Going to Glacier NP - Want To Buy a Real Camera

Magsrgod

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Hello Everyone!

This summer I'm checking off a bucket list item and heading to Glacier NP. For this adventure I think it's time I buy a real camera. I have very little requirements on what camera I should get but after poking around I came across the Pentax Cameras (K50,K70, KS2) and I really liked those ones because of the weather proofing they tout. I intend to do extensive strenuous hiking while at Glacier with the camera which is why the Pentax caught my eye. It may be a gimmick, if so just let me know.

My real goal with the camera is to get a panorama or a wide angle shot that I can have printed on canvas and hang in my living room. I'm thinking something along the lines of 12"x48" or 24"x28".

So I think my real question is 3 fold. Are the Pentax's worth looking at, will the camera be able to accomplish the panorama / wide angle picture I'm looking for and what kind of Lens will I need for it?

I'm thinking I will end up with 2 lenses, a good general purpose lens and one for the wide angle shot!

Thanks in advance!
 
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Welcome to the forum. I cannot recall hearing any bad things about Pentax cameras but since I've never used one, I will defer that question to others on the forum.

Sounds like an exciting trip that you are planning.
 
Hello Everyone!

This summer I'm checking off a bucket list item and heading to Glacier NP. For this adventure I think it's time I buy a real camera. I have very little requirements on what camera I should get but after poking around I came across the Pentax Cameras (K50,K70, KS2) and I really liked those ones because of the weather proofing they tout. I intend to do extensive strenuous hiking while at Glacier with the camera which is why the Pentax caught my eye. It may be a gimmick, if so just let me know.

My real goal with the camera is to get a panorama or a wide angle shot that I can have printed on canvas and hang in my living room. I'm thinking something along the lines of 12"x48" or 24"x28".

So I think my real question is 3 fold. Are the Pentax's worth looking at, will the camera be able to accomplish the panorama / wide angle picture I'm looking for and what kind of Lens will I need for it?

I'm thinking I will end up with 2 lenses, a good general purpose lens and one for the wide angle shot!

Thanks in advance!

Don't have much to add...but, if you are looking for a true panorama shot like that you will need more than just a wide angle camera lens...they will still give you the same aspect ratio either way. You might want to think about investing in a tripod as well so you can take multiple shots and stitch them together.

I also wonder if a smaller, mirrorless option might be more practical, but I don't know much about the conditions you will face in your trek.
 
Thanks Ron! I'm really excited to go, been waiting years to do this!
 
Was going to look into a decent collapsible tripod, I need something that will fit in a ~35L hiking pack and is semi light. Hike will be around 12 miles per day so less is more for those days! I will take a look at mirrorless cameras, I actually know nothing about them...honestly I couldn't have told if the Pentax were mirrored or mirrorless :345:
 
Was going to look into a decent collapsible tripod, I need something that will fit in a ~35L hiking pack and is semi light. Hike will be around 12 miles per day so less is more for those days! I will take a look at mirrorless cameras, I actually know nothing about them...honestly I couldn't have told if the Pentax were mirrored or mirrorless :345:

How much are you looking to pay? With limited space, it might be worth looking at the mirrorless cameras as the quality is just as good as a full DSLR in most cases, and they are much, much smaller.

A budget would help folks point you in the right direction.
 
Was going to look into a decent collapsible tripod, I need something that will fit in a ~35L hiking pack and is semi light. Hike will be around 12 miles per day so less is more for those days! I will take a look at mirrorless cameras, I actually know nothing about them...honestly I couldn't have told if the Pentax were mirrored or mirrorless :345:

How much are you looking to pay? With limited space, it might be worth looking at the mirrorless cameras as the quality is just as good as a full DSLR in most cases, and they are much, much smaller.

A budget would help folks point you in the right direction.

I think somewhere around $1000 for the whole setup. Camera, lens, bag, tripod and a good SD card.
 
Definitely get a real camera. The imaginary one I've been using fell and broke.

Seriously, though, I'm happy with my recent Olympus EM1 purchase for an upcoming trip. The small size is awesome, and it takes decent photos. The lens selection could be better, but it'll also set you back more than $1K, unless you go used.

I agree with @JonA_CT; stitching several shots together may be the way to go.

How many days are you going? One reason I ask is that you said "a good SD card". Notice the emphasis of "a". I'm going on a two week trip, and I think I have 8 SD cards, haha. I'd highly recommend more than one.

Do you already have a bag? If you do, there are some nice inserts that you can buy to put in non-camera bags: Tenba BYOB 10 Camera Insert Gray 636-223 B&H Photo Video
 
A few years ago we had a regular Pentax user here who just simply loved the weather proofing that Pentax talked about. You need to consider to the lenses: not all lenses are water-resistant. And again considering the season of the year and the location I don't think you'll encounter too much rain in the summer there, but I do understand the desire or a camera that can be placed near a waterfall or worn on the chest during light rain Etc. However for many people a hiking camera is carried in a waist pack and is protected from the elements for most of the day, except when it's actually out and being shot.

I think you should also consider some type of solar battery charging here so you'll have plenty of juice while there. Too good and well broken-in batteries should be taken with you. For the Pano shot, yes, I agree a Multi Shot Pano that is later stitched together will probably be the best option, and to do that a wide-angle lens is not what you really want you want something longer that has less Distortion at the sides of the frame, something like a pancake normal lens in the 40 to 60 millimeter range, shooting a 5-, 6-, or even a 7-shot tall Pano would probably be stunning.
 
Thank you guys for all of you replies. I did some poking around town and asked some people I know that are photographers. The general consensus was the camera body will be largely irrelevant, all new / modern DSLR bodies will be able to do what I'm looking for and as Derrel said its mostly going to come down to my lens choice. This is where I get lost, ideally I would like to be able to take general pictures, maybe some close up's of wild flowers and of course the pano. Is there any specific lenses you would recommend for the Pentax K70 or KS2, I looked for pancake lenses and I got lost with all the different options.

One of the bundles I was looking at came with a "SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL DC WR Lens" which looks to be more of an all purpose lens and gets OK reviews.
 
Definitely get a real camera. The imaginary one I've been using fell and broke.

Seriously, though, I'm happy with my recent Olympus EM1 purchase for an upcoming trip. The small size is awesome, and it takes decent photos. The lens selection could be better, but it'll also set you back more than $1K, unless you go used.

I agree with @JonA_CT; stitching several shots together may be the way to go.

How many days are you going? One reason I ask is that you said "a good SD card". Notice the emphasis of "a". I'm going on a two week trip, and I think I have 8 SD cards, haha. I'd highly recommend more than one.

Do you already have a bag? If you do, there are some nice inserts that you can buy to put in non-camera bags: Tenba BYOB 10 Camera Insert Gray 636-223 B&H Photo Video

Yeah I plan on getting a few SD cards, do you guys find the high performance ones are worth the extra cost? Or should I just be looking to maximize the space I can get for the dollar? I don't have a bag yet, that one looks great for traveling. I was also looking to see if they make a bag I can attach to my hiking pack with a few carabiners.

I'm really looking forward to this and I think I'm pretty much set on the Silver / Green Pentax K70.
 
Some good advice in this thread already. On SD cards, try and find out the write speed of your camera (this is the limiting factor for your SD card). Then try and get a card with a writing speed that is a little faster. Almost all advertising for cards are the reading speeds, which is irrelevant when taking a photograph.
 
Silver / Green Pentax K70
Also, glad to see you chose the camera you want! Now comes the fun part, buying it and taking test shots! :) Learn about all of the features you can PRIOR to your trip.
 
I was also looking to see if they make a bag I can attach to my hiking pack with a few carabiners.

Hmm, not sure about a bag specifically for that. You could always get a pouch and attached it via clips or something?

Or holsters like these:
But the holsters don't provide protection, especially if you're hiking through brush...

I just looked at the first bag you posted again and I completely missed the last picture of it in the hiking pack. I think that pack will be absolutely perfect, infact I just ordered it!
 

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