I read a post from one of the people who posts here occasionally which stated that the best pictures he got were from the camera he carried in his shirt pocket. He carried a SLR with more than one lense but his best pictures came from a different camera because it was readily available. That has stuck with me and has effected the cameras I have purchased. I decided that the camera I carried must fit in my shirt pocket. My present camera is a Panasonic LUMIX ZS40. I carry it in a 1L SeaToSummit dry bag. It fits nicely in a 1 or a 1&1/2 L bag. The top of the bag roles down and the clasp goes around the camera providing some bump protection. I have gone in the water 3 times with the camera in one of these bags in my shirt pocket and the camera did not get a drop of water on it. With the optical zoom of 40 and stabilization hand held long photo length shots are easily accomplished. I have found the zoom allows me to see things my naked eye cannot. I no longer carry binoculars.

I have a Nikon CoolPix buts it's waterproof, so always in my pocket or hanging on a laynard around my neck. I take it swimming and enjoy having it to use with no fuss.

If asking me, I was off and good I looked. It's not Nikon, it's a Canon Powershot D10. I see it came out in 2009. I have thought about replacing it but haven't gotten around to looking. I won't get other than waterproof, but would like a little more "telescopic" ability.

PS regular batteries or rechargable or built in rechargable is an issue. I won't do built in. I've been pleased with the Canon rechargable as one lasts for up to two weeks, but not sure I can count on that. I do carry a second, but rarely swapped. Video killed one battery though so no video.

Edited by user Tuesday, February 21, 2017 7:49:16 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I have a Sony DSC-HX60V, a compact camera that in addition to stills, shoots video in several modes and different numbers of frames per second (fps). The quality of the still photos is quite good and it has a backlight correction that’s really useful.

Because of the awkwardness of converting AVCHD video to .mov clips, I decided to shoot mp4 on our Algonquin trip last summer. Unfortunately, it hadn’t registered with me that with AVCHD, I had 60 fps and with mp4, I was getting only 30 fps. Shooting from a rocking canoe, the fps is very important and on last summer’s Algonquin trip, lots of my video turned out to be unwatchable.

At 60 fps, I’ve shot lots of quite watchable video while skiing and hand holding the Sony.

It’s my understanding that GoPro’s shoot at 60 fps and that this is why videos shot from a skiier’s helmet are actually watchable.

If you want to see what can be done with a GoPro on a canoe trip, take a look at the website ExploreTheBackcountry. Wayne and Brad Jennings, the father and son who own the website, have posted video documentaries of lots of canoe trips in eastern and southern Ontario and have even posted one video with tips on video taping.

To me it’s clear that a skilled photographer with a top notch SLR can produce work that no one could ever achieve with my little Sony. Thing is though, like Gavia says, the best pictures are taken with the camera that’s available. It’s real hard to take a picture with a camera that’s buried in a case. My little Sony fits in a shirt pocket or even in the pockets of some PFD’s.

A big gripe I have with compact cameras is that they have only one eye to attach a cord to. If they had two eyes, I could rig a Rube Goldberg chest harness and it’d be easier to record that bull moose before he disappears into the north woods. You’d think some company would dream up a chest harness for a compact camera – something like you can buy for use with a GoPro.

I agree with everything Gavia writes, but especially the part about using a waterproof camera. Last summer a big wind and a hidden rock made me take an unplanned dip in Daisy Lake and my doing the wrong things fried the electronics in the Sony. If you think a compact waterproof camera won’t give you the results you think you deserve, then I recommend reading up on what to do and what not to do with a camera after going into the drink.