• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Cameras when skiing

Christy

Angel Diva
There's a saying-- the best camera is the one you have on you. It's hard to tell how big that Sony A6000 is from the online photos, but don't get anything that you even remotely think might not be for easy to fit in your pockets. If it takes up room that you need for other essentials, if it makes your jacket feel lopsided, If you feel it against your body, if it could potentially be a problem if you fell, you're not going to want to carry it.

Most photographers I know carry a compact point and shoot with them in their purse or in their pocket. Then they have other larger cameras and lenses for more deliberate types of photography. I wouldn't overthink this. If you want pretty pictures of mountains that look true to life-size, get a compact point-and-shoot. If this sparks an interest in photography--if you find yourself using the camera a lot and you're starting to get frustrated with what it can't do – then you can go down that rabbit hole.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes, for a ski camera the huge issue is, What if you fall? I don't generally fall. I've gone entire seasons without falling. But I don't want to lose a $400-600 or more camera because I fell. Most cameras are not very ruggedized. Mine is in a sturdy case inside a fanny pack. And that lens pulls pretty tightly against the body of the camera when it's collapsed, unlike that FZ200. The case definitely makes it more bulky, but it's protection.
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
I’m not at home to check model numbers but I have a Sony point and shoot that I really like. One note: prior to my Sony, i had an even smaller pocket sized camera that I bought without trying it first. It was so small that it was hard to use - I could never seem to get a straight horizon in photos with that camera bcause it was so tiny that it was hard to line up a shot and then click without moving the camera. Lesson Learned: smaller is not always better.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to meet in person to discuss photography. There is certainly a lot to talk about when it comes to equipment, but we could also discuss image storytelling, composition, exposure, post-production, and how everything comes together to create an image. I just moved to Burlington, VT, so let me know if you're in the area and want to meet up... I'm happy to share what I know. I have experience in outdoor landscape, sports/action, street, and in studio with fashion and product photography. We could also talk about camera phone photography, point and shoot, crop-sensor DSLR, full-frame DSLR, medium format, and mirrorless cameras. Could be fun :smile:

This would be amazing!! I’d love to take you up on it sometime. Unfortunately I live in MA and ski in ME most often, so I’m not usually in northern VT. Once ski season is over there is always more flexibility though! :beer:
 

Kika35

Certified Ski Diva
I am considering getting a helmet mounted Go Pro for this very reason. I haven't researched them yet, but would expect that you could get still shots from the video once uploaded.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Well, I was at Best Buy the other day so I wanted to check the sizes of the Sony mirrorless cameras I saw recommended. Though I think it’s a great size for other activities like hiking and travel, I do also think it’s too big for me to comfortably carry around in my jacket skiing. I didn’t have a list of specific models handy, or a lot of time, when I was there, but thinking I’ll go back there or to a camera shop to check the sizing of some point and shoots to compare.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Lately I ski with my Nikon P1000, but I'm honestly much more into bird watching on skis than normal skiing. I'm a dork and spend most of my time standing around off trail... But hauling around a good sized camera on a harness is worth it for me to see tiny birds on the treetops. Probably not the case for most people! FB_IMG_1583880560908.jpgFB_IMG_1583880529047.jpgFB_IMG_1583880511473.jpg And honestly my camera phone does just as well for landscapes.
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Lately I ski with my Nikon P1000, but I'm honestly much more into bird watching on skis than normal skiing. I'm a dork and spend most of my time standing around off trail... But hauling around a good sized camera on a harness is worth it for me to see tiny birds on the treetops. Probably not the case for most people! View attachment 12426View attachment 12427View attachment 12428 And honestly my camera phone does just as well for landscapes.
These are great!!
 

Bluestsky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Great info/advice here. Love your bird shots @altagirl
@MissySki You’re embarking on time consuming, expensive and exciting project!

I used to take stills for many years then 4 years ago turned to videos.
My husband has the Nikon D7000 DSLR that I sometimes borrow. The pocket camera that I loved for both stills and vids is Panasonic DMC-ZS40 with excellent Leica 30 x zoom that let me capture the wildlife from the distance. They may have a new model.

Most of the time now I use my Pixel 2 phone camera when I ski. Sony Handycam HDR-CX675 is bulky, so only on hikes and other outdoor activities. I edit my photos with Adobe Photoshop and videos with Adobe Premiere Elements. There other products for both out there.

For comparison:
Ski video/stills shot with Pixel 2 phone camera
Aspen Skiing

Hike video/stills shot with Panasonic DMC-ZS40
Shrine Ridge Hike
 
Last edited:

marzNC

Angel Diva
Awesome, thanks!!!! Wish I already had a camera, but any fundamentals are good for me since I don’t have any foundation whatsoever. :becky:
The capabilities you have with you phone camera far exceed the Instamatic I was still using in high school. Being able to take many shots of the same scene and then just delete the ones that don't work for whatever reason is game changing. Recreational photography based on film was much more stressful. Getting film developed and printed was expensive!
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
You'll have to provide your name/email. Click on the first video on that URL, fill in the info. After that, all the vids are available for viewing.Screen Shot 2020-04-07 at 9.10.46 AM.png
 

UtahDesert

Certified Ski Diva
I've gotten lazy in the last couple of years and mainly use my phone. (The laziness has more to do with photo storage management than anything else. I just don't have to think about that with the iPhone.)

But when I am serious I use the Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 and the HX-20v. There are probably better options now, but I was really happy with the RX-100 for most serious stuff, including low-light photography (maybe not a skiing consideration but I do a lot of concert shots), and I used the HX-20v when I needed a zoom.

Personally, I love a good point-and-shoot camera. I kept getting tempted to get a more "serious" camera, but when I considered what I could do with one of these (and I tend to use them on manual mode) and how easy it was to always have it in my pocket, I resisted the temptation.

Caveat: Skiing photos have never been my major consideration when picking a camera. I do my best with skiing photos, sure, but when I'm choosing a camera I think first about concerts, and then probably dogs (or grandkids), and then travel
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Here's another site that I think I used to use a lot for research, too, in addition to the one mentioned above. Make sure you have a lot of time - it's so easy to get sucked into spending hours on those sites!

https://www.imaging-resource.com


I've totally been spending way too much time looking at cameras and reviews and beginner photography Facebook groups!! lol And wishing I had one now because I have so much time around the house to play with it.. I've kind of changed my requirements at this point.. Well not overall, just that I definitely want to learn photography in general outside of just skiing and perhaps that means getting a camera where I care about weight and size still, but maybe doing more while hiking versus having to fit it in my pocket skiing, etc. I'd rather do something outside of a point and shoot basically. I'm still most interested in landscapes, travel photography, and wildlife (mostly birds). So I'm still leaning towards a mirrorless camera, and still intrigued by the Sony A6000 series. The more I read on it, the better it sounds for what I want to accomplish, and being a beginner. I'm still torn between the A6000 and the A6400 though. The A6000 is cheaper since it's pretty old now (though still sold new), but the A6400 seems to have some advancements that make it worth considering for a little more money but not breaking the bank like the higher end in the series. The real issue then turns to lens choice to start. So, I'm getting there and narrowing things down, but wish I could talk to a camera shop! I tried emailing a local shop yesterday as I heard they are still open on limited hours for curbside pickup etc., but I haven't heard back yet. Planning on trying to call a little bit later on.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
@MissySki I don't know if I posted about Creative Live before but they have some great photography classes. (I LOVED the Landscape Photography by John Greengo who is a respected local photography teacher. He teaches a fundamentals too). I looked to see if they had a class to help you choose. It seems like they do.
https://www.creativelive.com/class/camera-buyers-guide-john-greengo

Or if you get the A6000, they have a class on how to use it. I would count on wanting either a book or class to teach yourself how to use your specific camera. The manual that comes with it will not be enough (there's actually an industry where people write whole books about using specific cameras--the manuals are famously and grossly inadequate).

https://www.creativelive.com/class/sony-a6000-fast-start-john-greengo?via=autocomplete
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sony cameras have a difficult user interface. I have an older model, RX100 maybe, and while the quality of photos was very good, I never managed to learn it well enough to take advantage of all the features. My own fault, yes, but I might pick a different brand next time.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,233
Messages
497,563
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top