January/February 2008
WASHINGTON TRAILS
Gear We’ve Tried
Digital Cameras
Nine lightweight, 7+ megapixel cameras well-suited for the trail
By Wade Trenbeath
It’s inevitable that people who hike
become people who take photos of their
hikes. Pictures are the guilt-free souve-
nirs you’re allowed to bring home with
you, and often expected to bring home
with you from the more adventuresome
excursions. The problem with taking
decent pictures on long trips used to be
weight. Who wants to give up valuable
space in their pack that could be used
for extra peanut butter or chocolate for
six pounds of photo gear? Some of us
simply bought bigger packs and brought
both. But now there are several digital
camera choices for those who want
something lighter for the pack in the
way of backcountry imaging.
The nine point-and-shoot digital cam-
eras reviewed below all share features
useful for hikers and backpackers. Each
is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or
small backpack pocket. All of them shoot
video with sound and all have an “anti-
shake” function. The anti-shake function
helps you get sharper landscapes and
portraits even if you are a little shaky
from the haul up the mountain. (If at
all possible, carrying a small tripod will
help even more.) All of the cameras have
sensors that shoot photos with a resolu-
tion of 7 megapixels or higher. This is
usually plenty of resolution for prints up
to 15 inches wide. And, there’s actually
some nifty software out there that can
help you create larger prints if you end
up with a truly stellar shot.
The Leica C-Lux 2 and the Canon
sd870 provide great results with a
minimum of effort. With zooming that
extends from 28-105mm, you can get all
of camp in your shot without having to
back-up into the brambles or off a cliff. Of
the cameras on this list, these two sport
the widest-angle lenses —a good feature
to have when shooting panoramas. Both
also do a really nice job with color. If you
want a camera with more manual control
these aren’t t