[RC] Digital cameras for endurance riding - Flora Hillman
I'm about to embark out on a ride in the current snowstorm that is
busy burying the Washington DC area in (what is supposed to amount to) over a
foot and a half of snow, and I'm taking my new 4mg digital camera with
me.
I'd been researching and comparing digital cameras -- to use and
carry during endurance riding -- for the past 3 months. My 35 mm is too
heavy, and while my digital Sony Mavica was fast, easy, and (fairly) portable,
it was also too low a resolution to get the quality picture I wanted.
Plus the Sony blurred when a shot was taken at the "wrong time" during the
rise or fall of a trot.
I needed a very light, very easy, very small, very portable, super
high resolution camera that could be manipulated with one hand, and NOT blur
while taking shots, accept add-on lens -- wide-angle, close-up, and
a telephoto for increasing the focal length -- and use straight
or rechargeable batteries and/or battery packs. In short, I wanted all the
conveniences necessary for an endurance rider who is also a camera
fanatic. The ONLY camera that fit the bill
was the palm sized Kodak (DX4900) that takes
extraordinarily brilliant photos on the fly -- one-handed
aim-and-shoot while trotting or cantering -- and the photos come out crystal
clear, the colors are breathtakingly gorgeous, and the
resolution is phenomenal at 35mm quality. The printed photos are every
bit as good as those from my 35mm SLR Minolta. My son
even tested the capture ability of the digital's shutter speed by spinning
around in the circle, and clicking the shutter on the fly. The photo came
out looking like he'd been standing dead still. Amazing!
I've tested the camera out on two rides already -- slipping it in and out of my
jacket pocket numerous times (while wearing my thick woolen gloves) to capture a
quick shot while trotting along, and it's definitely a keeper!! Retails
between $350-$400. I plan on carrying it with me this year and
recording the scenery, people, and events for my monthly website.
Gotta go catch the pony and saddle up before the snow gets any
deeper. We're going to use our new polar fleece quarter sheet (which comes
up and covers the riders legs and saddle, as well as the pony's rump) since the
winds are starting to blow the snow sideways.
