Another newby here

[Ilovemybike]

Hi all just joined wondering why would any of you suggest as a good camera ( user friendly) to take on day rides ,I know your going to say use your phone but runs out of charge easy

 

[6zfshdb]

I'm sure you'll get many good product recommendations but it really depends on what type of photography you plan to do. There are lots of technical issues to discuss with cameras and you can easily get lost in the specs.

Very basically, for general scenery situations I encounter while trail riding, I've been using an old Panasonic DMC ZS3. It fits in a shirt pocket and the rechargeable battery lasts all day if the flash is used sparingly. It's 12X optical zoom and 10 MP format is adequate for most shots I take. It was a $300 camera when new but I've had it for 10 years now and it isn't worth much should it be damaged or stolen. This is something to keep in mind when on a bike.

Lately, I've been looking at the new $400 Panasonic ZS80 as a replacement. It's 30X zoom and 20 MP format are likely overkill for trail use but I like that it can be recharged via the USB port on my bike.

I also use my smartphone on occasion for certain shots. The quality of the shots it takes is really amazing.

IMO, picture quality, size, ease of use and battery type are the main features to look for in a "bike" camera.

Welcome to the forum and good luck finding the perfect camera!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have found a Panasonic Lumix DMZ-FZ1000 an excellent and quite inexpensive camera that could be used on e-bike, although it is on a larger body side. The lens is excellent with a practical long range zoom and outstanding macro capabilities.

An FZ-1000 picture.

Long range telephoto picture with FZ-1000.

A long range landscape. All photos courtesy of @Brix.


I have tried several smaller cameras. It was disappointment after disappointment, especially with the Sony DSC-RX100M7 that was expensive, very small, but the image quality turned out to be terrible.

You could think of iPhone as it is both practical and with good image quality. Not joking! And taking a battery pack is still more lightweight than carrying a camera.

 

[Latitude]

I have been using an iPhone 7 with very good results posting online, although I doubt its image quality would be very useful for print. I am surprised to hear of Stefan’s disappointment with the Sony RX100. I have the III version of it, and it is my go-to camera for anything other than the bike. I have had excellent results with it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have been using an iPhone 7 with very good results posting online, although I doubt its image quality would be very useful for print. I am surprised to hear of Stefan’s disappointment with the Sony RX100. I have the III version of it, and it is my go-to camera for anything other than the bike. I have had excellent results with it.

It is tragically susceptible to chromatic aberration and purple fringing. Also, the tiny buttons at the back are too easy to be inadvertently pushed, which can totally spoil your next take.

 

[Ilovemybike]

Thank you all for getting back to me as i say I'm a newby on the site lots to think about and the macro shots are stunning