Hello. I'm looking for some advice. I would like to carry a small, cheap digital camera on my bike.
I need something that I can grab and use quickly and easily (but safely) -- preferably something I
can mount on the handlebars. And of course, it needs to be small and light. Does anybody out there
have any advice? Thanks.

In article <c333c7b9.0305130504.340c0dd8@posting.google.com>, swren@sedl.org (Sebastian Wren) wrote:

> Hello. I'm looking for some advice. I would like to carry a small, cheap digital camera on my
> bike. I need something that I can grab and use quickly and easily (but safely) -- preferably
> something I can mount on the handlebars. And of course, it needs to be small and light. Does
> anybody out there have any advice? Thanks.

At the bottom of the market is the Hawking Webcam. it's a 640x480 web camera that is detachable and
becomes a very cheesy digital camera. it can hold 25 pix, and it costs $70.

sample photo:

http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/bike/tshirt.jpg

note that this was indoors, and the camera is poor in low-lighht conditiions.

--
Ryan Cousineau, rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

swren@sedl.org (Sebastian Wren) wrote in message
news:<c333c7b9.0305130504.340c0dd8@posting.google.com>...
> Hello. I'm looking for some advice. I would like to carry a small, cheap digital camera on my
> bike. I need something that I can grab and use quickly and easily (but safely) -- preferably
> something I can mount on the handlebars. And of course, it needs to be small and light. Does
> anybody out there have any advice? Thanks.

I got a used Kodak (520?) on Ebay for $25 US. New batteries ($12 CDN) were all it needed. I since
bought a larger RAM card for $14 on sale, so the whole thing was about $65 CDN. It has a standard
tripod mount, so I bought an appropriate bolt and connected it to my bars with a SS hose clamp -
works great.

Consider a film camera. With low priced cameras, it delivers much better results than digital. And
with 1 hour photo places all over, it is pretty immediate as well. An Olympus Stylus is a great,
small, water resistant film camera with a very good lens. At under $90 new, you also do not need to
lose much sleep if you bounce it.

Sebastian Wren wrote:
> Hello. I'm looking for some advice. I would like to carry a small, cheap digital camera on my
> bike. I need something that I can grab and use quickly and easily (but safely) -- preferably
> something I can mount on the handlebars. And of course, it needs to be small and light. Does
> anybody out there have any advice? Thanks.

Tony Zipple <tzipple@rcn.com> wrote in message news:<3EC1962D.80807@rcn.com>...
> Consider a film camera. With low priced cameras, it delivers much better results than digital. And
> with 1 hour photo places all over, it is pretty immediate as well. An Olympus Stylus is a great,
> small, water resistant film camera with a very good lens. At under $90 new, you also do not need
> to lose much sleep if you bounce it.

I've got one, and I love it; it's presently my snapshot cam, good for carrying around in the pocket.

Film junkie though I am (I've got a 100 foot bulk roll of TMY which I'll probably go through in the
next few months) I wouldn't count digital out altogether. If all the OP is looking for is quick &
dirty snapshots to post on the web, & maybe have the odd 4x6 print made, a very cheap digicam will
probably do just fine. If you factor in film, paper, and chemical costs over a year, you probably
come out the winner overall, cost-wise.

If you're a cycletourist, though, film has its virtues; with a mechanical camera, you're free from
the need to recharge or purchase batteries, which may be harder to find than film (especially if
your camera uses fancy lithium thingies)....

-Luigi who wishes 127 rollfilm was more available, so he could shoot with his granddady's jiffy
kodak vest-pocket cam.