Camera recommendations for trad/winter

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 NottsRich 21 Sep 2018

I'm looking for a new camera to be used for multipitch summer/winter. I would like a decent optical zoom (around 20x would be plenty), but to be relatively compact, robust, not have hundreds of tiny buttons, doesn't need GPS/wifi etc, just a proper camera. A fairly tough and water/splash proof soft case would be good as well to protect it from being shoved in bags and down jackets. I currently use a sock which works great, but I'd like a little more protection. A hard case would be too bulky.

I'd really appreciate suggestions! The functionality of cameras all seems to be on a par these days and I get the feeling it comes down to the 'user interface' - so what out there works well for climbers?

Can you get compact waterproof cameras with decent optical zooms up to around 20x? Or is that reserved to cameras with retractable lenses?

 jethro kiernan 22 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

Olympus OMD em-5 with a 12-100mm lens is one suggestion tough and weatherproofed.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/landscape-photography-with-the-olympus-e...

Panasonic lx100 good m4/3 sensor

https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compacts/panasonic-lumix-dmc-...

Sony rx100 is another

https://kenrockwell.com/sony/rx100-mk-6.htm

https://www.johnlewis.com/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-rx100-compact-camera-hd-1080p...

i personally have a Olympus  OMD em-5 with a small lens it fits in a jacket pocket or will fit on a harness with a small case and pictures and controls are better than a compact

https://alpineexposures.com/phototips/tips-from-the-pros-which-camera-gear

OP NottsRich 24 Sep 2018
In reply to jethro kiernan:

Hi, thanks for the suggestions and the really good last link. They all look like really good cameras, but I think probably a bit too much for what I want. I'd be too scared to get them out of my pocket to use them in bad weather! This is mainly for Scottish winter, as well as some nice blue sky alpine climbing.

 Dark-Cloud 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

The OMD is weather sealed, body can be had online second hand for a few hundred quid.

 Robert Durran 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

> They all look like really good cameras, but I think probably a bit too much for what I want. I'd be too scared to get them out of my pocket to use them in bad weather! 

The RX100 is a great camera but be aware that I and others on here have had them killed by dampness. I am now very wary about using mine in winter or poor weather.

 HeMa 24 Sep 2018
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

A really good camera, but bulky. Even with the Oly lenscap ’lens’. Good for lidpocket on backpack, but not for the jacket.

Sony RX and Pany LX are almost too bulky. Plus they have extenting lenses (which will break).

I’d look for the Oly Tough series. Fully waterproof and Nothing moving outside.

Or get Pany GX800 and If you got the dough, Pany 14mm pancake. The kit lens ain’t too bad either.

No need for tele, unless you plan on shooting pics of other Teams. Then you can have The OMD-5 with a telelens (which stays in the rucksack). Good thing they can share the lenses. 

Post edited at 12:13
 philhilo 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

Olympus tough 5 for me for climbing all year and diving. Unkillable especially in a slim silicone jacket. Doesn't do 20 times optical zoom, but you can get a zoom lens but thats faffage I don't need whilst climbing.

 nufkin 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

More nostalgic wittering than a useful contribution, but my favourite winter camera was one of the Canon powershot series(I think). It had a sliding lens cover as the on-off switch which was great with thick gloves, a built-in optical viewer to save battery life, and had a fairly sleek profile so it didn't get snagged on its way in/out of my pocket, unlike the prominent lens on my current camera. 
It was comparatively heavy, and couldn't match the image quality of modern cameras, but it's been the best I've used so far in terms of its appropriateness for climbing situations 

 angry pirate 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

I ended up trawling EBay for a cheap winter camera like you're looking for. Ended up with an Olympus 740 which is a tiny weatherproof compact with 5x zoom and wee rechargeable batteries. The thing is tiny and bombproof and lives on a piece of tat tound my neck and drops into the chest pocket of my softshell.

Pics are ok (7.1 megapixel) but the main advantage is it cost me all of £8 so I'm not afraid of dragging it out in biff weather or dropping it on a pitch.

The relatively meh picture quality is far outweighed by the number of photos I've taken in nasty conditions or halfway up a winter route. 

Mine is stored in a little alpkit padded cell which was less than a fiver.

 Toerag 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich:

Andy K used a Lumix FT4/5 on his troll wall expedition. It's weatherproof, got a decent zoom on it and is the size of a packet of fags(-ish). If you want waterproof it's a toss-up between that FT-x series and an Olympus Tough.

Post edited at 17:44
 obi-wan nick b 24 Sep 2018
In reply to NottsRich: I think you can get a lens with a decent optical zoom or a lens with a 20x zoom but I don’t think you can get both. Most expensive dslr zooms are 3-4 x 

 

OP NottsRich 25 Sep 2018

Thanks all, some really good ideas there. The Tough series is looking good, I just wish it had a bit more zoom. I guess that's not realistic for a waterproof camera though. How good is it in low light conditions? The last waterproof camera I had really struggled with excessive noise in low light levels.

In reply to philhilo:

Do you have a link to the type of silicone sleeve you use with your camera? Sounds like it could be a good idea.


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