It is 2015, and I was wondering what would be some good choices for a great “grab & go “ BCP camera ?
In a recent BCP Thread titled “ Fun with Fog” ZZZ, 773M. Alex, Courierguy, and a bunch of others posted some really kick butt pictures.
https://www.backcountrypilot.org/community/forum/latest/fun-with-fog-16726

Look at this absolute stunner by Alex. Way to go Alex !


No camera gear was mentioned, so I got to thinking… here in 2015… what would be a great camera for casual BCP cockpit photography ? There is a lot of expertise on this website. I hope the many BCP flying shutterbugs here will comment.

What works for you, why, for what needs, and under what circumstances? Are you just using an advanced cellphone like an iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4 ? What features make for a good " BCP cockpit camera " ? Listed below, by category, are come possibilities

I. Small Sub-compact Point & Shoot ( P&S) Models such as:

Canon S120

Panasonic LF1

Panasonic LX7

Nikon P340



II. More Advanced P&S models such as:

Canon G16

Panasonic LX100

Sony RX100 III


III. Small Digital SLRs (Lens Interchangeable) Models such as:

Canon T5i

Nikon D5500

IV. Micro Four Thirds Mirrorless (Lens Interchangeable) Models such as:


Olympus EPL7

Panasonic G6


A couple of my favorite websites for great camera reviews and news of the latest models include:

Digital Photography Review http://www.dpreview.com/?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=logo&utm_medium=image&ref=logo

Luminous Landscape http://www.luminous-landscape.com/index.shtml

Ken Rockwell http://kenrockwell.com/

And what do I use ? Well in that past year in the air I have used a really old Canon SD880.

"ANCIENT 2008 Era " Canon SD880

Not the latest and not the greatest, but it has been getting the job done. I enjoy cameras like I enjoy guns, and while I may have all I need, I don’t have all I want, so I might be getting a new “ BCP Camera “ yet.

I've got an older (~2009) Panasonic similar to the lf1 that takes great cockpit photos. Even in a helo (vibrating) cockpit.

My wife has an Olympus epl1 that doesn't do that great in the cockpit, but takes amazing shots otherwise.

From my personal experience, if you have 2 people in the plane so 1 can fly and 1 can work the camera, take the best DSLR you can afford. If you fly solo take a shirt-pocket size point and shoot, set the camera for "auto everything" mode, and take LOTS of pictures so you can pick the few good ones from each batch. Trying to work a complicated camera and fly at the same time will take you back to student pilot days and "unusual attitude recovery" practice.

I love Sony's so am a bit one sided, I have had great luck with a DSC-HX300, great camera that does way more than I'm able to, lots of Zoom+ lots of digital zoom also, has steady shot that I appreciate.
Just take lots of pix, 1 out of 100 you will really like, 1 out of a 1000 will kick ass!
Have been playing with the Iphone 5S and the 6+ some but really have not real experience with either, the video from them is so easy to use!!
find one you like and start taking some pix

Here are a couple of short vid's, had a pretty slow internet so upload took forever. they look better in HD than regular, not to bad for just pulling you'r phone out, as it was handy.

Here is an 5S video, not in the air, but cold and dark, bad light.


Here is another with a little excitement?? They were headed to the Mt top when all of a sudden the weather went down, had to sit down and wait for a bit, also 5S.


This is my first bunch of Photo's with the Sony last year, most of the flight shots are thru old plexi windows of a 61 C210, The Zoom with the eagle was nice.

Here's a good article explaining prop blur and CMOS vs CCD sensor types. I found the video near the bottom pretty helpful. It's a couple years old, so not sure what if anything has changed.

http://www.diyphotography.net/everythin ... g-shutter/

-DP

Just a few more points:

I forgot to mention video, and a digital camera that offers video with image stabilization is worth considering.

Ease of Use I like quick easy operation with just one hand if possible. I have a belt holster for my old Canon SD880, and using only one hand, I can remove it, turn the camera on, snap a picture, return it to the belt case, and be done.

Manual override control Control of aperture and shutter speed is a nice feature which may help composition, or to "preset" the camera for the type of picture shooting that is expected to take place.

Wide angle capability of the lens It is more important, for me to have 24mm or 28 mm wide angle capability in a zoom, than to have it say start at a "relatively already wide" 35mm and zoom to 300-400mm in telephoto mode. ( All 35mm film format equivalents ). If your DSLR or mirror-less camera has interchangeable lens capability, then this is not an issue,

Availability of an electronic Viewfinder This can supplement the back LCD screen. I have an old Olympus EP2 which has just a LCD in the back and no built in optical viewfinder. One has to compose by looking at the LCD screen. This camera however can also be fitted with an optional piggyback electronic viewfinder.





Camera & lens Costs I am not a professional, so I don't need a 3000 dollar camera. In 2015 what 500 to 800 dollars US can buy is amazing.

Blue tooth capability of the Camera. many cameras now offer Blue tooth and NFC (near field communication). The latter requires less power, but may not have the same bandwidth for data flow. With blue tooth enabled GPS units, cell phones, and Tablets being common in 2015, maybe a camera should be as well. One could wirelessly transfer pics and videos directly from camera to a lap top.

Just some of my thoughts. I still can't get over that guy who killed himself in his Cessna 150 while taking a selfie.. ugh... Thanks to SixTwoLeemer who broke the story in another thread here on BCP. Taking selfies is not a priority for me.
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2015/02/02/ntsb-selfies-brought-down-plane-killing-2/22781911/

As Zzz said, glass and aperture are key. Most sensors, even in compact P&S bodies are pretty sweet nowadays. Optical image stabilization helps for motion or low light. We are a Canon family cause of lens investments. It is personal preference and feel with the user interface as far as brand. I bought my wife the G16 to supplement her dSLR when size is an issue. She has been very happy with it. P&S easy while still having manual controls for creative shooting. Love the manual exposure dial on top.
Good luck with your search!
Chris

I updated my earlier post with some examples of cameras and lenses and shooting scenarios.

I personally use the the Canon S110 (predecessor to the S120) and couldn't be happier. It allows for easy access to manual adjustments and is a very small pocket camera.

Check out KenRockwell.com for some other great camera suggestions.

I'm really happy with my Canon G12. It has image stabilization, good video capabilities, fully automatic or various manual settings--and it's not all that big or cumbersome. I especially like the separate view finder on the ground--in the air it's too hard to use it, so the screen is better. The screen is also movable, which is handy if the camera has to be held away, such as to get a shot over a crowd. The battery is a dedicated version but replaceable and it lasts a long time--Great camera.

My biggest problem is just remembering to use it!

Cary

Geezzz...

All these fabulous aerial photos of the back country are just so humbling... Stunners each and every one of them.

There was mention a few years ago that the BCP website was originally an expert community dedicated to Back Country Photography . I always dismissed these rumors as hearsay...... but now I am not so sure anymore

Also @ ZZZ

I love the pictures with the exposure data. Could you edit and show not just the EXIF data but also add which particular lens gave you those superb 10mm, 20,mm, or 30mm shots. I suppose for the Canon T2i APS-C you could have been using:

10-22mm APS-C Sensor Lens

or


16-35mm Full Frame Sensor Lens

or

Any one of many non Canon brand lenses by Tamron, Sigma, etc. as well.

Incidentally, that line of Panasonic LX3, LX5, and LX7 cameras are smoking hot. The LX3/5 feature a CCD sensor, the LX7 is CMOS. I own the LX5 with LCF1 Finder and quickie auto opening lens cap that really makes for a quickie P&S.

Automatic Lens cap

I found I wasn't taking the number of pictures I thought I should.

The problem was my Canon DSLR was just too big for my cockpit. I fly a Husky and there was nowhere (safe) to put the camera when I wasn't shooting. I tried placing it behind me on my rear seat but I found I just couldn't contort myself enough to get at it when I wanted. Maybe I wasn’t doing enough yoga. Possibly but, additionally I didn't like it sitting there unsecured in case I hit turbulence or had a rare bad landing. The last thing I needed was to have it bouncing around the floor jamming my rudder petals during a hairy landing.

I bought the smaller Canon G10 which I thought would meet my needs and be easier to stow. I liked it’s manual controls which I thought would be easier to manipulate while flying as opposed to a menu driven system. Plus, I liked the fact that the G10 had a viewfinder as well as a LCD . However, after about a year, I was fed up with the darn thing. Let me rephrase: I hated it. The camera kept trying to out-think me. I would set it how I wanted it, then, low-and-behold, when I went to take a shot, I'd find it had powered itself down (to save battery.) When I got it powered back up, my settings were gone. Plus, I found the viewfinder to be almost useless. My eye had to be lined up just right to see anything through it.

I tried using the Canon G10 for street photography in Seattle but again it failed me. I discovered that just as I was about to sneak a shot, it would have powered itself down to take another nap. Thanks a lot G10! I'd power the thing back up but, honestly, that too seemed to take hours. First the lens cover would open, then the lens seemed to exercise itself a bit - moving in and out as though it were pleasuring itself, then, finally the back LCD would come on and declare itself finally ready. I'd push the shutter button and wait again. Weeks seemed to pass from the time I pressed the shutter release to the time the shutter fired. By then, my street subject was long gone. And, even when it decided it was ready for action, my carefully thought out pre-set settings were gone. Thanks a lot G10! Generally, it was just too damn slow. For example, once I nonchalantly snuck up on some Seattle hippies at a hippy fest. I was cool and stealthy wanting to capture their candid demeanor. But the camera’s slowness blew my cover and caused my stoned subjects to say: "we see what you're doing - do you want us to smile?" That just totally ruined it for me. (But here is the shot anyway:)



So I began my camera quest again. I wanted the functionality and speed of a DSLR with the size of the Canon G10. After reading tons, I came across the new mirrorless category of cameras. Because they are mirrorless, they are smaller. But, the best thing is, the image quality can be even higher than a DSLR. It's complicated but, it has something to do with the relative closeness of the back of the lens to the sensor. Because it is close, it doesn't need an assortment of different built-in filters that are normally needed to correct adorations in the image because of the distance. At least that's how I understood it anyway. In any case, image quality can be quite good.

I zeroed in on the Fujifilm X100s. It had excellent reviews and the size was right. However, It only had a fixed lens – no zoom. Therefore, I began looking at the Fujifilm X-E2. It was built like the X100s but could be fitted with interchangeable lenses. Because it was mirrorless, and because it has a relatively large sensor (APS-C; same as those found in larger DSLRs like the Canon 7D) the image quality was supposed to be great.



It all sounded great. Except for the price. It's a pricy little fella. So I winced when bought the camera with three used fixed lenses: wide, normal, and tele. After about a year, I am finding I love this camera. I use it more – mainly because I carry it with me more often than my big DSLR. And, It is small enough that I can stow it in the Husky on a small shelf I built just above my right knee. I can grab it, take some shots, and get it back on the shelf in seconds. As someone said earlier, to get good shots, you need to take a lot of them. And, because my camera is now more accessible, I am taking more shots. Not all are great but, I am happy with many of them.

Anyway that’s my camera story. Here are some shots taken with the Fujifilm X-E2 (some may have been posted before):

@ALEX

Thanks for your postings and the camera update . Wow.

Now...let me tell you why I personally would NOT get a Fujifilm X-E2.

I am afraid I'd end up constantly drooling all over it.

Alex, your images ...and your camera...really rock.

Denali thanks for starting this thread. All the rest of you, WOW, your pictures are awesome. Please keep this going, and all the camera/lens/exposure/etc info with the photo is great. If I could ever get half as good as you guys I'd be thrilled.

I can't stop thinking about getting a mirrorless now. I already have one m43 fisheye lens that I use on my Blackmagic.

Alex, did you buy a different lens for that Fuji or are you using the stock one? I have a cheap adapter for running my EF lenses on the m43 mount but you lose the electronic control and it becomes all manual focus. If you have a spare $700 you can retain electronic control and autofocus though:

http://www.metabones.com/products/detai ... -BMPCC-BM1

They're specific to camera model and mount, but unfortunately the EF to X-mount isn't available at this time.

When I bought my Fuji X-E2, I don’t think there was a “stock” lens for it. Since then, they have developed more zooms and I think they are selling them together now. (By the way, I have heard some of these “stock” or “kit” lenses from Fuji are actually very good and one shouldn’t discount their abilities just because they might come bundled together.) That being said, I do not have any of their zooms. I bought Fuji primes only – two used, and one new – a 14mm, 35mm, and 60mm w/ macro.

It seems a lot of people are mounting all sorts of lenses on the Fuji X-mount cameras. Many like to mount vintage Leica lenses. However, I don't really understand why they are doing this. They become manual use only (as far as I can tell) and they are "vintage" meaning old. Personally, I like to think that new modern lenses have something over the old. But, maybe it justifies the long-ago purchase of an expensive lens that would otherwise sit on the shelf as a showpiece.

I do understand why one would want to mount different modern lenses. I have some Canon lenses I wouldn't mind trying on my X-E2 but I have never learned how to do it. Plus that “spare” $700 always seems to be gobbled up elsewhere. Maybe one day.

I'm sick. But at least the weather outside sucks so I'm not missing much.

The X-E2 allowed me to communicate with my iPhone over wifi. I used this feature some but not much. Mostly to post pictures from my camera to Facebook - via my phone. It was cleaver but not that exciting.

With all this camera talk, I decided to update my firmware. I noticed the wifi feature had been tweaked so, I've been playing around with it. With the new firmware, I can now use my phone as a remote. I can view what the camera "sees" on the screen of my phone, change all the settings, and even change the focus point by simply tapping different parts of the image. I am not sure how I might use this new feature but, it's been getting me thinking. However, I am glad that Fujifilm is continuing to improve their products. To me, they really seem to be focused on quality and innovation.

I think the vintage lens craze stems from the fact that people were finding these otherwise forgotten manual lenses on eBay or craigslist and using them for video: A practice where you often pull manual focus in a very deliberate way instead of using autofocus.

Plus, for a time, those old lenses, some of which were VERY good glass, could be had cheap. Now, everyone and their brother is a filmmaker and that's no longer the case.