The Burden of Digital Memories

I have a crisis. My electronic gadgets are taking up more and more weight on my outdoor adventures. It came to a head when I noticed that my camera, video camera, GPS and solar charger was weighing in at almost 10 lbs. Most of this is related to two main things: My desire for better quality memories of the trips and the need to document my adventures and gear for the blog.

I’m going to ask right away. What do you use and what weight sacrifices do you make for more memorable trips?

My Original Setup

I used to take just a single Panasonic 14 mp point and shoot with 720p video. It had its advantages. It is light, has an 8x optical zoom and the photos are impressive. The above family photo was taken with said camera. The downsides are that all the video settings (light, exposure, and most importantly focal point) are all locked in to the video when you start recording. Oh, and the sound was tinny. It has made for a lot of wasted footage for when I move closer or farther away from the camera in action shots. Also, it only had a display on the back, meaning you weren’t sure how much of you it was recording when you were on the other side. The huge benefit of this camera was that even with 4 batteries it weighed in at 7 ounces or so.

GoPro Mistakes – I’m no Hero 2 – FullHD

I replaced my Panasonic with a GoPro Hero2 at the recommendation of a friend. The GoPro, frankly, was a bad purchase. Why? The audio stinks. There’s a reason all GoPro videos are dubbed with music.

I had to buy a lot of accessories to make it work. I had to drop a lot of cash on other items such as a tripod mount, a wi-fi remote, a skeleton case for using an external mic and of course a dive housing. Yup, the GoPro comes with a waterproof case, but all underwater shots are blurry without the dive housing.

Oh, and out of the box most stuff didn’t work. I couldn’t even upgrade the firmware with the supplied software. I had to manually flash the firmware (against GoPro recommendations). After several firmware hiccups that left it glitchy it now works, and I will use it for three reasons: I spent a lot of money on it, I can get some interesting perspective shots with it, and it’s USB chargeable. That said, I am looking forward to using it in the water. At 9.3 ounces with the spare battery, etc., it doesn’t make too much of an impression on the pack weight.

Sony Action Camera – FullHD

Through my Social Media Influence (or Klout) I ended up with a Sony Action Cam. I liked that it worked right away and had most of the functionality that I had to buy separately for my Hero 2. I did have to buy an underwater lens, but it was much more reasonable than the Hero2 and the video quality is everything you’d expect from Sony. This is by far my favourite POV camera and frankly I may leave the Hero2 behind for the JMT. Oh, and the shape is a lot nicer than the Hero2. It weighs a tiny bit more (9.6 ounce), but again will provide some great POV and time delay shots.

Sony Handycam – FullHD

On a Boxing Day sale, I picked up a Sony handycam (580) to solve my original problems with my Panasonic Lumix. This was probably my best purchase yet. It solves pretty much all my problems with lighting, sound, auto-focus adjust, and a rotatable screen. It even has an external light for night shots that I’ve used instead of my helmet cam. It’s USB-charging and comes with 32 gigs of on board memory. I did buy an external condenser mic that should give much better sound for my reviews, DIYs and survival and outdoors trips. It’s great for everything except water. Plus, it weighs in at only 13 oz.

Sony a100 DSLR with lens

We were gifted an older DSLR by some very generous family members. The pictures are definitely superior in quality and there is a lot more control over things like exposure and f-stop. I added a Sigma 70-300 macro zoom lens, which although is entry level, was superior to Sony’s equivalent lens… as well as being more economical. I really like this setup, especially with the keyhole mount I bought for it. The only downside is that the camera weighs 33 oz. and the lens another 21 oz.

a bit of Solar Joos

For the John Muir Trail and Bowron Lakes Canoe circuit, I picked up a Solar Joos Orange solar charger. It charges any USB device, which makes it perfect for my hero2, actioncam and even my handycam. The only thing I haven’t been able to find is a charger for my Sony DSLR batteries. That means I needed to pick up a handful batteries for it for our adventures. The Solar Joos is water proof and has an internal battery, so I can charge the Joos Orange and then charge the cameras at camp at the end of the day. This sets me back 24 oz.

Worthwhile sacrifices?

So, am I crazy for taking all this stuff with me? Once I add cables, spare batteries and my other electronics it really does add a lot of weight to my pack (around 9.3 lbs.). If I didn’t have all that stuff, my pack would only weigh 14 lbs total and it would make for easy cruising.

What sacrifices do you think are worthwhile for good memories and quality photos?