Any hikers here? Need a pack camera recommendation.

[Xithras]

All right, I just finished off my first major hike of the season and my EOS is already in the shop for yet another repair...it died four miles into last weekends 35 mile hike of the Sierra high country after taking a whopping three photos. This is the fourth time this has happened, so I have to finally admit that the camera is simply too heavy, and too fragile, to be used as a pack camera.

So does anyone have any suggestions for a replacement? I need a camera that's extremely lightweight (every ounce counts when you're carrying it 30-60 miles) and VERY durable (packs tend to get dropped, banged into rocks, soaked in stream crossings, used as pillows and backrests, and generally abused on long hikes). A lightweight interchangeable or add-on lens system would be a major bonus, but it has to meet the same durability and weight requirements. A high quality and magnification zoom is a MUST.

And please don't recommend the Canon A series. I had an A75 last summer that died the first time I set the pack down hard, AND they chew up batteries like candy. Lots of batteries means more unwanted weight.

Any ideas? I had a half dozen once in a lifetime shots last weekend that I missed because the EOS refused to take a shot, and I don't ever want that to happen again.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. I always used various Olympus cameras

with the clamshell type body.

No long tele, but good enough otherwise... macro okay, wide angle so so... and pretty indestructable.

Nikon has a similar model too.

[DS1]

2. My honest opinion is that you need to learn to pack better

or stop throwing around the bag with your camera in it.

[Xithras]

5. I don't keep it in a bag.

I have an external frame pack and the camera typically sits in the top for easy access (camera bags are too heavy to take hiking). And I don't "throw it around", but I do treat it like any other equipment that I pack with, which is why I need something more durable than my old SLR.

You know, now that I think about it, I'm thinking that what I really need is an old all-mechanical 35mm. Something without any motors, batteries, electronics, or sensors to screw up.

[intheflow]

8. Pentax K-1000.

I swear, it's bullet-proof. Fully manual. I see them in thrift stores like Salvation Army and Goodwill fairly often. You might try some place like that and get lucky.

[kliljedahl]

10. I have two of those

Still about all I use for 35MM. Great cameras.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[intheflow]

3. I've been everywhere with my EOS (film) for 10 years.

Hiking through back country, driving around with it thrown under or behind my car seat for weeks at a time, even dropped it in the ocean once. I've never had a day's problem with it (although it had to be cleaned after the ocean incident). So I tend to agree with DS1--your problems may be self-inflicted.

But I would talk with people at both camera stores and backpacking/camping places to see what they might recommend. You might be having altitude issues, or maybe your EOS is digital which may have problems of its own that I haven't encountered.

[Xithras]

6. No, it's a 6 year old 35mm Rebel.

Maybe it's just my particular camera...it seems like I have to baby this thing or it breaks. I'm not particularly abusive to it, so I just assumed that it's fragility was a trait of the camera. As an example, when my camera broke last weekend, it was tucked into the top of my pack between a pair of jeans and my poncho. When I took the pack off and leaned it against a tree, the pack fell over on its side. The pack is maybe 3 feet tall, and it fell into soft, pine needle filled dirt. The camera never fell out of the bag and was padded by the surrounding cloth, but the shutter froze up anyway.

That kind of "abuse" is typical when hiking, so I don't see how I could baby it any more than I already do.

[intheflow]

7. Yeah, that sounds like how I would pack.

My Rebel is a few years older--perhaps it was a more surable model all around. If the shutter froze, perhaps some dirt is stuck in there. Have you ever had it cleaned?

[alfredo]

4. I had a Samsung point and shoot. I took it on my mail route with

me. The finish is rubbed off, has nicks and scrapes, but still works well.

The Canon S series has been pretty good, but a point and shoot 35 mm would be a better idea.

http://tinyurl.com/9zsgd

http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemsAll.asp?catID=49

[catnhatnh]

9. Maybe the Nikon N55...

...can't speak as to off-road durability but it is EXTREMELY light,shoots easy,and can produce good results...this is a backup body in case my slightly better N65 shits the bed in action...However when my brother was traveling in Europe and was going to use a point and shoot, he took this unit instead (and his prime concern was weight) and was thrilled with it's ease of use and photo quality.Now when I go shooting he warns me not to damage "his" camera before this years cruise...

[FloridaPat]

11. Nikons went to Vietnam for the war. The non-digial ones are

very easy on batteries - last years. But always bring a spare. I have a Nikon N65 I took to Israel. Always bring the camera book with you. I accidently hit a button and had to spend 1 hours going through the manual to see what the problem was. Easliy fixed. And talk about hitting the wrong button - the D70 has more buttons than I will ever figure out how to use. I am always hitting a wrong something on that one. But I love that camera. The pictures are outstanding. But that's another story.

Or the F100. The more crap on the camera, the easier it is to break. The less crap, the more abuse they can take.

[Algomas]

12. I have had good luck with my Canon G5...

I like to travel by dual-sport motorcycle in Mexico. I have used and abused the G5 on some of the roughest dirt roads down there, including the Baja and Copper Canyon. It even survived a head on crash in Chiapas! The bike needed surgery but the camera kept working even though the body was dented.
I have just recently bought the Canon Digital Rebel 350 and intend to use/abuse it likewise.
Here is a moto shot for you:

[Xithras]

13. I actually don't shoot digital all that much.

I have a Powershot A85 that I keep around the house for snapshots, birthday parties, and barbeques, but I've never been all that impressed by the quality of digital photos. They're OK, but IMO any $10 disposable 35mm can match the quality of even the high end fixed focus digitals, and you have to spend nearly a thousand dollars to get the same quality photographs as a low-end $100 35mm. With the right film and processing, 35mm slide film can achieve resolutions over 20 megapixels.

When I'm hiking in the Sierras, I'm often presented with once in a lifetime shots. I really don't want to consign those moments to eternal fuzziness simply because my camera wasn't up to the task.

[Xithras]

14. In case anyone's curious....

I took the advice above and went to Ebay to hunt down a Pentax K1000. My dad actually had one of these when I was a kid and it was on a K1000 that I learned to shoot. I found one for a reasonable price and it will be here tomorrow.

While there I stumbled across a Canon EOS 300 body for $60. The EOS 300 (aka Rebel 2000) is more fully featured than my old Rebel G, and according to the reviews it's also lighter and more durable.

I'll have fun shooting these two cameras side by side on my next trip, and I'll do a comparison of the resulting prints to see which is actually the better camera for trailwork.

[catnhatnh]

15. Congratulations on your picks....

....hang around E-bay a bit and you may find some pretty nice lenses for the pentax cheap.I still use a K1000 also and managed a package deal on lenses from a cadidoptic 500mm f-8 w/nd back filters down to a 17mm f-2.8 with a couple of cheap zooms AND a small set of Cokin filters with holders...ALL under $200....Again congrats and good luck