Replacement Camera

[theloneboot]

My camera is a few years old and is one of the bulkiest and heaviest pieces of gear I have. It's about 5x4x2.5 and maybe a solid 5 pounds. Since it's so big, it also needs a bulky case. Definitely need to replace it before I head to the AT next summer. But I don't know much about digital cameras, can anyone help me out?

I have a Canon with 20x optical zoom and 10mp and I'd like something with comparable capabilities. Was great when I lived in the mountains and I still love it, but the size just makes it impractical for hiking. It seems any of the point and shoots these days should do it, I see a lot of 15x, 18mp ones for $100-$200, but I need something that can survive trail conditions. I know they make waterproof cameras and whatnot, but that's probably more intense than I require. I just want to be able to take high quality pictures of myself, my friends/companions, the flora and fauna, and (most importantly) the scenery.

Any suggestions? Or any in particular that you have been exceptionally satisfied with?

[Chris10]

I have Olympus TG2 and really love it. The only thing I don't like I'd that the charger is purely an Olympus brand, and you can't use anything but theirs. Not handy if you happen to lose it!
I also bought a StickPic, which is a little thing you put on your hiking pole to take group pictures and the such, really like that a lot-link below.
http://www.thestickpic.com

[LAF]

+1 on the Olympus TG-2; tough little thing and waterproof; I've used it for shallow diving (40 ft or less) with good results.

[Slo-go'en]

There are many good, quality shirt pocket camaras available for under $100 these days. The only problem is picking which one. Since models seem to change about every 3 weeks, it's hard to recommed a specific one. My latest camara is a Samsung ST66 with 16 mega pixtels. One feature I really like is it takes panarama shots just by panning. The best part is I got it on sale for about $60, nearly half of list price.

No need for a waterproof camara, your not going to be taking very many pictures in the rain or under water. A plastic bag and some reasonable care is all you need.

[UofWHusky]

I spent 6 weeks on the trail last year, early April to mid-June, and enjoyed the photos I took with my Nikon Coolpix AW100, 16 MP with HD video. It was nice not having to worry about the camera getting wet taking photos in the rain or sitting in my pocket getting damp from perspiration as I hiked.

[ChuckT]

+1 on the AW100. Not the absolute best but certainly has all the bells and whistles (GPS recording and date imprinting) I want.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[q-tip]

OlympusTG-320---bet camer I have ever owned for hiking....

[Tennessee Viking]

I would go with a Nikon or Canon Point and Shoot.

My Canon ELPH is pretty compact.

[BuckeyeBill]

Check out this Fuji Film Camera from Walmart. It is waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof, Freezeproof.