CURRENT CAMERAS:
COMPACT DIGITAL OPTION 1 (Point-and-Shoot): Canon PowerShot ELPH 160 (20.0 MP) (Apr 2015-present)
I almost always have a camera with me when I rock climb. My "climbing camera" setup involves a camera case equipped with a carabiner that I clip to my climbing harness, and an extendable tether attaching the camera and the case so that the camera can be dropped and not lost. With this setup, I can easily whip out the camera mid-pitch. The light and slim ELPH 160 has been my climbing camera of choice from April 2015 onward. The ELPH 160 was an upgrade for the Canon SD1200 (my climbing camera from August 2009-April 2015). My climbing cameras live a rugged life, and usually last just a single season before I replace it with another I usually find on ebay.
COMPACT DIGITAL OPTION 2 (some Manual features): Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 (20.2 MP) (Aug 2017-present)
Over the recent years as I've focused more on technical climbing than backpacking adventures, my SLR has become too cumbersome and expensive for the fast-and-light approach. But my purely automatic point-and-shoot climbing camera is a bit inadequate for capturing wider angles, morning and evening light, and various creatures and plants along the way. Since I adventure in such cool places, it is important to me to have an adequate camera. The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 has been a great option. It is my default camera for any hike or overnight trip. Like my ELPH 160, I have the RX100 set up so that it clips to my harness and can be taken up a technical climb. The RX100 is heavier and bulkier (and pricier) than the ELPH 160, but it does take better photos, so if the coolness of the area I am climbing in warrants the better quality of the RX100 over its additional weight, I take the RX100 on a climb.
SLR: Canon 7D Digital SLR (18.0 MP) (Feb 2012-present)
This is a great body to support my line up of Canon Lenses (10-22mm wide angle, 24-105mm zoom, 400mm telephoto, 100mm macro). Right now, with climbing as my focus and my compact digital camera documenting my adventures, my SLR doesn't see much use. Every spring I do pull it out to do some bird photography. Interests and time allocations in life ebb and flow, and someday I am sure I will pick up my SLR again with gusto. I still have aspirations of doing another major birding roadtrip.
RETIRED CAMERAS:
SLR:
Canon 20D Digital SLR (8.2 MP) (May 2005-May 2007)
This was my first digital SLR, bought in 2005. It would probably still be taking photos (maybe it still is), but it was stolen in May 2007 and insurance replaced it with the 30D.
Canon 30D Digital SLR (8.2 MP) (May 2007-Jan 2009)
This camera was pretty much identical to my stolen 20D. In Jan 2009, I upgraded to the 15.1 megapixel 50D, and my dad is using this camera.
Canon 50D Digital SLR (15.1 MP) (Jan 2009-Jan 2012)
For three years, this faithful camera joined me on most all of my adventures. After a productive and exciting albeit hard life, it finally just stopped working while doing some winter bushwhacking in the North Cascades; it now holds a permanent place of honor on my camera shelf. This camera impressed me with the quality of the photographs it produced; its only disadvantage was that it was heavy compared to my Rebel.
Canon Rebel XTi Digital SLR (10.1 MP) (Apr 2008-Apr 2011)
I owned this camera for three years. I initially bought it in April 2008 when I went on my birding roadtrip and needed two cameras to avoid constantly changing lenses. It then became the SLR I took on my more rigorous backcountry adventures (since it is lighter-weight and less expensive than the 50D) until I sold it in April 2011 to a friend.
POINT-AND-SHOOT / COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA:
Canon PowerShot S30 (3.0 MP) (Jun 2002-2006)
This was my first digital camera, bought with my high school scholarship money in 2002. Although not an SLR, it had a fully-manual option, which was how I learned how to tweak my own exposure settings. This camera took some pretty good photographs despite its 3MP resolution. It lasted through an impressive number of rigorous mountain adventures from 2002-2006.
Canon PowerShot A530, Nikon Coolpix 5600, Fujifilm Finepix J10 (5.0 - 8.2 MP) (2007-Aug 2009)
These are three point-and-shoot cameras corresponding to the climbing seasons of 2007, 2008, and 2009. None took as nice of photos as my previous S30, and the cheapo Fujifilm camera broke on a mellow trail hike. The Nikon Coolpix—a solid and functional camera that still works, just is a bit prehistoric in resolution and bulk—I sometimes still use as my "dashboard camera" on the dashboard of my car or bike just for roadtripping fun.
Canon SD1200 IS (10.0 MP) (Aug 2009-Apr 2015)
This light and slim point-and-shoot was my "climbing camera" (i.e. the one I clip on my harness for technical climbs) from August 2009 to April 2015, until I replaced it with the ELPH 160 in April 2015. The SD1200 worked fine but had been antiquated by the improvements in digital camera technology over its lifespan.
Canon PowerShot SX700 HS (16.1 MP) (Jan 2016-Jul 2017)
I was looking to get a lightweight digital camera with some manual features to serve as my "climbing camera", so when in January 2016 a friend tipped me off to a $160 price tag on refurbished SX700 models, I purchased this compact digital camera. Unfortunately, after about a year this camera started to develop lens issues and had a lot of dust inside the lens, so in August 2017 I replaced it with a Sony Cyber-shot RX100 I bought from a friend. The RX100 has become one of my main compact digital camera options.
HELMET CAMERA / VIDEO:
(All of my lenses fit Canon SLRs without a full-frame sensor, like the Rebel or 50D. Only the EF lenses—and not the EF-S lenses—fit the SLRs with full-frame sensors, like the 5D.)
CURRENT LENSES:
WIDE ANGLE: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (April 2010-present)
Landscapes, night photos, any other objects. This wide angle lens is now my primary multipurpose/backcountry lens (which had previously been the 17-85mm, see below). The wide angle has added a new perspective to my outdoor photography, and can make even a mediocre photo stand out.
STANDARD ZOOM: Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM (May 2011-present)
Multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. A high-end replacement for my 17-85mm (broken to a 17-42.5mm) with a nice zoom range and super sharp.
TELEPHOTO: Canon Telephoto EF 400mm f/5.6L USM (July 2006-present)
This is a great lens, light enough for handheld photography, and in good light gives sharp shots. I use it mostly for photographing birds.
MACRO: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM (June 2005-present)
Bugs, flowers, water drops, etc. I have only compliments for this wonderful lens.
RETIRED LENSES:
STANDARD ZOOM: Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4.0-5.6 IS USM (June 2005-April 2010)
Multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. This lens served me well on many backcountry adventures until I got the 10-22mm wide angle and 24-105mm zoom. (this lens was turned into a 17-42.5mm in 2008 when it was dropped, but works fine otherwise!)
STANDARD ZOOM: Canon EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 IS (May 2008-April 2011)
Multipurpose lens - landscapes, night photos, any other objects. Although not as sharp or versatile as my 10-22mm or 24-105mm lenses, it has the advantage of being a lighter weight and cheaper lens that I use on more rigorous or lengthy backcountry adventures. (sold to friend in April 2011)
FISHEYE: Lensbaby 12mm Ultra-Wide (Fisheye) Lens with Scout Mount for Canon EF (Jan 2011)
With its 160° field of view and focal point that nearly touches the lens, the fisheye allows the photographer to capture eye-popping angles, creative focus points, and unique perspectives. I owned this lens for a weekend, but decided to return it due to the fact that the edges of the fisheye image were cropped off by my camera's non-full-frame sensor (plus I couldn't really afford a new lens on a student budget anyway). I will wait until Canon makes an EF-S fisheye or I acquire a full-frame camera, whichever comes first. I can see some real potential for a fisheye lens and photography of starry night skies! (owned for a weekend in Jan 2011)
Tripod with ball head (mostly for low-light exposures and bird photography) (4.5 lb)
Gorilla-pod (a great lightweight tripod for backcountry travel) (8.5 oz)
Batteries (2.6 oz each for SLR, 0.6 oz each for point and shoot, 1 oz each for helmet cam, 0.5 oz each for AAA, 0.8 each for AA) and Battery chargers (4.4 oz for SLR, 3 oz for point and shoot, 11 oz for helmet cam)
Memory cards (~0.2-0.5 oz)
UV Filter for each lens (for protecting lens from scratches) (~2.5 oz each)
Graduated neutral density filter 4x6", 0.6 (2 stops), soft edge (hand held filter for balancing light intensity in high-contrast scenes) (~8 oz)
Intervalometer for long-exposure nighttime shots and timelapses (this is a camera remote that allows you to set the exposure length, number of exposures, and interval between exposures; a standard camera remote is sufficient for a single exposure, but the interval feature is great for creating timelapses) (5 oz)
Canon 430EX II Speedlite Shoe-Mount Flash (an external flash) (11.6 oz)
GPS photo tracker by AMOD (records a GPS track which can be correlated via time stamp to assign GPS locations to the photos) (1.8 oz)
Chest harness and carrying case for carrying SLR (very useful for backpacking) (~15 oz)
Camera pouch with hard shell for point-and-shoot camera or GoPro (I strap it around my shoulder when I climb) (~4.5 oz)
Helmet strap/mount/tether (have both a strap and fixed mount, with tether just in case) for GoPro helmet cam (strap: 3.2 oz, mount: ~0.8 oz, tether: ~0.5 oz)
Arctic Butterfly Sensor Cleaning Brush by Visible Dust (for removing those pesky dust specks from the sensor) (~8 oz)
