Lessons Learned - Cameras on the Trail

I love my camera. It ain't for everyone, and most backpackers would probably prefer a smaller, lighter camera. Perhaps one that's water proof. But I wanted the image quality that comes with a big sensor, in a package that wasn't as bulky or as heavy as a DSLR. So I carry a Fujifilm X100.

My thoughts on cameras for hiking (here).

During my northbound Georgia section, I carried it in a padded nylon case by Tamrac. (Upper right in photo at right) Their Tamrac 5693 Digital 3 Camera Bag (Black) is a perfect fit for the X-100. I put a shoulder strap on it and slung it over my shoulder after I put my pack on. The camera was accessible that way, and well protected. If it rained, I put the whole thing in a dry bag, and stashed it in my pack.

When I had to go home with my knee injury, I spent a lot of time cutting weight out of my pack. That case weighs 7 ozs ... Almost half a pound! It had to go. But what to replace it with?

Getting Pictures from the Camera to the Droid

I started investigating how I was going to upload imagery from my new camera to illustrate this blog, and to post to social media sites while hiking the Appalachian Trail. The weight of a laptop makes packing one out of the question. So I figured I'd just plug a an SD card reader into my Droid's USB port, transfer the files, tweak them with the Photoshop app, and then upload photos when I had a signal

I figured wrong.

Keeping Juice to the Camera

In a previous post, I outlined just why I wanted a camera that sucks down battery power like a thru-hiker does milkshakes. Ok, that isn't a feature so much as an issue. I did get a spare battery, and that might just be sufficient, but if I'm inspired to shoot, I can go thru a battery in a day or so ... Two batteries might just not get me thru five days between town visits, adding more batteries is adding more weight, and I might have another option.

I have that New Trent ACD66 I got to keep my Droid powered up between town visits. It's a 7000mAh battery pack, with USB outputs that should store more than I need for the Droid. I started looking for a way to recharge the X100's batteries with the ACD66. A search of chargers for the X100's battery uncovered the PowerGen Rapid Smart Charger. It sports a USB port, which can either be an output to charge a device, or an input to power the charger from a USB source. It comes with a cigarette lighter/USB adapter.

A Backpacking Camera

No, this ain't it ...

You see, I've been a photographer most of my life.  I had a Brownie Hawkeye in grade school. In high school, I was the yearbook/ school newspaper geek, and spent all my spare time in the darkroom. I was an Art/Photo/Film major in college where I developed a street photographer's style and ethic. I dropped out to join the Navy and went to the Navy School of Photography. I served as a combat cameraman, and 23 years later retired from the Navy as a Photo Officer. So you might understand why I ain't inclined to hike the trail with just the camera in my Droid.

Now, to be fair, that's not a bad camera, I use it a lot, and it would be a rational choice not to add the weight of another camera on a long hike. But, to try and capture the essence of the trail and the people hiking it, I want a camera that allows more creative control, and that is capable of producing high quality imagery. Heck, I may try and get a coffee table book outta it ...