[pct-l] Camera vs. Photographer

[Shawn Hudson]

I understand where this sentiment comes from, and it's true to a certain
extent ... the artist can (and will) take great shots with almost anything,
but not all of us are artists. There is a difference. If not, professionals
wouldn't be hauling around 20 lbs. of camera gear to shoot your
wedding.  Let me tell you what happens when a non-artist takes photos on the
Trail with both SLR and Point&Shoot.

For the first half of the AT, I had my Canon Rebel DSLR. I took some quality
photos with the base lens. Twilight shots in camp. Great camp shots of
people telling stories around the fire. The image clarity was also much more
striking. Some of these photos can and have been blown up to 8x10 size. I
almost never used a flash, and the twilight shots are just awesome. Cue me
being an idiot ...

Our canoe tipped over in the Shenandoah River "Aqua-Blaze," and poof ...
despite it being bagged up in "waterproof" cases, moisture found its way
in.

Second half of the AT - a Sony 7.2MP Cybershot. Lil' handheld point and
shoot for those in the know.

I missed so many good shots in low-light situations because of the
Cybershot's drawbacks. I tried adjusting aperture and using the "night"
setting, but without a tripod, that doesn't help much. A moose walked into
our camp one night in Maine. There was still a bit of light out ... nothing
but shadows. I tried the built-in flash. It highlighted the tent guideline,
focused on it, and poof ... two photos of a glowing string with a faint hint
of eyes in the background. In a matter of a minute, the moose was gone. I
have 10 shots taken with various set-ups ... none of them good.

I have more stories. Sure, I loved the weight/size of the Sony after lugging
that big camera and two lenses around with me, but damned if I don't regret
not having it for the second half of the AT. The bargain cameras simply
don't have the functionality in nature. If you want small, and you don't
want to regret your purchase, spend a little extra - go with that Panasonic
Lumix. It's either that or my new SLR for the PCT in 2012.

I'm not trying to start a war here, but for anyone who's experienced both
set-ups in the Wild, I'm sure they'd probably agree. Your camera choice is
important. Not just any one will do.

- Voodoo

> I hope that it has already been said, but your choice in a camera may also
> be influenced by the fact that you may not be able to return to the trail,
> later, to re-take a killer picture taken with a poor quality camera.
>

The photographer is far more important that the camera

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/finding-the-right-tool-to-tell-a-war-story/