Looking to get a new camera because my old 35mm film camera is beginning to give up the ghost.

Just want some advice really, should i really bite the bullet and go digital? If so which would you recommend for use in mountains. It won't be used in extreme conditions, just munro's and alps in summer.

Any advice or recommendations would be great, thanks guys.

I use a Fuji S5000 and its done me proud over the past few years and is now dirt cheap. Its suprisingly compact for a DigiSLR. And the newer model now out is even better I think its called the S5500 or summat like that. I have taken some amazing shots with mine and have even got in photo competition finals with some of the shots. Its got a fantastic zoom on it which means I can frame the shot I want and get onyl what I want in the shots and its 10x optical zoom means fantastic nature photography aswell!

What is your budget?

What's your budget and what make/model's your existing SLR (for lens compatibility, eg. Nikon AF lenses can be used on Nikon D series of DSLRs) ?

I like compact cameras for their (lack of) weight and size, compared to SLRs. Have been very happy with a Canon Digital Ixus 400. I now carry that in preference to my other camera, a Rollei B35 film camera. Both are pocket size. Rollei has fixed wide-ish lens and takes better mountain scenes. But Canon has zoom, is better for people shots and is more fun.

For long trips (in alpine huts you can't recharge the battery) I got a second battery for the Canon. Another way of preserving battery life is to switch off the display and only use the optical viewfinder for shooting. A bit imprecise for framing but saves battery. Many digital compacts don't have an optical viewfinder at all, so this may be a point to consider if long battery life is important for you.

Current Canon Ixus models are very similar but have loads more pixels etc for less money. I'd go for another Ixus myself. But the feature I'm really waiting for is some kind of optical stabilisation that will do away with camera shake. There's a Panasonic that has it but reviews criticise it heavily for picture noise, whatever that is.

There is some good advice <a href="http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/utn/6941/last/1/V/1/SP/" target="_blank">here</a>

Also, you might want to consider compatibility with your existing flash cards if you have any. Personally, the best advice given to me a couple of years ago was to buy a reasonable digital camera and learn from it about what to buy next time. i bought the Nikon Coolpix 5600 and it has been excellent. However next time I would want to have Aperature Priority but I greatly value being able to keep it in my shirt pocket so it goes with me everywhere. Unlike my SLRs.

I suppose I did what Blue Sky suggests. For a couple of years I've had an Olympus mju 4 megapixels which is water-resistant and compact enough to go in bum-bag when I run. Photos are pretty good but I started to want optical zoom as well, so for my work I recently got a Panasonic FZ5 - the one with the optical stabilisation that Richard M refers to. I hadn't seen criticism about picture noise, and I don't think the results show any. It's very light, the zoom (12x) is good and I'm very pleased with results. Just a bit bulky for the bum-bag when running. Both allow good choice of picture quality. The FZ5 has lots of functions that you obviously know more about than I do. It got a good write-up on cameras.co.uk

I have a Nikon F80 film camera body, new condition, may go on ebay soon, for sale at £100 if you want it! I share equipment with my brother (we do some portraits/weddings on the side) and for some silly reason we managed to accumulate 3 of them, and we only need 2!

The film/digital debate is really down to your own experience and what you want. I am still into film because I still consider myself as a learner and its the best way to learn about photography. The Nikon F80 is an excellent film SLR camera and ideal for portrait and landscape. The lens you put on top is more important though, and the good thing about Nikon is thAt all their lenses are compatible with their digital SLR range for when you want to make that leap.

Sorry! I wasn't clear enough about which image-stabilised Panasonic camera had criticism about picture noise - it was the DMC-LX1.

I use a Fuji S5900 and it's bleedin' brilliant. The build qwality is pretty good too if it does take a knock or two.
Not a full on digiSLR but at less than half the price of something like a Canon EOS 350D a much better buy imo for a non-profesh snapper

I've had the Olympus 'weatherproof' Mju 400 and it's been great. Combined with a CCS case it's been on the outside in the elements in all weathers and it's never been waterlogged. A4 prints are as clear as clear.

I did the old compact vs SLR thing ages ago and found that the SLR was too big and fiddly - too big to leave on the rucksack belt and too much of a fiddle to keep stopping to get the camera out. A compact camera in a waterproof pouch on the belt is so much better, IMHO.

The downside is that the new Mjus with 5 and upward megapixels don't have a viewfinder, just an LCD screen which isn't as good in the outdoor sunshine and uses more battery.

Yes. Stupid idea to leave off the optical viewfinder. Has put me off the new Fuji compacts which otherwise look wonderful. Apart from anything else, I usually stabilise the camera against my face so an LCD is useless for that.