Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Rehash an old discussion, cameras

I am looking for a light weight, pocket size camera to take on JMT. Canon, Nikon,? Looking for great pictures, easy to use, good battery life, pano pictures a plus and willing to spend $300 or so. All suggestions, with pros and cons, please.
Thank you in advance.

I love my Panadonic Lumix point and shoot (I have the DMC-lx5). The lens is made by Leica, and Leica knows lenses....

Ditto on the Panisonic Lumix. I have taken quality photos that people would never guess were taken with a point and shoot. Richard P over at the WPSMB has taken stunning shots with his Lumix, especially captivating was the ability to retain the quality of the lighting.

I have the Panasonic Lumix, too. Only I carried it in my pants pocket and learned the hard way that doing so will cause too much lint to get into the camera, causing noticeable spots on the picture, especially when I take a picture of a uniform background, like a white wall or the sky. Any camera with a lens that retracts will have this issue, so keep it clean.

I have disassembled mine twice and cleaned the lint off the sensor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nmwt0frZns

I have been using a zipper case for the camera that I use on my belt, and that seems to have fixed the problem.

It takes great pictures:

Steve and Bee, which models do you have? Thanks for the replies.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

I would suggest an all weather camera something like Olympus Tough TG1
Great pics and you can throw it in with all your other stuff, since its "tough"

Steve- Would the DMC-ZS7 be the new version of your model, or another all together?

I have the same model; I believe that it is the older version as mentioned above.

Actually, the ZS5 and ZS7 both came out in June 2010. The ZS7 is way more expensive, comes with a bigger screen, and GPS.

There is also an SZ7, which came out Jan 2012. Caused me some confusion.

Here's a great site I've found and used to compare just about any camera you can buy. Used it to compare the cameras for the above info:

DPReview.com side-by-side

Thanks to all for your info

Purchased my second Lumix because I cracked the screen on my old one. I got a used DMC-ZS7 for $100 off ebay. Great camera GPS tagged photos, face recognition, Leica lens, 12mp, fits in a small pouch on by belt and is easy to pull out and shoot.

> fits in a small pouch on by belt and is easy to pull out and shoot

Yes, that's the way I carry mine now. Way cleaner than in my pants pocket.

$100 is a great deal!!!

Well I went with a Nikon AW110 on the advice of a trusted friend and hiking buddy. Taking it into Desolation Wilderness this coming week. I'll report back with review. Wanted something that will take a beating.