One camera to look at is the Nikon D40, it comes in at 475g and is quite a good camera even though it only has 6.1 mega pixels. I have been using one for a couple of years now and it hasn't disappointed me yet. I just use the standard 18-55mm lense with various filters. I am going to be doing the West Highland Way this year and i am going to try and use a beanbag on the rucksack instead of the tripod.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Frankie

Ooo, Hi folks, I have never posted here before, so forgive me butting in.

I was once a national newspaper photographer, and I never really enjoyed 'photography for fun'. As a consequence the whole digital camera thing just passed me by. That is until I saw some landscape stuff in local galleries, I thought I could do better than that. I bought a D60 which was fairly light by DSLR standards and I started to take digital pictures (which I still dont fully understand). As others have said, the most weighty thing is really the glass that you screw to the front of the camera. I then found, after a couple of years, that my DSLR was being left at home more and more; I was either going on a photographic trip or I was hiking - but not both. I ditched the DSLR for a a Canon G10, as it gives you and excellent level of control over your settings. I have used this for about a year now. I have to say the results are not what I would expect for landscape photography: great for snaps and reportage style but not landscape.

The end result:

I carry the compact for day trips and quickie images, Nikon D80 and WA lenses for landscapes - I am happy with that.

Two new Sony cameras might be of interest for lightweight backpacking as they are the smallest and lightest APS-C sensor cameras with interchangeable lenses yet produced - 239 grams without lens. They are the NEX-5 and NEX-3. The biggest drawback for me is that there is no viewfinder. Details here and here.

Thanks for that Chris. They're certainly strange looking cameras with the body size reduced so much. Very interesting and welcome development though.

I probably wouldn't want a camera without a viewfinder, though I like the tilting LCD display (incredible for such a small camera of this type). I think scrolling through menus (due to lack of buttons) might drive me up the wall too. And I'd want ISO 100. But they still intrigue me, and the price is good too - considering the new design.

I doubt Canon or Nikon will be able to match it for size, assuming they'll be designing bodies to work with DSLR lenses. Presumably their offerings won't be too far off now??

Ian, I wouldn't be surprised if an EVF appears - there is a connection on the top plate. There is an OVF for the 16mm lens. I'd rather have a DSLR for most uses but one of these for long distance walks and as a backup to a DSLR is attractive. The weight saving is in the body of course. The 18-55 kit lens weighs more than those for the micro 4/3 cameras, the NX10 and even my Canon.

I'm surprised Canon and Nikon haven't announced anything yet.

I see you have a Sony Nex 5 Chris, but still no EVF available for it. How are you getting on with it. Some nice shots on your website I've noticed. I'm still flirting with the Samsung NX10 which is very cheap and therefore tempting now (possibly because of the imminent NX11). Can't believe nothing from Canon (or Nikon yet). They must have lost a lot of potential sales.

Ian, I've had the NEX 5 for several months now and I like it very much. I haven't missed an EVF except in very bright light. I'd still like one though. I considered the NX10 but the weight and bulk are too close to my Canon 450D.

On the Southern Upland Way I carried the NEX 5 with 18-55 lens and the 450D with 11-18 and 55-250 lenses. I preferred using the NEX 5 and am looking forward to more lenses so I can dispense with the Canon completely. I would then get another NEX body.

There are rumours Nikon is bringing out a compact systems camera soon.

Wow I'm amazed you prefer using the NEX 5 even when you have the 450D to hand. I'm guessing you like the tilting screen which also has a better resolution than the 450D, but I'd be surprised if it was actually easier to use than a DSLR.

Any issues with noisy pictures when using live view? Theoretically this risk increases as the sensor heats up, which is quite likely while composing in live view.

I've only seen pictures, and though the Nex 5 body looks v small the lenses seem to drag its size back up. I guess I'd have to see them all together in the real world.

I find the NEX 5 as easy to use as the 450D. I guess if I was taking action shots I would prefer the 450D. As it is, the DSLR feels quite big and clumsy now. I've got used to the NEX 5 controls and can use it quickly. The functions I change often - ISO mainly - can be accessed with one button press. The best designed camera I've used is the Ricoh GR1, but that's let down by the small sensor. The worst is the Sigma DP1, which produces great results but is really awkward to use.

I do like the tilting screen. Mostly I take photos looking down at it, which means I can hold it close to my body. I have taken some shots holding it above my head, which helps with converging verticals.

I haven't had any issues with noise. The NEX5 is much better than the 450D in this respect - 800 ISO pictures are perfectly usable and 1600 is okay.

The NEX5 is tiny. The lenses are about the same size as for other APS-C cameras. I have the 18-55 and it's much the same as the Canon 18-55, though far better made (metal not plastic). Overall the NEX 5 + lens is much smaller and lighter than the 450D + lens.

Interesting thread and I'm encouraged that others are looking at non-SLR cameras. For the past 9 months or so I've been using the Panasonic Lumix G2. I love it. The body isn't quite as light as the NEX 5 but it's still fairly lightweight at 371g and best of all it has a superb electronic viewfinder. I used a Leica compact for a number of years as my 'shirtpocket' camera but the lack of a viewfinder drove me nuts. If the sun shone I just couldn't use the LED screen to frame shots so I ended up with a lot of guesswork. So I bought the Lumix with a 14-42mm lens then I bought a 45-200mm lens. Most recently I've invested in a tremendous 7-14mm wide angle. I haven't used my Nikon DSLR for a long time and in fact I've just donated my Nikon lenses to my son.

Another great feature of the Lumix G2 is the HD video. It works really well and the quality is as good as the Canon Video Camera that I use for making films. It'll be interesting to see what Nikon and Canon produce - I wonder if they'll go down the Micro Four Thirds route?