SLR Camera...to bring or not to bring?

[ScottTheAussie]

CONS
Its a big chunk of heavy metal that weighs down and creates a momentous wobble in my pack

PROS
I just bought some new 4x 16GB SD cards
I love the photos it takes
I have 2 batteries for it and a charger.. should last 2-3 days each without too many flash shots.
I love it.
Its only a Cannon 2oD .. pretty old now really
I've just had it serviced.
I've ditched the protective bag and just been practice walking with a nifty light weight dry bag.
did I mention I love it?

Seems from my little analysis above that I should bring it

Help me please I need advice from people who have taken them with them and either regretted it or not regretted it. I also have a decent iPhone with a camera, but the battery life is woeful on that.
I'm kinda looking for people who can tell me to take it really haha

But I'd like to hear from all amateur (or more) photographers. There is a little voice in my head saying.. 'don't bring it' ...

 

[Wanderer64]

If ever there was a good argument for the compact camera, the Camino is it. A large SLR (plus accessories) may be good on some multi-day backpacking excursions, but on a 30+ day trek like the Camino, after 400km -- with another 400 to go -- you're going to be wishing you left it at home.

Other cons you don't mention: if you hit bad weather, your camera may be at risk of water damage. There's also the issue of theft. Big, visible, high priced items attract opportunistic thieves.

Unless you are on contract with National Geographic or are doing professional work, I say leave the big clunky camera at home and bring a really good quality compact instead. You can always enhance your shots later with photoshop.

My $00.02

 

[dougfitz]

If you are not intending to publish, you might find a competent small digital easier to use. My experience in 2010 was carrying a bridge style camera which ended up in the top of my pack. It came out far less frequently because of the inconvenience of having to take off my pack to use it. When I got home, I bought a compact with a good optical zoom (x10) which I can hang in a soft pouch from my pack webbing. I get far more use out of this camera walking than I had the bridge style camera.

The only pilgrims I saw that successfully used a DSLR were a couple, one of whom carried the camera in the bottom of his backpack, and she would remove it for him without him having to remove the pack.

Regards,

 

[Sixwheeler]

If you need to ask the question you already know the answer. Do yourself a favour and buy a lightweight, small digital camera. Make it as technically specced as you wish/can afford; take time to get used to it. You'll be surprised how good they are and you'll save yourself immeasurable grief. I know! Incidentally I've bought a "bridge" camera with 24 times optical zoom to save the hassle of lenses and it's light and has a viewfinder - perfect. But I still use my pocket digital on the Camino. Good Luck.

 

[fostersail1]

I went through a lot of brain drain trying to decided what camera to bring with me for my second Camino (del Norte). My wife and I had used our iPhones for the Camino Frances and although some pictures came out spectacular, overall, we were disappointed in the number that were not ideal because of a lack of lens control and non-ideal lighting conditions. I wanted a better camera. I also wanted to have easy access to it at all times and I wanted it to be protected from the elements. I finally found a solution that worked wonderfully. I used one of those small pouches (fanny packs) that belt around your waist for day hikes. The one I bought had two bottle holders and a pouch large enough to hold my Canon 50D DSLR with a zoom lens. I modified the straps so that one end was permanently attached to my hip belt (on the left) and the other end snap-buckled on the right side. I slide a large, ziplock bag into the pouch and that's where my camera sat. It was great! The added weight of a professional quality camera combined with the liter or two of water actually counteracted the weight of my backpack and I could feel my posture change for the better. My camera, and more importantly, my water were in easy reach during my entire journey. The professional quality Canons are rugged and resistant to moisture (it rained 8 days out of 10) and the quality of the pictures (and videos) was amazing. The pouch also allowed me to keep my cash and credential within reach (in another ziplock) so I didn't need to rummage through my pack at the end of another exhausting day. This is a wonderful addition to the equipment I'll be carrying with me for my future journeys.
Buen Camino!

 

[Tomboak]

A good addition to a DSLR or any non-phone camera is a Eye-Fi Sd card. With this device you can upload your photos from the camera to your iPhone or Android device. In the iPhone case, the next time you have wifi in the albergue or bar, the pictures will upload to photostream. Good also for extracting pix for your blog.

 

[jirit]

I have carried and used my old Nikon D70 on prior walks. One my last camino frances walk a friend of mine convinced me to consider buying the Sony NEX6 as a replacement for the DSLR camera I had been using.

Like a typical Nikon or Canon DSLR camera owner I did not think this type of lightweight and compact mirrorless camera could not be a suitable replacement.

However I spent a fair bit of time researching the camera (the NEX 6 is actually a newer model to the NEX 7 - dont ask me why they numbered it this way) and I will buying this camera soon. Clearly the market is moving towards mirrorless cameras and both Nikon and Canon are feeling the impact as sales of their traditional DSLR fall. Sony not only offers superior technology but by using Leica lens they offer superior lens quality for the price

It offers as much if not more that most mid priced DSLR cameras in the body and lens combination that is half the weight and size for basically the same price

I recommend you check it out

 

[fostersail1]

I purchased the Eye-Fi card last week, looks like a perfect way to upload your photos. I'm setting it up now.

Sorry about the huge pictures in my last post. Is there a way to make them smaller on the blog or do I need to resize before uploading?

 

[newfydog]

I did an SLR lens test---a super zoom 18-200, a fancy telephoto zoom, and a prime 400mm telephoto. The difference was dramatic.

I then compared the shots from a compact Panasonic L:umix with 20x zoom, and found it was nothing like the pro-quality prime lens, but very good compared to the superzoom.

So, if you want professional quality photos, you need a raft of fancy lenses with that SLR, or you might as well take a compact.

Here's my lens test:

Here's some shots with the compact from our last pilgrimage, they are better than I can get from a phone, and not much worse than I do with my SLR. Plus, the little camera is always in my pocket, ready to go.

 

[jmcorrigan]

Here's some shots with the compact from our last pilgrimage, they are better than I can get from a phone, and not much worse than I do with my SLR. Plus, the little camera is always in my pocket, ready to go.

I'm curious about which 'phones' are being referred to. They're not all the same, some are better than others. The weight difference between a smartphone and a DSLR is spectacular, so it's good to know what's being compared here.

Thanks!

 

[newfydog]

I carried an iphone 5 and my wife carried a--- Samsung whatever their big deal is. Neither phone can touch the Panasonic Lumix for long shots, and the compact Panasonic is not that heavy---it sits in my bike jersey and I don't even notice it.

 

[jmcorrigan]

Thanks Newfydog.

 

[poogeyejr]

If you love your camera take it! Every moment is a photo opportunity, I find myself slowing down just to take more photos. You may notice the extra weight, but if you love what you are carrying, it will be worth it. And from a selfish point of view - if you post any of your photos I would love to see what a truly great camera can do over here!

 

[Ella_leah]

CONS
Its a big chunk of heavy metal that weighs down and creates a momentous wobble in my pack

PROS
I just bought some new 4x 16GB SD cards
I love the photos it takes
I have 2 batteries for it and a charger.. should last 2-3 days each without too many flash shots.
I love it.
Its only a Cannon 2oD .. pretty old now really
I've just had it serviced.
I've ditched the protective bag and just been practice walking with a nifty light weight dry bag.
did I mention I love it?

Seems from my little analysis above that I should bring it

Help me please I need advice from people who have taken them with them and either regretted it or not regretted it. I also have a decent iPhone with a camera, but the battery life is woeful on that.
I'm kinda looking for people who can tell me to take it really haha

But I'd like to hear from all amateur (or more) photographers. There is a little voice in my head saying.. 'don't bring it' ...

Hi Scott

I haven't yet walked the Camino, but have done a lot of tramping (up to 9 days in a row - starting out with a 23kg pack) in New Zealand and I always take my DSLR. I have in the past taken a couple of lenses and even tripods as well, but I now have my equipment at the minimum of the following - canon 5d (or 7d), 24-105 lens, a couple of spare cards and at least one spare battery and a lens cleaning cloth. I can fit all this easily into a standard lowepro top loader bag with a belt loop. I attach to my hip belt and its very comfortable and allows easy access to the camera. In light rain the bag is fine, but in heavier rain I put it back in my pack. This is what I am planning to take when I go in oct on the Portuguese walk. I want good equipment because a lot of the reason I walk is to find opportunities to take brilliant photos. On my last hike, my husband tried out a good quality compact camera and wasn't able to get some of the shots I did (including the Kiwi in the wild!).

I think it's a very personal thing and if you just want to get some nice shots to memorialise your trip, then consider a lighter option. If you are on a quest to get the best photos you can then take the DSLR. For anyone that just uses the auto function on their SLR - it's not worth the weight and go with something lighter - you may get better shots on auto on the compact.

The only thing that is different here is the risk of theft, which is much less in the NZ bush!! I will be staying in private accommodation on the Camino and also have a lightweight backpack which I will use when I need to take it with me to keep it safe.

It's starting to get close now!
Buen Camino
Ella

 

[newfydog]

Hi Scott

I haven't yet walked the Camino, but have done a lot of tramping (up to 9 days in a row - starting out with a 23kg pack) in New Zealand and I always take my DSLR. On my last hike, my husband tried out a good quality compact camera and wasn't able to get some of the shots I did (including the Kiwi in the wild!).

I take the DSLR on some trips, but I don't need one on the Camino.

Here's my rig, in Madagascar:


Here's what happens when you try to shoot lemurs through leaves with a pocket camera:


Here's what the DSLR can do with manual focus:



But until there are Lemurs on the Camino, I'll go with a compact.

 

[Patrick Reidy]

Hey Scott!
I'm walking for 2 weeks at the end of October and find myself with the same niggling problem!
After reading the replies to your post, it seems obvious that the most practical thing to do is to bring a compact camera.
But even still, I really want to bring my SLR as I'm much more comfortable using it than I am with a compact by now, and the Camino is bound to bring us some great photo opportunities that won't come around again. I think if I sacrifice others items that I 'might' need, and forget about bringing extra lenses and flash etc, then the extra bit of weight of my SLR shouldn't make a difference overall.
Anyway best of luck on your decision and maybe I'll see you there, with whatever camera you decide on
Patrick from Ireland

 

[fostersail1]

Keep in mind that even in the auto mode the new DSLRs will outshine the compacts for three reasons; pixel count, optical image stabilization and f#. The small compacts can produce absolutely beautiful images under the right conditions. The DSLRs produce beautiful images under most conditions. High pixel count allows you to take wider angle shots that you can later crop while still maintaing clarity. Optical stabilization and low f# allows you to shoot without a tripod under lower lighting conditions where longer shutter speeds are needed. It's not as much about quality as it is about flexibility in shooting conditions.

Here are two pictures taken under similar lighting conditions, one is from my iPhone 4 and one from my Canon 50D. Can anyone tell the difference? Don't go by image size or format, I've cropped and downsized both of them to fit onto the blog.

 

[newfydog]

Keep in mind that even in the auto mode the new DSLRs will outshine the compacts for three reasons; pixel count, optical image stabilization ]

That was last week. Current compact cameras have both optical and digital image stabilization and as many pixels as all but the full frame DSLRs.

 

[fostersail1]

I just looked at Dpreview. You are right! I stand corrected. It's amazing the number of pixels that can fit inside one of these compact units.

 

[newfydog]

Yeah, who knows what will be out next week!

It seems the laws of physics limits what can go into a thin phone, so they are limited on the telephoto end. With a bit more space though, they can cram in all sorts of things. My Panasonic is 28 mm thick (bit more than an inch) and has a lens which gives the old school equivalent of 24 to 480mm, 14 megapixels, and just for the heck of it, they stuck a GPS in there too.

 

[Bajaracer]

Bring it if you want, I have seen people bring their SLR's and one who carried a 13" Macbook Air, it all depends on how much weight you are willing to carry, figure out what you want to carry without SLR, and then shave down the weight to to include your SLR, sacrifice other gear so you can have your SLR.

 

[ScottTheAussie]

Thankyou for all your advice and..
WOW! some of the above shots are fantastic.
Ive been attached to my Canon 20D for sooo long.. But this trip is all about letting go.
Practically, it does not seem worthwhile to bring it.
I ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix yesterday. Been working through all the settings.
Its soo light!
Its menu setting is a bit foreign right now but I just need to get used to it.
Had fun with the time lapse setting at a dinner party last night.
My friend is looking after my beloved Canon.

See you on the way soon!
Buen Camino

Scott

 

[ScottTheAussie]

Bring it if you want, I have seen people bring their SLR's and one who carried a 13" Macbook Air, it all depends on how much weight you are willing to carry, figure out what you want to carry without SLR, and then shave down the weight to to include your SLR, sacrifice other gear so you can have your SLR.

Haha!
That was my original plan..
SLR PLUS the Macbook to load the photos onto.

 

[fostersail1]

Scott, That's exactly what I did on the Camino Frances. I brought the Canon 50D and a old 13inch MacBook. I wouldn't do that again though, too much weight. I have now purchased the EyeFi card mentioned earlier. It has the capability to feed my Canon photos directly through my iPhone and upload them to the internet. The also relieves my anxiety about loosing my pictures due to gear failure.