My G10 (purchased two months before the G11 came out, but I wanted it for a trip) fits nicely into the large OpTech Neoprene pouch:

http://optechusa.com/product/detail/?PR ... EGORY_ID=5

It is not water resistant, not waterproof, but then put the whole thing into a ziplock bag and you should be in business. The outside zip pocket is perfect for a couple of extra batteries and cards.

You received good advice on a prosumer instead of DSLR for your needs, and you should be very pleased with the G11.

I use a very high tech method to keep my G9 dry. I put it in a zip lock bag then inside a LowePro case. I keep an eye on the bag for holes and replace it when it gets one.

If heavy rains come I'll double bag it and put it in my pack.

My ultra-light camera protection system:


EDIT:It's a picture of a plastic bag with my trusty G5 in it - I apparently can't use the effing computer!

Nikon D3000

Any old case will be fine. Keep a ziploc folded at the bottom in case of really heavy downpours or tough river crossings. Snow is not a problem, just brush it off. (But: keep a spare battery in a warm pocket near your skin.) The leaking-camelback scenario shouldn't happen: If you're keeping your camera in your backpack, switch to a smaller camera!

nartreb wrote:Any old case will be fine. Keep a ziploc folded at the bottom in case of really heavy downpours or tough river crossings. Snow is not a problem, just brush it off. (But: keep a spare battery in a warm pocket near your skin.) The leaking-camelback scenario shouldn't happen: If you're keeping your camera in your backpack, switch to a smaller camera!

Well yeah it shouldn't have happened, it was the perfect storm of bad luck actually.

nartreb wrote:The leaking-camelback scenario shouldn't happen: If you're keeping your camera in your backpack, switch to a smaller camera!

I know this is a camera thread, so I'll try to keep my interruption brief.

How many times do we have to hear about leaky water bags and nozzles before people realize they suck and people stop using those lame things? You can't even drink fast out of one of those; you have to nurse it like an infant or something. And then the bags, hoses, and nozzles become like petri dishes, with crap and mold growing inside and slime on the nozzle. Blech! Just use a Gatorade bottle, and you can actually slam drink the contents, like a thirsty adult hiker would want to do.

Ok, end rant; back to DSLRs.

I use a Lumix LX2, very nice little camera, very nice Leica lens, 12.2 m-pixels 2 modes of IS , and even if zoomed out, I can get very sharp images hand held if I use the auto time mode. Nice macro-focus for those pretty flowers too! I like the camera with reservations, a dslr will likely have a very short [1/4000 sec] delay, where as most point and shoots are more like [1/2 sec] this can be frustrating when shooting very active 2 year old kids or other fast action subjects. I also, like Bob have some issues composing with the led. and would very much like a through the lens view finder. If you can live with those issues, a small point and shoot can create fantastic images you will treasure. I keep mine in a padded Lowe Alpine bag with a pull out rain cover, but like everyone else, if it is wet out it goes in a zip-lock, then in the bag.

Hints about condensation...burp the excess air out of the zip-lock, and let the camera come up to room temp, or in other words, equalize with the surrounding temp before opening the zip-lock.

Happy Imaging!

You might find the following article instructive: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutor ... bing.shtml

I somewhat disagree about the previous comments, as I think that trading a high-end compact (such as the G11) for a light DSLR with a single zoom lens will is well worth the extra weight, in terms of responsiveness, speed, image quality and versatility, but you can always get great results with whatever you bring, as long as you bother to get it out of the bag.

I too prefer taking a DSLR.

but..For anyone interested in the LX-3 I have assembled some images taken with Panasonix LX series from sea level to 8,000 m.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radson/sets/72157622961912388/

EastcoastMike wrote:Noticed the fiance is really impressed with some of the better outdoor photography on this site and others. Not sure if this is in the right forum, although not sure if qualifies as gear either. Looking to get her a digital slr as a Christmas gift. We are not experienced or knowledgeable when it comes to cameras, so I guess I am looking for something 'entry-level'. Also, since we do a lot of hiking/backpacking/kayaking something suitable for carrying would be excellent. If you have any advice or suggestions they would be really appreciated. Thanks a ton!

- Mike

IMHO - Canon is the way to go. Go for the cheapest dslr body (they are all superb). Then, get a decent lens. The lens selection for Canon mounts is probably the best (nikon would be close too I'd imagine). Don't get a kit lens, they generally suck.

You could go point and shoot as many have suggested. These are very convenient. But then you can't swap out the lens. Nor keep your old lens on a new camera body if you ever decide to upgrade.

In response to natfodd:

Sure, I always carry a DSLR (unless I'm doing vertical climbing or the weather is truly horrendous), because I know that there are some shots that just require the right lens for the job, and there's nothing worse than thinking about "the ones that got away" just because you didn't want to carry an extra pound or two. But I looked at my profile yesterday, and of my top 27 highest-rated shots on SP, 20 were taken with a P&S. So a P&S can easily compete with an SLR in quality* in most situations, and therefore my original advice stands: what you shoot with is less important than that you shoot in the first place, and for that reason, the convenience of a compact P&S is worth a lot.

*obviously quality standards for SP voters are not the same as for certain professional uses. If this thread were about cameras for professional use, my advice would be a bit different.

nartreb wrote:In response to natfodd:

Sure, I always carry a DSLR (unless I'm doing vertical climbing or the weather is truly horrendous), because I know that there are some shots that just require the right lens for the job, and there's nothing worse than thinking about "the ones that got away" just because you didn't want to carry an extra pound or two. But I looked at my profile yesterday, and of my top 27 highest-rated shots on SP, 20 were taken with a P&S. So a P&S can easily compete with an SLR in quality* in most situations, and therefore my original advice stands: what you shoot with is less important than that you shoot in the first place, and for that reason, the convenience of a compact P&S is worth a lot.

*obviously quality standards for SP voters are not the same as for certain professional uses. If this thread were about cameras for professional use, my advice would be a bit different.

Personally, I wouldn't put too much weight into the merits of a photo based on SP ratings.

nartreb wrote:In response to natfodd:

Sure, I always carry a DSLR (unless I'm doing vertical climbing or the weather is truly horrendous), because I know that there are some shots that just require the right lens for the job, and there's nothing worse than thinking about "the ones that got away" just because you didn't want to carry an extra pound or two. But I looked at my profile yesterday, and of my top 27 highest-rated shots on SP, 20 were taken with a P&S. So a P&S can easily compete with an SLR in quality* in most situations, and therefore my original advice stands: what you shoot with is less important than that you shoot in the first place, and for that reason, the convenience of a compact P&S is worth a lot.

*obviously quality standards for SP voters are not the same as for certain professional uses. If this thread were about cameras for professional use, my advice would be a bit different.

Sure, I agree with most of that. All I'm saying is that, assuming that you know how to use it well and that you will make the effort to keep it accessible and get it out of the bag often, then a DSLR, even with a single normal zoom lens, will consistently give you much better results than a P&S.
I really mean no offence by that, but I think that the fact that you prefer your P&S shots to your DSLR ones is probably caused by you not fulfilling one of the assumptions.

It's all about what level of image quality you can be satisfied with. If a P&S is enough for what you feel that you need, then that's great (and your back will thank you), but if you want to set high standards, then a DSLR is definitely going to help.