How do you manage your camera when hiking?

My wife and I really enjoy hiking in North and South Carolinas
I also enjoy taking some nice pictures along the way. The easiest is to use my phone camera, but obviously very limited on what I can shoot.
The thought of my Canon hanging around my neck while clambering over some of the trails does seem like a good idea.
Does anyone have a system for keeping the camera handy, but also secured hands-free?y wife is a speed demon when hiking, so unpacking the camera from the backpack and shooting would leave me in the dust!

Which one?

I took this photo in two ways......one with focus on the cell phone and the other with focus on her hair. Which do you prefer? I have my opinion but don't want to sway your answer with my thoughts.

Focus on head

Focus on cell phone

This is a lot of Bull. (caution: graphic)

Atlanta Elk Hunt today. I went into town for a haircut today, forgot it was opening day of the 2nd Elk Hunt. Some pretty big boys there. Top photo,2nd from left, bottom photo, 2nd from right hangs at 610 pounds.

Which one???

Not looking for criticism, just wondering which one you prefer..
We have different choices here between myself and my wife. Just looking to settle the score so to speak.
Not looking to do anytthing with the photo a freind gave my wife the plant and I added the figure to it for the photo's. Just snapshots, no major thought placed into it.

Some Blue Tits.....

...in the Holly bush.

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2

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High quality pocketable camera with some zoom?

My DSLR type cameras with interchangable lenses are too cumbersome to take with me when I'm out shopping or doing chores etc. I've been interested for some time in getting a pocketable camera that I can drop into my shirt pocket and always have with me. Pocketability is , however only one of my "needs". I also require a camera capable of high IQ, preferably shooting RAW, with an optical (not digital) zoom from a modest wide angle to a modest telephoto. (35-105 FF equiv?)
A viewfinder is a necessity since I frequently cannot see the image on the back screen LCD when outside. Adequate weather sealing is also highly desirable although total waterproofing is not necessary. Is there a camera out there that fits my "needs"?. NOTE: A cell phone camera is not an option.

Who'll Stop the Rain

"Still the rain kept pourin'
Fallin' on my ears
And I wonder, still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?' ... Creedence

Accessory Grips for Cameras

Initial disclaimer: This post is pretty long. Some folks don't like long posts, which is understandable. I'm trying to avoid writing long posts, but the "Reader's Digest" version of this one just didn't seem to work, so it won't hurt my feelings if you are one of those and decide that it is not for you and want to move on. It is prompted by my professional experience as an industrial engineer and the ergonomic work that I did as part of a career in that field.

There does not appear to have been much discussion here around the benefits or detriments of accessory grips for cameras, at least recently. I personally have been through a cycle of preference around using or not using add-on grips, but found myself in a situation a week ago in which add-on grips would have been very beneficial. That experience has caused me to reexamine my own preferences. My decisions have already been made and actions taken, so this discussion is not for me, but rather to generate some (hopefully helpful) discussion among the group here.

It may be helpful to know what my history with grips has been. So here goes.

My initial entry to digital photography was with a FujiFilm S5 Pro purchased as a closeout. That camera had a large plastic body (don't remember the exact Nikon equivalent) effectively the same as a medium size body with a grip attached. It was very comfortable to use, and included a second shutter release for use when shooting in portrait orientation. But because it was sooooo slooooow to operate, I moved fairly quickly to a D200, which offered much faster power up, some additional resolution, and faster and less awkward operation. It also chewed through battery charges really fast (or at least it seemed to do so). So I added a Nikon grip in order to have a second battery at the ready and also realized that it made the camera much more comfortable to hold and operate. This was my standard configuration for many years. The D200 grip was different from many current models in that both batteries were in the grip and could be quickly and easily removed for charging. Somewhere along the way, though, I removed the grip and began just carrying a spare battery or two in my pocket. The change was probably made to reduce weight and bulk, but came at a cost. My CBJR flash bracket was designed to properly fit the camera and grip, but would not properly work with the camera body alone...the anti-rotate plate would not fit properly against the bottom front of the camera body.

Later on down the road, I acquired a D300 and D300s, both used. One of them came to me with a couple of 3rd party grips, but neither of them would work properly with either of the bodies. One of them would cause the camera to lock up at random, requiring removal and replacement to reset everything, and the other just didn't work...it didn't deliver all the functionality that it was designed for. And both were of very disappointing materials and build quality. So I never used them. This wasn't really a problem, however, because the D300 went so much further on a charged battery that there was rarely a need even to use the spare that I still carried.

I've written elsewhere here that eventually I needed to acquire a D810 and a specialty lens in order to be able to execute some specialty photography that the D300 was not capable of. Because of cost (which has been discussed here), because the budget was already depleted, and because of my habit of shooting without a grip, I didn't buy one. And when I later bought a D850 to serve as a second body, I again did not buy a grip. Just no perceived need.

So now let's come to earlier this month. I had been requested to photograph our choir's annual Christmas program at church. This was all going to have to be done from the rear balcony, since my worn out knee prevents quickly moving from spot to spot and going up and down stairs quickly. Photographs included "grand" shots of the the entire front of the sanctuary (some including the congregation) at 14-24 mm, intermediate shots of just the choir (70 mm) or ensembles (~200 mm), and tight shots of soloists and trios/quartets (300-500 mm). Lighting was low key, so I was using ISO of 2500 and WB of 2500K in order to provide quick-turn JPEGs in addition to the raw images. This ended up involving 4 lenses on three camera bodies throughout the evening. (14-24 2.8, 17-55 2.8 (on the D300), 70-200 2.8, and 200-500 5.6) Any switching was between the 14-24 and the 70-200.

Both of my hands have some arthritis, and the combination of that, of switching cameras, and of hand-holding the cameras, my hands were pretty tired and sore by the end of the evening. The second night, I decided to try an experiment, so a genuine MB-D10 grip recently purchased on this site went on the D300s and it went back for a second round, even though the plan had been to just use the full frame bodies to capture soloists and small groups. I was astounded to be reminded of how much more comfortable it was to handle the camera with the grip, even though it was a little bit heavier.

The bottom line of all this is that by my calculation, most OEM battery grips are priced at about 12.5% of the price of the cameras they are made to fit. Not really a big impact in light of the additional functionality and comfort that they provide, in my opinion. I wonder whether in at least some cases, addition of a grip should at least be considered as an alternative lower cost and lower impact alternative to a complete system changeout for some of us for whom weight and size seems to have become a problem. I know that is true for me and that I will begin suggesting it as an alternative to taking more drastic measures.

I would be interested to hear about your experiences with these grips.

Sex in a public place....

These two Bee Eaters were getting a bit frisky and the next thing it was full on... I felt a bit of a perv taking their photo but it was too good to miss...

The coast is clear...

That was quick...

Love you too...

ZOOM

A beautiful young brown Pelican, skims the waters of Chokoloskee Bay, in persuit of a morning meal. Please enjoy the download