Best Digital Camera for inflight shots is the....?

[mushroom]

I have a Canon Powershot A620 that I always have with me in my flight bag. I have taken a lot of excellent shots from the cockpit with it. I've had it for a while, and as is always the case with tech stuff there are some newer Canon models with other numbers that have made some improvements on the A620 (more zoom, little bit higher megapixels, etc.). One or more of them have image stabilization nowadays, which might be helpful for inflight shots. At any rate, I believe they have all kept the good general features of the camera, which include the fact that it uses AA batteries instead of teeny hard-to-find batteries. I can find AA's anywhere in the world, and occasionally I have needed to. The fact that the camera uses the AA's also makes it slightly larger than other cameras, which I like. I hate teeny digital cameras you can't hold on to. The A620 also has one of those variable angle swing-around LCD screens that is not fixed in one position to the back of the camera. I find that very useful in a lot of situations. Not all of the newer Canons have the variable-angle screen, though some or all have a bigger screen than the A620 has.

If you have never looked at Digital Photo Review, check it out. They are a great site with a ton of camera info. http://www.dpreview.com/ And the original review of camera can be found at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona620/ It was an "Editors' Choice--Highly Recommended" camera.

Hope any of this is helpful.

--m

 

[Cobra]

Problem with small point and shoot cameras is that their focus mechanisms have trouble with focusing when it comes to having some medium between the camera and the object being photographed (pax window, cockpit windscreen, etc.) Focus mechanisms in SLR's are completely different than the compacts and have a much faster reliable means of focusing. So it's a tradeoff, size versus performance. Another thing, people get wrapped up around pixel count, the reality of good pictures revolves more so around the glass than megabytes.

Look into the Olympus for smaller than normal SLRs (E-1). Dpreview.com is the standard for forums when it comes to digital photography.

Hope this helps,

G

 

[Going2Baja]

baja,
NOT EXACTLY what I meant....

What happens out of Country stays out of Country - No evidence!!

 

[Going2Baja]

AA batteries are key for the reasons stated above. Also - do any of the small Dig have a mode to focus at max range for the far away shots so the camera won't get confused w/ the windscreen?

Thanks for all the great replies and website links!

 

[CA1900]

Baja -- I'm absolutely thrilled with the Canon compact digitals. I currently have an SD600, and it takes fantastic shots. And yes, it has an infinity focus option that's easy to get at. Put it in manual mode (more options), and simply push the macro button. In manual mode, it cycles between normal, macro, and infinity. (Auto mode is just macro and normal.)

It's smaller than a pack of cigarettes, and can hold 700+ highest-quality shots on one 2GB SD card. It's around $300. It does use a rechargeable lithium battery; if you want something that uses AAs, the Canon A-series cameras will fit the bill. But I greatly prefer being able to slip it into my shirt pocket -- if it's too bulky, it'll stay in my bag, which defeats the whole purpose of having it with me.

But that's personal preference -- if AA power is more important to you, there are plenty of those as well. I still recommend the Canons -- they have a user interface that's much more logical (I think) than some other brands. I recommend avoiding the Sony cameras that use their proprietary Memory Stick storage. It's roughly twice as expensive as other standard memory, such as SD cards or CompactFlash cards.

One big thing that's important to me: an optical viewfinder. In really bright sun, a camera with only a screen can be really hard to use, because the sun washes out the screen. It's nice to have a regular lens to look through to frame the shot outdoors, especially if you're trying to get a distant object (like an airplane) into the frame.

 

[mushroom]

Looks like 1900 beat me to the focus answer. What I originally wrote was:

There may be some cameras out there with that focus feature but I'm not sure. One way I get around it is to hold my camera right up next to the windshield and press the shutter button halfway down so that the camera focuses on infinity (I can see what it's focusing on in the LCD screen when the little green rectangles show up), then while I keep holding the shutter button halfway I bring the camera back close to me and re-compose the shot; then I press the shutter button all the way down. Seems to work pretty well for me.

But I certainly agree about the opinion of Canons in general. Great cameras. The A620 does have an optical viewfinder too, as well as several other of their models.

"mushroom is not a paid endorser of the Canon Powershot A620 or any other Canon product..."

 

[Swass]

It's a little on the large side to take everywhere but I shoot a D80 with a Nikkor 18-200mm lens for most of my photos. It does about everything from portraits to sports. I have tons of other lenses but that's another thread and probably another forum...

 

[navigator72]

I shoot with a Canon rebel XT with a 17 -85mm image stabilized lens. The image stabilization is a must if your in a plane shootiing.

 

[nikoz1200]

Canon SD800IS. Widest angle of any P+S camera. Does great in low light.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sd800is.asp

 

[acaTerry]

Had prety good luck with a minolta e550