a big investment in order to get into the hobby, he had an entire section on his site of incredible (I mean some really drop dead gorgeous) pictures that he took using a disposable camera. A lot of pictures that might appeal to you visually have nothing to do with the equipment being used, but more to do with the nut behind the eyepiece.

 

On the other hand, anyone with the knowledge to take a great shot probably did some research into the camera that they bought, so drawing on that knowledge base is what will be most useful.

 

All that being said, I'm going to go back to the disposable camera. I used to manage a photo lab. When someone would come in and ask for the cheapest disposable camera we had, I'd toss 'em a disposable. Today's photo developers have the ability to put all your pictures from a roll of film into digital format. Thus, aside from the fact that you can't see the pics or immediately upload them onto your computer, any camera can be a digital camera. You also don't have to worry about dropping it in the streams you may have to cross.

 

Oh, and ditto to Hobo2. I'm on my 2nd Canon "A" series camera (the first was stolen). I love it. (Nice shot, btw)

Edited April 13, 2007 by Too Tall John

[+Miragee]

Here are a few pictures I took with my Fuji E900 camera.

 

 

 

 

I like its small size, the pop-up flash, and it also has a viewfinder. Some small digitals don't.

 

Edit for typo ...

Edited April 13, 2007 by Miragee

[+sbell111]

Upon reading this thread, I found that I didn't follow my normal advice as far as cameras are concerned. Typically, my answer to pda questions, for instance, is 'buy something you wouldn't mind broken'.

 

I used to cache with a very cheapo HP photosmart digital. Eventually, I got so sick of it's slowness that I chunked it in a drawer and started carrying my old Canon Rebel XS when I wanted to take pics. Obviously, I treaded lightly with my camera so as to not break it, but it sure took good pics. Other than the size, weight, and expense (if broken, the downside was FILM. Having my pics developed got expensive fast, so the XS gets left at home and I went back to digital.

 

My current caching (and everything else) camera is a Canon 20d. It takes great quality pics and uses the lenses that I bought for my film camera. Of course, the downside is that it is big, bulky, and expensive.

[+Hobo2]

Upon reading this thread, I found that I didn't follow my normal advice as far as cameras are concerned. Typically, my answer to pda questions, for instance, is 'buy something you wouldn't mind broken'.

 

I used to cache with a very cheapo HP photosmart digital. Eventually, I got so sick of it's slowness that I chunked it in a drawer and started carrying my old Canon Rebel XS when I wanted to take pics. Obviously, I treaded lightly with my camera so as to not break it, but it sure took good pics. Other than the size, weight, and expense (if broken, the downside was FILM. Having my pics developed got expensive fast, so the XS gets left at home and I went back to digital.

 

My current caching (and everything else) camera is a Canon 20d. It takes great quality pics and uses the lenses that I bought for my film camera. Of course, the downside is that it is big, bulky, and expensive.

A good padded water tight case solves this problem.

 

And as far as disposable cameras, I think the only good use for one of them is inside a cache.

 

Get something you will enjoy at home as well in the field. I have had mine for three years now without putting a scratch on it. It is also fun to "develop" my own photos at home. I hate going to the store and waiting.

 

Have fun, please let me know what kind you decided on.

 

Hobo2

[+2qwerqE]

My newest and favorite ever camera ia a Panasonic TZI (also called the 'Tizzy'.) Very small amd light with a 10X optical zoom. Yes, I said 10X, and at it's fullest extension, the lens extrudes less than one inch from the camera body. It also does a great job with macro, and it LOVES sunsets and sunrises.

 

Check my profile for my gallery to see things done with this camera. (every pic posted since Dec 06 is from the Tizzy.) But here's a 10x zoomed shot from a recent caching trip:

 

 

another 10X zoom shot:

 

 

Here's a macro example:

 

 

 

Downside: it has a proprietary battery. But it's rechargeable and I don't spend money on batteries. But I do carry an extra one with me, since the battery's only good for about 250 shots.

 

And it doesn't have a view finder at all. But the LED display is sharp, large and clear.

[+sbell111]

A good padded water tight case solves this problem. ...

I don't really have a problem. I understand the downsides and choose to use my 20d.

 

I actually have three different padded cases/bags. Of course, the camera tends not to be in them during the hunt because it is in my hands, taking pics.

[+Dgwphotos]

This camera is water resistant. Pentax Optio W20

This website is a good source for information on digital cameras of all types, btw.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

Several years ago, we bought a nice (at the time) digital camera. It was an Olympus, I think. Anyway, we were walking along exposed rocks near a riverbed, heading to a set of dinosaur tracks we had seen another time. On the way back to the car, hubby slipped and fell. The camera was in a nice padded case, and the GPSr was in that case, also.

 

We didn't think much about the fall. The GPSr continued to work on that caching trip.

 

A couple of weeks later, however, hubby tried to use the camera and it just wouldn't work. Something happened during the fall.

 

Well, there went $400.....

 

We bought another camera, similar to that one, but don't take it geocaching. The cameras we take geocaching are an inexpensive Minolta Dimage X. (10x optical zoom, and 3.2 megapixel, I think?) We've bought several of them (one for each kid, and hubby) off of E-Bay for around $75. We haven't seen them for a while, since they are older cameras.

 

They take great all around shots, and it doesn't hurt near as much if it gets broken! It is easy to carry in a pocket. We've been using them for several years, now.

 

It all depends on the terrain you might be on. Around here, we will be climbing over rocky areas and off trail a bunch, so we usually need something that isn't so fragile. (Or, if it does get damaged, it is cheap to replace.)