flyme2themoon

repost. incorrectly posted in Iceland forum : >

my hubby and i argue about his wanting to take his Canon D7 camera and zoom lens to our forthcoming trip to croatia, florence and venice. he wants to bring his camera backpack ( which btw will count as 1 carry on piece when we board our easyjet flight from Split to Milan, which is another story but not to digress...). he is not a professional photographer or a big photography hobbyist. i.e. he takes pictures of special occasions or when we are vacationing within in the US which is the extent of his taking pictures. he knows how to use his camera and i would admit that 70% of the time, takes nice pictures, but that's just my opinion because im no expert in photography myself.

i asked him to not bring the camera because we will be moving around quite a bit, on trains, buses, easyjet flight. and having the camera backpack wherever we go might make him a target ( and maybe an easy one at that ) for pickpockets and thieves. he says he'll carry the backpack in front of him but i say that he might still be distracted just trying to get the camera in and out of the backpack.

please help us with your wise advice. i will let my husband read your responses to this post and hopefully one of us will be swayed for or against bringing the big camera. btw, we have a great point and shoot digital camera with 14MP resolution, which i think is adequate for travel purposes, it's compact and light and easily fits into a small purse. but then this is just my opinion.

thanks in advance for your help.

quokka

Just my two cents....

If he carries the heavy camera stuff it's mostly his problem, not yours, isn't it? Better heavier hand luggage than a sad and grumpy travel companion who complains all the time about not having his beloved camera at hand. Take the small camera for yourself, take your own pictures, and let him enjoy his hobby if it means that much to him.

Any tourist is a "target" for thieves and pickpockets, or not. Caution yes, paranoia no. You have to take care of your belongings anyway, having a camera backpack does not really make a difference.

flyme2themoon

thanks quokka. i'm keeping score. so, 1 for the hubby, 0 for me. lol

hetismij2

I take my camera and several lenses everywhere I go. In a backpack or shoulder bag. Always my one piece of carry-on.
Provided the back pack isn't emblazoned with a camera name, and is fairly discrete I can't see he'll be more of a target than anyone else.
I will say he needs to keep an eye on it whilst taking photos. Clamped between his legs, standing on the straps is probably best.

mamcalice

If he agrees to carry the camera, you should be OK. Many years ago I had the same situation exactly and I made a deal that DH would be responsible for the stuff. And we had a tripod! But it worked out. Now we find that a very small digital does the same or better job.

alanRow

<i>which btw will count as 1 carry on piece when we board our easyjet flight from Split to Milan, which is another story but not to digress...)</i>

"which btw will count as THE ONLY carry on piece..."

Why does he need a camera backpack? Give him an excuse to buy a ultra-wide zoom lens so he doesn't need to carry everything and the kitchen sink.

When I went to the Galapagos I had 4 cameras - one D-SLR with a wide zoom for general use, a small portable zoom for those "quick shots", a waterproof camera for - well - water and a spare camera that ran off AA batteries Just In Case.

Together they and their support equipment (chargers, spare batteries, memory cards) took up less than a shoebox of space

adrienne

Let your husband do what he wants - it's his vacation too and if he wants to carry photo equipment that fine.

maitaitom

My friend Kim is a very good photographer, however on his European excursions he take his smaller travel camera that also takes great photos and fits in his pocket. I also prefer to take my smaller camera on trips. I used to take a larger one, but find it is much easier to travel with the smaller one. He might be grumpy at first, but my guess is he will be a lot grumpier by the end of the trip having to lug around a camera backpack, so I vote for you.

Wekiva

I wouldn't go to Europe w/out my Nikon D90. I took my Minolta 7000i on my first trip in 1992. I agree it's a pain at times to have the camera backpack...but then what's the point of a nice camera if you can't take pics of one of the great trips of your lives. I take the D90 and the Canon S95 point/shoot as backup.

One thing that i DON'T bring on big trips any more is my zoom lens thought. I carried a 100-300 lens on two trips and took.....two pictures. So for now I take my 18-105? kit lens and am just fine. I also take a cheap 50mm 1.8 app lens that is great in a museum for no flashes (if you can get far enough back).

So in my backpack I carry the D90, extra 50mm lens, and my DH video camera and a flash light. I also use the Lowepro Slingshot for my packpack and it works great. You carry it on the back and slide it around to access from the front when getting out the camera. Best of both worlds. http://www.lowepro.com/slingshot

Let they man take his toys!

VirginiaBeach

We travel with D90 and yes it's heavier then point and shoot, but pictures are so much better. It's always on my neck ready to shoot, try that with P&S.
Yes, bring a zoom lens!!
Being a "target" is the least of my worries.

Wekiva

Ok....the man...not they.
(sighs...wishing we could edit posts)

flyme2themoon

ok, hubby is winning so far ... fwiw, let me volunteer more info. last trip we went on in scotland, he lost his new iphone. and to the fine men posters in this forum, pls take no offense on this: hubby gets distracted easily, focus is not a strong suit. on another trip, another cell phone was lost.

maitai, you are a wise man! please share that with tracy

basingstoke2

I'll join the leave the Canon home bunch. Yes, it will take better pictures than any p&S and yes, he spent a lot of money on it and wants to use it. I have been there, done that carrying my SLR and lenses around. It does get tiring after awhile, not to mention having to be extra alert all of the time. I split the difference with a very good p&s that is a swiss army knife of a camera and find the quality, while not up to that of a good DSLR is still quite good.

I don't agree that it will not make him more of a target. That is not just any old Canon but one of the higher end ones. I think of it as holding a bunch of hundred dollar bills in my hand for all to see.

If he has just the kit lenses, then it is not all that much of a zoom, although the quality of the pictures would be good enough to gain "extra zoom" through cropping later on. Most p&s cameras have a longer optical zoom than the kit lens. In any case, many have found a good wide angle lens more useful in cities.

hetismij2

Why not compromise and suggest he takes just a wide angle lens with him. Probably more useful in cities anyway. Or suggest he buys an all-in-one 18-250mm lens (or 18-135). Not such good quality of course but very handy for such trips.
That and a good strap (maybe something like the BlackRapid, or even better the Sunsniper with wire through it) and he's set. The charger, memory cards etc can go in his luggage. The camera then can just slip into his carry on if needed.

Axel2DP

Ok, so your husband might be "distracted easily", but isn't one of the benefits of traveling with a partner is that the partner presents an extra set of eyes so that the hubby will be less likely to misplace/lose important stuffs?

I've always travel with my DSLR and lenses, but I have to admit that there are times when I wish I could just ditch the whole thing and just have a light compact in my pocket, and I do have to be extra careful about not having camera bag and camera out of my sight. Also, depending on where you go, I notice that sometimes the locals immediately think you're rich when you have a DSLR dangling around your neck and will try to get more money out of you; This definitely happened to me when I was in Cairo two years ago - the attendants at the mosques wanted some ridiculous price for me to climb the minarets, which were supposed to be free anyway. When I tried to negotiate a lower price, I saw his eyes darted towards my camera before replying with a firm "No". At that moment I immediately realized it wasn't such a hot idea to have a DSLR freely hanging around my neck like that. But if I kept it in my bag then it can be a really hassle get it in and out and you couldn't be spontaneous when you do that. It's can also be quite obvious when you're pointing your DSLR at the locals trying to take candids, LOL.

Maybe before your big trip, your husband can do some mini photography trips and/or photography self-assignments around where your live using only his compact. He can then judge for himself if he's happy with the pictures he has taken, or if he think he'd rather have the DSLR with him.

Fra_Diavolo

I second hetismij2 but suggest the great EF-S 17 - 55 f2.8 IS Canon lens. I find this lens does it all (for me) when traveling. I mostly photograph in cities or rural landscapes and seldom miss my telephoto. An ultra wide can be useful in some circumstances, but he can probably get by with the 27mm equivalent he'll get at 17.

nytraveler

If he wants to haul all that stuff around - it's his funeral.

But I highly recommend for the basic travel photographer a very simple camera that has built in zoom - and everything else - that can be carried in a small purse. You will get essentailly the same pictures for a lot less hassle. IMHO any bunch of equipment that requires a whole separate camera backpack is too much unless you're a professional paid to take the pix.

crosscheck

I vote for the P&S, if it truly is a good one. We own the Canon G12. We have many friends who are professional photographers and cinematographers and they all use this when they travel for pleasure.

mscleo

I have a Nikon D3, along with a 10-20 Sigma, a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm Nikkor lens. They all go with me when I travel internationally, along with a prime lens; typically my 85 f/1/4. I have a Lowepro backpack that I carry my gear in and the backpack I have (Flipside 400), zips on the inside, so that when you have it on, the zipper is against your back and not the other way around.

Yes, it's heavy gear, but you know, personally speaking, I'd rather have my gear to take images than not have it. I am a huge photo enthusiast (not a pro), and honestly, if I didn't have my gear with me, I would feel lost.

As far as being a target, I always take the same precautions when I'm here in the States, and I've not had any problems, (and if you've never seen a 70-200mm f/2.8, you know it's a big lens, especially when you put the lens hood on it). In my travels, I've seen bigger and better gear than mine used, and all was well.

EasyJet does have the one carry on bag rule, (and that includes purses), so if your hubby chooses to take his backpack, that will be his one item. All the rest will have to be checked.

You say that your hubby gets distracted and that he lost his iPhone. You knooooow, while I think he may lose a cell phone, I'm really not thinking he's gonna forget a D7. Bottom line? Tell him to take his gear and both of you enjoy your trip. Better for him to take the camera than for you to hear, "I really could have gotten a great shot of this, if only I had my gear with me!", all throughout your journey!!

basingstoke2

"I always take the same precautions when I'm here in the States, and I've not had any problems"

Me too. Until I did when my very well travelled backpack, veteran of many trips, went missing in a brief moment of inattention. It can happen to anyone. This does not count strong arm tactics that are also not unkown.

"I notice that sometimes the locals immediately think you're rich when you have a DSLR dangling around your neck...."

That is not suprising when you consider a good DSLR represents more than 3 months of wages for the average Egyptian.