Sony A7R camera with Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA lens

Check out the Sony website for full specifications.  There are many reviews on this camera on the web so check them out.  I am only going through this review to provide an argument as to why this camera is good for high altitude mountaineering.

This is what I have used in Aconcagua (but with the standard 28-70mm zoom lens) and other mountains.  I found with the zoom lens that it was quite cumbersome to carry around and thus it had limited my usage at times.  Even for basic touristing I wanted something smaller to take advantage of the relative compactness of the A7R full frame body.  I tried the Voigtlander 24mm lens but that lens provided extremely poor pictures (shockingly bad colour).  I thus went with the Sony's 35mm FE lens instead.

I am a huge fan of very wide angle lenses and going to a 35mm took quite a lot of adjusting...but sacrifices have to be made for usability.  This lens is small, but not as small as a pancake lens).  The easier it is to access quickly the more likely you will use it.

The A7R is a wonderful camera.  Having so many pixels allows me to be lazy and quick to take the pictures.  As long as the pictures are sharp, I can crop it later and it will have the necessary detail...but that said, I prefer to get the shot right in the first place, where time and environment permits.

I chose this camera because when you go mountaineering you want to take the best picture that you can, as you may never return to some of these places ever again.  This is also a weatherproof camera which survived well in Aconcagua, but, it did get some condensation which cleared with wind.  Condensation will happen with every camera in such high altitude conditions and extreme care is always taken to protect the camera.  Silica gels are good to carry.

One of my straps broke and the camera dropped onto rock!  I was horrified as the lens cover popped off and I thought that the lens was broken.  When one of my fellow travellers picked it up we noticed that there were no marks on the camera at all and just a few itsy bitsy marks on the front lens aluminium edge.  No real damage at all.  It still worked perfectly!  Good solid construction.

All the buttons and settings are easily customisable and it is so easy to use, even for a beginner like myself (my first SLR).

I made the carmra 'mountain ready' by installing:
1) a screen protector on the LCD screen to stop scratches.
2) a Joby UltraFit hand strap with UltraPlate.  This provided secure hand holding and full immediate tripod mounting.
3) a 3mm rope tied at various lengths on one of the strap holders.  This made for easier carabiner clipping onto my backpack shoulder strap.  The camera was so easy to access now and was secure.

This camera is less than 1yr old but has survived very well.  It still looks like it is new and functions superbly.  I'll be using this for all my expeditions.  I genuinely love using this camera.