Snapshot camera for gliding ?

Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:40:58 +0000, tienshanman wrote:

Dave Nadler;719706 Wrote:
Hi All - I'm looking for recommendations for a snapshot camera to carry
while gliding. Last season I used my iPhone - its a pain to use in the
cockpit.

Ideal camera:
- very thin (fits easily in side pocket) - instant on
- no settings to fiddle after turning it on - doesn't autofocus on
canopy
- super-fast focus and shoot
- fast repeat shooting
- easy operation with one hand

Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.

Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"
Get something with a wide angle lens. Most small cameras max out at 35mm
equiv. These are useless in the cockpit. The Panasonic LX3 is an
excellent choice - 24mm equiv; has HD movie mode too.

Agreed. 28mm is about right.

I have a Ricoh GR1s I use for this - its a fixed lens 28mm film camera.
Filling it with 400 ASA, setting f22 aperture and landscape focus puts
everything from panel to horizon in focus and it remembers all settings
when its off. Good film cameras still have a few advantages!


Agreed on the wide angle - that is what swayed the choice from the canon
to the panasonic.

One of the advantages is far better resolution than even the super full
frame 35m digital SLRs. Of course you do have to know how to use them.

Bruce

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

Hi All - I'm looking for recommendations for a
snapshot camera to carry while gliding. Last
season I used my iPhone - its a pain to use
in the cockpit.
Ideal camera:
- very thin (fits easily in side pocket)
- instant on
- no settings to fiddle after turning it on
- doesn't autofocus on canopy
- super-fast focus and shoot
- fast repeat shooting
- easy operation with one hand
Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.
Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

There are a bunch that will do. I use Canon SD1000 -- no longer made
-- bought an SD1200 for someone for Christmas, looks like the same
only faster, slightly smaller. RTFM -- you'll be surprised at the
capabilities of these little gems.
-T8

For what it's worth - I use an Olympus FE-280 8 Mpixel in Through Glass
mode which holds over power down. 2.5in X 3.5 in X .75 in

Brian W

Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:40:58 +0000, tienshanman wrote:


Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.

Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Get something with a wide angle lens. Most small cameras max out at 35mm
equiv. These are useless in the cockpit. The Panasonic LX3 is an
excellent choice - 24mm equiv; has HD movie mode too.


Agreed. 28mm is about right.

I have a Ricoh GR1s I use for this - its a fixed lens 28mm film camera.
Filling it with 400 ASA, setting f22 aperture and landscape focus puts
everything from panel to horizon in focus and it remembers all settings
when its off. Good film cameras still have a few advantages!
You can get the same functions in a digital camera, and far more, so I
see only disadvantages to a film camera like that. My Panasonic TZ5 will
turn on in 400 ASA (or any other choice), landscape mode (or 20 others),
28 mm equivalent, no problem at all. And it has 10 x optical zoom, 3"
LCD monitor, image stabilization, movies, ya da, ya da. Forget film -
digital has it all and much more.

Besides, who wants to shoot only 36 shots, then change the film?! There
are several 28 mm zoom digitals that will do what Dave wants, not just
the TZ5; however, I would get a 24 mm model, now that they are more
available. Love that wide angle!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

On Feb 5, 5:40*pm, tienshanman tienshanman.
wrote:
Dave Nadler;719706 Wrote:





Hi All - I'm looking for recommendations for a
snapshot camera to carry while gliding. Last
season I used my iPhone - its a pain to use
in the cockpit.

Ideal camera:
- very thin (fits easily in side pocket)
- instant on
- no settings to fiddle after turning it on
- doesn't autofocus on canopy
- super-fast focus and shoot
- fast repeat shooting
- easy operation with one hand

Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.

Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Get something with a wide angle lens. Most small cameras max out at
35mm equiv. These are useless in the cockpit. The Panasonic LX3 is an
excellent choice - 24mm equiv; has HD movie mode too.

Fuji is one of very few companies that have cared about wide angle
lenses on compact cameras, right from film days. In 1999 I bought a
very nice little Fuji Mini Super 35mm camera, and in 2005 I got a Fuji
e500 5 megapixel digital camera (XD card). Both have 28mm equivalent
lenses at wide angle and modest zooms of 2:1 on the MIni Super and I
think maybe 3:1 on the e500.

I don't know about more current cameras.

Hi Eric -

I agree entirely, including that the Panasonic is a fine choice -
especially because it is so good at the no fiddling thing. But also
because it has the best super zoom lens available at the moment.

I have not carried a film camera in a glider in ten years - but for some
applications, film is still superior. You need to (unlike me) be a
serious professional before that point is reached.

PS - for some amazingly different views on our sport, give a child a
good point and shoot digital and take them to the airfield for a day.

Cheers
Bruce

Eric Greenwell wrote:
Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:40:58 +0000, tienshanman wrote:


Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.

Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Get something with a wide angle lens. Most small cameras max out at 35mm
equiv. These are useless in the cockpit. The Panasonic LX3 is an
excellent choice - 24mm equiv; has HD movie mode too.


Agreed. 28mm is about right.

I have a Ricoh GR1s I use for this - its a fixed lens 28mm film camera.
Filling it with 400 ASA, setting f22 aperture and landscape focus puts
everything from panel to horizon in focus and it remembers all
settings when its off. Good film cameras still have a few advantages!
You can get the same functions in a digital camera, and far more, so I
see only disadvantages to a film camera like that. My Panasonic TZ5 will
turn on in 400 ASA (or any other choice), landscape mode (or 20 others),
28 mm equivalent, no problem at all. And it has 10 x optical zoom, 3"
LCD monitor, image stabilization, movies, ya da, ya da. Forget film -
digital has it all and much more.

Besides, who wants to shoot only 36 shots, then change the film?! There
are several 28 mm zoom digitals that will do what Dave wants, not just
the TZ5; however, I would get a 24 mm model, now that they are more
available. Love that wide angle!


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

I'm a little late on weighing in, but check out the GoProHD video
camera. Takes great 5mp pictures as well as beautiful HD video. More
or less instant on, no focusing, super wide angle view. Very few
settings to mess with.

Upsides:
Picture quality is very good.
Video quality is very good
Extreme wide angle
Very few settings or adjustments to futz with
lightweight
numerous mounts for internal or external application
Waterproof housing
will take photo every x seconds

Downsides:
No preview or post shot view and LCD
Occasionally on turning it on, accidentally changes modes from still
to video or other changes(user error, but easy to do)
Wide angle almost prevents air-to-air shots since unless you're
swapping gelcoat they look really far away

The more I use it, the less I use my point-n-shoot Olympus. The wide
angle creates much nicer landscape/cloudscape shots.

Morgan

Sample shots:
http://picasaweb.google.com/morhall/...ingWithPancho#





On Feb 5, 11:34*pm, Bruce wrote:
Hi Eric -

I agree entirely, including that the Panasonic is a fine choice -
especially because it is so good at the no fiddling thing. But also
because it has the best super zoom lens available at the moment.

I have not carried a filmcamerain a glider in ten years - but for some
applications, film is still superior. You need to (unlike me) be a
serious professional before that point is reached.

PS - for some amazingly different views on our sport, give a child a
good point and shoot digital and take them to the airfield for a day.

Cheers
Bruce





Eric Greenwell wrote:
Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:40:58 +0000, tienshanman wrote:

Needs to be grab-and-shoot with no fuss and no wait.

Recommendations ?
Thanks in advance,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Get something with a wide angle lens. Most small cameras max out at 35mm
equiv. These are useless in the cockpit. The Panasonic LX3 is an
excellent choice - 24mm equiv; has HD movie mode too.

Agreed. 28mm is about right.

I have a Ricoh GR1s I use for this - its a fixed lens 28mm filmcamera.
Filling it with 400 ASA, setting f22 aperture and landscape focus puts
everything from panel to horizon in focus and it remembers all
settings when its off. Good film cameras still have a few advantages!
You can get the same functions in a digitalcamera, and far more, so I
see only disadvantages to a filmcameralike that. My Panasonic TZ5 will
turn on in 400 ASA (or any other choice), landscape mode (or 20 others),
28 mm equivalent, *no problem at all. And it has 10 x optical zoom, 3"
LCD monitor, image stabilization, movies, ya da, ya da. Forget film -
digital has it all and much more.

Besides, who wants to shoot only 36 shots, then change the film?! There
are several 28 mm zoom digitals that will do what Dave wants, not just
the TZ5; however, I would get a 24 mm model, now that they are more
available. Love that wide angle!

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---