Here are some recommendations for cameras when traveling.
Pixels - The pixels aren’t an issue for
any camera in today’s world of sharing photos on the web.
Many of the pics on takethatvaction.com are taken with a 7 mega pixel camera and you can’t distinguish a lower quality than that of a 10 or 14
mega pixel camera. The higher pixels are only necessary for 8x12 prints and not many of us are printing that size.
Image Stabilization – Electronic
stabilization is a must for quality shots, but for zoom photography it’s essential to place the camera in a stable position too.
On my trip to Africa, I finally became aware of the importance of stabilizing the camera for the production of quality zoom shots.
Shooting while a vehicle is moving or even idling can degrade photos significantly.
On safari a tripod is too awkward in most cases. Rest the camera on a bean bag on the roof of the safari vehicle and ask the driver to turn off the engine.
Yes, shooting from the roof is common on safari – the vehicles all have removable roof sections so you can stand up in the vehicle to take photos.
Memory Cards – These are inexpensive and excellent sizes are available.
For Africa, I used two 16GB cards in the two cameras and never filled them up.
I bought these on sale directly from Dell. The SD speed rating of 4 was perfectly adequate, so I wouldn’t bother investing in higher rated, more expensive cards.
I had two spares on stand by that were never needed. In the past, I used to bring a laptop and back the cards up, but I’ve now decided it’s not worth the extra hardware.
At the end of the trip, I carry the full SD cards in my money belt and put the spare cards in the camera during the trip home.
Batteries – When you are
traveling, ensure that you always have a spare battery during the day that is charged and ready to go.
You can buy spare batteries and chargers inexpensively at Amazon. Make sure you also have a universal adapter so you can recharge the battery each day.
Europe uses a two pin adapter while Britain and its colonies use a three prong.
Having both available is important. Traveling through the Netherlands to Tanzania, I needed both types.
Underwater
Cameras - My Lumix DMC-TS3 is quickly becoming my favorite travel
camera. The 12 mega pixel camera is compact, has excellent quality
HD video and 4.6x optical zoom. It's shock proof and water proof 40
feet. It's not the stats that are impressive. It gets
excellent color in the day, stable pictures in low light means it has
quality image stabilization, plus it has smooth video. The
adjustible wrist strap keeps it safely with you while you swim. Why
bring any other camera?
Digital Camera without extended
zoom. This type of camera isn’t recommended. A small digital camera may be a space saver, but due to its wide angle nature, it doesn’t capture
enough image detail to share your experiences.
Digital Camera
with Extended Zoom - My preference is a digital with extended zoom.
The Nikon Cookpix 25x Zoom camera did very well on our Africa trip. Not only is the zoom clear, but the tip up LCD display is great for shooting shots of people from your waist.
This technique avoids issues such as people who cover their faces, people who get mad at you for taking their picture and people who want to be paid. I don’t recommend the Nikon Cookpix though.
I had trouble with the zoom freezing, the electronic view finder stopped working during the trip and I found the camera little bulky.
It also has a feature that charges the battery while in the camera, which is inconvenient.
I bought an inexpensive charger and a spare battery through Amazon though and they work great.
I still continue to use my old Kodak 7
mega pixel 12x zoom on my trips. It is small, takes great photos and takes adequate movies that don’t use a lot of space.
The feature I like most about it is the friction fit lens cap. Turn it on and the cap falls off on its draw string – it’s the fastest camera around from start up and it takes very little space.
I also like the digital zoom that adjusts quickly with your thumb on the
back of the camera, whereas most other cameras adjust via the index finger
toward the front of the camera.
My recommendation for an
extended zoom camera is one that I became familiar with from another
traveller. It’s a Canon SX30IS 14 megapixel 35x zoom. It’s compact, has an LCD that can be flipped out for shooting in awkward positions, has HD video and it produces excellent quality at 35x.
I’ll be obtaining one for my next trip.
Digital SLR - These are a
little bulky and it’s inconvenient to switch lenses, so they don’t match the Extended Zoom in my opinion.
For my trip to the Serengeti, I purchased a Canon Rebel with a 250mm zoom lens.
This was an excellent camera. I can’t say the quality of the pics exceeded the extended zoom though.
The features I like best about it are the ease with which you can quickly
zoom/ frame a shot and the rapid fire pictures it can take. I got excellent photos of birds in flight that you simply can’t get with an extended zoom. If you want a good close
up of a leopard, the extended zoom was the better
bet though.
