How to carry a large camera and still enjoy France?
 

We are planning for a 3 week trip to Paris and Northern France next year and I want to be able to get some really nice shots for my portfolio. Unfortunately, that means that I will be bringing along my large digital SLR...

What have been your experiences with large cameras and did you feel safe or did you feel like a target for thieves...

Do you have any recommendations for a nice camera bag for 1 SLR body and 2 lenses and some film...???

Thanks for telling any stories of your experiences.

I've got a Tamrac Superlight 5 canvas bag that I like. I shoot with a digital SLR, so no film, but it has room for 2 lens plus the one that's on the body. Also have memry cards, spare batteries, cleaning solution and wipes, plus a couple of filters and a phrase book in there. Fairly low profile. Have carried it on all day outings now in several countries, including Hungary, Romania, Cambodia, Thailand. Not France though - not sure it would make a difference.

http://www.tamrac.com/5405.htm

For many years I carried an SLR with two lenses. Now I take the smallest camera I can get with a small built in zoom lens. I find that the photos are pretty much the same and I enjoy myself more with a camera in my pocket and not strung around my neck. One secret of good photos-get closer.
Incidentally, thieves tend much more to be after your wallet.

Take a look at the Lowepro "Slingshot." Rides on your back but can be pulled forward for access.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Make sure your neck muscles are in really good condition - since nothing should be hanging on your back - or your side. Either sling it all around your neck - or put in a bandolier style bag in front of you.

(Just another reason for teeny weeny cameras - you can get really good quality from them you know - just give in and buy a good one.)

You take a large camera only if your primary purpose is to take pictures. If you have any other primary purpose, take a tiny camera. You will regret having the large camera if you aren't dedicated to photography, and you will regret having a small camera if you are.

Cameras of all types can disappear very quickly if you leave them unattended, but they are not at much risk if you are carrying them on your person.

A lot of people are extremely paranoid about photography these days, so beware.

I've been carrying a large SLR for years in Europe (including France) with a large zoom and a standard lens with absolutely no problems.

Well, since I am a photographer and I really want to add to my portfolio, I really can't just bring my small compact with me as I do when I go to Florida...

I am trying to see if I can get away with one lens equivalent to 28-200mm...

Thanks for the ideas of those bags...they might work.

You can do a lot with a single medium-range zoom. Remember that many of history's best photographs were taken with a fixed 35mm or 50mm lens. All a zoom lens does is allow you to make the frame larger or smaller; it has no effect on perspective.

If you have something to worry about, it's your vertebrae, your back, and really looking like a cartoon tourist. But not thieves. Paris is not Bogota, you can walk with a big camera, "they" won't snatch it off your neck.

You could consider replacing your two lenses with a single zoom that has a wide range (e.g., 35-200mm). Although if exceptional quality is important, an all-in-one lens may not be acceptable.

I always take two camera bags to Europe. In big cities, I use a more compact bag that sits closer to my side. This is convenient for crowded streets and tiny shops. On drives and in small towns, I often carry a larger bag that can hold a tripod, lens filters, guide books, and so on.

On a recent trip to India, I took my new Canon digital rebel xt camera with the kit lens (18-55) in the smallest Lowepro bag in which it would fit. That worked very well for me. I kept the camera with me at all times, never leaving it in the hotel room. I also carried a nylon travel purse for my other stuff, and I didn't feel that I was "overloaded". My camera in its case fit into my small carryon bag when I was on a plane. I felt safe carrying my camera in India. But I was with a tour group most of the time.

Not only did I take my Canon Digital Rebel with me on my last trip to Europe, I took a whole camera bag with a total of four lenses! Plus at dusk (sometimes daybreak) I had my tripod, too. But I'm a photographer. :-) The few times when I left the bag and tripod back at the hotel, my camera felt extremely light.

Oh, and I was very careful about my camera stuff and never felt threatened by thieves. You simply need to pay attention to your stuff and keep it close to you.

Andrew