Hiking Camera

Rouxenator said:
True, but even die hard Samsung users think the S4 Zoom is a gimmick, and I can assure you its not. I have had bulkier phones before only with the S4 Zoom that bulkiness translates to a truly excellent camera that is always by your side.
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Yeah I heard the same. The criticism Ive heard about it is something along the lines of: It tries to be a good phone and a good camera but it is neither.

I think I have misread nadimm response. /wipes sleep from eyes/

I agree with him that flagship Samsung phones are full of gimmicks (e.g. eye scroll & smart pause), they seem to be throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks. For me that doesn't make me not want to buy their phones...

Some "gimmicks" are actually quite useful (e.g. brightness & quick toggles in the notification drawer).
 
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About the S4 Zoom, phone wise it is an S4 Mini with no compromises, so it is a proper phone. On the camera front it is superb, the 16mp sensor produces decent results in low light and that 10x optical zoom is brilliant, albeit a little slow.

The only think with the S4 Zoom is it takes about a week or three to come to grips with it, literally, so that is why it does not get favourable reviews because they tend to be a short term benchmarkfest. My wife still gets strange looks when she "talks on her camera" but that is about the only compromise worth mentioning.
 
Rouxenator said:
Strange. I had Nokia for a decade then got S1, S2, Nexus 4 and now Galaxy Nexus. My wife has beeing using the S4 Zoom for 3 months now. Never had a problem with any of them and the S4 Zoom is no gimmick, it trumps DSLR in quite a few aspects.
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I'd love to hear you expand on the bold part please. Size and portability I can agree. What other aspects have you got in mind?
 
Size and portability are the main things, you always have it with you and it does produce good results. Obviously the sensor is tiny so don't expect high end performance at higher ISO values. The other thing it does brilliantly is connectivity, with G+ autobackup and and auto awesome you simply have to be in wifi coverage for a while and your photos are synced and you can share them with a click. So in short its much less of a hassle compared to SLR, that being said the initial three weeks is more of a hassle compared to a regular phone.
 
Rouxenator said:
Size and portability are the main things, you always have it with you and it does produce good results. Obviously the sensor is tiny so don't expect high end performance at higher ISO values. The other thing it does brilliantly is connectivity, with G+ autobackup and and auto awesome you simply have to be in wifi coverage for a while and your photos are synced and you can share them with a click. So in short its much less of a hassle compared to SLR, that being said the initial three weeks is more of a hassle compared to a regular phone.
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So it trumps a DSLR as a phone, not as a camera. Makes sense.

I would still go for a dedicated camera if I was to use a point and shoot for hiking, there are a plethora of options out there.
 
Rouxenator said:
Yes, dedicated like Galaxy Camera :cool:
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Once again, a plethora of choices. Galaxy Camera if you want the zoom, sure, it's a great contender. Nikon AW110 if you'd like something capable but a bit more rugged perhaps.

As for me, I'd still find a cheap DSLR + 18 - 200 lens and just suck the extra weight up.
 
I guess it depends on what sort of pics you aiming at achieving. My 2 cents:

I use a DSLR for multiday hike. It’s bulky but the quality of pics can’t compare. An entry level DSLR camera with a flexible lense and bag will weigh in around 2kgs. First ascent sells a decent trekking pole (vista) with monopod attachment which makes good photo opportunities great. Get a sling bag or a shoulder bag or better still a belt/holster type bag for your camera so it’s not dangling around your neck or packed away in your backpack. Dust and water can be an issue- get a dry sack (add a few silica sand sachets to keep moisture away)and a good micro-fibre cloth. Extra batteries are a must. Turn off your LCD display for prolonged battery life. Take along few memory cards.

An important consideration for any type camera you intend to get for multiday hikes is the battery life (generally LCD screens eat up battery life quick), versatility, optical zoom, low light/ISO capability.

An alternative option may be a GoPro or even Nikons AW110 which doubles up for snorkelling as well. See Scott Ramsay’s “Yearinthewild” pictures for inspiration.
 
I suppose if you hike you can lug around extra equipment so you might as well take a SLR. The only problem I see is how fast you can go from 0 to shot taken. For me portability is key since I trail run and mountain bike. Current "camera" I take with also doubles as Sports-Tracker, a 5 years old Nokia N79. It has an active lens cover so I only have to take it out, flip open the lens and the camera app starts up automatically - ready to shoot.
 
Rouxenator said:
I suppose if you hike you can lug around extra equipment so you might as well take a SLR. The only problem I see is how fast you can go from 0 to shot taken. For me portability is key since I trail run and mountain bike. Current "camera" I take with also doubles as Sports-Tracker, a 5 years old Nokia N79. It has an active lens cover so I only have to take it out, flip open the lens and the camera app starts up automatically - ready to shoot.
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Good point. For me I keep the DSLR around my neck on the strap. To stop it from bouncing around I have straps on my day pack/hiking pack that connect across my abs (well upper abs, lower chest), and act as an "holster" for the camera. The straps have a bit of stretch in them, making it easy to purposefully slip the camera in and out for shots.

I leave the camera permanently on, so a simple touch of the shooting button is enough to wake it from sleep and focus on a subject.
 
pixel_ninja said:
Panasonic TS4 for me. I do alot of fishing so I need a waterproof camera. The built in GPS doesnt hurt either..

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28142445/Image00001.jpg
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Same here. My only gripe with it is the fact that water droplets accumilate on the bottom of the front lens which makes life annoying sometimes. I wish they had designed it like the new canon which allows drops to move down out of sight of the lens. (when you are wet yourself it's not always possible to wipe the front lens properly)
 
Will have a closer look at the Samsung s4 zoom.

I'm starting to take the waterproof thing seriously as well.

Thanks again for the feedback.

PS. You don't know how gimmicks hurt performance until you've gone pure nexus.
 
nadimm said:
PS. You don't know how gimmicks hurt performance until you've gone pure nexus.
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Tell me about it, I had a Nexus 4 for 2 months, broke it, now I have a Galaxy Nexus. I will never go back, pure Nexus is the only one for me. Will get another Nexus 4 or Nexus 5 if I have a couple of grand to spare.
 
As far as phone cams go, it seems you can't do better than a Lumia 1020. 41 MP, outstanding optics. Apparently the app to access the RAW is imminent.
 
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