Are you looking for a P&S type camera, or a dSLR?.

Brian A...

I believe that using a dSLR will allow me to change lenses, add filters, control exposure, use a cable release, and have better color saturation...

What is your budget? Those would be some large prints, I doubt any P&S could do that..

I'd look at low-to-mid range dSLRs, and you'll also need a wide fast lens - perhaps 10-22mm, and a tripod, plus maybe an all-around lens with bit more reach for general & widelife photos?..

We need some kind of idea of your budget. Are you a backpacking student with no cash? A retired professional who will only be satisfied with the best?.

?..

We'll need both. btw, you may not need a dslr for this. a 'prosumer' or 'bridge' camera with the correct zoom range will do. to go the dslr route, you'll be in the $1000 range for cam and decent lens [one that is as good as the best 'bridge' cam]. the bridge cam will be slower, but in landscape that's not really a problemafter all, the very best landscape photography is still done with LF gear. I can tell you from extensive personal experience that LF is not fast work! a bridge cam's speed seems like a rocket by comparison..

One other thing. you do realize that more than a few LF landscape photographers availed themselves of pack animals?..

Lanzaj wrote:.

What equipment would be appropriate to photograph landscapes on abackpacking trip to the Canadian Rockies next summer? I want to beable to enlarge the images to 16" x 20 without the images fallingapart and the highlights being blown out..

Backpacking means as light as possible..

Backpacking might also suggest AA batteries, rather than Li-ion's, although it's not very clearcut..

Landscapes means wide angle ( e.g. 28mm ) usually, but not always..

16' x 20' means big prints. Actually most cameras will do this if you (a) learn to expose properly and (b) don't view the result from half an inch away..

Highlights being blown is your responsibility as the photographer. No camera will guarantee this, and in fact in many situations you have to accept some blown highlights over not getting the shot. The general technique to avoid this is a combination of "exposing to the right" ( google it ) and, maybe, using RAW format..

You should investigate the use of filters, particularly UV and Circular Polarizing. This can also help with highlights a bit..

A light tripod or monopod is a possibility. Note that if you normally carry something that could be used as a steady platform for a camera that would do fine in many circumstances, it's just that a tripod is better..

In other words you need to read a book on basic photography. .

I have researched the current practices for landscape photography anddiscovered the following: 4 x 5" Fujichrome Velvia 100 Slide Film isstill superior to 35mm dSLR images (but the gap between the twomethods is closing). Carrying a view camera, film, film holders,tripod, and accessories around when backpacking is not a realisticprospect..

I need some suggestions, thanks..

Film ???? Yikes. Unless you're making professional prints ( and maybe even then ) I'd forget that. Even the medium format people have started switching to digital..

Any DSLR will do well. I'd suggest looking at a K100D ( well, I have one, so no surprise  ) or a Nikon D40 or an Olympus E-410. The basic kit lenses are fine for anything except the most demanding pro work..

If you need tough-as-leather and weather resistant consider the Pentax K10D, Samsun GX10 ( essentially the same as the K10D ), the Nikon D200, Fuji S5 and Canon 30D. Personally I don't think this is needed, because Pro's still wrap their gear up in rain-proofs and the like. It's more for the tough body ( which is heavy )..

Also consider the cheaper option of the Fuji S6000. Might be stretched to produce high quality 16x20 but it would be close. The Fuji S9100 is another possibility..

Of course any DSLR would be better in terms of image quality ( if you know how to use it ), but the relatively heavy S600) and S9100 are still lighter than a DSLR with equivalent lenses ( the E410 would be close )..

If I was backpacking ( not these days  ) I'd bring my Fuji S5200 which is light, covers a good zoom range and does well in most situations. Uses AA's as well, which is a boon. Low resolution for such large prints, but with care in PP and viewed from a reasonable distance probably OK..

Also consider the use of panoramic techniques ( stitching several photos together ). Ideally needs a camera with manual control ( 'M' mode on the dial ) and knowing how to use it. This has the advantage that you can not worry as much about resolution. You really need a tripod ( and practice ) to do this well, but even a hand held can be quite effective..

Sorry if that's vague and rambling, but it's at least food for thought. .

StephenG.

Pentax K100DFuji S5200Fuji E900PCLinuxOS..

I will spend whatever is necessary. I am 59 years old and will be able to take this trip only once or twice before I get too old to travel...

Budget: I will spend whatever is necessary. I will hit the big 60 birthday next May..

Weight Requirements: I regularly carry 50 - 60 lbs in my pack for extended hiking (winter clothes, water, food, sleeping bag, stove, tent, GPS). So an extra 10 lbs is OK...

When you are backpacking, weight and size will be a problem. You mention that an extra 10 lbs wouldn't be a problem, but it is easy to exceed that, if you throw in a tripod..

As the other posters have mentioned, there are many good dSLR choices out there, and there will probably be more announced this fall. If your budget is flexible, then you may want to start looking at lenses first. If you decide on a must have lens or lenses, then it would narrow the camera choice down considerably..

If for example you decide that you want an ultra wide angle zoom, then on cropped sensor cameras, the Canon 10-22 mm seems to be rated the best of the bunch at the moment. That would narrow your choices down to a Canon camera, currently either a 400D or 30D..

The blown skies are generally caused by the general lack of dynamic range of all current CCD and CMOS sensors. Clearly as a photographer, knowing constraints of your equipment will help you avoid this. A circular polarizing filter can be very helpful too..

Another poster has mentioned AA batteries. I think that this is a mistake, unless you want to carry a lot of batteries AA batteries with you. I carry two lithium ion batteries and get more than 1,000 shots from each. A flash would lower this amount, but it isn't often that one would use a flash for landscapes..

Brian A...

Lanzaj wrote:.

Budget: I will spend whatever is necessary. I will hit the big 60birthday next May..

Well, then, go medium format. should only set you back $30,000.00 or so, what with lenses, etc....or a top end canon plus lenses and you could trim $10,000.00 off that....

The rest of us might be more satisfied spending about $7,500-$10K on a canon 5D and a great lens or 2 really good lenses plus maybe a PSD to dump off cards..

Below that there's a lot more choices. personally i'd go for an oly e-510 plus a couple of really good lenses and their tele converter[which is really good], or an oly e-330 which has the best live view set up at this time [until the new oly EP-3 comes out in the fallmore on that in a sec] with even better lenses [or one pro grade and one very good grade]..

But if I was exactly in your position, I think i'd wait a spell to see that oly EP-3. it's going to have in-cam image stabilization [which means you won't have to pay extra for it in every lens you buy...], supposedly faster AF, an articulated live view screen [although phil askey didn't think much of live view when it first appeared in the e-330" a solution looking for a problem..."those of us who have the e-330 LOVE it], and weatherproofing, which I would say is a fine thing to have out in the boonies where sometimes it actuallyrains! and the better quality lenses are weatherproofed, too. top end oly lenses are more expensive than other brands, but if apples and apples[same f stop, same weatherproofing, same effective focal length...] are really being compared, the differences are not extremeespecially when you kick in the in cam IS....yeah, i'd look really hard at that camera when it comes out this fall..

BTW, congrats to you. taurus, by any chance? that's my sign, and of course it's the best one by far.....

On the tripod front, in a full size tripod you really need the weight savings of carbon fiber or similar. they're pricey. I think induro, slik, and giottos are the best values right now, with manfrottos and gitzos being better quality wise [maybe...].

But if you wind up with a smaller cam then you can make a tripod like the slik sprint pro work for youit did for me in some extended, rough scrambling in turkey. in a smaller tripod, btw, the weight savings from carbon fiber are hardly worth the money, unless you're made of the stuff..

Weight Requirements: I regularly carry 50 - 60 lbs in my pack forextended hiking (winter clothes, water, food, sleeping bag, stove,tent, GPS). So an extra 10 lbs is OK..

60, huh...you are mighty blithe about just adding another 10 pounds to your back. if you were canoe camping I wouldn't comment, but...i guess you know what you're up to if you're used to carrying loads like you say you do..

If you decide you ARE a bit more concerned about weight, then the best non-dslr made was the oly 8080, still available if you look for it on ebay [recently oly unloaded some factory reconditioned ones...]. they go for $300-$500 these days, and are worth every penny. the lens is superb, it has long battery life, the IQ is really great in jpeg and raw, and the build quality was unmatched by any other 'bridge' or 'prosumer' camera [although it is not weatherproofed]. the lens' 28-140 effective focal length is very useful for landscape, and the macro capabilities are really excellent. off an epson 3800 printer, pp'd in Lightzone, I get outrageously good 16x20's..

The point other posters made about batteriesi don't knoew about AA's, but you better have extras. and I also really advocate a psd for extended trips...

FYI:.

I have the perfect (well, not perfect, but perfect for my budget) set up on paper, but it is tough to carry camera gear and use it well while trekking, my advice I think would be:D200 w/ 18-200 VR, possibly throw in a wide lens and the inexpensive 50 prime..

Canon 5D (assuming price is really no issue) w 24-105 f4 IS, the perfect traveling companion if you dont mind carrying a big camera.Canon XTI plus Sigma 18-200 OS or Nikon D40X plus Nikon 18-200 VROlympus 510 plus 12-60 (when it comes out)..

K10 D plus some wide range lens... what Im getting at is the less you carry and the less lens changes you make, the more youll use the camera.cheers...

EAsy stuff..

Get yourself a Canon Digital Rebel XTi or a Nikon D80, a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 Macro (its a fairly new lens, replacing a similar one without Macro in it's name) lens, a Sigma 50-150mm lens, and a Sigma 10-20mm lens..

Polarizers for all three..

A Benbo Trekker tripod with a ball head..

Might as well get a Canon or Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens while you are at it..

I have a razoer sharp 12 x 18 print of a dog sitting on grass with the blades of grass perfect and the dog's whiskers perfect, from a Rebel XTR, and the XTi gives you more pixels so it should be just as good aat 16 x 20..

BAK..

I dont know, it's such a pain to switch between lenses.....

BAK wrote:.

A Benbo Trekker tripod with a ball head..

This has some neat features but at 33 inches long plus a few inches for the head, it is not a piece of kit that I would want to backpack..

One option I have been considering for myself is the Manfrotto (Bogen in the US) 190 MF4. At 18" it is just over half the length of the Trekker when folded, and it also weighs slightly less. Not cheap though!..

Since you have said price in not an issue get this:.

A Gitzo G1327 mountaineer Mk2 with a BH-55 ballheadCanon EOS 1D Mark III if you can afford it, otherwise the lighter weight 400DA Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM glassA Canon high tech remove control (remember to use mirror lock up).

This is why:.

A carbon fibre tripod is light and strong, however expensive. The kit mentioned is the very best for landscape. A ballhead is the most stabile and versatile and prevents camera creeping..

You dont take any pictures without the use of the tripod (still I am only talking landscape here)..

Canon EOS 1D Mark III is simply the best, but 400D is the best considering it's size and weight (going hiking, that is a consideration)..

The EF 14mm glass is simply astonishing good for landscape, youll only need this one small og fairly light glass for you trip..

Thats it, thats all you need  beside the obvious, spare memory carts and spare batteries...

Molan wrote:.

A carbon fibre tripod is light and strong, however expensive. The kitmentioned is the very best for landscape. A ballhead is the moststabile and versatile and prevents camera creeping..

I'm not sure I could agree with the last sentence - any good pan/tilt head would also be stable and versatile and would prevent camera creeping! However, I too would choose a ball head for backpacking, simply because they are more compact..

Canon EOS 1D Mark III is simply the best,.

I'm surprised to see the 1D recommended for this application. Surely the 1DsII is the clear choice?.

The EF 14mm glass is simply astonishing good for landscape, youllonly need this one small og fairly light glass for you trip..

That is very, er, eccentric advice. One ultra-wide lens would be very, very limiting and frustrating...

Well, both for the Canadian Rockies & the photo equipment.

FOA, think safety, that is a very very large piece of land and you can expect difficult terrain and wildlife ( I once run into a Grizzly, well at least it don't seems to be interested in me and my buddy then ).

Between any kind of equipment, I would say the most important piece that need to be had is a decent tripod ( and a couple monopod / trekking stick ).

If you are OK with film, Medium format is the way to go ( so long you can live with it's bulk & weight ). Personally I never like Velvia. I much prefer more neutral, faithful rendering in film like the Fuji Astia or Agfa RSX-II. Neg film is also preferable sometime for their latitude.

If you are thinking Digital. Consider how you are going to manage the equipment during the trip that include image storage / power etc ... Any decent DSLR of today can do justice to mother nature. But personally I would go for a few good fix focal lens ( it's not like the landscape moving too quick ) instead of BIG Zoom..

Franka -..

For landscapes printed large, and where weight is not an issue, I'd recommend a 5D (full frame wide angles are wider, and more resolution for those large prints) and a 17-40 f/4. The extra stop of the 16-35 isn't really useful on landscapes since you'll be stopping down. That should give you all you need as far as camera and lens. Maybe add another lens for normal to tele focal lengths. That and whatever tripod you feel like carrying. Others have made good recommendations on that.

Add memory cards (a portable storage device might not be as helpful on a hike where you have no access to electricity? I don't know how long you'll be without power), extra batteries (see concerns about access to electricity) and a tripod and you are in at under $4,000 with a very capable setup. Add a second lens and you're at around $5,000...