digital camera for touring

You might look at the Olympus C-740UZ. It is small, but has a 10X zoom lens. This magnification
makes a big difference in its ability to take good outdoor pictures. You can also get an add-on
telextender lens to boost the zoom power even more. It has a 3.1 MP CCD. I have the older and larger
Olympus C-2100UZ and I'd be lost without its 10X zoom (14X with extender).

The cameras built into cell phones generally have low-resolution, limited quality and no zoom
power. The ads you see about them on TV have simulated (translated: fake) pictures displayed.
With no lens magnification, most closeup-appearing pictures they show, would in fact have tiny
subjects that wouldn't be very useful. Zoomless lenses are best for wide-angle landscapes and
very close subjects only.

Steve McDonald

Rob: What do you plan to do with the photos later on? If they're for a website, your needs will be
different than if you're planning to do larger prints (say, 8x10). And do you want to take photos
*while* you're riding? If so, you need something that's easily pocketed *and*, perhaps more
importantly, has a clamshell-style design (so you're not messing with a lens cap).

The Oly 740 that somebody mentioned is an excellent camera, but not a great choice for getting fast
shots off, especially while riding. The 390 isn't a bad way to go, but you might also look at the
new "weatherproof" models, the 300 & 400. You'll pay a bit more for the watherproofing, but if
you're going to be an all-weather kind of cyclist (and want to document the fact!) then they might
be the safest way to go.

One of my favorite cameras for getting shots while riding was my Olympus
450Z. Not the highest resolution (1.3 megapixels, but in 1999 that was considered pretty decent)
but it took shots quickly and was exceptionally rugged. I'm using a D40, a newer, smaller
Olympus with 4 megapixel resolution, but, truthfully, it doesn't "get the picture" nearly as
often as the older 450Z did. The D40 is just a bit too square, so when you pull it out of
your jersey pocket, you're not sure of its orientation.

For a week-long trip, you're going to want maybe two 128meg cards, but the good news there is that,
if you watch for sales, you can get them (after rebate) for as low as $20-25.

I wouldn't go for a combo cell-phone/camera. The picture quality is going to be very poor, as they
don't have very high resolution. Nor do they have much memory for storage, choosing instead to
charge you an arm & a leg to transfer them via phone connection.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get

myself

Quoted message said:

something for the holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would

be

Quoted message said:

for bike tours/trips (could recharge each night but may not have a

computer

Quoted message said:

for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $ 179.00 (about my price range, comes with
16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is $
50.00 which I'll need ?) what bicycling features should I look for, what

do

Quoted message said:

you use, what would you do different ? Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but
what else ? Never had a cell phone either but would like one, should I consider a combo
phone/camera ?
--
Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx web2.airmail.netrfruthOpen ↗

1981 Raleigh for errands & fun ____ __o 1997 Trek 2300 for real fun ! ____ _ \ | _) 2000 Civic
hatchback (_)/ (_)

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (grisoft.comgrisoft.comOpen ↗).
Version: 6.0.543 / Virus Database: 337 - Release Date: 11/21/2003

In article <[email hidden]>, Rob F

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get myself something for the
holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would be for bike tours/trips (could recharge
each night but may not have a computer for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $
179.00 (about my price range, comes with 16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is $
50.00 which I'll need ?)

That's really easy.. If you are showing these pictures online, on TV or on a digital projector,
128mb will probably keep you snapping over a week. If you plan to print some to your friends at
hi-rez, then you might want to consider 256mb cards instead of 2 128s.

Quoted message said:

what bicycling features should I look for, what do you use, what would you do different ?

Digicams that take AAs would be nice as a backup emergency.

Quoted message said:

Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but what else ?

Keep in mind that not all digital cameras that I know off are totally waterproof. Nikonos is (film
version), but most of these digital cameras that make claim to be water proof is really water
resistance to a certain degree governed by the JIS classification. JIS standard is from a scale of 1
to 10, Nikonos being a 10. The Pentax 33WR, for example, is classified as class 7, which is a lot
better than its film sibling the Pentax IQ Zoom 90WR which has a JIS class 5. I like to call these
water resistant, which means you can take it out in the rain and shoot or be immersed in water for a
certain period of time. For water resistant claims, please check with the manufacturer for the JIS
classification on specific cameras. Anything higher than a 5 is excellent, being able to withstand
pounding from waterjets for more than 10 minutes.

Pelican just brought out a couple of cute plastic waterproof camera cases. It's got foam in it so
there's good padding and the plastic is tough. Good seal. This will keep your camera under a
deluge for sure.

Quoted message said:

Never had a cell phone either but would like one, should I consider a combo phone/camera ?

If you plan to bring your cellphone on your bike trip, I suggest you better leave it at home. You'll
be travelling on the road where possibly cell reception could be poor. And if you have bike
problems, I don't think AAA would be of any help to you, except maybe you need a lift in their tow
truck? 🙂 What I found was to be most useful is using prepaid calling cards. They work on most to
all pay phones and they are cheap.

A cell phone/camera combo is a gimmick. It's mostly popular with the young kids and the peeping tom
because the low resolution appeals to them and transmission through G3 or whatever is great. It's
obviously not ideal as your typical travel camera..

Hope this helps.

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get

myself

Quoted message said:

something for the holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would

be

Quoted message said:

for bike tours/trips (could recharge each night but may not have a

computer

Quoted message said:

for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $ 179.00 (about my price range, comes with
16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is $
50.00 which I'll need ?) what bicycling features should I look for, what

do

Quoted message said:

you use, what would you do different ? Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but
what else ? Never had a cell phone either but would like one, should I consider a combo
phone/camera ?
--
Rob Fruth - Houston, Tx web2.airmail.netrfruthOpen ↗

1981 Raleigh for errands & fun ____ __o 1997 Trek 2300 for real fun ! ____ _ \ | _) 2000 Civic
hatchback (_)/ (_)

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (grisoft.comgrisoft.comOpen ↗).
Version: 6.0.543 / Virus Database: 337 - Release Date: 11/21/2003

I admit, my captian and I tend to go overboard on the photography stuff. When we toured France we
took a Nikon D100 with several lenses, keeping the
24/120 (cheap) lens on the camera at F8 in the handle bar while we were biking, with bigger lenses
in the transported luggage. Took a billion great pictures:

saldinger.com697.jpgOpen ↗

We also carried a GSM cell phone. The service coverage was amazing on the backroads of France, and
though we didn't have any emergencies, we did call home a few times, since our on bike touring time
coincided with the kids morning wakeup times.

If we were going now, and we didn't have so much money in Nikon glass, we'd suggest the Cannon
digital Rebel. You can get great pictures, much less weight and smaller size. We've been trying out
the Rebel for relatives, and it takes good picture.

Have fun.

David said:

... If you plan to bring your cellphone on your bike trip, I suggest you better leave it at home.
You'll be travelling on the road where possibly cell reception could be poor. And if you have bike
problems, I don't think AAA would be of any help to you, except maybe you need a lift in their tow
truck? 🙂 What I found was to be most useful is using prepaid calling cards. They work on most to
all pay phones and they are cheap....

Cell phones can be useful when dealing with deranged people. A real life example was a SUV full of
teenage males who called us fornicating bundles of wood (not in those words, obviously) when passing
the other direction, did a U-turn and started following us at a close distance. When I pulled out a
cell phone, they rapidly did another U-turn and disappeared, presumably on the assumption that their
vehicle description and license plate was being reported to the local law enforcement authorities.

Tom Sherman - Planet Earth

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come

It's a good time to buy a digital camera. Prices are down, features are up, quality is astounding.

Quoted message said:

one of my main uses for the camera would be for bike tours/trips (could recharge each night but
may not have a

computer

Quoted message said:

for up to a week)

A computer isn't needed. Most digital cameras can connect to a TV (via video input) and show the pix
as a slideshow. If you can access a TV, you can review your shots.

Quoted message said:

am considering the Olympus D-390 for $ 179.00 (about my price range, comes with 16 meg memory
card, additional 128 meg stick is $
50.00 which I'll need ?)

Quoted message said:

what bicycling features should I look for

One-handed operation Sliding lens cover (no lens cap) Bombproof metal casing Reasonably light weight
Pocket sized for easy concealment At least 3x *optical* zoom [1] Fast startup time Fast shot-to-shot
cycling Minimal shutter lag (for candid shots) Long battery life Backup battery (optional)
3.2MP or 4MP (that's plenty)

Which cameras should you look at?

Canon S30 3.2MP 3X zoom, $199 refurbed online Canpon S50 5MP 3X zoom, Canon S400 4MP 3X zoom, metal
case, $389 online Canon A80 3.2MP 3x zoom, metal case, $235 online

Canon offers the best value, all around: Best image quality, best color balance, best case design,
best lenses, smallest cameras. Battery life is an issue, and it varies from camera to camera. My
next camera will be either the Canon S400 or Canon EOS Digital Rebel D-SLR, since I already have
several nice Canon EOS lenses for it.

Sony has problems with color balance and image noise. Nikon suffers from blown-out highlights,
chromatic aberrations and slow startup-times, also eats batteries. Minolta cameras are nice; but
very bulky and pricey. Olympus images look good; but tend to be dark (that's fixable with manual
exposure bias). Pentax is decent. There are a lot of decent cameras out there; but they're not much
cheaper than a Canon, which is the best.

Don't take my word for it. Head over to www.dpreview.com and check out the image galleries and the
wonderful, in-depth reviews. That should give you a clear idea of what to choose.

As for flash memory cards: They're cheap, so buy several. Walmart is currently offering 128MB Secure
Digital (SD) memory cards for $24 after rebate. There are always deals to be had on memory cards.
Check fatwallet.com, slickdeals.com and dealram.com for the best prices.

Quoted message said:

should I consider a combo phone/camera ?

You can find deals where the fancy camera-equipped phones are FREE after rebate, if you sign a 1- or
2-year contract (which is pretty standard anyway). What that kind of a deal, you can't go wrong.
However, those require a $40/mo or higher plan, which is more than I personally need (I have
T-Mobile's most basic nationwide plan for $19.99/mo, and it's more than adequate.) So, no, don't
worry about getting a phone with a camera. It's just more to break. Get a basic Nokia and be happy.

-=Barry=-

[4] Digital zoom is just a fancy way of saying "in-camera cropping and resampling." It is a stupid
marketing ploy, and basically useless, as it adds no qualitative value to your photography. You
can always crop a photo and/or resample it later on your PC. It's exactly the same effect, but
with more control

Rob F said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get myself something for the
holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would be for bike tours/trips (could recharge each
night but may not have a computer for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $ 179.00
(about my price range, comes with 16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is $

I love my Olympus digital camera. It's a D-490 Zoom. However, it hasn't taken drops particularly
well; I've dropped it maybe 5 times, and it broke on two of those drops. The repairs performed by
the company that services Circuit City service contracts were not correct both times; for the first
incident, I had to send it back to them again, as they hadn't fixed it at all, and after the second
incident, it was returned just a little bit finicky (I've gotten used to it now and can't even
remember what it's finicky about).

Quoted message said:

50.00 which I'll need ?) what bicycling features should I look for, what do you use, what would you
do different ? Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but what else ? Never had a
cell phone either but

Shock-resistant, I guess.

Quoted message said:

would like one, should I consider a combo phone/camera ?

Yes. The combined device is smaller than most cameras alone. The resolution is probably low, though.
Storage shouldn't be an issue if you can email the photos to yourself from the phone; otherwise, I
don't know if those phones can write to any kind of memory card. It would be easier to keep track of
one device than two.
--
Rick Onanian

"Rocketman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<vtvyb.262686$mZ5.1932970@attbi_s54>... [...]

Quoted message said:

Which cameras should you look at?

Canon S30 3.2MP 3X zoom, $199 refurbed online Canpon S50 5MP 3X zoom, Canon S400 4MP 3X zoom,
metal case, $389 online Canon A80 3.2MP 3x zoom, metal case, $235 online

Canon offers the best value, all around: Best image quality, best color balance, best case design,
best lenses, smallest cameras. Battery life is an issue, and it varies from camera to camera. My
next camera will be either the Canon S400 or Canon EOS Digital Rebel D-SLR, since I already have
several nice Canon EOS lenses for it.

Canon's _are_ excellent cameras, but I've found that they're often slow to take pictures (between
depressing the shutter and actually recording the frame); if, as Mike asked, the OP is going to be
taking pictures while riding, he may end up missing shots waiting for the camera to focus. That
said, a couple other cameras he should look at are the Canon S230 and Canon SD100: both 3.2
megapixel and pocketable, and currently being cleared out for around $270-$300 at many places. They
have the shorter 2x zoom than the Canon S400, but that may not be an issue depending on his usage of
the camera. If camera speed is of the highest priority, the best choice may be a lower-end
fixed-focus camera, which doesn't need to worry about autofocus.

The Canons also use compactflash, which tends to be cheaper than other memory types for large
capacities, which may be important for the OP's longer trips.

I'm currently using an Olympus Stylus 300, which has the nice weatherproofing. My only complaint is
the images are noisy; a lot of grain shows in the pictures, especially in darker areas. The contrast
is high and the colors are well-saturated, which may not be photographically accurate but tends to
print well for many people's tastes--I've found with Canons that I've had to adjust the images in
Photoshop prior to printing.

Jason

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get myself something for the
holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would be for bike tours/trips (could recharge
each night but may not have a computer for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $
179.00 (about my price range,

Shop around, I just bought one for $120, free shipping and free accessory pack (4 NiMH w/ charger).
It's pretty nice for the price as a snapshot camera. I'd think about an optical zoom for taking
landscapes, though, but it will probably add to the bulk/fragility/price/shot time.

In article said:

"Rocketman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<vtvyb.262686$mZ5.1932970@attbi_s54>... [...]

Quoted message said:

Which cameras should you look at?

Canon S30 3.2MP 3X zoom, $199 refurbed online Canpon S50 5MP 3X zoom, Canon S400 4MP 3X zoom,
metal case, $389 online Canon A80 3.2MP 3x zoom, metal case, $235 online

Canon offers the best value, all around: Best image quality, best color balance, best case
design, best lenses, smallest cameras. Battery life is an issue, and it varies from camera to
camera. My next camera will be either the Canon S400 or Canon EOS Digital Rebel D-SLR, since I
already have several nice Canon EOS lenses for it.

Canon's _are_ excellent cameras, but I've found that they're often slow to take pictures (between
depressing the shutter and actually recording the frame); if, as Mike asked, the OP is going to be
taking pictures while riding, he may end up missing shots waiting for the camera to focus. That
said, a couple other cameras he should look at are the Canon S230 and Canon SD100: both 3.2
megapixel and pocketable, and currently being cleared out for around $270-$300 at many places.
They have the shorter 2x zoom than the Canon S400, but that may not be an issue depending on his
usage of the camera. If camera speed is of the highest priority, the best choice may be a
lower-end fixed-focus camera, which doesn't need to worry about autofocus.

The Canons also use compactflash, which tends to be cheaper than other memory types for large
capacities, which may be important for the OP's longer trips.

I'm currently using an Olympus Stylus 300, which has the nice weatherproofing. My only complaint
is the images are noisy; a lot of grain shows in the pictures, especially in darker areas. The
contrast is high and the colors are well-saturated, which may not be photographically accurate but
tends to print well for many people's tastes--I've found with Canons that I've had to adjust the
images in Photoshop prior to printing.

Jason

I've got a Canon S330. It's small, but it's thick and heavy. If I had to do it again, I'd buy a
Minolta DiMage XT.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email hidden]> (Remove the REMOVE_THIS from my email address
to reply.)

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get myself something for the
holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would be for bike tours/trips (could recharge
each night but may not have a computer for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $
179.00 (about my price range, comes with 16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is $
50.00 which I'll need ?) what bicycling features should I look for, what do you use, what would
you do different ? Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but what else ? Never
had a cell phone either but would like one, should I consider a combo phone/camera ?

In the $200 price range get the Fuji FinePix A303, 3 Mpixels and 3x optical zoom. In the $300 price
range get the Minolta G500. The D-390 is a bad choice because it has no optical zoom. BTW, the D-390
is $119 at Amazon. There really is a huge difference in $200 and $300 cameras at this time.

The cameras in cell phones are notoriously bad, don't bother.

And as far as cell phones, be certain to get either Verizon CDMA (the best) or AT&T TDMA (2nd best),
not GSM, not Sprint CDMA. If you'll be touring, you'll be exasperated with GSM coverage.

See nordicgroup.usdigicamOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

And as far as cell phones, be certain to get either Verizon CDMA (the best) or AT&T TDMA (2nd
best), not GSM, not Sprint CDMA. If you'll be touring, you'll be exasperated with GSM coverage.

Unless you're touring overseas (Europe). TDMA doesn't exist much outside of the US, while you can
get a tri-band GSM phone that will amaze you with its reception in the remotest regions of France
(and yet typically suck in a major metropolitan area of the US... go figure!).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"Steven Scharf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Rob F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Never had a digital camera before but the time has come (have to get

myself

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

something for the holidays ...) one of my main uses for the camera would

be

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for bike tours/trips (could recharge each night but may not have a

computer

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for up to a week) am considering the Olympus D-390 for $ 179.00 (about

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

price range, comes with 16 meg memory card, additional 128 meg stick is

$

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

50.00 which I'll need ?) what bicycling features should I look for,

what do

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you use, what would you do different ? Figure small lightweight & as waterproof as possible but
what else ? Never had a cell phone either

but

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

would like one, should I consider a combo phone/camera ?

In the $200 price range get the Fuji FinePix A303, 3 Mpixels and 3x optical zoom. In the $300
price range get the Minolta G500. The D-390 is a bad choice because it has no optical zoom.
BTW, the D-390 is $119 at Amazon. There really is a huge difference in $200 and $300 cameras at
this time.

The cameras in cell phones are notoriously bad, don't bother.

And as far as cell phones, be certain to get either Verizon CDMA (the best) or AT&T TDMA (2nd
best), not GSM, not Sprint CDMA. If you'll be touring, you'll be exasperated with GSM coverage.

See nordicgroup.usdigicamOpen ↗

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And as far as cell phones, be certain to get either Verizon CDMA (the best) or AT&T TDMA (2nd
best), not GSM, not Sprint CDMA. If you'll be touring, you'll be exasperated with GSM coverage.

Unless you're touring overseas (Europe). TDMA doesn't exist much outside

of

Quoted message said:

the US, while you can get a tri-band GSM phone that will amaze you with

its

Quoted message said:

reception in the remotest regions of France (and yet typically suck in a major metropolitan area
of the US... go figure!).

True. For Europe and Asia (except Japan and Korea) buy an unlocked tri-band GSM phone and then buy
prepaid GSM SIM cards. A veep from my old company once complained that his Cingular GSM phone worked
in Beijing, but not in Santa Clara!

There is a good website about International Roaming at earthroam.comearthroam.comOpen ↗
. Of course it also happens to be one of my web sites!

"Mike DeMicco" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've got a Canon S330. It's small, but it's thick and heavy. If I had to do it again, I'd buy a
Minolta DiMage XT.

The original (2 megapixel) Dimage X is a darn sight faster. Although fancier, the XT is slower from
button-push to photo-taken. The X is blindingly fast (I actually took a photo of a guy getting
"dunked" in the dunk tank with it -- on my first try), while the XT reaction time is more along the
lines of other digital cameras. (The XT is particularly bad (particularly against the X) in
very-low-light can't-see-in-the-dark flash photos -- but this isn't the bicycling situation.)

The XT isn't bad -- I wouldn't trade it back for my X. Nice new features in the XT, but if I'm
one-handing a shot while riding, I want a fast shutter.

- Skip (gave my X to my daughter when I upgraded to the XT)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Skip
"Mike DeMicco" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've got a Canon S330. It's small, but it's thick and heavy. If I had to do it again, I'd buy a
Minolta DiMage XT.

The original (2 megapixel) Dimage X is a darn sight faster. Although fancier, the XT is slower from
button-push to photo-taken. The X is blindingly fast (I actually took a photo of a guy getting
"dunked" in the dunk tank with it -- on my first try), while the XT reaction time is more along the
lines of other digital cameras. (The XT is particularly bad (particularly against the X) in
very-low-light can't-see-in-the-dark flash photos -- but this isn't the bicycling situation.)

The XT isn't bad -- I wouldn't trade it back for my X. Nice new features in the XT, but if I'm
one-handing a shot while riding, I want a fast shutter.

- Skip (gave my X to my daughter when I upgraded to the XT)

I have a Canon PowerShot G1 3.3 megapixel 3x optical zoom, a bunch of 128 mg CF cards and a spare battery pack. It is not waterproof or compact but has been on 3 weeklong camping tours and at least 20 daytrips. It has taken the occasional rain and copious sweat with no problem. The life of the rechargable batteries is incredable, 500 pictures with flash on one battery with no recharging. The extra battery has not been needed but I take it because it is much smaller than the charger. 8x10 prints on good paper and a photo printer are terrific. The shutter speed is slow but I don't take shots while riding.

I have Cingular Nationwide Cell service and it works pretty well most places in Tenn, KY, and Alabama. It has come in very handy on group rides when we are herding up the lost sheep. Cell coverage on back roads varies by provider and area. There is no way to find out who and where except to try or to ask someone who has. the Coverage areas on the provider maps are more about charges than actual availability. Not what we want to know since most of us avoid the Interstates and major cities. The cameras built into phones are pretty good if all you want to do is document you were there.

I'm saving my pennies for a Canon 400 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons400/)
Should make an ideal camera for bike touring and just travelling in general, very small, tough, lightweight, stick it in your pocket, great 4M resolution, reliable, good instruction manual.

Mel

I'm saving my pennies for a Canon 400 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons400/)
Should make an ideal camera for bike touring and just travelling in general, very small, tough, lightweight, stick it in your pocket, great 4MB resolution, reliable, good instruction manual.

Mel