What camera do you RVer's use?

[bobkatmsu]

Not exactly a RV question, but we will be retiring next year and heading out in our RV for 6-8 months at a time. Heading to Alaska in 2018. RVer's know equipment. I want to buy my wife a nice camera for our trips. Budget, about $1000. What suggestions do you have?

[Groover]

I recently purchased a very lightly used Canon 70D with an 18-135mm lense for $900 and am very happy with it. One real advantage to this camera is that it can be set up to transfer pictures to your cellphone automatically so that you can easily share the pictures while on the road. While not Canon's best it is still popular with professionals and is an excellent camera. In most cases it gives better pictures than my SX40 camera though the long lens and compact size on the SX40 does come in handy at times. The 70D really shines in low light and in pictures with a wide range in contrast. The 70D is more rugged than most people realize, I have seen professionals using them in all weather at outdoor events and they seem to be fine if you don't open them up. I do still use the SX40 and my cellphone with its excellent camera frequently. The only real drawback to the cellphone is the short range lens. I have a Nexus 6 and it has one of the better cameras available.

[Larry-D]

I use a digital SLR in fire investigations. I also use a "Pentax" which is now "Ricoh". See link below. I have dropped it in water, hard concrete and have stepped on it when it fell from my pocket in the dark. No problems at all. Excellent photos, great low light (flashes the flash multiple times if needed) and a great zoom. It will focus as close as something almost touching the lens and has a ring of LEDs around the lens for the macro/micro work. Several of us as well an engineers in the same field use these.


https://www.amazon.com/Ricoh-Waterproof-Underwater-WG-5-GPS/dp/B00W20RWTI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1481327366&sr=8-4&keywords=ricoh+camera

[wa8yxm]

If I wish to shoot film I should have a very nice Minolta 35mm around here, Used to be my favorite "Gun" for hunting... I have some nice accessories and have used it many times..

however now days I'm most likely to use my Phone, I have like 50 Gig of storage that's vacant on the hard card (Micro SD card) and it can shoot movies, Or Stills,, I even can set it in a bracket and make it into a "Dash Cam" if I wish (Though I have a different DC fort the RV. That one holds lot more hours)

[turnersteve]

I use a Canon 6D DSLR with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens

[tinkerer]

A lot of good advice and I will add that for a lot of outdoor shooting you might want to consider a weather-proof camera. I use a Pentax K50 weather proof as I take a lot outdoor pictures in damp and dusty condition. These conditions have ruined some good cameras that were not up to that task.;)

[tragusa3]

Old thread, I know... and the OP has likely made a decision. But I wanted to add a few thoughts for anyone that uses the thread for research.

Two important variables (which have been mentioned).

The end product. I think those that are saying the phone or a point and shoot work great, may never view them on anything other than the phone, computer or tablet. I edit mine into home movies that are shown on a 14' screen with our projector. The iPhone photos are almost unusable blown up like that. You decide...may never be a concern for you.

What activity? I'm willing to sacrifice quality if the DSLR is going to be a real pain for the situation. That doesn't happen often, but it does. If I'm hiking anything under 4-5 hours, I'll carry the DSLR. We've been on a few strenuous things that it was easier to leave it behind and use the phone. Usually, when I'm editing at home, I kick myself for not using the DSLR.

Nikon/Canon: I was in the Nikon camp for 20 years. I switched to Canon 6 months ago. I've had (and still do) the Nikon D5500 (mentioned earlier). Fantastic camera for stills and lightweight. However, the AF motors in the lenses are far to loud for video. The AF is also not as fast as necessary for video. I'm currently shooting with a Canon 80d. It is maybe a hair less desirable for stills, but the AF and video are leaps beyond the Nikon.

I've heard many photographers say, the best camera is the one you have with you. That is true. Don't be a gear head and buy things that you will never use to capture the important moments. In outdoor adventures, the important moments are usually risky for expensive gear. I'm okay destroying my gear for a memory (its happened once in nearly a million photos). You may not be, in which case choose something else for your gear. Or better yet, get something nice and something else cheap.

[OLYLEN]

SX60 canon and you will have enough left over for a good tripod, bag, couple xtra batteries, a couple filters and a flash to do better than the camera one installed. Will still be short of the $1000 budget and will cover from macro(very close up photography) thru over a 1000mm for wildlife(stay a bit away from that bear). You can shoot in RAW format if you want to do post processing and really get into photography or just shoot auto and JPG format more for the common guy. And it comes with a bunch of software although the Picasa(google photo program, free) does about all need and is a reasonable storage program as well.

LEN

[TriumphGuy]

Ditto on the Olympus. We have a TG-2 and I have plenty of photo and video from it that we'd never have because I was too scared to bring the more expensive equipment out to where it could get hurt. It can do quite a lot for a point and shoot. Certainly not a DSLR but convenient, and for me convenience gets the photos.

Now if I could only find an HD camcorder that can take a beating. I broke mine on the last trip dropping it into a stream 😞

[Big_Blue]

I have the Nikon D7100 & wife has the Nikon D3200 kit. We are happy & satisfied.

[obgraham]

My Sony Nex-7 is a superb camera. Usually with the 35-80 equivalent zoom, but I also have the heavier zoom out to 200 equivalent. It's very good in low light situations.

My phone is the backup. Works well, but for me is fussier to use.

[cbshoestring]

Nikon D50 SLR with the standard 18-55, 55-200 lenses that came with the "special". Always meant to buy ONE lense...18-200 or better.

Truth is...I take most pictures with my SAMSUNG Galaxy S5, because I am too lazy to carry around a camera like some "tourist".

[tatest]

Currently?

Olympus Stylus Tough for use on rainy days (any other waterproof camera works).

Canon Rebel XS for most of my photos when traveling by car or RV, or for any intentional photo outings, particularly scenery. Two kit lenses (wide to portrait zoom, moderate telephoto zoom) covers most of my needs. Medium duty tripod I've had for 40 years is an important part of this kit. But any DSLR or mirror-free interchangable lens camera made today covers the same needs for me and if I were starting again it would probably be a Sony Alpha mirror-free or a Micro 4/3 camera kit from Olympus or Panasonic.

For a pocket camera, street photography and most "tourist" situations, I carry a Sony RX100 (3rd generation). This one is also wide-angle to short portrait, has a very fast lens, fast shooting performance, and makes excellent pictures (has a very large sensor for a camera this tiny). The focal length range fits my shooting style, the camera size is much smaller than the M-series Leicas I used for the same situations in my film camera days (and for those i needed to pocket a second lens). But this single camera cost more than my whole entry-level DSLR kit, and since it is not waterproof, it doesn't cover all my needs.

When traveling overseas, in order to deal with hand luggage restrictions, the Sony and Olympus go into my carry-on (with compact binoculars) and the DSLR kit stays home (unless I have a specific plan to use it).

If your goal is wildlife photography, you may want a very long telephoto. This adds a lot of cost to a DSLR or ILC kit, and can be considerable weight.

There exist more compact superzoom cameras with sensors 1/8th to 1/4th the size (area). The smallest are promoted specifically as "travel cameras." These are OK if you don't mind the reduced image quality (lack of actual resolution, image noise). Canon, Panasonic, Sony, Olympus all make decent compact superzooms, storing at near compact size.

In a more DSLR-like form factor, Canon, Casio, Nikon, Fuji, Panasonic and Pentax have had offerings the past few years. I started out with one of these (Canon S1) as my first digital travel camera (second digital, first was a S-series Canon compact) but by the time I drowned it trying to take pictures in the rain, all the replacements had gotten larger than what I wanted to carry, so I bought a waterproof pocket camera and moved on to DSLR kit for the rest of my work.

I'm not brand partial. When my daughter asked for a "camera that takes good pictures" I bought her the entry level Nikon DSLR (3000 or 3100) because she had been using a Nikon compact and the controls were similar. I got myself Canon because I had been using Canon compacts and the controls were similar. The Sony RX100 was "I want the best camera in this category" and I am still trying to get used to controls mostly new to me. In the film camera days, it drove me nuts switching back and forth between my Leica's and the Nikon SLRs I was using at work, because they focused in opposite directions. Consider this factor if you already have a lot of experience with one particular camera.

[Jim]

Remember that you'll be traveling out in vast remote areas and will probably want to do some hiking. A small $200 Olympus with pouch is very convenient.

[turnersteve]

After 4 Canon DSLR cameras I have moved up to a Canon 6D with a 18-105 l lens. It is a full format camera (18mm lens is really 18mm not 24mm) and I love it.