As a new site member, I hope this thread is not redundant. We all fly over such beautiful territories that I am looking for a way to take pictures without taking my hand off the yoke in situations like on short final, animal shots and low level float flying. Perhaps a camera mounted on the strut with an inferred triggering device on the yoke.
The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 5, recently had an article on Digital Cameras. The article suggest that the digital "SLR's", single lens reflex, create better pictures than compacts". "The pixels in the SLR's are much larger which collect more light which allows people to shoot an image more quickly and more accurately capture a picture in low-light conditions. Also better shots of athletic action without blurring". I like the anti shake features of the SLR's for use in an airplane. I want to "Capture" the fun of flying the Backcountry...."The bushwhacker"..Garv

I have a Canon Powershot A80 (4.0 MP) and also a Canon EOS 30D DSLR (8.2 MP) The 30D was a b-day gift for Erin, but we're a team, so ya know, it's basically mine...haha.

The primary advantage of an SLR is interchangeable lenses (so you can buy REALLY nice, REALLY expensive lenses) and also the single lens reflex-- What you see thru the optical viewfinder is coming in thru the lens itself and not a little parascope out the top. This allows you to avoid parallax at close range that is a problem with Point and Shoots.

That said, you can take awesome photos with a Point and Shoot. My little A80 has complete manual control should I want it, and I use it all the time to adjust my exposures. The shutter lag is not really noticeable, because I use the "hold-the-button-halfway-down" technqiue. When you depress the shutter release halfway, it activates the auto-focus, and you can aim that sucker at anything and it actively focuses(you can hear it...chttt...chzztttt...robot sounds.) Click the rest of the way and your shot is instantly taken, no delay.

I've shot with both the A80 and the 30D, and I take a lot of action photos...skiing, mountain biking, etc. There is no good reason to strap your $1500 DSLR to the strut when you can send your $299 Point and Shoot out to do the job and get nearly the same quality. You can get wired and wireless remotes nowadays for the little cameras too. You can even buy wide angle conversion kits for the little Canons.

Jr is correct about the pixel density issue. Lower pixel density = less noise in the photo. The 8.2 MP 30D is a higher level more expensive camera body than the 10.1 MP EOS Rebel XTi. One thing I guess we can take from that is that megapixels are a poor metric for evaluating a camera. Most people use that as their sole comparison between cameras, and it's hardly relevant over 6.0 MP, and for the noise issue.

Unless you're a serious photographer and want to spend more money on lenses (the lenses that come with the DLSRs are not that great) you're better off with a Point and Shoot. Here's a sample of a shot I took the other night with my A80 up on Rattlesnake Mountain here in Reno:


Here's a similar photo taken from the 30D:


Like Mike says below, it depends a lot on your objectives. High resolution and quality glass are key for print, but for web you can get away with less. This is a great site for camera reviews. They take sample shots at various ISO settings so you can see the quality degredation with emulated "film speed."

One point that nobody has brought up yet is what you intend to do with the images.

The DSLR will always offer better quality images, regardless of pixel size IF you use really good quality optics. None of the point and shoots have REALLY good optics (as in lenses, etc).

BUT, if you are taking images to share in the internet, the point and shoots will do just fine.

If, on the other hand, you are wanting to publish an image on the cover of a national magazine, or a two page spread in a magazine, or you want to print the image and enlarge it to anything over 8.5 x 11 or so, you really do need a DSLR and the best lenses you can afford. Point and shoots won't make it there, but they will do just fine most everywhere else.

I have both, and use both where appropriate. Just need more money for better lenses for the SLR.

MTV

I don't know what kind of a digital camera my friend had, that took this picture from my 182, but even through the window it turned out good. I could find out if you would be interested[img]

I've got a ton of cameras, film and digital, but what I've found to be important for getting really great shots...is to have on small enought to fit in your pocket, or otherwise you might not take it along. If I have to bring a case full of gear, sometimes its not a secure situation to have thousands of dollars of camera gear, too cumbersome, etc. Four or five megapixels is often times plenty. I have one with 12mp...but it won't fit in my pocket very well. Photoshop can fix things up, too.

I just bought a Nikon D-80 Single reflex lens as a result of this thread and enjoy it very much. As a new photographer, one feature I like is the speed of the shutter. When driving a car or plane, I have been able to capture a clear picture at a ninety degree angle to the road going over sixty miles an hour.
I bought the camera at Costco in a large box. The demonstrator said I would have to pay for it at the check out counter but pick up the camera and lens at the merchandising window. The lady ahead of me almost walked out with an empty box, so I also took the camera and lens from the merchandising window. At home I discovered I had two cameras and four lens. The manager was amazed after I called him.
Does this site tell how to attach the thousands of pictures I plan to send and bore you guys? ...Garv

Well it is time for a new camera. Want one that is handy to carry. Want a removable SM card and powered by AA batteries. It would be nice if it could be carried in a shirt pocket with button flap. Not totaly opposed to a belt pouch.

The other thing is that I will be making a camera mount for above the glare shield on the right side. Think it would be neat to have short movie clips for landing in those really neat places that we all just love.

I am partial to Canon and have narrowed it down to three cameras. The first is the A540 it being the cheapest and smallest. Then the A710IS, it has image stabilization which might be nice if bolted to vibrating airplane. And finally the A640, it is the largest (need a really big shirt pocket) but it is 10MP and has a swivel screen (most expensive).

I know that there are some folks that know a lot more about this than me so some help would be really appreciative. A comparative link is below.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare ... 0&show=all

Tim

Tim- The 710 looks like the best of the three. Its lighter, has more zoom and the image stabilization. I don't know if it has the adjustable screen...but that is a neat feature Canon has, you can close it with the screen inward and protected from scratching and wear, and orient it towards you when mounted in your "fly cam" mount.

I can't agree more with your decision criteria. Kodak makes some of the best rechargable batteries AA (as of 6 months ago) I have been using them with good results. Being pocket sized is the most important, or you might not have it with you. Anything about 5mp is plenty. Look forward to viewing some great shots!

Don