mcmm Loc: Kansas

A friend of mine and her husband are going to Alaska in June and she asked me for a camera recommendation. She does not want a DSLR. She doesn't want to have to mess with lenses. She didn't give me a price range but I would take a guess and say not over $500-$600 or less. She wants a camera that does not have a delay when she pushes the button. I've read some posts and this is what they suggested. Canon SX50 or SX60, Canon Power Shot SX series or the Nikon P610 or P900. I don't know anything about these cameras and I know many of you are very knowledgeable about this type of camera. Thank you for your suggestions.

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

panasonic fz1000

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

The SX60 would be my recommendation. It has a nice long reach. A long reach will be needed in Alaska. The SX60 has something like a 1300mm (equivalent) long end and a 20ish wide angle. It will cover everything.

Jbat Loc: Charleston, SC

I own the SX50 and it was a good camera and still is but the P900 is miles ahead. I have 3 friends who own it and with the potential to zoom out to 2000mm, its a real asset for shooting animals/birds at a distance as you might find in Alaska. It would not be a camera for birds in flight although you could shoot some if you got really good at handling the camera. But for distance and weight, it produces very good quality for a reasonable price.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I have the P900, B700 from Nikon, and the SX60 from Canon, and the FZ70 from Panasonic. I have also been to Alaska in June by boat, plane, and train. I would bet she will be happy with any of these.

Tell her we wish her a fun and safe trip.

P.S. If she wants a camera that will fit into her pocket, have her look at the Panasonic's zs50, 60, or 70.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

While more expensive than the SX60 by around $100.00, the P900 does have significantly less shutter lag. And that was one of your criteria. The SX60 does shoot RAW, but most people who care about RAW get a DSLR.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

the (excellent) sx50 was superseded by the sx60 which of course has a 60 zoom lens, but is not too big...whereas the 83 zoom nikon p900 is quite a large camera with its bigger lens.

redruzek Loc: Northland

I used a Panasonic Lumix LX7 on an AK cruise and was very pleased with the quality
of photos. It is not a cumbersome camera and works especially well in low-light
situations.

redruzek

ephraim Imperio

Get this pocket camera: NIKON COOLPIX A from Amazon and take photos like these:

(Download)


(Download)

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

It really depends on what you mean by “going to Alaska.” If it’s a cruise with a land excursion, then think landscapes, snapshots of family and distrant shots of whales, otters, moose, bears and etc.
if it’s more land based then the question would be where will they be going.

Sounds like they’re going in the spring or summer. Those seasons can be very wet. Except for mosquitoes, the main concern becomes weather sealing.

More important than which camera are things like spare batteries, car chargers, cleaning kit and lots of water resistant layered clothing and gloves which can expose fingers.

A backpack for gear and stuff would easily carry an extra camera and lens. I recommend a camera with the largest sensor that you are willing to carry. My minimum would be APS-C. It doesn’t make sense to go to all the effort and expense for a possibly once in a lifetime trip and then use a tiny sensor. You’ll have your smartphone for those tiny sensor shots.

Also during the summer, the mountains are often hidden by clouds. My sister visited us there for a week and never saw a mountain.

Hope this helps.

fmalquist

I agree with the comment on weather. If they are around Ketchikan, the likelihood of rain is very high. I took a Fujifilm Finepix that is weather resistant and was very grateful for that. It has a decent zoom and will shoot raw as well as bracket exposures. Would I like a more expensive DSLR, absolutely, but am I satisfied for now? yes.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I would consider the Panasonic FZ80, a Bridge camera that has a viewfinder, a focal range to about 1200mm, has about 18 megapixels, and it shoots RAW. You can buy it brand new for less than $400. You can buy a Bridge camera protective pouch for this camera for about $30, to protect it from the damp, wet elements, that you may encounter while in Alaska.