Cameras
Archive
With helmet cams ubiquitous at ski resorts and on trails, everyone is a filmmaker nowadays. But making a good movie takes some practice, planning, and just a pinch of luck.
Thule makes great roof racks, bike and ski and boat mounts, rooftop boxes, and snow chains. It makes laptop and table bags that Apple likes so much that they're sold in the company's stores around the world. Thule's luggage is…
Last week, on a safari in South Africa’s Kgalagadi (Kalahari) Transfrontier Park, I picked up my SLR with the long lens to photograph a lioness and her kill at a watering hole, and the strap simply fell off the camera. I got lucky—my $2,000-worth of electronics…
When it comes to holiday giving, you should never have to choose. This year, our editors have pulled together 68 perfect ideas—priced from $4 to $50,000—guaranteed to make anyone on your list feel like a million bucks.
If you feel like merely filming yourself when you’re going big isn’t enough, or maybe that you'd like to be the star of your very own Truman Show, check out Memoto’s 007-style camera, which constantly records your life with…
Sharing powder shots, filming your friend's huck, and keeping in touch have never been easier with gadgets like Fujifilm's XP170 and the DeLorme InReach communicator.
Most of us have ditched our point-and-shoot cameras and we're taking photos with our phones. iPhone cameras are pretty darn good, and by using a phone as your camera, you carry one device and you can…
You are, no doubt, already familiar with the mini power plants known as camp stoves. The ReadySet is a different kind of mobile energy source that generates and stores electrical power generated by the sun or pedal power. While it wasn't originally designed for outdoor recreation, it…
Watch live streaming video from cornellherons at livestream.com As I write this, I can hear geese and a Belted Kingfisher in the distance and I'm watching a Great Blue Heron sitting over her day-old egg. I'm thousands of miles away from…
Photo: Fraunhofer IZM There was a time when the ski resort experience was not punctuated by the sound of ringtones and “hey, is my GoPro on?” But those days are gone forever. You may or may not lament this. But our desire to take technology with us…
I'm a photographer and cinematographer, and I'm looking for a backpack that can double as a photo bag for hiking, skiing, and mountain climbing. I've found that Lowepro bags are too small. What do you recommend?
Left: Horsetail Falls, 2011. Photo: Joe Azure Right: The Firefall. Photo: National Park Service The window is closing on a yearly glimpse of a natural phenomena at Yosemite National Park, during which the angle of the sun and the flow of water off…
Badenoch, training. Photo: Joe Bell This spring, Andrew Badenoch plans to launch a 7,000-mile trip from Bellingham, Wash., up to the southern coast of the Arctic Ocean, before looping back. His locomotion will…
Michael Muller and his crew head to Fiji with the Travel Channel to photograph seven species of sharks in five days. See Muller’s shark photos here.
Like just about everybody else on the planet who skis or bikes, we've been using GoPros for several years. Naturally, when the company told us they were about to unveil a new one, we were interested. While the HD Hero 2 looks just like…
Intern Dave dives deep for Olympus’s waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof point and shoot, the TG-810. For more of the right travel gear, check out our travel essentials.
We could fill weeks of posts about all the cool new products we saw at last week's Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City. But we won't. Instead, we've begun calling it in and field-testing it. Depending on how it fares, you'll likely read about…
A tough aluminum case to protect your camera while climbing. $56…
Design and Technology Special: The world's most streamlined and innovative new gear, gadgets, tools and toys, including Lomography's Fisheye No. 2 Shiawase camera.
Who can say no to free gear? Not too many here at ϳԹ, that's for sure. If the same is the case with you, then you'll want to check out Transworld Surf's 30 Days of Giveaways before the month-long…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=66GIShXATts Photographer Lucas Gilman, recently featured on MSNBC for shooting kayaker Rafia Ortiz's descent of Mexico's 128-foot Big Banana Falls, just released this video offering tips to aspiring adventure sport photographers. “There's only once chance to capture a first descent,” says Gilman. The video's set…
What camera tripod would you recommend for backpacking travel through Europe? Haven't decided on taking the Canon Powershot or the Rebel. Robin Tucson, AZ
Why It’s CoolA rather stunning metering system compares the kind of shot you’re about to take with an onboard file of more than 30,000 “image maps.” Instantly locating the closest match, the N75 balances the exposure perfectly. » This sucker will shoot almost two frames per second and, once you’ve…
Why It’s CoolCanon clearly gets feedback from pros; their cameras are better balanced and easier to hold while scrambling up trails. » The metering system measures focal distance and light from 35 locations within the frame. I captured perfectly balanced images, whether I was using close focus to secure shots…
One-Second Photo Polaroid is dead. Long live Polaroid! When the company announced in February 2008 that it was discontinuing production of its iconic instant film, reports about the end of an era ignored the fact that Fuji has supplied “Polaroid” film to the commercial industry for years. To fill the…
Advice on finding the best gear—and tried-n-true methods for maintaining your gear for years to come.
Overlooked mountain ranges, river beer, running album, gear of all time, and 47 other big ideas, accidental winners, and awesome things about the world outside we've come to love over the past 33 years. Introducing our first annual Editors' Choice Awards...
National Geographic photographer and editor at large Michael “Nick” Nichols has spent the past 20 years doing a job thatlet’s face itwe’ve all wanted at one point. Nichols is best known for his photographs of biologist Michael Fay’s 1999 crossing of the Congo, as well as for his use of…
From Everest to El Capitan, climbing photographer Jimmy Chin shoots in some of the most demanding terrain on earth. This is the gear he brings.
Our esteemed gear editors offer the insight and advice you need to find the right gear for you.
I can’t find a camera-gear pack that includes hydration system capability. Any help from within your deep “bag” of experience? Clay Wimberley, Texas
What's the best point-and-shoot film camera? I entering the Peace Corps in a few months and know that I will be in rural Africa. I need a small camera that will have a long battery life, will be durable enough to withstand life on the continent, and will take high-quality pictures. I usually use Nikon digital cameras and at a loss as to which point-and-shoot to choose. Katie Chico, California
I'm getting into photography for the first time and need a decent camera for taking wildlife shots. Can you point me in the right direction? Warren Portsmouth, United Kingdom
I need a waterproof backpack for my digital SLR on canoe trips—something that won't leak at all! I've checked REI and other outdoor websites and stores, but couldn't find anything. Do you have any suggestions? Brandon Hilton, Ontario
After a disappointing performance on Mount Rainier, I have decided to retire my point-and-shoot and start carrying an SLR into the mountains with me. But what kind? Should I choose a pro-level for toughness and control? A compact for its light weight and portability? A manual focus for both light weight and durability? Or are digital SLRs now reliable enough for the cold and exposure in the mountains? Nick Los Angeles, California
I have a Yashica T4, bought new in 2001. It no longer works (not a battery problem). What should I do with it? It's a great little point-and-shoot. Hate just to toss it. Nick Santa Fe, New Mexico
I'm a snowboarder interested in recording video footage of skiing and 'boarding. The mind boggles, though, with all the available formats, options, models, etc. I've also been told I should get a camera with a wide-angle lens, but all the salespeople I've asked didn't even realize wide-angle lenses were either interchangeable or available. Help! Stu Yakima, Washington