"Dmitry" wrote in message news:dHU0c.160636$jk2.604598@attbi_s53...
Here are a few photos that I've taken a few years ago -
http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=ChangArvin&AID=1380965

Were those done with a 3x zoom or more? Nice shots!

Those photos were taken with a camera with a greater than 3x zoom, but
I never used the extra zoom (I checked the EXIF info). That's what I
mean, after 4 years of owning a camera with either 5 or 10x zoom, I
found out that so long as I have good access to the location (i.e. I'm
not stuck behind a fence or a barrier), I don't usually end up using
the extra zoom for snowboarding photos. For once thing, tracking
someone going fast in full zoom is not the easiest thing in the world
(usually need a tripod or a camera bean bag).

I usually shoot with a polarizing filter in either shutter priority or
manual mode. In sunny weather I am usually using minimum apeture (F8)
although I might go wider to get at least a 1/250s shutter speed. In
general I usually prefocused off a point by aiming at where the rider
will be in 2 seconds (very easy for jumps) and half-pressing the
shutter button. I have used fixed focus as well (prefocusing and then
switching to manul focus mode).

Hey thanks for your tips. Sometimes it's hard to find something to
pre-focus on in the middle of a bowl, but I recall that even p&s

I usually point the camera at a patch of snow approximately the
distance I plan to shoot at. A bowl should be good for this as trees
tend to confuse the focusing system (unless you set it to spot meter).

Well, see, here's my take: I'm going there to ride, not take pictures.
If it's possible to also take pictures without affecting my riding,
I'll bite. 6 centimeters is probably something that will be quite
noticeable. So I guess I'm asking for too much, will have to make do
with just an ultra-compact p&s.

Yea, I am usually not satisfied with spur of the moment photos and so
when I take photos, I usually end up traversing or hiking somewhere
that I wouldn't normally go anyway. You'd be surprised at how large
the pockets are on your snowboard jacket. Many are designed to carry a
CD player, so a regular compact digital camera can easily fit, the
weight isn't very much either. The main thing is whether you are
afraid of falling on your camera. Bigger cameras tend to be more
easily crushed because they have longer protrusion... a ultracompact
like Canon's digital elph or the Casio Z4 (same base design as Optio
S) are so small/flat that you aren't likely to land on them.

I'm still considering buying a smaller camera to carry on the
mountain... not quite sure what I'm going to get, but the Canon A80
looks good. I'm still shopping though.

It's interesting if the swivel LCD is actually useful for our use-case..
Maybe sometimes it would be good to hold the camera over your head or
on the contrary close to the ground. But yeah, A80 seems to be a good
choice.

I really enjoyed the swivel body of the Sony F707 for exactly the
reasons you mentioned. My only problem is that you don't get the same
flexibility when shooting in portrait framing (on the side). I've
heard only great things about the swivel LCD from the Canon G4 and A80
and am interested in it. In terms of snowboarding shooting, it lets
you keep the camera away from your face and so you are more aware of
your surroundings (like if someone is out of control and about to
crazy into you).

Good luck on your camera shopping, I will let you know if I decide on
a camera myself.

--Arvin