Camera and Equipment Safety on Holiday

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by shravangotru on April 3, 2009 at 9:54pm

Hi Vito,

Its a family trip. yes carry your DSLR with you.carry your lenses also. I would personally prefer the 18-105 only. if you have a camera backpack very good. do not bother with the tripod if it is too big.its a family holiday. you exist to provide them hapiness and joy and your camera is there to record their hapiness and joy everything else is secondary. try and keep the iso of less than or equal to 400 at all times.if any one of your family wants shoot offer them your dslr. infact my best potraits were shot by my son who is 6yrs.Do not plan for photography but plan for the holiday and use the camera to record it ( including any interesting subject of photography). always keep the camera by your side but let it not stand in your way. Have a great enjoyable trip
regards
gotru

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Permalink Reply by Vito on April 4, 2009 at 9:03am

Thanks so much gotru. I'm really looking forward to this trip and the thought of not bringing my dSLR was really bothering me. I've asked a few friends also and they agree i should bring it along. I'll keep in mind what you said about the iso also. I was thinking of getting a small tabletop tripod with bending legs for the night shots. What are your thoughts on that?

Thank you again
Vito

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Permalink Reply by Denise on April 4, 2009 at 4:50am

I carry my equipment in a camera backpack. I fly often with my camera, Do not check it in with luggage!! On the plane I put it under my seat rather then up over the seats. If you do not have a backpack I suggest one for your trip. The best and probably safest way to travel with your camera because its always on your back.

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Permalink Reply by Vito on April 4, 2009 at 9:06am

Hi Denise, i do have a backpack for my camera and lenses so that will help alot. And I will remember to keep it with me on the plane ride. Do you think my pictures will benefit from a polarizing filter for the sky shots?

Thank you

Vito

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Permalink Reply by Denise on April 5, 2009 at 6:28pm

I would use the filter and also bring the table tripod. even if you do not use it you have it just in case. I love my backpack, my camera and accessories go everywhere with me. I do however carry a small point and shoot camera in my bag just in case I decide I don't want to bring my dslr with me. I hope you have a safe and fun trip. I will be waiting for the pictures.

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Permalink Reply by shravangotru on April 4, 2009 at 9:26am

Dear Vito
Yes take the table tripod along but first check of it can take the load of the camera and the lense. if the tripod is not able to absorb the vibration then use the self timer for taking picture in case you do not have a remote release.and yes the polarizing filter is definitely going to be an asset.
rgrds
gotru

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Permalink Reply by Vito on April 4, 2009 at 10:14am

Many thanks gotru
Once again your information is invaluable.

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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on April 4, 2009 at 1:24pm

To take the SLR or a compact camera, which is more suitable? Depends on the reasons for the trip and your commitment to photography. If you just want some snapshots of the family and a few landscapes of exotic places the compact may be an ideal choice. More so if it is compact enough to fit in a pocket.

There are three things about my "compact" camera, a Nikon Coolpix 8800 that's not so compact but is smaller than my SLR's:
Shutter lag -- much slower and quite annoying once you get used to the SLR's speed.
Time to write to the card -- again much slower than the SLR with a high performance card and it does not like to take a second picture until it has finished writing the first picture.
Digital noise -- viewed at 100% you see the picture is made up of blobs, the SLR with a much larger sensor provides a much finer "grain".

On the plus side for the compact camera there is:
No heavy lenses to lug around
Fits in a pocket or much smaller camera bag
Lots of models are under $500 so not the end of the world if you loose it.
Tripod can be much smaller, lighter and less expensive.

Trip before last, I dropped my Canon EOS 30D body about a foot onto a concrete tile floor. It messed up the auto-focus display although auto-focus worked fine as did the rest of the camera. Since I have several cameras, I take two when I travel any distance and want to return with photos. If I am driving I might take two SLR's, when I am flying the second camera is the 8800 because it is lighter. I pack tripods, extra batteries, chargers, a shoulder case etc in checked baggage and keep bodies, lenses, filters, hoods, etc. in a camera backpack I hand carry. I usually carry a notebook computer in a separate briefcase style computer case. I put a change of socks, underwear and a fleece jacket in the computer slot of the backpack. Where things go depends on the plane. My first choice is everything in the overhead bin. If there is not enough room, the computer goes under the seat. Some regional jets have no space, I was traveling with only a computer on one flight and I even had to check it!

In terms of keeping the camera safe. Never let it out of your sight.

Some stuff worth looking at:
* Henry's & Vistek usually carry a level that fits in the hot shoe, this lets you get a level horizon in the camera.
* A Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Tripod is pretty light, fits in the outer pocket of a Lowepro CompuTrekker AW backpack and can be bent around a chair or fence to position the camera well off the ground. Last trip I took it and a regular tripod. It was carried everywhere, the regular tripod was only carried when I went to do some night photography and knew there was no place to support the GorillaPod.
* A 2X teleconverter turns a 300 mm lens into a 600 mm lens with a light penalty but it is a much smaller and lighter package than a 600 mm lens. In the Canon line, it does not work with the Canon EF-S lenses so you have to check for compatibility. It does not affect focusing distance so in effect, it improves the macro capability of all your lenses.
* Rubber lens hoods that screw on like filters. You can lightly press them against glass, which shuts out all light if it is single pane glass and most light if it is multi-pane glass. This gets rid of reflections if you are taking photos from inside a building or taking something in a glass case. Most sizes are under $10 at Henry's.
* A circular polarizing filter will improve blue sky, will let you take a better photo of fish or other things in water, will remove some reflection from glass when you can not get close enough to use a rubber lens hood and will reduce or eliminate most reflection in outdoor photos. It is one of only two filters you need with digital.
* A UV or 1A filter is the other filter you need, not so much for the filter effect as for the protection it provides to your lens.

Lastly, it depends on the timing of your trip but, Henry's has a photography show and sale a couple of times a year, the next one is probably around Mother's day and probably at the International Centre. You can play with lots of tripods and bags, talk to the manufacturer's reps and other photographers who are attending without any sales pressure. They also have some seminars which are worthwhile, too.

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Permalink Reply by Vito on April 5, 2009 at 5:57am

Hey CameraClicker, thanks for the GREAT info! This will surely help me prepare for my trip with confidence now.

Much appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Livingstone on April 4, 2009 at 2:03pm

Hey Bro, here is a tip for your trip but it has nothing to do with cameras. After sailing and flying around the world for 15 years staight I have learned one thing that has saved my ass many a time. At all times and with no exception, always have your passport and a wad of cash in your pants pocket. Not your jacket or your backpack becouse those things get set aside from time to time. Only your pants Bro. Trust me, you wont be sorry. Keep your Camera backpack on hand at all times. Have a blast!

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Permalink Reply by Vito on April 5, 2009 at 6:02am

That's a great tip. I'll remember that.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Khan on April 4, 2009 at 3:17pm

I always take my best camera, whatever it is, when i travel, even to Mexico. I've never had any problems there, or anywhere else. You just have to be smart; be aware of your surroundings and don't leave things laying around. It'll be great!! and yes, i agree, take a polarizer for the sky. I have a Gorilla tripod.... just realize it does fall over if it's not balanced properly. Happened to me today, as a matter of fact. Good thing, it only fell 3 inches to a carpeted floor- no biggie!

What part of Mexico are you going to??

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