I don't personally see the need for a zoom lens in a waterproof camera or in most any camera design to accompany the boater or hiker; the simple 2:1 or 3:1 zooms offered on most point-and-shoot cameras don't deliver a really useful telephoto and they add unnecessary complexity as well as reducing contrast and sharpness. A good wide-angle lens is the best choice for the kayaker. It's a big world out there and you're usually trying to capture as much of it as you can. My favorite kayaking camera is a used Nikonos III. These go for about $200-$275 with a 35mm lens depending on condition, require no batteries and are waterproof to 90 feet, I believe. Maybe more. There's no meter or automatic exposure, but with today's wide latitude color films there's no need for a meter. If you don't know the "Rule of 16", learn it ;-) Newer versions (the IV and V) deliver automation (at a price) along with the same ruggedness and optical quality. The earlier Nikonos II is as good and is cheaper, though a bit less handy. In automatic, waterproof cameras I like the Canon Sureshot A-1. Totally waterproof and reliable. For use in the campsite, or when you're absolutely sure you're not going to actually drop the camera in the water, the Yashica T-4. It's weatherproof, and has a sharp Zeiss lens that will deliver beautiful, crisp images that will make your camera nut friend with a $1000 SLR weep. For the truly cheap among us who don't take a lot of photos, both Kodak and Fuji make disposable waterproof cameras that sell for $10-12. They float, and if you lose one, so what? -- mike --------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Edelman mje_at_spamcop.net http://www.foldingkayaks.org (nomadics) http://www.findascope.com (choosing a telescope) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 11:19 AM 1/18/01 -0500, Michael Edelman wrote: >For the truly cheap among us who don't take a lot of photos, both Kodak >and Fuji make disposable waterproof cameras that sell for $10-12. They >float, and if you lose one, so what? I use a $14 Vivitar I got from K-mart for the same purpose. The majority of photos on my web page were taken with that little green thing. It's sure not the camera that my regular ones are, but if it gets wet, I'm only out $15. There is a "waterproof" version of the same camera available for about $50. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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