DSLR owners

[pontifex]

Do you always keep your camera with you?

I've been thinking of keeping my camera (Nikon D50) in my car (at least when I'm driving). I always see things that would make great photos on my way to or from work but I never have my camera.

I'd have to leave it in my car though, since I really don't have a safe place to keep it at work. I doubt anyone at work would take it, but I'd rather not take the chance.

The next question would be should I leave it on the floor in the front passenger side or in the back or in the trunk?

The other problem is it being in the cold during the winter months and the heat in the summer months. would that hurt it at all? i know taking it from cold to hot or hot to cold will fog up the lenses.

so what do you think?

 

[edro]

I keep my backup point and shoot camera in my car as a last resort.

 

[Number1]

Bad idea.
Cold reduces battery time.
Extreme cold might not be good for the camera
It might get stolen.

Just bring it in the house when you're done traveling.
I carry mine everywhere I go but I never leave it in the car at night.

 

[Feldenak]

I leave my D50 at home and I don't really have a backup camera...though I am getting a Blackberry Pearl this week which has a built-in camera.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Number1
Bad idea.
Cold reduces battery time.
Extreme cold might not be good for the camera
It might get stolen.

Just bring it in the house when you're done traveling.
I carry mine everywhere I go but I never leave it in the car at night.

when i'm at home i would bring it inside. its just during the day at work or when i'm traveling. i wouldn't leave it in the car overnight.

didn't people use to put batteries in refigerators to help make them last longer? or was that only for a certain type of battery? or am i thinking of something else?

 

[bucwylde23]

maybe he's just referring to rechargeables? i don't know much about it either, but it's a good question.

I would like to take my SD630 with me everywhere, but haven't due to the fact that I'm afraid of it getting to cold/hot and getting ruined

 

[rivan]

Theft worries aside, it's probably not so bad (for the camera) when it's nice out.

I wouldn't regularly leave it in the car on hot or cold days, however - cold (+ you running the heater) will have an effect on the battery as others have mentioned, as well as introduce condensation, which would not be good. Excessive heat (cars in the sun here easily top 130 in the summer) also just couldn't be good for the camera.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I carry mine with me occasionally. I can keep it at my desk at work though and not worry about it...not that it gets cold enough here that I'd have to worry about draining the battery.

 

[MrDudeMan]

i would never leave it outside, hot or cold. it stays inside if at all possible. condensation on a CMOS sensor would be a very bad thing as well as heat inside the trunk of a car.

 

[Beige]

I keep it in my zippered coat pocket :/

 

[GTaudiophile]

My Canon A610 stays with me in my briefcase at all times, but no, my DSLR only comes out on special occassions. (It stays at home when not in use.)

As for the car question, I wouldn't expose it to extreme temperatures for long periods of time and I would put it in the trunk if anywhere. Out of sight out of mind.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Beige
I keep it in my zippered coat pocket :/

not a dslr unless you have a huge coat.



well, guess i'm screwed then

 

[ElFenix]

the solution is to get a tack sharp compact camera.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I'd like to get a Canon S3IS or something similar to just keep in my car (well, obviously not in extreme environments/temps like others have said). Something with a bit more versatility than the Digital Elphs. Maybe if I got a new DSLR I'd keep my 300D in the car all the time....but I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[mugs]

No. Extreme temperatures are not good for it, and it'd be a PITA to carry it inside every time I get to home/work. I have a P&S that I keep in my coat pocket. The DSLRs go with us pretty much everywhere we think there might be picture-taking oportunities though.

 

[pontifex]

the P&S seems to be the way to go but I really don't want to spend another $200-300 or more on another camera

 

[Zenmervolt]

I used to keep an old Chinon screwmount film camera and a couple of lenses in my car all the time, but I probably wouldn't do that with my "primary" camera.

Most professionals will just keep a good point and shoot with them for such occasions (the Contax T2/T3 and Yashica T3/T4 were favorites in the film days, as was the Olympus Stylus Epic). I'd say to go that route for digital as well. I keep an old Fuji FinePix2650 with me in my briefcase.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: pontifex
the P&S seems to be the way to go but I really don't want to spend another $200-300 or more on another camera

Find an older camera. The image quality is usually just fine (I've never had an issue with my old Fuji) and you can pick them up cheaply. Plus, if it gets stolen or damaged or lost, you're not out as much.

Fuji FinePix 2650 on eBay. They seem to be in the $60-$70 range right now. The only downside is that it takes xD and not CF, but since it's a 2MP camera a small, 128MB card will be more than enough and they're cheap. A large bonus is that it takes AA size batteries, which means that if you get caught with dead batteries you can get a fresh pair anywhere instead of having to look for a place to charge it. It does a good job with a set of NiMH rechargeables too.

ZV

 

[jpeyton]

I'm a stickler for photo quality, and my EDC camera is a Fuji F30. I'm a huge fan of Fuji's P&S photo quality (I owned an F10 before it).

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: pontifex
the P&S seems to be the way to go but I really don't want to spend another $200-300 or more on another camera

Find an older camera. The image quality is usually just fine (I've never had an issue with my old Fuji) and you can pick them up cheaply. Plus, if it gets stolen or damaged or lost, you're not out as much.

Fuji FinePix 2650 on eBay. They seem to be in the $60-$70 range right now. The only downside is that it takes xD and not CF, but since it's a 2MP camera a small, 128MB card will be more than enough and they're cheap. A large bonus is that it takes AA size batteries, which means that if you get caught with dead batteries you can get a fresh pair anywhere instead of having to look for a place to charge it. It does a good job with a set of NiMH rechargeables too.

ZV

You could also pick up a used Canon Powershot A70 in that price range. Great little camera, takes nice shots.

 

[Kanalua]

I keep an old HP 2 mega pixel camera in my glove compartment. No worrying about the cold (Hawaii), and if it gets stolen, who cares. Mostly for insurance, though, in case of accident, etc.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
i would never leave it outside, hot or cold. it stays inside if at all possible. condensation on a CMOS sensor would be a very bad thing as well as heat inside the trunk of a car.

Since Canon only uses CMOS in DSLRs, I guess I don't have to worry.

I kept my camera in my car for awhile, but it was such a pain to worry about it. I cannot bring it into work with me because I work in a classified area so I have to leave it in a little cubbyhole plus carry it several hundred yards each way.

I've missed some photo ops, but there are always more.

 

[Mrvile]

I leave my camera at home and I only have it when I'm going on a planned shoot. Otherwise I just look at the sky, sigh, and feel bad I left it at home.

But I'd never be able to use a P&S to shoot anything other than snapshots.