What camera do you use when you go to the BWCA to get good photos through the trip? And how long is your camera’s battery life?

I take a Panasonic waterproof point and shoot. I'm several years past replacement but not bad. It has a removable rechargable. I always carry a second but have never needed it. Maybe 100-150 photos.

More camera than many but I take a digital SLR and 2 zoom lenses. Olympus OMD E1. I shoot .raw files so much larger than .jpeg but chip memory is inexpensive. I carry a battery in camera and a spare 7.4 V 2000 mAH. 1 battery will last about 5 days and 1000-1500 photos.
^ pounds plus in a Pelican 1300 case with a GoPro extra chips/batteries, and an old Galaxy 3 for GoPro display remote control.
My camera get is insured with it's own policy, cheap yet effective assurance against loss.

butthead

I do the same as Bill. It's waterproof so I just carry it in a shirt pocket and it's handy for quick pictures. It's waterproof but doesn't float, so I attached a lanyard that I wear around my neck. It's not a high end DSLR if you're looking for those kinds of pictures.

I've just always taken my point and shoot Canon. Fully charged battery gets my through the trip and beyond. (I think I've taken a spare but never came close to needing it) It takes videos and plenty of pictures and it's not super new. I've got a little newer sony too, nothing special just something sub-$400 I'm sure.

They're not waterproof, so whichever one I have...it's inside it's small padded carrying case they came with, which is all in a sandwich ziploc. That is either in my thwart bag so it's always within reach in the canoe or in my pocket while on land usually. So my complete camera setup fits in the palm of my hand. Others I've tripped with take their phones now, and switch to airplane mode to save battery. Turn them off overnight and other times they know they won't be taking pictures...it kind of worked for a while but needed to still conserve battery over a week long trip. But for the features on newer phone cameras (panoramic, portrait, filters, etc) it would be fun to take.

Here's some stuff from my little point and shoot stuff. Not a fancy camera but gets the job done for me.

My current setup is similar to butthead's, a DSLR with two lenses and 3-4 batteries. But I will often take 750 or more shots on a 5 day trip. DSLR's give you better image quality, especially if you want to print at large sizes. But you also have to be willing to change lenses throughout the day as different opportunities present themselves.

For many years before I got a DSLR i used a "bridge" or superzoom camera which is like a point and shoot on steroids, with more features. They take pretty darn good photos and allow versatility in your lens for anything from close up or macro shots of flowers, mushroom, insects, etc. to shots of bald eagles roosting down the lake a couple hundred yards or a moose across the lake - without changing lenses - something you may not have with a DSLR unless you have a wide range and pretty expensive lens.

In the versatility versus quality equation, superzooms have a lot going for them. While the technical quality will not be as good as a high quality DSLR shot, it allows you to get the shot to begin with. If you miss shots because you either have the wrong lens on your DSLR or you just don't have the range for wildlife shots, quality is kind of irrelevant.

If you are newer to photography and don't want to invest $800 to $1000 or even more in a DSLR system, I would consider a good mid range superzoom camera - Sony, Panasonic, Nikon and Canon all make good ones. They will run you $250 to $400 or so.

Here are a few superzoom shots I took before I converted to a DSLR to show the versatility of that type of camera, all with one fixed lens:

I like to just use an iPhone because I already own that - how do I put a winking emoji on this thread??

At one point I had a Minolta SLR with a couple of different lenses and all. Still have it in fact but haven't used it in years and never did use it to it's fullest potential. And at times it felt like it took a lot of fiddling around. So when it came time to go digital, I got a Canon point and shoot. On my second one now, about half as thick as my first one and it fits better in my pocket. Takes the pictures that I need. The zoom feature works ok to some degree, but not as good as the old Minolta. Stays in a ziploc freezer bag in my thwart bag or my pocket. Have had an extra battery for both of them. The older Canon needed them over the week, the newer one not so much.

My reply directly answered the OP's question. Never meant to come off photo snobby at all. My 1st published photo was taken with a early digital P&S Olympus 3040,

A lot of other stuff shot with an Olympus Stylus 810 pocket camera. Best advice I ever received to shoot lots, and more lots of photos! Particularly after going to digital medium.

Whatever you are confident with use it. Just a point though even seemingly complicated multi lens pro cameras are simple to use, they only seem to be complex.

butthead

lindylair: "My current setup is similar to butthead's, a DSLR with two lenses and 3-4 batteries. But I will often take 750 or more shots on a 5 day trip. DSLR's give you better image quality, especially if you want to print at large sizes. But you also have to be willing to change lenses throughout the day as different opportunities present themselves.


For many years before I got a DSLR i used a "bridge" or superzoom camera which is like a point and shoot on steroids, with more features. They take pretty darn good photos and allow versatility in your lens for anything from close up or macro shots of flowers, mushroom, insects, etc. to shots of bald eagles roosting down the lake a couple hundred yards or a moose across the lake - without changing lenses - something you may not have with a DSLR unless you have a wide range and pretty expensive lens.


In the versatility versus quality equation, superzooms have a lot going for them. While the technical quality will not be as good as a high quality DSLR shot, it allows you to get the shot to begin with. If you miss shots because you either have the wrong lens on your DSLR or you just don't have the range for wildlife shots, quality is kind of irrelevant.


If you are newer to photography and don't want to invest $800 to $1000 or even more in a DSLR system, I would consider a good mid range superzoom camera - Sony, Panasonic, Nikon and Canon all make good ones. They will run you $250 to $400 or so.


Here are a few superzoom shots I took before I converted to a DSLR to show the versatility of that type of camera, all with one fixed lens:


























"

I just bought a practically brand new Panasonic Lumix camera off Ebay for $250 including two extra batteries, camer case, mini tripod. I know almost nothing baout photography but I have until August to learn!

scramble, most if not all of these shots were taken with a Panasonic Lumix, I believe it is the FZ150. But mine is probably 8 or 9 years old. Still works fine though, every once in a while I take it instead of my DSLR on a camping trip for something different.

You will love it as you get to know it.

A guy on a different forum posted some absolutely gorgeous macro mode shots of fish he took with a Lumix (the waterproof model) and I've wanted one ever since. I have a canon powershot (can't remember what model but it's really small and it has image stabilization) that refuses to die (the battery indicator always reads red, but last time I had it out I shot about 180 frames between charges and it never shut off on me).

casualbriday: "A guy on a different forum posted some absolutely gorgeous macro mode shots of fish he took with a Lumix (the waterproof model) and I've wanted one ever since. I have a canon powershot (can't remember what model but it's really small and it has image stabilization) that refuses to die (the battery indicator always reads red, but last time I had it out I shot about 180 frames between charges and it never shut off on me)."

My 15 year old powershot will do some pretty good macro mode shots. Super close up shots of flowers and bugs and things is usually what I'm using it for

I had a nice Nikon point & shoot that took great photos and had an outstanding zoom. Hard to believe that pocket-size camera had a zoom like that. I lost or misplaced it when we moved and I had to buy a different camera. Bought a similar (in appearance only) Cannon that I don't like nearly as much. Takes decent photos, but it has a rechargeable battery instead of AAs. Makes taking it on canoe trips a bit of a hassle because I'd have to buy another rechargeable battery. I know, probably not a big deal in the scheme of things, but it kind of bugs me that way.

Mine is a very old (by today's standards) Canon PowerShot Elph 520 HS. Outdoor trips is the only place I use it anymore, since, comparing pixels, I would just use my iPhone, but low battery life, high replacement cost, and lack of zoom... I carry 3 spare (proprietary) batteries, and rarely go through them all, except in very cold weather. Good memories obtained with an incredibly compact pocket digital camera.

My personal favorite pictures from the canoe are taken using a camera with a wide angle lens. Most point and shoot digital cameras don’t have a very wide angle lens, but most of the newer phones do. You might just get a new phone with a wide angle lens.

Last few trips it's been my cell phone in a waterproof bag on the water, or a water/shock-proof digital camera.

Anybody using Canon compact cameras - I suggest you check out CHDK. It's an alternative firmware you can boot off an SD card & will unlock capabilities which are disabled by the factory firmware. Swap back to a regular SD card to boot the factory.

I used to use it on an SX-30 for long exposure night photography. It exposes everything the Digic processor can do.

NotLight: "My personal favorite pictures from the canoe are taken using a camera with a wide angle lens. Most point and shoot digital cameras don’t have a very wide angle lens, but most of the newer phones do. You might just get a new phone with a wide angle lens.


"

Actually many of the mid range to high range superzoom cameras have very good wide angle capability...and produce excellent macro photos. Just wouldn't seem the same to take a long walk back behind the campsite exploring the woods, plants, flowers, mushrooms, spider webs, boulders, etc....with a cell phone. No thanks.

lindylair: "

NotLight: "My personal favorite pictures from the canoe are taken using a camera with a wide angle lens. Most point and shoot digital cameras don’t have a very wide angle lens, but most of the newer phones do. You might just get a new phone with a wide angle lens.

I use a Fuji XP, waterproof and very rugged, dropped of my car hood several times on a blacktop parking lot. Has a wide 5x optical lens. Small shirt pocket camera. The quality of my pictures are a little lacking but I get better shots on the fly while paddling or portaging.

"

Actually many of the mid range to high range superzoom cameras have very good wide angle capability...and produce excellent macro photos. Just wouldn't seem the same to take a long walk back behind the campsite exploring the woods, plants, flowers, mushrooms, spider webs, boulders, etc....with a cell phone. No thanks. "