Camera recommendation to keep in cockpit

[Frank Smidler]

Flying season is approaching in the Midwest and I need to get a new camera to keep in the plane for those "I can't believe the view from up here" shots. The camera I have now is a few years old and my wife has problem seeing the shot in the view finder due to glare. It also is slow in focusing and half my pictures in the air are fuzzy. I'm looking for recommendations for an economical pocket camera that others have found works well in the cockpit of their RV. Thanks in advance.

[Ironflight]

I've been using a little Canon pocket digital now for several years, and Louise has one that is newer and works even better. Great imagery, they literally fit in a pocket, are rugged, and interface very well with Picasa and other imagery programs on computers. The videos that I have posted before? All done with my little Canon still camera....

Paul

[bhester]

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 but there is a newer (better) version now, the
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K
http://tinyurl.com/yk7fjrz

The thing I like the best is that it is a 10x optical zoom, not found in many small cameras of this size.

Here is a video that I made with the camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59nLDlzNGSE

Here are some pictures that I have taken:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bobbyhesterKY

[DCat22]

Originally Posted by bhester

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 but there is a newer (better) version now, the
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K
http://tinyurl.com/yk7fjrz

I love my (older) Lumix.

[Frank Smidler]

Originally Posted by bhester

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 but there is a newer (better) version now, the
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K
http://tinyurl.com/yk7fjrz

The thing I like the best is that it is a 10x optical zoom, not found in many small cameras of this size.

Here is a video that I made with the camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59nLDlzNGSE
]

Nice video, how did you mount the camera under the canopy?

[n5lp]

I have not kept up with this stuff which rapidly changes but at the time I picked a pocket camera I had two big priorities.

One is that I wanted optical image stabilization which is very useful in getting a sharp picture from an airplane during turbulence.

Two is that I wanted an optical viewfinder, which is very rare in this type of camera. With an optical viewfinder it is easy to see what you are taking a picture of under any reasonable lighting. Personally, I find cameras without this feature very frustrating to use.

I ended up with a Canon, similar to what Paul Dye and Louise Hose use. I have been happy with it, for such a small camera.

[Chino Tom]

Originally Posted by bhester

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 but there is a newer (better) version now, the
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K
http://tinyurl.com/yk7fjrz

The thing I like the best is that it is a 10x optical zoom, not found in many small cameras of this size.

This camera also has an equivelant 25mm (wide angle) which is perfect
for taking pictures of parked airplanes. I had an earlier Panasonic
Lumix super zoom that was perfect for formation pics. Although
I've migrated to a Nikon D-90, the DMC-ZS3 is on my list for a camera
for my flight bag. Here is a review of the new DMC-ZS7

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/pa...dmc_zs7-review

Lots of folks have the ZS3 on sale because the new version is out. The 12X zoom
and the 25mm wide angle is hard to beat. Although it doesn't have an optical view finder as
mentioned above, those are not easy to use in the airplane. The link above is a good resource
for camera research. Good luck.