Gizmos!
(Pic; Dave Donaldson with his camera on the 2003 trek)
Just A guy thing? Not really...ipods, solar panels, cameras, feminine urinary devices, battery chargers, coffee presses, thermal cups, pillows. Gosh. This section has them all, with some good, scathing, and semi serious, plus serious pre trek advice.
Cameras.
Endless discussions on the right model, but one thing most trekkers these days agree upon is that digital is the way to go; 35mm, APS, instamatic, (seriously) all have their adherents, but the ease of use plus the ability to review and delete, and of course edit pictures, is the big advantage.
The sheer portability of the new digital compacts is, of course, the other big factor.
So you have 3 options in the digital world; compacts, pro-am compacts, and the SLR camera.
Just to get an idea, here is a link to an example of each.
Compact; The Olympus Stylus 800
Pro-am compact; The Canon Powershot G7
(basically this is a high end compact that comes very close in quality to the SLR cameras)
SLR; The Olympus E500
These reviews really do tell you all you need to know, going far into technical realms. I (Joel) trek in incredibly varied areas, and also bike and travel a lot in my spare time, from minus 40c on the Chadar to the sandy beaches of Dorset to the muggy foothills of the Indian Himalaya...
Some of the cameras I use, and why!
Olympus C8080 wide zoom
A collectors item, but one worth looking for. Fast start up time, a digital viewfinder (saves incredibly on powers) and a magnesium and rubberised body; 8 mp, plus takes both XD and CF cards, plus takes an excellent battery pack, plus a 22-100 wide angle. And something fast vanishing from the Digital market, a folding viewing screen - waist level shooting- and that Olympus lens.
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Olympus E500 SLR
Nearing retirement, my first digital SLR was really well used, but I needed to revert to the sturdier E1 (see below) the plastic body rapidly was worn out by sheer use, and the buttons likewise. Nevertheless, with the added viewfinder magnifier, an excellent camera, easy to use, and of course, light, with a really bright and clear picture viewibf screen.
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Next, charging is not possible once the trek has begun; villages in the Indian Himalayas have no mains supply, and the solar systems they do have are not set up for western gadgets.
If you need to charge your camera, you should look at different solar panels on the market, but make sure that they have an adaptor to fit your camera or battery charger.
Here are some options.
The Solio solar charger
Comes in at $99, and is a small tear dropped shape pod that opens into a solar panel array; unlike most solar panels, it has an internal battery. so that you do not need to wire your camera, ipod, etc, on the trail, but keep it charging on your rucksack all day long, then charge up in the evening. It comes with a range of adaptors and leads to suit whatever your are using, including the car type adaptor.
And it comes in pink!
Brunton solar panels
Come in a range of sizes with prices from the reasonable to the downright silly - these are worth investing in if you are really going to be spending a lot of time in the outdoors; very sturdily made, but they are really only usable on arriving at your campsite.
Silva Solar Panels
Yes, from the people that brought those compasses...
They do a few models, all designed to charge AA or AAA batteries; they are good but the plastic cases are easily breakable.
