What makes a good bicycle camera?
 

I have a Pentax digital camera that is a little heavy and bulky to take on rides. I am thinking about finding a relatively cheap digital to carry with me on rides. What are some good models? Do you carry the camera in your Jersey or somewhere else? Are there any features that you think make a better bicycling camera?

Greetings, fellow Pentaxian. I've been shooting with Pentax since 1976.

Last year, I misplaced my waterproof Pentax W20 that I usually take with me when I ride or kayak, so went on the hunt for a new point-n-shoot. What I finally decided that I wanted/needed was something very compact and has rounded edges. There are many compact cameras, but most of them have squared-off edges or had bumps here or there. Going into a back jersey pocket, I though I would like something with smoother edges and was flat.

I settled on a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX9. Costco had a pretty decent price on them at the time. Don't think they carry them anymore. I like it because it is flat, compact, and has rounded off edges. Just about anything will fit the bill and most companies make decent cameras these days. Check the Amazon user reviews or the reviews on dpreview.com before your final decision. Budget for around a C-note for something decent.

I picked up a neoprene case from somewhere to hold the thing and also put it into a sandwich zip-lock so that sweat from my body won't ruin the camera. It doesn't take the best pictures. It's no Pentax dSLR, but serves well as a small travel camera. I even stick it into my bag that I haul from home to work everyday, just in case something comes up where a camera would be invaluable.

Waterproof, Pentax or Olympus make nice models. I don't have to have any special bags or cases, just the camera in my jersey. Waterproof = sweatproof.

HI just bought a Nikon Cool Pix with an 18 zoom for that very purpose. It's in my travel bag and forget the model number. You can view the photos I will post from RtR to see how you like them. The features I looked for were size, ability to fully use it completely one handed while riding, video and enough zoom for long range shots. I had a 6x zoom but it just wasn't sufficient for distance shots on my bike.

I can carry mine in either a jersey pocket or in a small bag on my top tube which I use for multi day rides. Mine had an instant $100 rebate so I paid $180. Sony also makes a great camera with a few more features like doing a panoramic picture.

35$ for the 808HD #16 for a decent quality keyfob camera. Get an external charger pack for it too. Can take a 32gb SDmicro card. Or you can spend $300+ on a new GoPro Hero2 for a much larger footprint, with better batteries and housings. The video quality is a bit better than the lowly 808, but truly, not 300$ better. Note: I own one of each, though my GoPro is only a Hero 960, not the HD Hero 2.

I'm using a Canon Elph 300 and it is working very well for me. It is very light and compact and takes good snap shots. Since I take many shots while I'm riding, I just point it in the general direction of the subject and fix the angle and cropping in the editing with Irfanview. I usually carry the camera in my jersey pocket with a plastic bag or some waterproof barrier between the camera and my sweating back. But the best way I have found to carry it is in the bento box type bag on top of the bike's top tube. Very easy to reach quickly and stash after using.

I love, love, love my Canon S95. Best P&S I've ever had, and I've had more than my share.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will compare a bunch of these to my old Pentax Optio 33WR. It is waterproof but bigger than a bunch of the credit card size cameras I have seen.

Nikon S3300. Machka has been using the previous S3100 model to great effect to the point that participants in the photo competitions she enters comment on the quality of the pictures. They aren't waterproof, but they have been everywhere on our rides in all sorts of conditions -- it's a matter of looking after them with a waterproof pouch or bag.

Nikon have been around for a long time and know their stuff. Same with Canon and Pentax.

I have a Canon A480 PowerShot point and shoot camera. It retracts the lens flat so it fits in my jersey pocket, in back. The picture quality is pretty good I just need to learn all the functions it is capable of and how to use the software it came with that I loaded on my laptop. It handles the rough treatment I give it on a construction jobsite well. As Rowan said, use a plastic bag to protect it from water/weather.

Bill

I like one with a view finder for those times when there is glare on the screen. Mine is a Canon PowerShot A720. My camera case is a ziplock bag in the jersey pocket to protect the camera from sweat/rain.

Hi,

I recently got a Panasonic Lumix DMC TS3 (just superseded by the TS4). I got it for several reasons, including for use while snorkeling. I wanted the waterproof feature so I wouldn't have to to the plastic bag thing to keep sweat out of the camera as I've done with older P&S cameras that I've owned. I am very happy with the image quality of the Panasonic. It's not the smallest camera but it's plenty small for a jersey pocket and it's a little heavy, I guess because of the waterproof feature. Olympus and Nikon make very similar cameras.

Easiest one for cycling is one you can operate easily- Small enough to go into a jersey pocket- but large enough to handle. I have a Sony Cybershot with 10.1 pixels and a large rear viewing screen. It also has an SD card that loads into the computer for ease of transferring pics. Have had several Sony cameras and I like them but other makes are probably just as good.

So any point and shoot- a Memory card that is large enough for plenty of pics or videos and a rechargeable battery. Not much else required.

I carry a Nikon D3100 with me wherever I go. Along with a tripod and other equipment I might need. But then it'a definitely NOT compact. Doesn't matter to me as I am riding a cargo bike and am rarely, if ever, in a hurry to get anyplace.

One thing that helps is if you can operate it one-handed- the older Canon I had was pretty good for this, the newer smaller Nikon, not so much, and the cell phone is even worse in that respect.

I'd like to have a helmet cam, but don't really want to fool with downloading 18 million billion bytes of extraneous crap to get to the 10 seconds of footage that was really cool, so I haven't bothered.

If you already carry a cell phone on rides, how about switching to one with a camera built into it?

I carry a cell phone for emergencies, I use this phone inside a waterproof case (ibike) as my (mulit function) bike computer, GPS and on occasion I take pictures and videos with it.

One device with 4 bike ride uses. It's an iPhone and it has lots more uses in other parts of my life. I keep it fully backed up on my computer just in case I loose it, I can pick up a replacement and reload it with all my data within minutes.

It really depends what you want to do with it.

If you want to just take some snapshots of the scenery and maybe other riders if it's a group ride then you'll be wanting something small, maybe with rounded corners so it goes easily into a jersey pocket, lightweight, etc.

If you're wanting to take pictures of the wildlife you see then you'll start wanting a longer zoom range. You may be able to support it on your handlebars for the slower shutter speeds, failing that you'll probably want one with some kind of image stabilisation.

If you're wanting to take pictures along the way that are good enough to sell professionally then the chances are you'll want something chunkier, in which case you start to focus on image quality, lens quality, whether it shoots RAW etc.

In their day the Canon G10 and G11 were very highly rated, although more recently it seems like Canon has dropped the ball a bit. It pains me greatly to have to say that since all my camera gear is Canon, but when I replace my G11 (which may be soon, since I scratched the front element) the chances are it won't be a Canon that takes its place.

This thread is very timely, I gave up a small Olympus a couple of years ago and bought a larger, more powerful Olympus. Now looking for something small, compact, and inexpensive to take on rides.

A Canon G12 fits in the orange case in my waterproof handlebar bag. This is the usual spot when touring. For day rides it fits in my jersey pocket. Not the smallest or lightest, but it takes good pictures and shoots RAW. It also has an optical viewfinder.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...IMG_3578-1.jpg

It's also pretty safe to use--most of the time:)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...s/DSCN6040.jpg

I used to drag a Canon around with me, but went on a ride with the family today and took some pics and I have to agree that a hi-res camera built into a smartphone is actually pretty decent. Plus, it ends up being a more manageable shape, for me at least.

I use a small Panasonic Lumix and enjoy it . Works out well for size, But I also have 2 Nikon 5400s with RAW upgrade firmware I use for my serious picture taking. They have their own rackbag so all my stuff is in there and ready to go. Got my 2nd 5400 for 3 bucks in a church sale

I'll avoid using cell phone cameras as much as possible. I don't need to immediately upload anything so I can take my time and share decent photos.

I was very surprised at the image quality from a friend's Sony phone a couple of years back. A few of us were walking up Ben Nevis (the UK's tallest mountain). I couldn't do much in the way of photography since the only camera I had with me was my wife's DSLR (I took hers on the basis it was smaller and lighter than mine) with a lens with a 77mm front element and it was raining. He took a picture with his camera and it came out very much better than I expected. Maybe not up to the standard of something you'd sell but remarkably good given it was just a camera built into a phone.

Taken with the camera in my old Blackberry.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...11106-1025.jpg

I carry the phone anyway and would never try to take pictures while riding, even with a dedicated camera.

If you want something better, i'd get a Go Pro and mount it to the bike or helmet.

Canon Powershot SX100IS here. Compact, easy to use, good pix at least for me.