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needtolearnhowtoclimb
Aug 25, 2002, 8:43 PM
Post #1 of 2
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Registered: Apr 24, 2002
Posts: 216
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I am totaly into the photography thing, and think it would be awsome to take climbing photos. I am a photographer for my yearbook at school, and i use their equipment. I want to get my own stuff. My question is what type of camera could i get that is halfway decent and at a resonable price. Any info would be helpful. thanks.
Joshua "the savior"
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eric
Aug 26, 2002, 7:13 AM
Post #2 of 2
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Registered: Jun 16, 2002
Posts: 1430
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I think in the end this is a question you have to answer for yourself. Basically it's a compromise between what you're willing to carry and what you're comfortable holding.
An SLR is a pain to lug up a climb, but I do it because I need the features. I also sometimes carry a tiny Ricoh GRs 35mm with a fixed 24mm lens, but it doesn't offer many possibilities -- it's more of a note-taking camera for me. I don't try to take serious pictures with it, although it is quite good.
Definitely small and light is an asset, but so is durable. Cheap consumer SLRs don't last long, but professionals are often too expensive or too heavy. I have a high opinion of older (or just older-style) manual or semi-manual cameras such as the Nikon FE series. They're small, light, and bomb-proof but work with newer zoom lenses.
So I'd say:
- Don't use a camera you care too much about and don't buy a brand new SLR just for climbing photography. If my digital was working I'd take a picture of my N90s after this weekend's climbing and you'd see why.
- go for simplicity and durability over bells and whistles. You don't want to shuffle thru 15 program modes when you're hangin' in the air.
- Consider opting for a very wide-range zoom. I normally shy away from these, but you can't exactly move around much when you're on the rock, and something like 28-200 can be very helpful. Besides, with all that chalk dust and dirt on your lens, the difference in quality isn't so important.
- If you don't need an SLR, a point and shoot can do really well.
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