[pct-l] camera for thru-hiking

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

I went through several cameras. My first one was an old Minolta  
DimageX point and shoot. For some strange reason it would not take  
any pictures above 9000ft elevation. So in the High Sierras I had to  
carry a disposable until I could get a better camera. All the  
pictures from the disposable were garbage. I bought a nice tiny Nikon  
Coolpix point and shoot. Lightweight was more important to me than  
features since I'm not a pro. Took great pictures. I loved that  
camera. I rolled over on it in my sleeping bag in the Glacier Peak  
wilderness and didn't get any pictures of the big glaciers or of the  
amazing scenery which in my mind, blew the High Sierras away by a  
mile. So I finished the trail with another disposable. The photos it  
took were again, garbage. Disposables also do not allow you to take a  
picture of yourself, so my picture of myself at the border isn't very  
good.

Point is, either get a really good camera that won't break, or get  
several cameras so you always have a backup, and make sure you never  
sleep with your camera. If your camera fails, it's not very likely it  
will fail on Aqueduct Day.

Diane

On Oct 10, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> I'm curious to hear what kinds of cameras thru-hikers have been  
> carrying
> and how they performed.  Has anyone tried the geotagging cameras  
> such as
> the Panasonic ZS10 and is this actually useful or is it a gimmick?   
> What
> are your opinions on AA battery power (e.g. Cannon SX130/a1200) vs.  
> the
> specialized batteries?  For those using AA batteries and a GPS, is it
> better to carry a solar charger or a bag of spares? Will a standard
> camera survive the trip when treated with ordinary care, or do you  
> find
> the waterproof/ruggedized cameras worth the trade-offs?
>
> Thanks!
>
> DMoney