Jersey pocket camera?

[dave thompson]

I don't know if this has been asked, if it has already, my apologies and give me a link.

In my dotage, my wife and I are taking more weekends, riding much more, riding in areas far away from home and are now actively planning our cycling vactions for next year, both home and abroad.

We're looking for a 'jersey pocket' camera, small and lightweight, reasonably priced that is easy to use, particulary while riding (action shots you know). Doesn't have to have a ton of features but the emphasis would be on ease of use, simplicty and handiness.

Any recommendations?

[Moosedryvr]

Just got a second V550 for travel/on-bike camera. For point and shoot type pics these are great. High quality optics (for a pocket camera) and IMO the easiest user interface/software for downloads. I believe these have been passed up by Kodak V6xx models (the V5xx models only came out about a year ago!), so look for clearances on these very capable models.

Vr,
SPG

[Ozz]

I just picked up a Sony Cybershot W-70

7.2 megapixels
Carl Zeis lens (whatever that does for you)
2.5" viewing screen and a viewfinder for use in bright light
movie with sound capability
very quick "next shot" ability
3x optical zoom

It is about the size of a deck of cards and has very intuitive controls. I have worked thru most features with minimal reading of the manual.

It came to about $350 for camera and 512mb memory stick duo

It is not "splash-proof" like my old Olympus Stylus, but does have a metal body and seems pretty rugged.

There are some new Olympus models that are actually water proof to 10ft and shock resistant. They are slightly larger however.

[Grant McLean]

I use one of the little Canon "power shot" point&shoot models.

They all seem to get great reviews.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113

g

[Fred D]

Dave,

Figure how much money you're willing to spend and then look at some of the digital cameras that are small enough. Canon, Nikon, Fuji, and Olympus have a number of high quality digitals. I believe Olympus makes a water resistant one. Here is a link to Digital Photography Review http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ that has lots of info, check shutter lag time, if you can get one that has little to none you'll be happier. Shutter lag is one of the biggest problems with digitals. The other thing to look at is lens range, don’t look at digital zoom, it’s not the same as optical zoom which is a truer measure of the lens focal length. Battery power is another issue. If the camera you choose uses AA batteries get as high a powered Ni-HM as you can. There are some 2500mA and 2700mA ones that last much longer than some of the earlier ones.
I also have a low tech answer, what I have used in the past is a disposable, single use, film camera. It's not going to give you as high a quality image as a conventional auto focus, either digital or film camera will, but does a reasonable job. The other advantage is that if it gets dropped or you take a tumble your not out a lot of money for the camera.

[manet]

dave _ i use an canon elph (sd400/5.0 pix).
it is a very nicely made unit. recommended.

BUT

pal o' mine has a pentax optio.
it is lighter, smaller*, similarly priced,
and comes in a water proof model.




* fits in a altoid tin.

[Samster]

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/optiowp.html

i have 1. am very pleased with it.

[Skrawny]

Casio Exilim has won accolades, but things change very fast in this market.
For 5X7 prints you don't really need >4megs, but the race is on to get the highest megs in the smallest package.

Usually the image quality is limited more by the poor lenses than by insufficient megs.

Here is a link to the last time it was discussed here. (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=18588&highlight=camera)



Enjoy!
-s

[manet]

you want ease _ mac iphoto!

[Lincoln]

<snip>
Usually the image quality is limited more by the poor lenses than by insufficient megs.
<snip>
-s

I think this is a very good point and one that is often overlooked. Even a lot of the "name brand" lenses are not especially good and when you are getting the whole package this small it gets even tougher. I have an ancient (~2000) kodak that take wonderful pictures even though it is only 3.2 megs. Much better clarity than several 5 meg cameras that I have compared it to.

[stevep]

made the switch this summer to a digital point and shoot camera for the back pocket.
i have a 4 meg canon/ thing is awesome. very happy w/ the photos and the size is perfect.
any thing byt any of the major manufacturers would work great i bet dave...
i have had a harder time figuring out all the ramifications, options, etc of the software, etc.
its great though.
you wont go back.
im going to sell my slr stuff.

[Karin Kirk]

Hi Dave,

This spring I bought a camera specifically for carrying in my pocket and shooting ski photos and videos. My parameters were the same as yours. I ended up with a Canon Power Shot SD450 "Elph." It cost around $250, it's tiny and does the job perfectly. Last weekend I stood on the side of the road and took pictures of riders in our state championship TT, and I was pleased with the results. A few came out blurry as I panned the camera, but the lack of lag time and the ability to focus quickly are impressive.

There is also an SD550, which has some nicer features and costs about $100 more.

Happy shopping!

[chakatrain]

I second the Canon Elph. I bought the SD600 for my trip to the TdF this year. I put in the jersey back pocket and took a lot of shots while on bike.

I had fun trying to point the camera behind me to capture my buddies drafting. A few even came out ok.

[Cinci Jim]

I have been eyeing the Pentax W10 simply because it is water & dust proof (well, sort of...) I'm thinking it would be great for biking (no sweat issues) skiing, backpacking & the like.

Currently Costco has it in the store near me.

[scrooge]

I second the Canon Elph. I bought the SD600 for my trip to the TdF this year. I put in the jersey back pocket and took a lot of shots while on bike.

I had fun trying to point the camera behind me to capture my buddies drafting. A few even came out ok.

THought I'd revive an old thread instead of starting a new one...

I'm thinking about this camera (Canon SD 600) too--but am a little turned off by the lack of image stabilization. Any problems with that?

How about the Pentax Optio W10? Anyone actually have one? HOw's the image quality?

Olympus anyone? I'm thinking about the Stylus 720 since its supposedly shock/waterproof (to a point).

Or a Panisonic? There's one with a wide angle (28mm) lens that I think would be great for scenery shots on the bike.

[vaxn8r]

THought I'd revive an old thread instead of starting a new one...

I'm thinking about this camera (Canon SD 600) too--but am a little turned off by the lack of image stabilization. Any problems with that?

How about the Pentax Optio W10? Anyone actually have one? HOw's the image quality?

Olympus anyone? I'm thinking about the Stylus 720 since its supposedly shock/waterproof (to a point).

Or a Panisonic? There's one with a wide angle (28mm) lens that I think would be great for scenery shots on the bike.
I own the Canon 600 SD. It takes amazing photos for a camera of it's size. Colors and sharpness are great. It also feels quality. Very solid. The only drawback is in low light conditions. That's where camera shake is very noticeable. It does give you a warning to heed: if the little hand pops up on the LCD screen you will need a tripod or else don't bother shooting.

[Ray]

THought I'd revive an old thread instead of starting a new one...

I'm thinking about this camera (Canon SD 600) too--but am a little turned off by the lack of image stabilization. Any problems with that?

How about the Pentax Optio W10? Anyone actually have one? HOw's the image quality?

Olympus anyone? I'm thinking about the Stylus 720 since its supposedly shock/waterproof (to a point).

Or a Panisonic? There's one with a wide angle (28mm) lens that I think would be great for scenery shots on the bike.
I have a four mp optio, 2+ years old now so probably totally obsolete, but still going strong. Only 3.25" wide, 2" tall, and about .75" thick. Fits easily in a jersey pocket or handlebar bag. Sometimes when I tour I use a camelbak (HORRORS! - worse than a mirror, I'll bet) and stick the camera in a little cell phone holder on the strap - makes it real easy to use for on-the-fly shots.

I strongly agree that the lens is more important than megapixels. Once you get to 3 or 4 mp, you should be good unless you're going to be doing poster size enlargements. Before the optio, I had a little panasonic that was 3 mp and had a Zeiss lens. I have an 8x10 print I did from this camera at less than full resolution and its as clear and sharp as anything I ever did with a film camera. Good optics are key.

That said, my experience from 2+ years ago is probably all but meaningless in today's market. Just go to the store, check out the 3-4 smallest cameras in your price range, and see which one is easiest for you to use. Even the most complicated ones allow you to shoot in some sort of simple mode, though, so any should be fine. Tough to find a BAD digital camera these days. Like full suspension mountain bikes, the bad designs have been weeded out and they all work pretty well now.

-Ray

[Kevan]

-I just picked up a Sony Cybershot W-70

7.2 megapixels
Carl Zeis lens (whatever that does for you)
2.5" viewing screen and a viewfinder for use in bright light
movie with sound capability
very quick "next shot" ability
3x optical zoom

It is about the size of a deck of cards and has very intuitive controls. I have worked thru most features with minimal reading of the manual.

It came to about $350 for camera and 512mb memory stick duo

It is not "splash-proof" like my old Olympus Stylus, but does have a metal body and seems pretty rugged.

There are some new Olympus models that are actually water proof to 10ft and shock resistant. They are slightly larger however.

[paulh]

I've got the Canon SD 550. I'm pretty happy with it. My friends rave about the Canon SD 700 IS. IS is the image stabilization. I've seen some great on the bike pictures taken with it. The teenager I spoke to at the local big box electronics store says the 700 IS is being discontinued and replaced with.... wait for...... you guessed it.... the 800 IS! It seems there is about a six month life span for these new DCs.

[ClutchCargo]

Lots of good suggestions here and there are many good, slim & small cameras out there. The only thing I would add is that almost all of these cameras feature 3x optical zoom. You might want to consider going for more zoom -- although this might become a price range issue, having 6x or more zoom capability will give you a lot more flexibility in framing your shots.


Happy hunting!