35mm cameras

Hey there,

Wanted to start taking a 35mm on climbing/hiking trips and don't to use my family heirloom top of the line body and lenses where it might get destroyed. Does anyone use a 35mm body/lens combo that they really like for climbing? Please mention it if you have a small durable bag that protects your lenses and film while you're on the go if you have one that works well.

Thanks!
Matt

Maybe not quite what you are looking for, but in my experience, the Olympus XA2 is a great little camera. I've tried various 35mm body/lens combinations for climbing, but even a relatively light SLR like the Pentax MX with a pancake lens is way too heavy to lug around. The XA2 is tiny, toughish, has a buit-in stand and timer and (most importantly) is super sharp. The XA is probably even better.

kenrockwell.com/olympus/xa.htm

There's also the "newer" Mju series of point-and-shoot cameras, also from Olympus, which have a cult-like status.

If it has to be an SLR, I'd say the Pentax MX, because of it's size.

Alastair

The Oly XA cameras are awesome!!! I haven't been lucky enough to own one yet.

My favorite cheap carry along 35mm is a Yashica electro CC. 35mm 1.8 rangefinder.

Only downside is a slow top shutter speed, 1/250th IIRC, but this is overcome by either shooting 100 film, or a ND filter.

They are easily found anywhere from 100-250 on ebay and take batteries that are easily found.

Built like a tank, and great optics.

IMO you wouldn't want to take multiple lenses, 35 does it all in most cases.

I use a Nikon 1 AW1 and a Nikon 1 v4. The AW1 is waterproof so I can take shots looking out of the water at the rock.
Positives of the AW1:
Shockproof, waterproof, can handle cold temperatures.
Interchangeable lenses. Two are waterproof but can use all Nikon 1 lenses including the absolutely awesome 70-300.
Plenty of pixels for good images up to 12x14 and anything on line.
Buttons are made to use with a glove so you can adjust on the fly while hanging on a rope.
You can pretty much just point and shoot when you want to and it has full manual so you can shoot a sunset or shoot a nice waterfall with a long exposure. It is limited at night but can shoot a nice star shot and if you work it a bit you can get the milky way.
Autofocus is fast, blazing fast and great for fast action.
Good built in flash.

Disadvantages:
1. It is somewhat heavy though I don't notice it and it needs to be to be as bulletproof as it is.
2. The manual settings are robust but to make it waterproof you have to access everything within menus. things like manual focus are awkward but not impossible. (If it had focus peaking it would be perfect).
3. It doesn't have a viewfinder so composing shots is a little more difficult if you suffer from the old age need for reading glasses. I bought a loupe that fits on the back for about $30 that allowed me to compose pictures and view the quality of the shot.
4. Because it is such a small sensor it is pretty worthless above 800 ISO. Fast action in low light is tough unless you use the flash. Because of the 2.5 crop factor the waterproof lenses give you a 24mm wide angle field of view. I bought a 6.7-11.5 nikon 1 lens to allow a wider field of view. It's an amazing lens for the cost and weight but not waterproof or shockproof but works when I need wider.

I bought the Nikon 1v4 to give me easier control over the camera, especially when shooting close ups of mountain goats, etc but I like both cameras. The v4 is extremely small but not as robust and more money. It's delicate enough that I prefer the AW1 when climbing. I use the v4 for hiking and jeeping.

I also have a complete full frame Canon system and two Sony cameras including their new full frame but I love shooting with the nikon. I carry it in a small bag over my shoulder. I tether the camera me with a sling and a small bit of cord. I dropped my last camera 300 feet down Great White Icicle. It was shockproof but not for 300 feet.

Just got a XA on the bay for 45 bucks. Let's hope it's a good one! Gonna become my dedicated climbing camera.

Aaron Martin wrote:The Oly XA cameras are awesome!!! I haven't been lucky enough to own one yet.

Well, you could buy mine if you wanted. I haven't used it in years. It appears to have a light leak, so you'll want to get new light baffles put in if anyone anywhere still does that sort of refurbishing. It's still sitting in a bag next to my Pentax K-1000 which I think I'll keep for grins.

There you go! For an XA2, but I'm sure that they're pretty much the same.

ebay.com/itm/Olympus-XA2-Cu…

Alastair

I had to spring for the XA for the extra stop and real rangefinder focusing.

If you can deal with zone focus and a slower lens, the XA2 can be found for dirt cheap.

Alastair Patrick wrote:There you go! For an XA2, but I'm sure that they're pretty much the same. ebay.com/itm/Olympus-XA2-Cu… Alastair

Very nice! Thanks for the link.

Ended up picking up a Sony alpha5100 and going digital. Something I'll be playing around with next time I'm out, thing can connect to a phone to take photos remotely. Thinking to hang it off a piece of pro supported by one of those bendy "gorilla" tripods set off to the side of a crux to try and remotely get some cool shots mid pitch. I'll post on how this experiment goes!

The friend who had all the 35mm gear bailed from our Patagonia trip and din't feel like starting from scratch