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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: trumpetguy on June 28, 2006, 10:59:31 PM

Title: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: trumpetguy on June 28, 2006, 10:59:31 PM
I'm curious if any of you have had a digital camera die due to the vibration of being carried on your GS?  I'm afraid to put my new camera in the tank bag for fear that it will be destroyed.

I'm looking at purchasing a non-optical-zoom digital camera because they have no zoom mechanism to fail, but it occured to me that this may not even be an issue.  So I decided to ask the experts.  If you carry a camera, what is it?  How do you pack it and carry it?

Thanks in advance for responses.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: makenzie71 on June 28, 2006, 11:10:10 PM
I carry my Sony DSC-S40.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Kerry on June 28, 2006, 11:13:11 PM
I usually just carry a point-and-shoot digital camera -- WITH zoom!  I often start out with it in the tank bag (with several oil-checking paper towels and stuff on the bottom, so it doesn't rattle around), but if I'm going through a particularly scenic stretch I will pop it into my inside jacket pocket between stops.  Current cameras:  Canon A520 (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/a520.html) and Kodak CX7530 (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/cx7530.html).

Sometimes I will bring my not-quite-SLR Canon Powershot G6 (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/g6.html) along too, in a box, with a few of the accessories:

(http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/100_2151_G6_inTankbagBox.jpg)


On one memorable ride I even brought my old Canon AE-1 film SLR along!

(http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/100_2168_TankBagWithCameras.jpg)
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Alphamazing on June 28, 2006, 11:23:21 PM
Kerry, how hard was it carrying the AE-1?

I ask because I recently aquired a Canon A-1:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/Photography/2006-05-19010.jpg)

When I ride I carry a Canon Powershot SD100 Digital Elph. I stick it in my jacket pocket (the inside chest pocket) or in my pocket.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: badkarma506 on June 28, 2006, 11:27:29 PM
fuji finepix2400Zoom  3x optical zoom 2.1 mega pixels,  bought new in 2000 in iwakuni Japan. the manual lense cover dosn't stay shut anymore, but it is the basic digi cam and windows ME recognizes the cam when you plug it into the usb port, the drivers are so basic. and it runs off of 4 AA batteries.  it's been white water rafting, flying on helocoptors countless moving MC pics, a couple of MC crashes.  and alot more beatings that i can't remember.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Kerry on June 29, 2006, 12:21:34 AM
Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on June 28, 2006, 11:23:21 PMKerry, how hard was it carrying the AE-1?

I ask because I recently aquired a Canon A-1:

Good for you!  :thumb:  I acquired an A-1 on eBay about a year ago, but it could use a professional cleaning.

The picture above with both the AE-1 and the Powershot shows them actually in my tankbag.  I've never carried the AE-1 by itself on the bike, but hauling both cameras felt a bit ... bulky and heavy.  (Especially with a couple of mid-sized glass lenses along for the ride.)

If I ever get "serious" about photography I'll put more effort into figuring out an ideal setup.  But so far most of my pictures are shared via email and the web - I think I took over 5,000 digital images before I actually printed any!  (Even then, it was to fulfill assignments for a Community Ed photography class.)
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Lukewarm Wilson on June 29, 2006, 12:36:09 AM
I have a tank mount for a JVC video camera and a helmet cam with either a sony vid camera attached or a small PMP with record funtion all work well  :thumb: :cheers:
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: duyster on June 29, 2006, 03:09:20 AM
dsc-s85 old school digi camera, but pretty good lens n clear images



(http://images.digitalkamera.de/Kameras/SonyDSC-S85-front-M.jpg)
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: GS Jenn on June 29, 2006, 08:52:06 AM
I take my Olympus Stylus digital point-and-shoot absolutely everywhere I go, including on the bike. Either in the tank bag or my jacket pocket. This is one tough little camera... made of mostly metal as opposed to plastic... I used to be a newspaper photojournalist and I tend to put cameras through a lot, this one has stood up to all the abuse I could dish out.

I also shoot a Canon Rebel SLR but I haven't taken that on the bike. Will have to figure out a good system before I do any major touring though.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Queso on June 29, 2006, 10:52:13 AM
Holy cow we got some serious photographers... I keep my camera in my pocket, and every now and then it rings and I talk on it.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: tussey on June 29, 2006, 11:43:36 AM
Quote from: Queso on June 29, 2006, 10:52:13 AM
Holy cow we got some serious photographers... I keep my camera in my pocket, and every now and then it rings and I talk on it.

haha priceless
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: 12thmonkey on June 29, 2006, 01:23:52 PM
i have a Fuji F810 that i keep in a small, quasi-protective, neoprene Lowe Pro case...and i keep that in the side pocket of my tank bag. i get a little leery of having it too close to the magnets. Haven't packed the dSLR yet...but it'll happen.

And yeah, Queso, that was hilarious.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: rangerbrown on June 29, 2006, 01:32:56 PM
all the cams i have (if filming) stop or have problems if not dampened from the vibration. other than that there fine, never a problem, hell one of them was on the front cowl in my first wreck. still work great.  Sony cybershit 4.1
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: CirclesCenter on June 30, 2006, 11:30:22 AM
I Carry my cameras in my backpack. No digital  hyper shot 83k rev 35b though. Rockin an old school film jobbie, an all metal Pentax. With, hell a bunch of old hand me down lenses that are awesome, I think I even have a 300mm laying around somewhere.

But for the less serious stuff I have a 4.1M pixel Fuji that I stole from my dad (he can't figure out how to use it, so it's kind of justified.)
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: ajaxgs on June 30, 2006, 12:35:25 PM
watch the tank bags a budy of mine f###ed his phone the other day
because of the magnets on the tank bag :dunno_white:
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: Cal Price on July 01, 2006, 12:56:16 AM
I carry a Nikon Coolpix 885 and a spare battery in the pocket of my riding jacket just about all the time, also the phone-camera comes in handy occasionally, take-and-send by multimedia or e-mail is sometimes rather handy.

I Have a larger digital (Nikon 8800) and a selection of Olympus SLRs and lenses but would only carry them on the bike for a specific picture.

Many years ago I was a pro photographer, '62-'72 when things were a bit bulkier and had the "Always carry a camera" ethos drummed into me.
Title: Re: What camera do you carry on your bike?
Post by: rangerbrown on July 01, 2006, 02:11:50 PM
Quote from: ajaxgs on June 30, 2006, 12:35:25 PM
watch the tank bags a budy of mine f###ed his phone the other day
because of the magnets on the tank bag :dunno_white:



well duuuuu, that why any thing that has a smart chip/HD ect. says to keep away from a magnet.