Thursday, August 6, 2009

Going minimalist


I have a couple of death march hikes planned for this month and I got to thinking about what equipment to take. For my last long treks up the mountain I tried stripping down my six-megapixel Digital Rebel down to just the body with the lightest lens and that worked out ok. But with sizzling August temperatures ahead I decided to trim way down and picked up this little pocket camera.
Made by Canon the Powershot A1100 IS fits in the palm of my hand, weighs next to nothing and still boasts a respectable 12.1-megapixel file size even though it is with a reduced size sensor. It has a simple movie mode (not HD) and should travel well with the pack. The only downside to the camera is it is hungrily fueled by two AA batteries. NihMI batteries will probably last longer but on these death marches it usually turns out I shoot fewer photos. It also has a viewfinder I can use to conserve power instead of composing pictures on the LCD screen on the camera's back. I'll be giving it is first field test in about a week and will post some pictures from the hike

2 comments:

MS said...

I hear the Powershot 1100IS is a great camera. As a pro you know all about the megapixel myth.
My Powershot camera died after 1 1/2 years use and still deciding whether to pay the $85 to have Canon fix it or not. Too bad because I really liked the flip out LCD screen and it took decent pictures for a point and shoot.
Better hit those trails soon b4 the weather heats up again.

Dr. Mike McLellan said...

Glenn! Your advise not with standing. This is my camera! I am taking it to Europe next month.