 Janet Fikar |
Traveling with Camera For all of you that have traveled with your cameras and have taken those beautiful pictures I’ve see on this site – here’s a question for you. I am traveling to Europe next month for a 2 week trip visiting Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and Great Britain. I am truly excited about taking pictures during this trip. I am still a novice at this and want your opinion. I’m nervous about blowing these shots. First of all, should I take my Canon 16-35 2.8L II and my Canon 24-105 4L IS (on a Canon 400D)? I’m worried about the weight lugging everything around during the long walking tours. I am definitely taking my tripod and my wireless shutter release. Should I bother with bringing my lens hood? Second, I’m sure I’ll be taking a lot of landscape type shots, what is the best aperture setting for this kind of shot handheld or otherwise? Third, How much memory should I take with me? I will not have any way to download the pictures or store them anywhere.
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Suzanne Colson |
If you have no way to download pictures and I don't how much you currently own just thought I would mention that Adorama has the 4GB Compact flash Sandisk Ultra III on sale for $34.95 after the $30 rebate...
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W. |
Hi Janet, yes, take both lenses. That's what you got 'm for. Lugging 'm around is the price you pay for image quality. Get a good camera bag. Inconspicuous as such. "Should I bother with bringing my lens hood?" Of course. That's what it's for. Don't ever take photos without it. "I’m sure I’ll be taking a lot of landscape type shots, what is the best aperture setting for this kind of shot handheld or otherwise?" f/5.6 "Third, How much memory should I take with me?" That depends on the number of photos you take on an average day, the average filesize of those, times 14.... "I will not have any way to download the pictures or store them anywhere." You don't? Where do you think you're going? The desert? Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and Great Britain are the most internet dense countries in the world. There are internet cafés everywhere. Every hotel has internet access for its guests. www.pando.com to any trusted mail address back home. Then you can empty your card for new photos, and trash the photos from that PC of course. Have fun!
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Irene Troy |
Ah, W, are you slipping buddy? 5.6 for landscape? That is a fairly shallow depth of field. Most landscape type images require a fairly deep DOF, at least if you are trying to make everything in the image sharp. If you are using aperture priority you probably want to set the F-stop no lower than F8 unless you are trying to isolate your subject from the background. If you are trying to include the background and/or shooting a larger scene (think a group of buildings or perhaps mountains and meadows) you want to set your aperture (F-stop) even higher – from F 11- on up to the max allowed by the lens. Most lenses have what is known as a sweet spot. This is the aperture in which they capture images the sharpest. As a rule of thumb, F8 is close to that sweet spot; F11 is the next closest. Keep in mind that the higher the F-stop number, the greater the DOF. Aperture and shutter speed work together to set exposure; however, if you are shooting landscapes (static subject) you will most likely be more concerned with aperture and thus shooting in aperture priority will probably be your best bet. On carrying your gear; from lots of travel experience, I recommend a photo backpack. Your gear will be safe and ready for use and your shoulders will thank you for distributing the weight. Have a wonderful trip! Irene
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W. |
f/5.6 – imo – is a one-size-fits-all catch-all aperture, Irene. Which seemed to be called for here.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Yes Janet, get a backpack that doesn't have Canon/Nikon plastered on it (to echo W.S.) and carry it on the plane. I NEVER check my camera gear and I have a big heavy one that is a pain in the %%% to haul around, but I just don't trust baggage handlers or their accountability. Take everything. This is a great opportunity and to get there and say, I wish I would have brought _____ with me, would really be bad. Also, when in Europe be aware of your gear as it can disappear before you know it. (Tourists are a target). I wish you much fun and adventure on your trip and be sure to share your photos with us when you get back.
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Janet Fikar |
Thank you so much to everyone for your response. It was very helpful. Go BetterPhoto.com!
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Debby A. Tabb |
Janet, in my opinion, if this is a once in a lifetime trip, then be prepared take both lens , a small back up pocket camera (if possible) hood(YES) a few filters . if you have a Ritz camera in town or via internet, they have a Wonderful backpack by Quantrayry Pro for $75.00 a much better deal the lowpro ect. I have 3 of them! it will hold it all with some room. also re think a 4 gig memory card. They may seem nice, but really aren't that good to use, for one BIG reason, you have filled a 4 gig card with your whole vacation, you lose it or it gets damaged, you will have nothing. Better to go with 4, 1 gig cards instead and a card protector. you'll find memory cards much cheaper on ebay. HERES A SCANDISK 1 GIG NEW $10.99: http://cgi.ebay.com/SanDisk-1GB-1-GB-CF-Compact-Flash-ULTRA-II-Memory-Card_W0QQitemZ190114206912QQihZ009QQcategoryZ122612QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Also, extra batteries will be needed. Just some thoughts,
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Kerry L. Walker |
"For all of you that have traveled with your cameras and have taken those beautiful pictures I’ve see on this site – here’s a question for you." Well, I have traveled with my camera but I can't say that I have taken and beautiful pictures but I will offer a suggestion. As others have stated, take both lenses. If you are lugging a tripod, an extra lens should be no big deal. Take more memory than you think you will need and, if necessary, download them to a disc while you are there. As far as the correct aperture is concerned, there is no one correct aperture. Sometimes you want a greater DOF and sometimes you want to limit it. To make the photos more interesting, try to get something in the foreground on some of your shots. Shoot two or more shots of the same subject varying your aperture to see which gives you the most interesting picture, with the foreground in focus and out of focus. You can also try the same with the background in and out of focus. Most of all, have fun and take a ton of pictures.
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Irene Troy |
I’m with Debby on the idea of more than one memory card. I always pack at least 3 cards when traveling into places where supplies may not be readily available. Personally, I use 2 – 4GB cards and 2 -2GB cards. My favorite brand is SanDisk because of reliability and speed issues. But, I mostly photograph wildlife, nature and scenics and need the speed for the wildlife and reliability in order to sleep at night! Be careful using an “off-brand” card. The name brands generally come packaged with recovery software that comes in handy should images be accidentally deleted – something that happens. SanDisk, Lexor and Kingston are three of the better known brands; however, everyone has their favorite, so shop around and see which will best suit your needs. Compare prices at B&H with those at other sites – B&H is often, but not always, the lowest. As to carrying your load; for a long time I used a regular camper’s daypack to carry my gear. I lined the pockets with foam and used lens wraps when necessary. This system had the advantage of not looking like a camera bag – something that helps when traveling in areas where thieves might be on the look out for an easy target. On the subject of loss and thieves; consider insuring your gear prior to your trip. In some cases you can put your gear on a homeowner’s insurance policy for a low premium. My gear is included on a separate rider that costs me less than $100/year. Also, your local police department may offer a registry id program. This may be worth looking into if you are worried about loss. Finally, make a list of all your gear with serial numbers and full description and leave this somewhere safe. If your gear is misplaced or stolen, having this info readily available will make reporting the loss much easier. Irene
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W. |
"I always pack at least 3 cards when traveling into places where supplies may not be readily available." So that's irrelevant...
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Who Me? |
You are going to need more than 2 weeks. I'd say at least 2 months unless your are doing the touristy thing. It took me 6 months to see every nook and cranny in Europe on the D-Train. Get a rail pass and do the whole shabang.
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Bob Cammarata |
When venturing abroad, I can agree that obscurity = security when carrying expensive gear in some areas. A non-photographic type backpack will attract much less attention than something with a recognizable brand name on it.
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Robyn Gwilt |
Janet, I've a Lowepro backpack (huge) which contains all my gear, but its really heavy. I've recently bought the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW, which I've done some serious hikes with, and I love it!! I fit my Canon 30D, a 70-200 IS L Lens, and either my new 24-105 Canon, or Sigma 17-70. I fit extra memory cards, flash, batteries (if you're not taking flash, then you can fit your camera battery charger in the top pocket. Its a great bag, which fits across the shoulder very comfortably,and is easily swung around from the back, to the front, which means you don't have to keep putting it down to access your gear. You grab your camera, shoot, stuff it back in, zip it up and sling the bag to the back and keep walking. I think there is a 100AW, which is slightly smaller, but for your needs, I'd highly recommend it. I find with the backback, I tend to overload it, because I can - and now prefer to keep it in the car with me, with all my kit, when I'm driving in game parks etc. If you can't take the tripod, take a mono-pod, which you can shove in your suitcase. Enjoy your trip!
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