dSLR cameras and biking?

[colebatch]

Originally Posted by nKmS

Traveling with a slr kit can be a pita. On every trip I've regretted some shots I didn't take because I was bored/tired to go through the procedure.

The fasted/easiest way I've found out until now, is to have the slr with a usefull lens (quite different for each one) on the tank bag where with a single unzip to get the camera and take the shot.

100% agree

Originally Posted by nKmS

The rest is left on a sidecase.

ν.

I used to do that, then decided to skip "the rest" as I was never using it, or almost never using it.

[engjacques]

I carry the usual DSLR gear, Camera, a few lens, filters and usuallya tripod. Also a G11 which I keep in easy reach to grap quick shots with my helmet and gloves on or carrying light - coffe/lunch break or a wander around the market place when I don't want to carry the SLR. Works for me

[Mombassa]

I'm debating the same thing to death... I'm leaving for the second installment of my RTW next April. I am sticking to the 24-70 2.8 and the D700. As well, a Canon S95 for a pocket camera. The rest of the gear stays home...

[dlh62c]

One of the things I've learned about myself on motorcycle travel is that I'm fundamentally lazy. As much as I enjoy photography. I hate carrying and managing the gear.

I purchased a Nikon AW100 to carry instead of my beloved Nikon D40. So far I've been happy with it. Over the holidays I walked around dad's nursing home playing with the various settings.

daryl

[Mermaid]

Originally Posted by brianrossy

Just a quick one, I was looking at buying a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens. There are two options... a 1.8G and a 1.8D. Does anyone know what the big difference between these is?

The G type doesn't have an aperture ring so aperture is set via the camera. They're compatible with most Nikons including D3, D2, D1, D700, D300, D200, D100, D90, D80, D70, D60, D50 and D40. I've only listed these as they seem to be the most common at the moment. If you have a different Nikon let me know and I'll check the list for you.
If it helps, I have both G and D type lenses that I use with my D700.

[nKmS]

Originally Posted by Mermaid

The G type doesn't have an aperture ring so aperture is set via the camera. They're compatible with most Nikons including D3, D2, D1, D700, D300, D200, D100, D90, D80, D70, D60, D50 and D40. I've only listed these as they seem to be the most common at the moment. If you have a different Nikon let me know and I'll check the list for you.
If it helps, I have both G and D type lenses that I use with my D700.

Also, the D lesns does not have a built in motor so autofocus will not work with some entry slr's that don't have an in-camera motor (d40,60,3000?, etc..)

ν.

[photographicsafaris]

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...s-camera-45572

Took panasonic 3 years but the GX1 is the GF1 upgrade.

After much deliberation I am now down to four lenses:
14mm f2.5 (equivalent 28mm) - Panasonic
20mm f1.7 (equivalent 40mm) - Panasonic
9-18 zoom f4-5.6 (equivalent 18mm -36mm) relatively slow aperture - Olympus
45mm f1.8 (equivalent 90mm) - Olympus


45mm not shown and thats a 14-42 zoom not the 9-18, but theyre similar sized.
The tripod is awesome replaced with a tech-trek ball head for travel.

There are also 2 long zooms that would be really useful: 45-200 zoom (equivalent 90-400mm) if you need to keep it compact, Or (the bigger higher quality 100-300) depending on what you are likely to be photographing

The 14mm is duplicated but for its size and weight - 53gms I simply cant leave this f2.5 prime behind.
total weight including; polarising filter, external flash (with off camera radio slave), 2 batteries, lens hood and intervalometer - 2.2kgs.

To put this into perspective thats the same weight as my Nikon fm2 with 35mm f2 lens film and hood.

It is incomparably small and it will all easily fit into your tankbag. The key benefit of the micro fourthirds system aside from smaller bodies are the much smaller lenses, whereas Canon and Nikon have still got to have larger lenses, this holds true with the Sony Alpha range, where the lens selection is not as advanced not anywhere near as compact.

Whats more there is a higher quality range - a 12mm f2 Olympus a 25mm f1.4 Panasonic a 45mm f1.8 Leica/panasonic as well as the 7-14 f4 Panasonic All for those with deeper pockets

Four Thirds | Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds | Chart(Lenses) - lens range here.

I do have a Canon 5d with 5 L lenses to choose from but when it comes to travel - the Panasonic is the way forward, it is a little bit of a compromise, but is just so so much more convenient that I use it far more.

I initially got the Panasonic for a walking / hiking outfit, but its grown - its just kind of addictive.
However given any specific assignment or photographic task I will undoubtably take the Canon gear.

Good luck.

regards G

[casperghst42]

I used to have my D200 + Sigma 24-70 (and filters, etc.) in my tankbag, but after a couple of years I decided that it took up too much space, and some people gave it very long eyes when I was walking around.

So when the m4/3 started to come out I got a Panasonic GF1 with the 14-45mm kit lense, and even as there are a few things which I miss from a decent DSLR, it can do 90% of what I need, and take up 1/3 of the space. Also it's small enough to be able to take photos while riding, which I would never try with a DSLR.

Right now I'm discussing if upgrading to a GX1 would be worth it....

Casper

[_CY_]

Originally Posted by dlh62c

One of the things I've learned about myself on motorcycle travel is that I'm fundamentally lazy. As much as I enjoy photography. I hate carrying and managing the gear.

I purchased a Nikon AW100 to carry instead of my beloved Nikon D40. So far I've been happy with it. Over the holidays I walked around dad's nursing home playing with the various settings.

daryl

been thinking of doing same. leaving humongous Nikon D2H + lens at home. buying a Nikon AW100 for RTW duties.

[Sam I Am]

Took a shot in the dark and replaced my no-name point and shoot with a Sony NEX 5 Sony NEX-3 & NEX-5 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review . Think the current model is a NEX 7, seemingly a major improvement $$. Was intrigued by the very small body of the 5 and was my main reason for shying away from a true SLR. It has an optically stabilized 18-55 lens and an incredible pan function.

Consistent bad comments relate to its awkward menu system... better once you use it for a while... and I really miss a built-in viewfinder, now in the 7. Love the quality of the pictures but haven't yet tried it on the road, so can't attest to its robustness.

But if you are concerned about space... might be worth considering.

[_CY_]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

Took a shot in the dark and replaced my no-name point and shoot with a Sony NEX 5 Sony NEX-3 & NEX-5 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review . Think the current model is a NEX 7, seemingly a major improvement $$. Was intrigued by the very small body of the 5 and was my main reason for shying away from a true SLR. It has an optically stabilized 18-55 lens and an incredible pan function.

Consistent bad comments relate to its awkward menu system... better once you use it for a while... and I really miss a built-in viewfinder, now in the 7. Love the quality of the pictures but haven't yet tried it on the road, so can't attest to its robustness.

But if you are concerned about space... might be worth considering.

have had a slew of Sony cameras... really like the friendly menu layout. but weakness is lack of waterproofing. have lost two sonys to water and they barely got wet.

an old Sony cybershot 4.1 meg is my main web camera... works really good. very easy to upload pic's for web use. but would not trust it for any thing close to wet conditions.

[colebatch]

Originally Posted by _CY_

have had a slew of Sony cameras... really like the friendly menu layout. but weakness is lack of waterproofing. have lost two sonys to water and they barely got wet.

an old Sony cybershot 4.1 meg is my main web camera... works really good. very easy to upload pic's for web use. but would not trust it for any thing close to wet conditions.

then get a Sony TX5 or TX10 ... waterproof, dustproof, shockproof

[harrenz]

One option really worth looking at are the new micro 4/3 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. The Olympus PEN EP-3 is getting great reviews. The micro 4/ have interchangable lenses and from the review excellent quality - at least comparable to consumer DSLR, but much smaller and lighter.
I could not give a view on durability, but if size and weight is an issue then these are really worth a look at.

[Glenboy]

I have a Nikon D80 with a 18-135 lens (UV filter which stays on), SB600 flash, remote shutter release, small portable tripod and a regular tripod. Everything except the reg tripod goes into a well-padded camera bag and this is carried in my topbox. When I get off the bike to do a little walk-about, the helmet and gloves go in the topbox and the camera bag goes over my shoulder. Works well for me.

I also have a waterproof Fuji compact (quality only mediocre) that I keep in a jacket pocket and can be pulled out easily for a quick shot.

I have a Ram-ball on the handlebars and often use this instead of getting out the tripod or if I don't have it with me, works very well.

[lbendel]

Well said Colebatch. I'll chip in with my own experience, now almost at the end of my 18-months tour of Africa and middle-east on an F800GS.

The most important thing to remember is to take the camera that you will enjoy using when time comes to take a picture: if it's too big, too slow or stowed away, you just won't bother take the picture. A picture not taken is always worse than the one taken by the crappiest camera in the world!

I enjoy very much photography, so I took my best toy - the Canon 5d MKII. But it's BIG and heavy, which goes against the rule when you're traveling by bike. I put in in the hard panniers to protect it, and I take it out only when I decide to stop for a while and do some photography.

So I needed a second camera: a simple point-and-shoot in those cases when I need to take a quick snapshot and the quality is less important than the fact that I'll get the shot that I want. So it needed to be:
- small, to fit in my jacket's pocket, when I'm riding, and in my trouser's pocket, when I'm strolling in town
- robust, because it will be exposed to dust, sand, humidity, shocks, etc..
- responsive! I want to be able to stop, put in neutral, reach for the camera, compose, shoot and stow it away, all in 5 seconds or less.
- lastly, have decent image quality. For me this is less important than the first 3 criteria, but the Sony is producing very nice pictures. If a scene is really worth it, then I park, take off my helmet and gloves, take the 5dMKII out and shoot. But this takes 10x more time. Often the scene will be gone, or the people scared off, etc..

When I left, the only camera that fulfilled my conditions was the Sony TX5. It's waterproof (so dust-proof), has few moving parts so it's robust. Most importantly, I can hold it with one hand, power it up by lowering the cover with my middle finger, and it will be ready to shoot in 1 second. I can compose with the helmet and goggles on, and it will autofocus in a split second. Then, immediately after taking the picture, I just slide down the cover and put it back in my jacket, and off I go.

It's (almost) perfect!

The only fly in the ointment is the LCD screen which is not protected, so after rubbing against the fabric of my pockets, it lost the anti-reflective coating and then it was just impossible to see anything in bright sunlight.

And then I lost it.. so my girl-friend who joined me left me her camera, who was also a Sony point-and-shoot, but a more traditional one, the WX7. It's terrible: you have to reach for a tiny button to power it up, which is impossible with the gloves on. Then it needs to extend the lens, which takes at least 2 seconds. And even worse, after you've taken the shot, you have to wait for the lens to retract before putting it back into the pocket, of course, and this is incredibly annoying (just as annoying as using a smartphone, don't get me started on those..).

Finally, after just a couple months, it just broke down, the lens extraction mechanism would make a grinding noise and wouldn't retract: sand and dust obviously jammed the mechanism. How good is your 1-year warranty in the middle of Africa ?

These gadgets are designed as cheaply as possible and they will break down. On the other hand, the 5D mkII feels solid and indeed it is very well built: after 1 year and multiple crashes, it still was working like clockwork, even with many moving parts (mirror, shutter, diaphragm, IS, etc..). If I had taken a Rebel or other entry-level dSRL, I'm convinced it would have broken down half-way through. And no chance to fix it.

Actually, I flew back shortly to Europe after 1 year. I sent the 5D mkII, which was still working perfectly, to Canon for CLA (clean - lube - adjust). It cost me as much as a new entry-level camera but it came back like new! it may sound crazy to take a 3000$ photo kit in an off-road bike trip, but knowing that you can rely on it, and that it can be serviced and fixed is invaluable.

Lastly, one practical problem with the DSLR is that it is a bit too "flashy". People in the street (much more so in African than in Asia it seems) are more easily scared/angered by the big photo camera pointed at them than by a tiny point and shoot. Especially so if you can get it out of your pocket and take a shot in 2 seconds before they can react (pose, ask for money, walk away, etc..)

At the end of the day, there are photos that I've taken with the small kit that I wished I had taken with the DSLR for the extra image quality; but I just know that I wouldn't have been able to take it at all with it, so I have absolutely no regret.

For me the combination of a high-end kit and a small cheap one was better than the compromise of a single medium quality kit. For most people it makes sense to take only a small point and shoot, and I respect this very much. Also, the industry has made some great progress since I left, so I may review my decision in a future trip (e.g., Sony NEX-7, Fuji X-100).

Lastly, whatever your gear, do post the photos and share them with us!

Laurent