Beyond phones, what photo and video equipment for canoe trips?

[scratchypants]

When I was about 9 my grandfather set me loose with a Ciro 35 rangefinder. He also gave me a little hand-held light meter but I became good enough to know what settings were required based on the subject, environment, and film speed I was shooting. I was taking technically good pictures within a few rolls. And back then, that was important, because not only did you pay for each shot, you had to wait for the roll to be developed before you got a chance to check.

Anyway, i can only speak for myself but I found that the ease with which one can snap a digital photo in full auto mode had largely robbed me of that skillset. Once my little Lumix LX 10 went for a swim in some canoe bilge water, I decided to take things back down a notch. I would have purchased another P&S but for less money I picked up a Nikon D3500 body. I set it up with a 50mm equivalent (35mm) fixed lens which is both compact and forces me to be more active/involved during composition. And if I can't get a good shot, well at least I spare myself the agony of deleting gigs of mediocrity.

In the canoe it lives in a "waterproof" roll-top pouch that is within reach. On portages I make it a point to liberate it otherwise I might not be bothered to use it.

 

[Gamma1214]

A more typical example of object removal from a trip yesterday - getting rid of the paddle.

Definitely need to get rid of that paddle... it looks a lot like a double blade!

On portages I make it a point to liberate it...

Related to that: I've found that the Peak Design camera clip works great to keep the camera accessible. I have one on the strap of each pack and a base on both of my Nikon B500s.



(A rare selfie from the Marshall Lake loop showing the camera mounted on the gear pack, a mosquito chewing on my left eyelid, another blood-sucking helicopter visible above my head and probably a blackfly bite on my right earlobe- no piercing there.)

 

[TrailBlaser]

I currently carry two Nikon Coolpix B500 P&S cameras, 2 GoPros and a 56 megapixel Vivitar 4K video camera (great zoom capability though a bit bulky). I'm still not sure why I take the GoPros or the Vivitar as I often shoot video but never edit the footage into a cohesive video.

I enjoy writing and the still pictures work better for the trip reports (although I have, occasionally, lifted still images from the video footage). I carry two B500s because they are not waterproof and I, therefore, consider them to be quasi disposable.

This past trip, I had one out and in use while the other was in a waterproof case waiting for the first to get wet & die. It never happened & I made the whole trip with the same camera (a first for me). I like the zoom capabilities of the B500 and I'm very pleased with the picture quality. It would be nice if it were waterproof but what can ya do, right?

I sometimes take pictures with my phone and have no issues with that if both Nikons succumb to the elements but I usually just snap a picture with the phone if I need the GPS coordinates or a date/time stamp for the write-up. I'd like to get better at photography / video stuff but, realistically, I've got too many irons in the fire now so it's unlikely to happen.

As to the video; I have noticed that talking to the camera is similar to having someone along on the trip and it encroaches on the solitude a bit. Both GoPros crapped out on me fairly early into the trip this past summer and it was really nice to just paddle and take still pictures without worrying about capturing the essence of the trip for future publication so I may not take the video equipment at all on the next trip.

I fully understand what you say about editing the footage shot on trips. I never got around to it until I retired. Now it is my winter project, but I am still not caught up with all of it and of course, I'm adding more to the backlog every year.

 

[dcloots]

I video 80% of my trips and my equipment package is very simple.....a Go pro, Iphone and an old Sony Handycam that I bought from the Sony refurbishment center online. I recently added a DJI Mavic Mini 3 pro which is a huge learning curve for me. Every time I send it up I either forget to record and am always fearful that the dang thing is never coming back. Going to take time to become more comfortable just letting it rip. Going on another trip in a week and I plan on using the drone to capture more landscape and become more proficient. Most of my travels have been in downeast Maine recently and I have not seen any wildlife whatsoever, however when I head up North I would like to pick up a zoom lens camera to get some distance shots. I can not recall a trip in the North Maine Woods whereas I did not encounter either a Moose, deer or whatever. I have no clue what camera to buy with the gazillion options that exist out there.

 

[Keeled Over]

Some time back there was a thread on here - I may have actually started it - about cameras. As usual I received a bunch of ideas on here and I eventually settled on that same Olympus TG-6 mentioned above. I had always used disposables because I only take pictures of fish, but since they were getting harder to find and the cost doubled I made the switch. Funny, I found a disposable in a vest that still had about 10 pic's left so I kept it handy while driving north and used it for pic's of game on the side of the road as I drove. (Live game.) It has WAAAYYY more features than I would ever use so I leave it on auto. I find it slippery to hold though. I bought a strap that attaches which floats if I drop it in the water. My brother, who loves photography liked it very much. Even showed me how to use the "zoom" feature.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Related to that: I've found that the Peak Design camera clip works great to keep the camera accessible. I have one on the strap of each pack and a base on both of my Nikon B500s.

Here is a YouTube video reviewing the Peak Design V3 Clip: