Introduction... what this article is and is not

This article was originally published on another site. It was initially written in 2003, was updated through the years, and was moved to it's new home in January 2009. The dates on the pages do not reflect the actual publication dates; unfortunately the site where this article was previously posted did not allow indication of a page written date. Since the focus of the article is the choice of camera features to meet individual's needs as opposed to the choice of a specific camera, I believe the information here is still useful. If you find factual errors, please contact me and I will be happy to correct the errors and to give you credit for the correction.

Touring and cameras go hand in hand for me. I enjoy traveling by bike and I enjoy taking photos in an attempt to capture some of the things that I see from my bike. Of course, the pictures never seem to do justice to what I actually see, but I keep trying. And now that I use a digital camera as I wander on my bike, I take even more pictures - something about not having to pay for processing leads me to click, and click, and click again.

I made the switch from a film camera to a digital camera before I took off on my cross-country trip in June of 2002. I had a lot of questions that went beyond the usual "what features do I want?" Questions and concerns - like

• How much storage space (digital media) do I need?
  
• Will I be able to recharge the batteries if I'm camping? Where?
  
• Will I be able to upload pictures to my journal from the road? How?

I did my share of web surfing and reading, and I talked to a lot of my techie friends - software engineers who were also into photography. It was helpful to talk things through with them, but they could only help out with the digital camera questions, not with my on the road questions. I managed to answer my questions before I left for my trip, and if you've read my journal then you know that my decisions worked for me... So why am I writing this article? I thought it might be helpful to gather information about touring and digital cameras into a single place - especially for folks who are in the same place that I was just a short year ago, deciding which camera to buy for an epic journey.

Does this article include the answers for you? Maybe, and maybe not. What I hope it does is present questions along with some possible answers that might make it easier to combine touring and the digital camera revolution.

This article is not... the definitive answer to all of your questions about touring and digital cameras.

This article is... an attempt to help you organize your thoughts and find information that will help answer your questions about touring with a digital camera.

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Update on July 4, 2008: When you look at the date that this article was initially written and published (2003!), you may think that you should discount the information in it because digital cameras have evolved during that time.

While there is some information in the article about specific camera models, the camera-specific information is not intended to tell you to buy a particular camera. Instead, I've tried to use the camera information as examples of answering my questions about the features I want in my camera(s).

Yes, the cameras referenced in this article belong to a single brand. Why? Because the cameras that share my life all bear the Canon name. This is my (current) preference. Keep in mind that there are many manufacturers of good quality cameras out there, and a different manufacturer's camera may have your name on it.

I hope that those of you who are searching for the perfect camera companion for your tours will find some helpful information here.

Selecting a camera

...or how to cull out your required features

I've always traveled with a camera... I've used both 35mm and APS film in the past with good results. I could have set out on my Boston to Oregon trek last year with a film camera, but I was really ready to join the digital camera world.

I take pictures in an attempt to capture some memories, to remind myself of the things that I've seen, and to share my wonder with friends and family. I also enjoy surrounding myself with images of beautiful places - I often have pictures from my vacations blown up and framed, and placed on my walls. That habit at least partially dictated the type of camera I'd want to own.

There are an unbelieveable number of cameras available. In the hopes of narrowing my search, I started with a few requirements. I'm sure that your requirements will be different - but maybe seeing my requirements will help you come up with your own.

My desired camera:

• The camera resolution should be 4 megapixels. Some people told me that I'd be happy with a 2 megapixel camera, and if my goal was only to post photos on the web, that would have been fine. But since I figured I'd also want to enlarge some of the pictures, I knew I'd be happier with a 3 or 4 megapixel camera. Both were readily available when I was doing my search - but I figured I'd be happier for a longer period of time with a higher resolution, so that became part of my criteria.

  Update in August, 2006: Keep in mind that this requirement was from my initial camera search in 2002. At that time the megapixel choices were somewhat limited, and came no where near the number of options available as of now.

• Size matters to me when I'm touring - so I looked for a compact or ultra-compact camera. If I'm going to take pictures, I need to have my camera close at hand. I don't use a handlebar bag, so I usually carry my camera in a very small fanny pack. My new digital camera needed to comfortably fit in my Caribou Mountaineering Maui fanny pack, which measures 13 x 5 x 3 (inches). A friend of mine has a similar requirement - but he likes to carry his camera in his jersey pocket. That makes size important to him too.
  
  
• When the camera is off - with the lens closed - the front of the camera should be flat. I wanted to be able to easily slip the camera into small places - again making it easy to carry in my Maui fanny pack.
  
  
• My preferred digital media is the Compact Flash. This was for a couple of reasons. I thought that Compact Flash was a more widely used media (probably not true...), and I knew that the handheld computer that I planned to use has a slot for a Compact Flash card. It turns out that the second reason wasn't really valid either because my handheld also takes a PCMCIA card, which means I could put any of the available digital media in the handheld as long as I bought a PCMCIA adapter for the appropriate media. My other reasons for wanting Compact Flash as media were that you can purchase large cards - up to a gig of space, and that the media is not fragile. A friend of mine started in this digital camera world with a camera that used SmartMedia, and he was quite unhappy with it. Not only was the media very fragile, the largest card available is 128 meg. Compact Flash was definitely my first choice!

  Update in October 2006: I am still very happy with my choice of CompactFlash as media, doubly so since my digital SLR also uses this media. However, if I was buying a camera in 2006 and I wasn't considering the possible addition of an SLR in the future, I would probably also consider SD (SecureDigital) cards.

• My preferred power source is a standard battery. I didn't want to have to deal with the charging issue, and I hoped to find a camera where I could use either a standard or a rechargeable battery.
  
  
• I wanted a camera with at least a 2x and probably a 3x optical zoom. A digital zoom in addition to an optical zoom is acceptable - but a digital zoom instead of an optical zoom is not.

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Of course I didn't get everything that I wanted... I really wanted a Canon Digital Elph, but at the time it only came in a 2 megapixel version. That didn't match my first requirement, so I moved on... So how did I decide? I was able to get my list of cameras down to a reasonable number based simply on size. I knew that I wouldn't be happy with a large camera, so I figured that was a good place to start. I began by looking at cameras classified as compact or ultra-compact, and I only kept cameras in the list that supported a resolution of 3 megapixels or larger. My serious "look at camera" list came down to 3 cameras - the Canon S40, the Pentax Optio 430, and the Olympus D-40. I looked at detailed reviews of all three cameras at the Digital Photography Review web site. Then I went to a camera shop and looked at the cameras in person. I just needed to hold them in my hands, look at the controls, and look through the cameras - and I needed to compare them side-by-side. It turned out that the shop I visited only had the Canon and the Olympus in stock. I was kind of on the fence about the Pentax anyhow after reading the review, and I didn't want to go rambling around until I found a shop with all three cameras in stock. While I liked the look and feel of the Olympus, the full review plus comments from users stated that the camera had severe chromatic aberations - meaning that pictures often had purple fringing around things, especially when the pictures were backlit or were taken in bright sunlight. That's not a good feature for a camera to be taken on tour. I liked the feel of the Canon S40, and I liked the features of the camera (with the exception of it requiring a proprietary rechargeable battery), and I had been very happy with the optics of my Canon film camera. I left the shop wanting to do some more reading and thinking, but ultimately the Canon S40 was my camera of choice!

I have to admit that I was one of those bad shoppers though - I looked at the cameras at a shop, but I bought it on the Internet. If the price had been close, I would have happy to give the shop my business, but the price wasn't close. Around the time that I was looking at cameras, there was a $100 price drop for the Canon S40 at web outlets, but no corresponding price drop at brick & mortar stores. In addition, Dell Computers was (as usual) offering a 10% disount and free shipping on software and peripherals (including cameras). I couldn't beat that price, so I bought the camera from Dell.

Some things to think about as you wander through all of your camera selections...

• Do you have a target price range?
  
• Do you want the ability to override settings (exposure, etc.)?
  
• What do you plan to do with your pictures? The answer to this question can help identify what resolution you need. Remember that generally cameras with higher resolutions (megapixels) are more expensive than those with lower resolutions.
  
• Will you primarily be printing snapshots (4x6 or 5x7) and posting pictures on a web site? Or do you plan to enlarge your photos?
  
• Do you care about size? The answers to the following questions might help with the camera size decision.
  • Where do you carry your camera when you bike?
    
  • Do you use a handlebar bag?
    
  • Do you use a small fanny pack like I do?
    
  • Do you stash your camera in your jersey pocket?
• Do you want to be able to use filters on your camera?
  
• Do you want to be able to use different lenses?
  
• Do you want a camera that is water-resistant? Or one that has a case that can be used to make your camera water-resistant or water-proof? Jamie Noble was looking for a camera that was water-proof without an additional case. He bought a Pentax Optio 33WR - check in with him if this is something that interests you!
  
• Do you have a preference as to media type (CompactFlash, SecureDigital, etc.)?
  
• Do you prefer a rechargeable (proprietary) battery or do you want to be able to use "off the shelf" batteries?
  
• Do you care whether your camera has an optical viewfinder in addition to the electronic LCD panel? While the LCDs have improved over the years, there are still some lighting conditions where I find the optical viewfinder to be useful.

What? You bought another camera?

I now know the answer to the question "what would I buy if I were buying a camera now?" - in 2004 as opposed to 2002!

I used to think that owning one of something would be enough, but that's just not true for me. Canon came out with a 4 megapixel version of the Digital Elph last year, which it is the camera I really wanted when I started this digital journey. I rejected it back in 2002 because the highest resolution at the time was 2 megapixels. But I was still lusting over a smaller camera...

I gave in last month (yes, in 2004!), and bought my second digital camera, the Canon S400. I'm still very happy with my S40, but the smaller size of the S400 (and the corresponding drop in weight) was what drove me to the second camera. This camera also takes Compact Flash cards, so I can continue to use the same media. The S40 weighs 11.4 ounces, and the S400 weighs 7.9 ounces. The weight for both includes the battery and media, an apples to apples comparison. The size? The dimensions of the S40 are 4.4 x 2.3 x 1.7 inches, and of the S400 are 3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches. I know that the size and weight differences don't sound like much but it actually feels like a big difference.

As far as the camera features go, the S40 and S400 are not an exact match, but almost all of the features on the S40 are also available on the S400.

The pictures - the S400 also makes beautiful pictures. You can see some examples in my Sedona picture gallery. The pictures there were taken in somewhat poor weather conditions - I had a day of sun, a day of rain, and a day of snow on my quick escape hiking trip there. But no regrets on the unexpected weather conditions - bad light conditions make for good camera testing conditions!

The one big plus with the new camera is that the LCD technology has improved. One of my biggest complaints with my S40 - was that I couldn't see the LCD in bright sunlight. I could use the viewfinder for focusing purposes, but I still needed to use the LCD for the camera settings. The improved LCD on my new camera allows me to adjust the brightness and is also much more visible in bright daylight.

My other complaint with the S40 was that I couldn't focus close enough to get the detailed wildflower pictures that I like. The macro focus on the S400 is 5cm, while the macro focus on the S40 is 10cm. That's not a huge amount, but it makes a big difference.



The only negative I've found so far is with the photographer. The camera is so small and light it makes me think that I can hold it out at arm's length with one hand and take good pictures. That's really not a good idea - I need to remind myself that two hands are better than one when I want good focused pictures!

Of course, as soon as you purchase any digital technology, it's immediately obsolete. Soon after I purchased the S400 Canon announced the S410 (which appears to be an update to my camera, but who knows what was changed!) and the S500, a 5 megapixel version of the same camera. But - I'm still happy with my new "baby" camera.

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Update on July 4, 2008:

The camera number has changed, but this camera lives on in Canon's Digital Elph line, bearing the designation SDxxx, or SDxxx IS. IS is an indication that the camera has image stabilization.

I purchased one of these cameras for my sister back in 2007, and this is still a sweet camera. The current inception of this camera is a tiny bit smaller than the camera I bought back in 2004. And it still takes beautiful photos.

Zoom

Optical vs. digital zooms, or be very careful!

My camera has a 3x optical zoom, with an additional 8x digital zoom. On a camera with both optical and digital zooms, the two are used in combination. First the optical zoom is used, then the digital zoom is tacked on.

The optical zoom is the same type of zoom that you find on a film camera. It creates higher quality images than a digital zoom, which is really just manipulating the image rather than using a lens to allow you to get closer to your subject. I almost never take photos using the digital zoom. In my experience, the photos taken with the digital zoom are definitely not as clear as those I've taken with the optical zoom only.

If you know you'll use a zoom lens in your travels, make sure your camera has an optical zoom - or make sure you're OK with compromising picture quality by using a digital zoom. I like having both - but I wouldn't be happy with a camera that only had a digital zoom.

Batteries... rechargeable or not?

Jenia Ciomek & I had a discussion on January 7, 2007 about rechargeable batteries. Since I suspect that battery issues come up quite often, I thought it would be a good idea to add some information here.

I have no personal experience with rechargeable "regular" batteries (as in AA, AAA, and other similar batteries) since my cameras use proprietary batteries - but I was able to find what appears to be a good source of information on this type of batteries, an article . Digital cameras (other than SLRs) do have quite a habit of eating batteries, and if your camera uses non-proprietary batteries it still may be a good idea to use rechargeable batteries.

I found a series of web pages written by someone who is touted as being "an avid user of rechargeable batteries". The pages are posted on the web site of the California Integrated Waste Management Board and include information on NiCd and NiMH batteries plus links to sources for both battery chargers and rechargeable batteries.

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WPW/Power/RechBattInfo.htm

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The following information on rechargeable batteries was provided by Brian Huntley on January 7, 2007.

1. The capacity numbers do make a difference. They're typically made by computing how long the battery would take to discharge at some percentage (30% I think) of their rated load. The load/life graph isn't a straight line for these, so if you're hitting the battery with a lot of short sharp loads, a larger mAH rating will go a lot farther. One set of 2500 mAH cells will, for example, way outlast three sets of 800 mAH cells, if used heavily.
   
   
2. Flashes and zoom lenses are heavy loads. Cameras in general are heavy loads, but zooms and large screens and flashes really add up.
   
   
3. NiMH batteries self-discharge fairly quickly, so if you charged both sets at the same time, then used one the same day and the other the next, the second set would be at a disadvantage. It's a good idea to top them up immediately before use, if possible. Higher capacity batteries may self-discharge faster initially in the same way a hot coffee loses more heat per unit time than a luke warm cup.
   
   
4. Some chargers may shut down charging too early if you mix batteries that need different amounts of charge. If I have to charge 2000 and 2500 mAH cells at the same time, I'll always put the larger ones back in for a bit (with the 2000s removed) after the charger shuts down.

These days, I avoid anything but the highest rating batteries I can find. It's easy to find 2500 mAH AA cells, and 3000s are available. I'd like to find one of those micro-chargers that's not much bigger than a pair of cells, for on-the-road use. If I only charge the pair from my camera, I'm not too concerned about the bells and whistles of the charger. Oh, and don't leave your unloaded NiMH charger plugged in/switched on - it's a bit of an energy hog even when idle, as it has sensors and such that are continuously cycling.

End of information supplied by Brian Huntley

How to find a place to recharge that pesky digital device

One of my big concerns about buying and touring with a digital camera was power. I was used to cameras that used regular batteries. Well, sort of regular - not something as easy to find and (relatively) inexpensive as AA or AAA batteries, but something that I'd probably be able to find in larger towns (probably the 3000-person towns, not the population 600 towns that I kept wandering through as I rode across the country). Since I bought a camera that used a proprietary rechargeable battery, I had to deal with the issue of needing power outlets.

Note that this section also applies if you have a camera that uses "regular" batteries but you have chosen to use rechargeable versions of those batteries.

When I left home last summer I planned to camp most of the time. But I figured I'd stay in a motel or hostel at least once a week, so at worst case I'd have charging capabilities on at least those nights. It turned out that I stayed in motels most of my trip, so I didn't have any power issues at all. If you plan to tour and camp and still use rechargeable batteries, here are some things to think about:

• Consider buying an extra battery for your camera. I had two camera batteries with me, which gave me the peace of mind to know that I could easily go several days without needing to charge the batteries. Be careful with this one though - although I often could use the camera for more than one day on a single battery charge, I couldn't pull that off when I was in a drop-dead beautiful place that kept me taking pictures all day long. The first time I got a low-battery notice during the day was at Niagara Falls - but that didn't cause a problem because I was able to just pop my second battery into the camera and keep on clicking away. I recharged both batteries that night. Good to go again! I found it very interesting that the packaging on my extra spare battery recommended carrying 2 to 3 times the batteries you think you are going to need.
  
  
• Use the viewfinder of your camera instead of the LCD, and turn the LCD off. From what I've read, it appears that using a digital camera with the LCD off will conserve power. This may or may not be a viable option for you. I started out intending to use only the viewfinder - after all the LCD panels are just about useless in bright sunlight. Unfortunately, the LCD on my camera is also the place that menus are displayed to alter camera settings like resolution, digital zoom, self-timer, etc., so I found I used it more often than not, even though I was forced to use the viewfinder to compose my pictures because I couldn't see anything reasonable in the LCD because of the light conditions.
  
  
• Keep an eye out for power outlets - and use them!
  
  
  • If you're staying in a private campground you might have an outlet at your site, although it's more likely that you'll be at a tent site without a power outlet. But - private campgrounds usually have power in the bathrooms, and there may be outlets there. Or sometimes they have community rooms you can use, again with power outlets.
    
    
  • A friend told me that he always used outlets in restaurants. He camped almost exclusively on his cross-country trip, but he ate many meals in restaurants and took advantage of their power while he was eating.
    
    
  • Do you occasionally wash your clothes in a laundromat? Check for power outlets there too. (I usually washed my clothes out by hand, but I used laundromats every so often to get a better level of clean.)
    
    
  • Are you stopping at libraries to update your journal? Find an outlet and charge your batteries while you're writing and catching up on email.
  
  
• Consider trying a solar charger (or a pedal and power device).

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If you're traveling in a country other than your own, you may need to bring a plug adapter with you. First you'll need to check the power supply for your toys to see if they can handle the input voltages that you'll be encountering on your journey. If they can - and I suspect that most modern electronics power supplies can - you'll probably need a plug adapter for that country.

Before my Ireland trip, I went searching on the web. I found Travel Oasis. The site has a lot of information about international electrical supplies in addition to their storefront. I ordered a plug adapter late on a Monday night, and had a package waiting for me when I arrived home on Friday. Good service - I'll buy from them again if the need arises.

This page on the TravelOasis site is a good place to start your search for plug adapters. It includes a link to a world electric guide and a world telephone guide so that you can determine what type of plug adapters that you need.

Uploading on the road

...or how much time do you plan to spend on a computer?

OK, next step. You've got some very cool pictures, and you want to post them on your journal so that all of the folks who are following your trip can see what you see. Sounds easy, but it isn't always. There are two problems here. The first is that even with a high-speed Internet connection, uploading large files can take a very long time. And the second is that if you're using a computer in an Internet cafe or a library - it's not likely that you'll be able to install the drivers that are needed for the computer to "understand" your camera.

I attempt to update my journals from the road, but uploading photos? That usually waits until I return home.

For my Boston to Oregon trip in 2002, I kept my journal on a handheld computer and I uploaded my entries every day or two. I wanted to share what I was seeing each day with friends and family, so I tried to upload a couple of pictures each day. I was using my HP Jornada handheld with a PCMCIA card adapter for a Compact Flash card. My Internet access with this device was always via a dial-up, so uploading pictures was painfully slow, and I was unable to upload pictures that were larger than 2 megapixels via a dial-up connection.

Today with the availability of high-speed connections from the road, this isn't as much of a problem. But I'm still not willing to sit and upload photos while I'm out on the road...

What about high-speed connections at Internet cafes or libraries? Next topic...