What makes for a good travel camera?

[jagmanx]

2 cameras needed

A good quality compact for "supersnaps" with high capacity card.
Handy and easy and good battery life. Should be able to put in a pocket.

A Digital SLR with 2 zoom lenses (35 to 85 as standard and 100 to 300) for really excellent pictures

Also the compact should have video capability.
Keep it handy when travelling to get quick and easy video or stills in the event of an accident or other problems.
Still wondering about a dashcam ?

 

[Obanboy666]

Quite so.But then I was responding to Steve121 's comment that DX cameras being used by Pro's was laughable.Seemed to do ok before FX came along.You are comparing a pro body to a consumer body when you compare the 5D to the 7D are you not? Don't know too much about Canon ,but I would think the 5D has a better sensor and a far superior focus system.

Yes, the 5d is full frame v the 7d cropped sensor.
The 5d also has the same focus system as the 1dx which is around the £5,000 mark.
Body wise the 5 & 7 are on a par. It's the sensor size and focus systems that are different. The Canon 1dx is the only fully waterproof camera hence the £5,000 price.

 

[Mullsy]

Yes, the 5d is full frame v the 7d cropped sensor.
The 5d also has the same focus system as the 1dx which is around the £5,000 mark.
Body wise the 5 & 7 are on a par. It's the sensor size and focus systems that are different. The Canon 1dx is the only fully waterproof camera hence the £5,000 price.

It would be interesting how the crop from your 5d would compare with a shot from the new 7d.Wonder if the quality difference has lessened .

 

[Obanboy666]

It would be interesting how the crop from your 5d would compare with a shot from the new 7d.Wonder if the quality difference has lessened .

Probably yes but the main difference is the full frame benefit of the 5d. That was the main reason my wife got it along with the canon 16-35 2.8 lens for landscape photography.
I'm no expect, still learning as I only started using it after she died last year. I now see why she carried it around in a camera bag as it weighs a ton, that's the main downside of it.
Mind a friend of a friend has a 1dx and a 500mm f4 lens for bird photography. Now that is heavy both physical wieght and in the wallet. About £13,000 in total !

 

[Mullsy]

Probably yes but the main difference is the full frame benefit of the 5d. That was the main reason my wife got it along with the canon 16-35 2.8 lens for landscape photography.
I'm no expect, still learning as I only started using it after she died last year. I now see why she carried it around in a camera bag as it weighs a ton, that's the main downside of it.
Mind a friend of a friend has a 1dx and a 500mm f4 lens for bird photography. Now that is heavy both physical wieght and in the wallet. About £13,000 in total !

I shoot purely as a hobby,wildlife mainly.I f I shot landscapes then I would certainly go full frame.The pluses of DX are cost/weight.I think the average Nikon FX lens is 2/3 or more times as expensive as the DX equivalent.Going from f4 to f2.8 gets really expensive as well.The low light performance of FX is always a tempter.Sticking with my 300 f4 for now!

 

[Obanboy666]

I shoot purely as a hobby,wildlife mainly.I f I shot landscapes then I would certainly go full frame.The pluses of DX are cost/weight.I think the average Nikon FX lens is 2/3 or more times as expensive as the DX equivalent.Going from f4 to f2.8 gets really expensive as well.The low light performance of FX is always a tempter.Sticking with my 300 f4 for now!

My wife also left me an 70-200 f2.8 is L lens. To say it's heavy is an understatement. I've only had it on the camera once, when I went to the zoo in the southern lakes. Pin sharp and great quality but to heavy to carry about all day.

 

[Mullsy]

My wife also left me an 70-200 f2.8 is L lens. To say it's heavy is an understatement. I've only had it on the camera once, when I went to the zoo in the southern lakes. Pin sharp and great quality but to heavy to carry about all day.

Great bit of kit though,but as you say,people will probably baulk at carrying it for any length of time but great for a specific shoot.

 

[sparrks]

Most of the pro bird photographers have / are moving to full frame cameras for the better quality they produce.
I have found I can 'blow up' a shot taken on my 5D to the equivelant size taken with my sons 7D using the same lens and the quality is still superior.
Another advantage I have found is the image through the view finder is brighter which is a great help in low light situations.

A lot of birders/wildlife photographers use a crop sensor, formally 1.3 but as that is discontinued they use the 1.6 crop - more duck per pixel cheaper than a longer lens. The 1.6 'croppers' just need good light and a higher shutter speed to cope with higher density and smaller pixels.

 

[sparrks]

My wife also left me an 70-200 f2.8 is L lens. To say it's heavy is an understatement. I've only had it on the camera once, when I went to the zoo in the southern lakes. Pin sharp and great quality but to heavy to carry about all day.

The 70-200 f2.8L is still only a baby - try the 400 f2.8L don't try carrying them on a neck strap.

 

[Debs]

I've got a little Samsung camera which takes pretty good pictures, and my computer likes it, but my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note) takes even better pictures, but my computer doesn't like it, sometimes my computer will allow transfer of pictures, and sometimes it corrupts the pictures, (it seems to be one of the vagaries of windows 8.1). Now studying Linux Mint, for a possible alternative OS.:idea-007:

 

[izwozral]

What makes for a good travel camera?

Your eyes & memory.

Just got to find the memories now! Now where did I put them?

 

[sparrks]

I've got a little Samsung camera which takes pretty good pictures, and my computer likes it, but my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note) takes even better pictures, but my computer doesn't like it, sometimes my computer will allow transfer of pictures, and sometimes it corrupts the pictures, (it seems to be one of the vagaries of windows 8.1). Now studying Linux Mint, for a possible alternative OS.:idea-007:

Corrupt photos are normally due to a dodgy card, unlikely with your phone or dodgy card reader probably not used. Could be the lead or more likely if using Samsung the 'kies' software. I think that what it is called, long time since I had Samsung.

 

[trevskoda]

I've got a little Samsung camera which takes pretty good pictures, and my computer likes it, but my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note) takes even better pictures, but my computer doesn't like it, sometimes my computer will allow transfer of pictures, and sometimes it corrupts the pictures, (it seems to be one of the vagaries of windows 8.1). Now studying Linux Mint, for a possible alternative OS.:idea-007:

good choice but remember to tag all picys and make sure the jpg is in lower case or this site wont find them when you want to upload.
also try and use cam with a removable sd so you can put sd in a pen drive and load from usb if you cam is not recognised by linux.

 

[vandog]

In your blog you state "The sensor and processor is the same as the D7000 (a popular Nikon camera for pro photographers)". I won't dispute the part about the sensor and processor, as I have no idea or interest in that matter, but to claim a camera with a small DX (APS-C) size sensor is a 'pro' camera is laughable. I'm not suggesting no pro would ever use one, maybe as a backup camera, but the pro Nikons have single numerals following the D, and have what are called full frame (35mm size) sensors.

Ah OK thanks. Maybe I should change it to 'high end' rather than pro? Im definitely not an expert.

 

[vandog]

after 30 years of slr cams pentax richo and all the goodys i gave up and about 5 years ago i bought a orit 6 mg pixal compact fitted with 2 aa batts so easy to charge in van through usb charger.and here is a pic of erigal mountain behind a church the roof was stolen hope you like.

Really nice pic! It just goes to show doesn't it

 

[K9d]

My wife also left me an 70-200 f2.8 is L lens. To say it's heavy is an understatement. I've only had it on the camera once, when I went to the zoo in the southern lakes. Pin sharp and great quality but to heavy to carry about all day.

Lovely lens, would love to have one.

I use a Canon 5D, with either 50mm f1.8, 28-135mm or L series 100-400mm lens.

 

[Obanboy666]

Lovely lens, would love to have one.

I use a Canon 5D, with either 50mm f1.8, 28-135mm or L series 100-400mm lens.

Yes agreed but I need to start using it more frequently but unfortunately my son has it permanently attached to his 7d lol
What I did try once was using the lens with a 2 x extender. Virtually no loss of quality and still auto focus.
I'm taking it with me when I go to the races on Boxing Day to try it out on the horses jumping the last fence / hurdle.

 

[K9d]

Yes agreed but I need to start using it more frequently but unfortunately my son has it permanently attached to his 7d lol
What I did try once was using the lens with a 2 x extender. Virtually no loss of quality and still auto focus.
I'm taking it with me when I go to the races on Boxing Day to try it out on the horses jumping the last fence / hurdle.

That's a good way to go, you get the best of both worlds fast aperture and decent zoom.

 

[spigot]

I believe good photographs are less to do with the aforementioned gizmos & more to do with the person pointing the thing.

One only has to look at the mind-blowing images captured by the likes of Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson et al on equipment that is nowadays regarded as antique.

I also read recently that film is making a comeback, thereby giving an incentive to compose pictures rather than firing off dozens of frames in the forlorn hope that one will fit the bill.

 

[grantandjan]

after 30 years of slr cams pentax richo and all the goodys i gave up and about 5 years ago i bought a orit 6 mg pixal compact fitted with 2 aa batts so easy to charge in van through usb charger.and here is a pic of erigal mountain behind a church the roof was stolen hope you like.

spigot
I believe good photographs are less to do with the aforementioned gizmos & more to do with the person pointing the thing.

One only has to look at the mind-blowing images captured by the likes of Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson et al on equipment that is nowadays regarded as antique.

Very true, been down the same route as trevskoda plus dabbled in medium format but in my view it all comes down to composition (excuse the pun).
Trevskoda's "snapshot" keeps you interested until you've looked in every corner, interest in the foreground, middle ground and background and broadly follows the rule of thirds. You can buy all the best high end gear you can afford but if you can't compose a photograph what's the point?

I now use a Panasonic Lumix FZ100 with built in Leica zoom lens, it takes stunning pictures......... when I get it right!