paddling with a camera » cameras

Fisheye Lens Perspective for Paddling?

marek — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:31:46 +0000

I just got a fisheye lens for my Canon 5D/II: Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye. It is designed for a full frame DSLR camera and offers a 180 degree field of view. It was difficult choice between this lens and Canon 15 mm fisheye, but the Sigma lens had better reviews.

My primary reason for this lens was to shoot caricature portraits (including self portraits) inspired by the work of Sharon Dominick. Of course, I am also going to have some fun with that lens outdoors with landscape and paddling. So, here is my first series of pictures with the Sigma fisheye shot during recent paddling with Sea Wind canoe on the Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins – just trying different angles and distortions. The last picture was shot after sunset with a tripod.

I am sure more fisheye pictures will appear here in the future. I am going to mount a camera with this lens on kayak front deck and, also, shoot more from a kayak cockpit to add something to my old post A View from a Kayak Cockpit – 3 Paddlers, 3 Cameras, 3 Boats.

What do you think about the fisheye perspective for paddling photography?

You can find a lot of good fisheye pictures including shots from sea kayaking in Flickr photostream of Mark Payton. He is shooting with the Canon lens.

Canon PowerShot G11 First Paddling Pictures

marek — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:38:44 +0000

I was looking for a new paddling camera satisfying the following requirements:

More compact than my Canon DSLRs (D40 and 5D) and easier to carry on my racing boats including Thunderbolt-X kayak.
Providing a better image quality than Pentax Optio W10 suitable for my stock photography. Pentax is great for paddling and shooting pictures for posting on web, but these pictures are usually too noisy for commercial applications.
Recording RAW format, if possible, to allow me more flexibility in picture postprocessing.

I have been following the Canon PowerShot G line of cameras. Canon offers waterproof housing for them. I got spoiled by my Pentax Optio W30 and, now, would like to see intervalometer built in every camera. Some time ago I discussed PowerShot G10 as a candidate for a paddling camera.

Finally, I bought the recent G11 model. I am still learning and exploring the new camera and took it for some testing in winter conditions on the South Platte River.

All pictures in this post were shot during my two latest paddle workouts with Thunderbolt kayak. There were shot with G11 (set on ISO=100) on the same sandbar about 2 miles upstream of Kersey.

During the first trip I had a very nice sunny sunset (4 pictures). The light was quite contrasty. I could enjoy interesting patterns on sand and snow.

Two days later it was cloudy. The sun was barely visible under a layer of clouds. I used flash to shoot a picture of my kayak (below). It was much colder.

Right now, the camera travels in Pelican 1050 Micro-Case (a little too deep, I added some extra foam) on a kayak and in Lowepro Rezo 60 pouch (a pretty tight fit) on land. After more testing I will consider to buy some additional accessories for my PowerShot G11:
- Canon WP-DC34 Underwater Housing
- timer remote control. How to use it with a waterproof case? That may be a challenge!
- perhaps, lens hood and filter adapter. There are several third party accessories available for G11. A polarizer filter would be useful on the river.

Certainly, I will be writing more about PowerShot G11. As a next step I am going to compare it with my other cameras: Pentax Optio W30 and Canon 5D mark II.

If you are using Canon PowerShot G11 (or earlier models) for paddling photography, please share your experiences. What accessories do you recommend?

I am sure that my Pentax Optio will remain attached to my life jacket.

Canon EOS 40D Camera on the Bow of a Racing Kayak

marek — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:47:03 +0000

I always carry one of my waterproof Pentax Optiocameras attached to a life jacket to document my paddling trips and races. The image quality is fine to display pictures on-line, but it may be not sufficient for commercial applications. Pictures shot with compact digital cameras usually show a lot of digital noise when examining at 100% view.

In November 2007 I started to sell my pictures through microstock agencies. It forced me to carry a DSLR camera for paddling trips. It is a little bit tricky in the case of a low volume racing kayak like my Thunderbolt-X. Most often, I just pack a camera with a tripod and shoot from land. However, I am also trying to shoot from a kayak cockpit or from a decked mounted camera.

This is the original my sticky pod, a camera mount with 3 suction cups, modified by adding a 1/4″ bolt. It is the same platform I am using for my telescoping video camera mast.

Now, we can add a tripod head. I am showing here my old 3-way Manfrotto/Bogen head great for shooting video. It provides much smoother controls and more solid mount than a simple knuckle coming with the sticky pod.

Canon EOS 40D camera with EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lensmounted on a front deck of my Thunderbolt-X kayak. This is my favorite lens for paddling or any shooting restricted to a single lens.

A wing paddle can be really wet… To protect the camera from splashes I am using a rain coat with a front glass from Ewa Marine. I bought it years ago for my camcorder and it fits pretty well my DSLR camera as well. I was not able to use the original lens hood inside this cover without vignetting, so I improvised a temporary paper hood.

Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote Controler attached to the camera also fits under the rain coat. It allows me to shoot pictures automatically with a desired frequency and delay.

This camera setup is pretty heavy and affects stability of the tippy Thunderbolt kayak! It is even more challenging if I move it forward to a narrow kayak bow. I would not leave it alone mounted on an empty kayak.

One of the pictures shot from the camera mounted in the front of the kayak cockpit on the Beaver Pond near Fort Collins. The light and scenery is not so great, but the camera setup work as expected. This picture is available for purchase from Featurepics.

Another shot looking backward from the kayak bow. Of course, this camera setup can be used only on calm water. The rain coat doesn’t protect a camera from waves or splashes coming from below. This picture is available for purchase from Featurepics

I am not really recommending it for use with racing kayaks, but it is not so risky with more stable and drier boats. I used this camera setup even without the rain coat on the front deck of Sea Wind canoe.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 – New Waterproof Camera with Optical Image Stabilizer

marek — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:38:39 +0000

Panasonic is entering a market for compact waterproof cameras represented by popular Pentax Optio W and Olympus Stylus SW series.

Lumix DMC-TS1 is waterproof to 3 m (9.84 ft), dustproof and shockproof. The camera features Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens with zoom from 28 mm to 180 mm (35 mm format equivalent) with, I believe, the first optical image stabilizer in this type of a compact camera.

Video options looks also promising:

The TS1 records HD motion images with 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It uses the AVCHD (MPEG-4/H.264) format, via AVCHD Lite which stores less data than other formats and thus lets you shoot more minutes of HD motion images before running out of memory.

The camera will be available in April 2009. The price listed at amazon.com is $399. You can buy it in different colors: silver, orange, and green.

It looks like a good paddling camera. I will be looking for reviews of Lumix DMC-TS1.

Waterproof Cameras for Paddlers (a shopping guide)

Olympus 1030SW, 1050SW, Pentax Optio W30, W60 – Comparison of Waterproof Cameras

Poll: Your Paddling Camera

My Collection of Pentax Optio Waterproof Cameras

marek — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:48:46 +0000

see Pentax Optio W60 at Amazon

My collection of waterproof Pentax Optio cameras for paddling and outdoor photography includes three models:

Pentax Optio WP

April, 2005.
I had been thinking for a longer while about taking a camera for Texas Water Safari, 260 mile non stop race down the San Marcos and Guadelupe Rivers. My first digital camera, Canon PowerShot S40 in its waterproof case was just too heavy to carry it through all portages and logjams of the race. So, I bought Pentax Optio WP, the first waterproof compact digital camera, as soon as it was available.

I started with placing the camera in a glass of water … You can check my first impressions from paddling and shooting with Optio WP. The camera worked pretty for all training and, eventually, the Safari, though I shot fewer pictures than I hoped to. One of the pictures from the start line up was published in Adventure Sports Magazine.

I shot over 1000 pictures with the Optio WP in March 2006 during the WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge.

Pentax Optio W10

May, 2006.
A year later, the camera still worked fine, but, occasionally, used to freeze and the only cure was to disconnect a battery. I decided to upgrade to the Pentax Optio W10. The main motivation for the upgrade were better video capabilities. I carried the W10 for all my paddling, training, and racing. It was used to cover 2006 and 2007 Missouri River 340 races and 2007 Glenwood Canyon race. I shot numerous video clips and pictures from a deck mounted camera.

Pentax Optio W30

December 2007.
I realized that the Optio W10 camera may, finally, die after my intense use and abuse, and that I need a backup camera. I considered for a while GoPro Digital Hero camera for its video capabilities, but decided for another Pentax Optio W10 since still pictures were more important for me than video.

Then, I found that I could buy the newest model Optio W30 cheaper than the W10 (less than $200 including mail rebate at Amazon). So, I ended up with the Optio W30.

I paddled the entire winter shooting with Optio W30 from my Thunderbolt kayak on the South Platte River, shot animation from the Wyoming Outback Challnege and many pictures during 2008 Missouri River 340 Race.

I still need to experiment with installing a filter mount on one of my Optio cameras.

Pentax Optio W60

May 2008.
Pentax is releasing Optio W60 … No, I didn’t buy W60. Optio W30 is working just fine for my paddling needs, and I am rather saving money for some investments in DSLR cameras. It may take a longer while since Canon EOS 5D Mark II with video capabilities is on my wish list.

Canon PowerShot G10 with Waterproof Case for Paddling?

marek — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:15:17 +0000

I am quite happy to paddle and shoot with Pentax Optio “W” cameras as long as producing pictures to be displayed online. They are waterproof, compact, easily accessible in any conditions. The image quality is OK for a blog or website, but usually there is just too much of digital noise for some commercial applications. So, for my stock photography, I am carrying a DSLR camera, Canon EOS 40D. It may be a rather challenging task if I paddle a racing boat like my Thunderbolt-X kayak.

In the search for some alternative solutions I have been watching evolution of Canon PowerShot G series cameras. Canon offers waterproof cases for them.

The newest Canon G10 certainly looks interesting, and arguably, it may be the best compact digital camera available. It’s not cheap: ~$420 for the camera and ~$190 for the waterproof case at amazon.com.

I have been spoiled by Pentax Optio W10 and W30 cameras with the interval (time lapse) shooting mode. Now, I would like to see that feature in any camera. No luck with the Canon G10, though. However, there is some hope to control this camera remotely since it accepts the same shutter remote as Canon Rebel. How to deal with the waterproof case with the remote attached is a different story.

Here are some reviews of Canon G10.

Trusted Reviews:
“The Canon PowerShot G10 is still going to be the benchmark by which all other high-spec compacts are measured, but it’s no longer the top dog. It is beaten on picture quality and portability by the smaller, lighter and slightly cheaper Panasonic LX3, and is beaten badly on value for money by most entry-level DSLRs. It’s still an impressive camera and can produce excellent results, especially in Raw mode, but the price means its appeal is a little too specialised for some.”

Digital Camera Review:
“At the moment, the advanced compact camera market has settled in terms of price at around the $500 mark. For that kind of outlay, it’s not unreasonable to ask yourself whether your needs might not be better served by an entry-level DSLR: basic models from every manufacturer will do essentially everything the G10 does, provide superior high-ISO and shooting speed performance without exception, and do so for only a little more than this PowerShot’s considerable price tag (not to mention that the G10 weighs almost as much as many of these larger cameras).”

The Online Photographer:
Canon has now demonstrated that a small camera with a small sensor can provide the ergonomics, speed, flexibility, and image quality that would please most serious photographers.

CNET editors’ review:
The primary reason to buy a camera like this, however, is the photo quality, and here the Canon G10 doesn’t disappoint. Color and exposures are great. There’s some wide-angle distortion at the 28mm-equivalent maximum, but photos have very good center and edge-to-edge sharpness at longer focal lengths. ISO 80 and 100 produce relatively pristine images and if you’re alert to it, you’ll see some noise-suppression artifacts starting at ISO 200. But photos look quite usable up to and including ISO 400; at ISO 800 they get visibly soft.

Luminuous Landscape: Comparison of Canon G10 and Nikon P6000.

byThom: Comparison of Canon PowerShot G10, Nikon Coolpix P6000, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.
“If you need pixels, you need the Canon, hands down. If you need the fast, wide, defect-free lens, you need the Panasonic. You don’t need the Coolpix.”

Ken Rockwell
“The G10 is the best compact digital camera I’ve ever used, but no compact is as good as any real (interchangeable-lens) SLR.”

That Damn Noise in Video Recording from a Digital Camera

marek — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:06:25 +0000

hi…we bought the olympus SW 1030..but we have some problems with regards to the audio of the video… there’s this thudding sound that comes once in a while in every video that we take. we went to a service center and they insist that it’s normal…but we really doubt that cause it really disrupts the beauty of every video that we take…..it’s just so damn loud and disturbing…

… Pentax Optio W60 is making a ratcheting type sound while taking videos.

It didn’t make the noise when I first got the camera and took videos of a family event. I thought it might have something to do with the boat but then the same noise is in the other video clips.

I am often getting this kind of comments or questions. It seems that more people is starting to shoot movies with their Pentax Optio, Olympus Stylus and other point and shoot digital cameras.

Good news: Your camera is not broken!

Bad News: It is normal, unfortunately. These little cameras are very good in recording noise from lens mechanism/motor when zooming or autofocusing.

So, the only solution is to avoid using zoom or autofocus when shooting video or just accept the noise.
The zoom noise is usually worse.

This is not a new problem. I discussed it in my post written a couple of years ago:
Audio Recording with Pentax Optio W10 and Other Compact Digital Cameras.

I wonder if or how bad the zoom noise is recorded in compact camcorders like waterproof Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 or VPC-E2.

Olympus 1030SW, 1050SW, Pentax Optio W30, W60 – Comparison of Waterproof Cameras

marek — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:51:23 +0000

Pentax has released 5 models in their Optio “W” line of compact waterproof cameras: WP, WPi, W10, W30 and W60. I have been using three of them: the original WP, then W10 and W30. Number of models in Olympus Stylus SW line of waterproof and shockproof cameras is equally impressive: 720, 770, 790, 1030, and 1050 (models available on US market).

Below, I tried to compare selected specifications of the newest models from Pentax and Olympus. Pentax Optio W60 seems to be a progression from earlier W30 while Olympus Stylus 1050SW is adding some new features (a tap control) but at the same time is packed in less robust case than the 1030SW.

Please write some comments if you have a direct experience with one or more of these four cameras.


camera	Pentax Optio W30	Olympus 1030 SW	Pentax Optio W60	Olympus 1050 SW
waterproof	waterproof to 10 feet for 2 hours	waterproof to 33 feet shockproof to 6.6 feet	waterproof to 13 feet	waterproof to 10 feet shockproof to 5 feet
resolution	7.41 Mpixel	10.70 Mpixel	10.00 Mpixel	10.10 Mpixel
max resolution	3072×2304	3648×2736	3648×2736	3648×2736
sensor size	1/2.5-inch	1/2.33-inch	1/2.3-inch	1/2.35-inch
sensor type	CCD
optical zoom	yes
zoom wide (mm)	38mm	28mm	28mm	38mm
zoom tele (mm)	114mm	102mm	140mm	114mm
auto focus	yes
manual focus	no
ISO ratings	auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200	auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600	auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400	auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
build-in flash	yes
external flash	no
exposure compensation	-2EV – +2EV with 1/3EV steps	-2EV – +2EV with 1/3 steps	-2EV – +2EV with 1/3EV steps	-2EV – +2EV with 1/3 EV steps
video	yes
video sound	yes
max video resolution	640×480	640×480	1280×720	640×480
frames per second (fps)	30fps
voice recording	yes
optical Viewfinder	no
LCD size	2.5-inch	2.7-inch	2.5-inch	2.7-inch
LCD resolution (pixels)	115,000 pixels	230,000 pixels	230,000 pixels	230,000 pixels
self-timer	2 and 10s	12s	2 and 10s	12s
interval recording	yes	no	yes	no
storage media	SD/SDHC memory cards	xD Picture Cards	SD/SDHC memory cards	xD Picture Cards
weight	140g	171g	145g	204g
dimensions	107.5×54x23.5mm	93.2×61.4×21.3mm	98×55.5×24.5mm	93×62x23mm
camera	Pentax Optio W30	Olympus 1030 SW	Pentax Optio W60	Olympus 1050 SW

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Poll: Your Paddling Camera

marek — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:13:01 +0000

I am adding polls to my blog. Let’s start with the poll about your paddling camera.

What a compact digital camera (i.e., a point-and-shoot camera) do use for paddling? So, this pool does not cover DSLR, prosumer cameras or camcorders.

Multiple answers are allowed. You are welcome to add any comments or remarks, especially, if you have a camera that doesn’t fit into the questions below.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

As visible on the picture above I own three models from Pentax Optio line: WP, W10, and W30. However, my first paddling digital camera was Canon PowerShot S40 with a waterproof case.

Do you have any suggestion for future polls which may be interesting for “Paddling with a Camera” readers?

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3 Reviews of Olympus Stylus 1050 SW Waterproof Camera with Tap Control

marek — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:54:02 +0000

A month ago Olympus introduced a new model to the line of their waterproof and shockproof cameras: Stylus 1050 SW. It features a brand new digital camera feature – Tap Control. Tap Control is intended to help photographers wearing gloves access camera controls.

The Stylus 1050 SW camera can be controlled with a simple tap on its top, back or sides, which is made possible thanks to the new camera’s 3D accelerometer that detects the direction of the force on the camera’s body. For example, to turn on the flash or Shadow Adjustment Technology, tap the camera’s side twice.

I have found three reviews of the new camera. There are rather moderately enthusiastic, but Olympus Stylus SW has its fans.

1. PC Magazine

Unless you’re dead set on a ruggedized or waterproof camera, there are plenty of options that will deliver sharper 10.1-megapixel shots and a lot less shutter lag than the Olympus Stylus 1050 SW, including the Canon PowerShot SD790 IS or the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300. If you need a waterproof shooter, the Stylus 1030 SW offers better-looking images (but for a steep $400). If you’ve been holding back on taking shots on the ski slopes or just want more nimble controls, however, the 1050 SW’s innovative tapping controls might appeal to you. Just don’t expect speed or stellar shots.

2. Cameras.co.uk

Without doubt the main attraction of the Olympus MJU 1050SW is its ro

bustness. If you are looking for a family camera or just one you can use around the pool and on ski slopes then the picture quality is fine for snapshots. It is a concern that the camera is so slow to take a photo and this could certainly cause you to miss photo opportunities.

3. CNET Australia

While the 1050SW has some excellent features for casual swimmers, skiers and action lovers, the older 1030SW is a more robust and tough camera for dedicated divers and enthusiasts. However, the 1050SW is much more capable in normal settings, looking and feeling like a standard point-and-shoot. For a camera that can be thrown about casually in a bag, in the water and at a party, the 1050SW is a good package.

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