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#258619 - 04/05/13 08:14 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
boatman Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/10/03
Posts: 424
Loc: Michigan
Could one use a camera to take picktures of their back trail while on a hike.Then follow the picture sequence back.Just a thought.....

BOATMAN
John

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#258621 - 04/05/13 09:14 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
chaosmagnet Online   content
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Isn't that what cellphone cameras are for? You can disguise the photos as being those of your traveling companions, if that makes things easier for you.

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#258623 - 04/05/13 10:44 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
Denis Offline
Addict

Registered: 01/09/09
Posts: 631
Loc: Calgary, AB
While not a survival essential, there can be survival uses for cameras (or at least their flashes). The most interesting story I recall was a German tourist who got lost on the ice of the North Sea and fired off his flash hoping someone would see him & help out. It turns out a woman watching a webcam for the area saw the flashes and contacted police who ended up saving the man.

Here's another case of a lost hiker using a flash as a signalling tool: Lost hiker uses camera flash to signal location
_________________________
Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck. Roald Amundsen

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#258624 - 04/05/13 10:45 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
Bingley Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 1576
I am unsure about the idea of a "survival camera," and that's why I started this thread. It does seem the the applications in wilderness are few and marginal. I wonder whether there might not be more uses for a camera/camcorder in an urban survival setting (e.g., after a flood or earthquake), but all the uses I can think of involve being able to share the pictures over internet (e.g., this is where we are, and there is no exact street address because everything got washed away/knocked down; Avoid this intersection! I've got a nasty cut that looks like this, how can I patch it up? Should I worry about this gas tank with a weird symbol on it?). Of course, the internet will probably be down in your location during a disaster.

As for cell phone vs. a real camera, I do think there is a difference between the average cell phone and the better P&S. But since you're not creating art, it probably wouldn't matter at all except in low-light situations. The P&S wouldn't be good in that as well, but the cell phone would be worse.

To Hikermor: don't laugh -- there *are* tactical cameras if you just google.

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#258627 - 04/05/13 11:48 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
Eugene Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/26/02
Posts: 2995
How about:
Regular camera advantage is taking pictures without the temptation to share right away smile
Spare batteries for GPS.
If you can take the extra weight a prosumer/super zoom is nice to have. This does give better than cell phone camera pictures and the 12-20x zoom is like having binoculars. Ours is a Canon S3 IS.

I also like to have some redundancy in complex gear. So my cellphone has a gps and camera and I have a spare battery for it, I also have a standalone camera and gps. I prefer to keep the cellphone padded safely inside and thee standalone devices out and in use, so if I drop one in I don't loose my phone.

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#258628 - 04/05/13 11:49 PM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
comlpro Offline
Newbie

Registered: 02/21/06
Posts: 28
I agree with the comments re cell phone photos. Creative Continuum in Fullerton, CA does put out a book on "iphonetography". An interesting book that might improve cell phone picture taking.

I am not employed by CC and get no reward from them, but I do know the company.

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#258631 - 04/06/13 12:47 AM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
Snake_Doctor
Unregistered


The cheap point and shoots can be torn apart by hand when the film has been exposed and is safely in it/s cannister. You could start a fire with the lenses, there's an alkiline AA batteryery and various springs in there as well. That's survival use. Also you can document injuries and take nifty pics of your survival camp and terrain to post on ETS when you make it back.

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#258634 - 04/06/13 02:15 AM Re: Cameras? [Re: comlpro]
Bingley Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 1576
Originally Posted By: comlpro
I agree with the comments re cell phone photos. Creative Continuum in Fullerton, CA does put out a book on "iphonetography".


There is a difference between using taking artistic pictures under ideal, sometimes even controllable conditions, possibly with post-processing, and taking sharp, clear pictures that may push the limitations of the lens, in less-than-ideal, possibly low-light circumstances. If you go to camera company websites, you will find many excellent examples of photography done with their worst cameras. How? They had experts milking every drop out of the camera in an optimized situation, so the 100% point-and-shoot looks as good as the $3,000 SLR. But the base performance is not that.

@Eugene: I know the Canon S3. That size is pretty balky, though it does many of the things one could want -- macro as well as telephoto, many manual controls, AA batteries, you can sort of do long exposure. You can even get lenses. The manual focusing is terrible. There are other mega zooms like it, but at that size you're almost carrying a little SLR.

I guess weather spotters can take a picture of the coming tornado before they turn and run for shelter...

I'm not sure what macro would be good for except: "This is a close up of my mystery bug bite. Am I gong to die?"

No, guys, I'm not looking for an excuse to buy a camera "for survival." The next camera I want is a Contax G2. Being an amateur photographer, I just started thinking about what one might look for in a camera if one were to include one in the kit.

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#258639 - 04/06/13 10:35 AM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
jshannon Offline
Addict

Registered: 02/02/03
Posts: 647
Loc: North Texas
As a survival use, some may take a picture of themselves or their shoes and leave the camera in their car before a wilderness trip. That gives what they are wearing. Others might take pics of their kids before an outing even to the mall in case of child abduction.

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#258640 - 04/06/13 11:57 AM Re: Cameras? [Re: Bingley]
bacpacjac Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 3601
Loc: Ontario, Canada
I usually take my point and shoot out with me, and do keep an extra set of batteries for it in my kits (2 x AA), but I don't consider it a survival aid. I could use the batteries and lens for fire starting, and could probably use the plastic housing to collect a little water, but my only thought real thought when packing it is to take pictures for the family photo album.

My son and I often use the pictures as post-trip conversation starters about survival skills, resources and tools, so I suppose we could could consider the camera a survival aid in that it helps better prepare the brain? That's the most important piece of survival gear we have, right?
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