Cameras in the Simpson Desert

Posted by: Davidmanne on 02 June 2008

Hi there
I would really appreciate your help.

My brother-in-law is going wiht his two sons on a motobike trip round Australia. They go thorough the Simpson Desert after about a week.

They are certainly not expert photographers and are thinking of taking a compact camer with them. Weight is always any issue on an unsupported motorcycle trip. Are there any suggestions for or against on the type of camera/specifications they should consider.

Some of the questions I asked (without any real knowledge of the environment) include:

Dust/water proofing
Lens zoom range

Many thanks

David
Posted on: 02 June 2008 by Bob McC
If it has a rechargeable battery consider how it will be recharged in the middle of the desert.
Posted on: 03 June 2008 by Chris Kelly
Definitely take at least one spare fully charged battery as well as plenty of spare memory cards, and a microfibre cloth to help keep the lens and screen clean. The most rugged compacts are made, I believe, by Olympus and Pentax. A few minutes on www.dpreview.com might be well spent.
Posted on: 03 June 2008 by SteveH
The Canon G9 is pretty difficult to beat as a compact.

Definitely worth investing in a spare battery or two and something to back up all those images from memory cards.