Photography

The editors here at ThruHikeFlorida.com are photographers, and we have carried DSLRs on multiple thru-hikes. From the astonishment and disbelief at the sight of our big cameras we assume most hikers just want to take basic snapshots. And there is nothing wrong with that. The lenses, sensors, and software on smartphones is incredible, and you can take beautiful pictures that capture your journey with your phone. In fact, we recommend not taking a separate camera, that way you save weight.

Smartphone Disadvantages

Smartphones have a serious disadvantage, however. Most are not waterproof and the very wet Florida Trail provides daily opportunities to drop your phone into the water. That is much more likely to happen if you have it out constantly to take pictures. Plus, the crystal clear waters of Big Cypress and artesian springs will temp you to take photographs under water. Ultralite waterproof covers are available of course, like the Loksak or a simple Ziploc bag for that matter, but pictures shot through a plastic bag aren't that great.

If You Want a Camera, What Does That Say About You?

Wanting to carry the extra weight of a dedicated camera implies a lot about you. You aren’t just worried about getting your phone wet. Instead,

For you, a dedicated camera is an upgrade from a smartphone, so you want a camera that does everything a smartphone can do and more.
You want pictures at higher resolution and quality than a smartphone.
You want to take a lot of pictures, not the occasional quick shot.
You want to take pictures all the time — not just when there is a vista. You want to shoot in the low light of a campfire, at night, in the rain, underwater, and down on the ground next to bugs and flowers.

With this in mind, we went on a hunt for digital cameras that met those requirements while remaining as lightweight as possible.

Is GoPro Best for Thru-Hiking?

No. We see lots of hikers carrying the GoPro Hero. GoPro's excellent marketing team has made them synonymous with "rugged, waterproof, lightweight camera" in the minds of many, so we bought one too. It was a huge disappointment. Its image quality is underwhelming in all but the most optimal lighting conditions and it lacks many key, and even basic features:

image quality is not an upgrade from a smartphone, particularly in low light.
only 12 megapixels
can't do macro shots (extreme close ups)
lens does not zoom
no GPS tagging, compass, altimeter, or barometer
no in-camera shooting modes or image correction
no in-camera HDR or panoramas
no flash
no LCD screen to preview pics
battery life is surprisingly short considering there is no LCD screen, GPS, et cetera
Without an LCD screen or viewfinder there is no way to accurately aim your shot or know what is in the frame. You shoot blind the whole time, aiming vaguely at your subject and hoping for the best.
despite everything above, it is still incredibly expensive — $350-$400 new!
the real kicker is, despite having virtually no features, our GoPro Hero3 still weighs 7 ounces with its battery, waterproof housing, and a Gorillapod.

GoPro's real strength is its system of mounts and attachments that allow someone to shoot video from virtually anywhere — the end of a surfboard, inside your mouth, or even the back of an eagle. While that's great, there isn't much need for that on a thru-hike.

If you want a compact digital camera that is rugged, lightweight, waterproof and loaded with features that make it worth the money, we recommend one of the cameras below.

Rugged, Waterproof, Lightweight Cameras

Our Top 3 Pics

Olympus TG-4

Ricoh WG-5

Nikon Coolpix AW130

Tie for 2nd Place

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS6

Canon PowerShot D30

Fujifilm XP80

Comparison Chart: Rugged, Waterproof, Lightweight Cameras

2015	Olympus TG-4	Ricoh WG-5	Nikon Coolpix AW 130	Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS6	Canon PowerShot D30	Fujifilm XP 80
price	$379	$279 (non GPS)	$289	$298	$330	$230
weight	8.7oz	8.32oz	7.8oz	7.5oz	7.69oz	6.3oz
battery life	380 shots	240 shots	370 shots	370 shots	300 shots	210 shots
resolution	16mp	16mp	16mp	16mp	12.1mp	16.4mp
video	1080/30p	1080/30p	1080/60i/30p	1080/60fps	1080/24p	1080/60fps
max aperture	F2.0 – 4.9	F2.0 - 4.9	F2.8 - 4.9	F3.3 - 5.9	F3.9-4.8	F3.9-4.9
lens range (equivalent)	25-100mm	25-100mm	24-120mm	28 – 128mm	28-140mm	28 – 140mm
ISO range	100-6400	125-6400	100-6400	100-6400	100-3200	100-6400
shutter range	4 - 1/2000 sec	4 - 1/2000 sec	1 - 1/1500 sec	4 - 1/1300 sec	1 - 1/1600 sec	4 - 1/2000sec
min. focusing distance	1cm	1cm	1cm	5cm	1cm	9cm
burst mode at full res	5fps	1.5fps	5fps	10fps	10fps	10fps
HDR	yes	yes	yes	no	no	yes
built-in sweep panorama	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes
RAW	yes	no	no	no	no	no
GPS	yes	GPS and non-GPS	yes	yes	yes	no
compass, altimeter, barometer	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no
# of shooting modes	20	29	20	30	20	13
manual exposure?	aperture	shutter	no	full manual	no	exposure +/-2
manual focus?	no	yes	yes	no	yes	no
WIFI	yes	no	no	yes	no	yes
LCD display	3”/ 460k	3"/ 460k	3"/ 920k	3”/ 460k	3"/ 460k	2.7”/ 920k
max depth	50 ft	45 ft	98 ft	43 ft	82 ft	50 ft
shockproof drops	7 ft	7 ft	6.6 ft	6.6ft	6.5 ft	5.8 ft
crushproof?	220 lbf	220 lbf	no	220 lbf	no	no
dust proof?	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
min temp	14° F	14° F	14° F	14° F	14-104° F	14° F

DSLRs

Canon Rebel Sl1

14oz - body only

Our personal favorite is the Canon Rebel SL1. At just 14 ounces (body only), it is the lightest DSLR on the market (with an ASP-C sensor), yet still has all the features of a larger, heavier DSLR. We carried SL1s on our Florida Trail and PCT thru-hikes, and were pleasantly surprised that it stood up to the humidity of Florida, the heat of the Mojave, and the cold of the High Sierras. Since the SL1 is not waterproof however, we stuffed the cameras into dry bags when the weather turned.

Nikon D5500

14.72oz - body only

Just a little bit heavier than the SL1 is Nikon's D5500, at 14.72oz (body only).

Pentax K-50

1lb 6.9oz - body only

Pentax is the only manufacturer offering weather-sealed DSLRs and their lightest model to date is the K-50, at 1lb 6.9oz (body only, no lens attached). That is 8.9 ounces more than the lightest DSLR on the market (see below), but its weather-sealing protects the camera from moisture and dust, as well as temperatures from 14-104°.

DSLR Camera Bags

For a DSLR to be useful and functional on a thru-hike, it needs to be both accessible without taking your backpack off, and stored securely with the lens attached while you hike. We use the Think Tank "digital holster" attached to the front of our pack. The camera rests in the shooting position with the lens attached until we pull it out and begin shooting.

The digital holsters come in different sizes (numbered 5-50) for different camera and lens combinations, and the bottom can be extended to accommodate longer lenses. Our Canon SL1 with a 100-300mm lens fits easily into the #10 holster, which weighs 10.6oz without the unnecessary shoulder strap.

Backpack Attachment

Think Tank sells a harness system for attaching the digital holster v2.0 to a backpack. It weighs 11oz, however. That was too much for us, so we took key lanyards that cost a dollar each and attached four of them to the holster. At the other end we threaded the lanyard's nylon webbing through the straps on our shoulder and hip belts. All together the four lanyards weigh less than an ounce, and cost us just $4. The system is adjustable and has remained secure over 2400 miles of hiking.

Total Weight for DSLR System On-Trail

The total weight of your camera system will depend on the lens you bring more than the camera. Lenses are determined by the kind of shots you want to take. If you are most interested in landscapes, you'll want a wide angle lens, but if your interest is wildlife, a telephoto will be needed, and telephoto lens are heavier.

Tripods

Photographer Ken Rockwell argues that image stabilization in modern digital cameras make tripods unnecessary. We disagree, as do many other photographers. Many shots, especially in landscape photography, require long shutter speeds only possible with a tripod.

When you search for an ultra-light tripod for backpacking, however, there isn't much out there. Hiking, backpacking, and photography forums often tout the merits of full-size tripods costing between 300 and 500 dollars. For all that money you would expect them to be made of titanium and weigh 6 ounces, but most of them weigh 3-4 pounds! That might be acceptable for a day-hike out to a shooting location, but is unacceptable weight on a thru-hike.

The most lightweight, reasonably priced, quality tripod we have found so far is Dolica's TX570B150. It comes in two models, the DS, which has an integrated monopod, and the SL, which does not. The DS sells for $80, and the SL is slightly cheaper at $70. Dolica's website claims both models weigh 2lbs 8oz, but on our scale the DS is actually 2lbs 11.5oz.

This is a truly professional tripod, and we love the ball head and quick release plate, which are rock solid. The whole thing is aluminum, with a few steel screws and such, so when we first picked it up, what struck us was how light it could have been. If Dolica wanted to make a truly ultra-light tripod for nature photographers, they could keep this design, which is already light, but use titanium instead of aluminum. If they did, the whole thing could weigh in at a single pound.