Comments on: The Logistics of Mountaineering Photography: Part One

By: nisha joshi

nisha joshi — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:38:38 +0000

i like it:)

By: Branden McIntyre

Branden McIntyre — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:13:49 +0000

Durability between plastic and magnesium isn’t really a problem. This is because if you drop your camera, it’s generally going to slide 2-3,000 ft down and you’re never going to see it again. It doesn’t really matter how strong the body of the camera is if it’s sitting at the bottom of a crevasse. I’ve taken both plastic and magnesium cameras to altitude and they’ve performed exactly the same. With mountaineering, the prime consideration is weight, not the durability of the body.

I much prefer the interface of the prosumer cameras, but as long as you don’t mind the compromise of the interface changes for a lower level body, it’ll save a good amount of weight off your back. This is huge at altitude.

Water isn’t a giant issue at altitude as precipitation is generally in the form of snow, not rain. As long as you brush off the snow that does get on your camera, it’s going to be fine. I’ve had an XSI in weather for the past couple years and it hasn’t let me down. If you’re really concerned, there are a bunch of cheap waterproof bags available for SLRs that work better than weather sealing.

By: Kacper Antoszewski

Kacper Antoszewski — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:52:35 +0000

While I agree that bringing a typical full-frame camera is too heavy for mountaineering, I wouldn’t agree with skipping on prosumer camera’s in favour of consumer SLR’s like canon’s rebel series (triple-digit D series camera’s in europe/japan). The differences are more than ergonomic: most importantly, prosumer bodies are usually made of sturdy magnesium, both more durable against falls and rocks, *especially* in cold weather. Consumer SLR’s tend to be made of plastic, which while admittedly lighter, are terrible as far as durability, especially in cold weather when the plastic becomes rigid. I have had enough problems with these cameras in clement weather that I wouldn’t dream taking them up an alpine mountain. Prosumer SLR’s also offer additional water and dust resistance (although nothing like the 1D, which I’ve heard can be safely washed with a garden hose). *Personally*, from my own experience, avoid consumer SLR’s for this sort of application.

By: Alexandre Buisse

Alexandre Buisse — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:16:09 +0000

Heh yes, I went for a BBQ at Ted’s place (and got myself a nice pulley injury on his climbing wall). It was fun to meet them in Yannapaccha a couple of days later.

By: Branden McIntyre

Branden McIntyre — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:22:45 +0000

It’s a beautiful area of the world. Funny enough I know the person and dog in one of your photos on that page. The dog is named toast and the guy climbing is Ted from Skyline Adventures (http://www.skyline-adventures.com/). It’s a small world.

By: Alexandre Buisse

Alexandre Buisse — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:53:01 +0000

Nice article, Branden. I just wanted to mention that I was in the process of writing a book on hiking and climbing photography that should cover all of these issues (should be in the bookshelves in early 2011), and I also have a similar article on my website. Interestingly, all of the images in the article were shot on Chopicalqui, almost visible on your photo. I had been in that camp and climbed Yanappaccha three days before, but didn't get such a nice photo as yours.

By: Tom @ Leica Camera Source

Tom @ Leica Camera Source — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:27:49 +0000

Great stuff, man. Always nice to see the work of a peer. You should add buttons to the bottom of your posts to digg, stumble, etc your content.-Tom

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:31:52 +0000

Thanks Branden. Great info