SLR or point and shoot?
 

I will be traveling to Europe in August with my husband and both our mothers. While my initial plan was to take my SLR camera, I am having second thoughts, mainly due to my mother-in-law... I have asked everyone to pack LIGHT, since we will be carrying our luggage to several trains, etc. I thought we could all share the SLR since it has a program mode that enables the camera to act as a point and shoot. However, she has told me that she would prefer that I also take my point and shoot small camera. I don't know if this is because she is nervous about the equipment, or she thinks I will be hogging the camera the entire time.

So, to get to my question -- should I take my SLR and the point and shoot, or forget the SLR? I was a photography major in college, but really do it just for fun now. I don't know if it's worth lugging the entire thing around (another item to get lost or stolen), or if I'll regret not having it for specific situations. My point and shoot is a very nice camera as well, and gives me lots of options, but I obviously can't manual focus or control the f-stop or shutter speed...

Has anyone taken or not taken their SLR on their trip and regretted the decision?...

Thanks!

I don't think anyone is going to feel weighed down by taking a second camera..all those cosmetics you may be taking probably weigh as much not to mention men's shoes, etc., etc. Take the point and shoot and let your mother in law use it..take your SLR and use it...you say later in the post that you aren't sure you want to "lug around" the SLR..but earlier on you say your original plan was to take it. I suppose if you were a really devious person you could let HER lug the SLR around and you carry the point and shoot "for her conveneince" of course.
Take 'em both and you won't be disappointed by missing that one great shot.

Once again, Intrepid is right on the money.

I disagree with the above post.

After 25+ trips to Europe we have found that actually being there and really enjoying the trip is better than working too hard to take great photos.

This is from someone who has done the SLR, the video camera, etc.

We now take one small digital Canon Elph and really enjoy the "moment", not the possible photo. It is easy to carry on my belt or in my wife's purse.

Don't get trapped into being the official photo taker for the group and always be worried you are missing a shot. Just enjoy Europe while you are there and take less, not more pictures.I still remember the poor girl that I say walking through Versailles with a video to her eye. She got it all on tape, but never stopped to see the real thing. I wonder how many times she watched the thing when home?

Another piece of advice and then do what YOU WANT TO. I have been a professional photographer for over 50 years and have also lugged the video camera, SLR with additional lenses, then with the best zoom lens, etc and have gotten some great photos. HOWEVER, I have found these later years that a good point and shoot certainly does VERY WELL and you can be more spontaneous, rather than thinking is this the best lens, best lighting, etc. And now have gone to digital which I thought I NEVER would do and don't regret it as have found very few really interested in all these photos, a year or two down the road and digital does very well. So I almost think a person has to go through these progression of stages before settling down to the very handy and SMALL point and shoot and or digital. Have a great trip anyway and just savour the moment.

Not to belabor the obvious, you it appears that you and your mother-in-law both enjoy photography. So why don't you take your camera of choice and she take hers? If either of you wants to share with the other, fine, but otherwise you should both take responsibility for lugging about your own luggage. Perhaps your mother-in-law is bristling at your "pack light" decree and wants to pack as she pleases? But that's a whole nuther story...

As a photography major, I would imagine you would "see" all kinds of things you'd want to take. I don't believe taking pictures causes you not to enjoy in the moment. I think a decent photographer would not only enjoy the moment, but capture a special moment s/he can enjoy for years to come.

There are shots I still regret not taking (didn't feel like lugging around the camera on those days). If you love taking pictures, I don't think you will regret taking both cameras...would be a pity if you couldn't take a shot because your M.I.L. had the camera.

Just keep a close eye on your camera, and you should be fine!

My first trip to Europe, my wife took a point and shoot, I took my SLR. After several more trips, I find a reasonably good point and shoot is sooo much easier to carry around and to deal with - and the pictures are almost as good as my SLR. I carry my point and shoot in a belt holster with an extra roll of film. Nothing to lug, and pretty hard to steal.

This is another example to "to each his own" I "lug" my SLR with a huge lens around in a backpack/camera bag. Actually we take turns, (the beauty of having three sons)but one of the best parts of my vacations is the photography. So it's worth the hassle for me.
When we get home I order a leather scrapbook with the trip's name engraved on the front and we all enjoy the pictures for years.

If you can appreciate the difference between a snapshot and a decent photograph, you will regret it if you don't take the better camera. People that claim a point-and-shoot is just as good as an SLR generally can't tell the difference between an Ansell Adams and an Uncle Harry. When I travel to Europe, the first thing to go into my carry-on after my passport and air tickets, is my Nikon. The second thing is my tripod (nightshots of Europe can be spectacular).

Hi, herrz - I'm also always dithering about which to take. The SLR and its lenses and filters, tripod and a variety of films or just the point and shoot and whatever film I can get. So recently, I've decided if I'm going to take photographs, which usually means traveling alone and spending a lot of time looking at places and things, going back to the same place, spending a lot of time on a shot, I take the SLR. When it's just fun stuff with others where I'm getting "snapshots" of the trip, doing a lot of sightseeing and interacting, I take the P&S. Otherwise, I regret hauling so much camera for shots that could be done with a lot less. The only problem are those really good photos that I get with a point and shoot that I don't think enlarge very well. And the black and white prints come out much darker with a point and shoot so I have to change my technique with print-making. Although I have taken the SLR with the 50mm lens, set it on automatic and let whatever happens, happen. I'm still looking for that great perfect P&S. But that's part of the fun, isn't it? Have a great trip - traveling with parents can be such fun if you do if from a "making memories" perspective.

Whichever you decide to take, I never travel with only one camera, both of whch are point & shoot, just different zooms.

I've been on too many trips where partners' (thankfully hasn't yet happened to me) cameras jam, film rewinds mid-roll, or some other strange things and these have been both Nikon and Canon cameras.

In the scheme of things, these cameras don't weigh much, so take both - and don't forget extra batteries for each.

I can only chuckle at the comments that deride the quality of photographs taken with a point-and-shoot camera. I get some damned good shots with both my P&Ss....good enough for a just-concluded photo exhibit!
PS: I take two cameras solely because it allows the flexibiity of taking indoor (without flash) and night shots with one camera and daylight shots outdoors with the other.

Buy each person a disposable camera!

They're lots of fun, slip easily into your pocket, are of no value for someone to steal, take reasonably good snapshots. They come in daylight, flash, panoramic, and underwater versions.

If you want your SLR badly enough to haul it around, sure take that also.

Bet you didn't count on all of this advice.

'Intrepid' brings up some good points and again, it comes down to personal taste.

I have done both, the small Olympus 35-70mm automatic and then the Olympus OM-B with three lenses and flash. That wasn't much fun. Ugh!

We got decent photos with the little camera, but it was the distant and wide angle shots that limited it. My solution was to sell the OM-B with all of the peripheral gadgets and buy a Sigma SA-7 with one 28-200mm lense. It was a great move that allowed me some versatility and it all fits in one small bag and camera with lense weighs two pounds. I picked up a UV and a polarizing filter and I'm getting better pictures with a lot less hassle.

Being a more experienced photographer than myself, I'm sure that your SLR camera is likely better than mine, so you should be set. I'll echo an earlier post by saying that you could let your mother-in-law take the little camera and you take the the SLR. That way, everyone is happy. It won't make much difference in the packing restrictions, really.

Tell her to leave her curling iron behind. But that would be a typical male 'solution', wouldn't it?

Sandi, you make a good point. So far, we've been lucky with our one camera. But a second one as backup is a good idea. (We once had to make do with a disposable with built-in flash after our flash unit died on the first day out!) And HowardR's idea of loading two little P&S's with different film speeds is a fantastic idea, so thanks to you both.

Anyway, herrz, I think others have guessed correctly - your mom wants a little camera for 'fun' use.

If photography is important to you, an SLR will give you much more flexibility and control. Only the highest end point& shoots allow you to vary the exposure, not to mention take advantage of your depth of field, and change lenses...but since you were a photography major, you already knew this.

I make a portion of my living as a travel photographer, and I constantly search for lighter and less-bulky alternatives than an SLR. But in all honesty, there aren't any.

You can get fine pictures with a point & shoot, no doubt...just remember that by using one you're leaving most of the decisions about exposure up to the camera.

There's something to be said for traveling light. I normally carry 2 slrs, a panoramic rangefinder, and a point & shoot...and a variety of lenses. But I've done it so many times it's not a burden for me. My camera gear is my carry on bag. I can see where a woman would have more to handle.

I say bring both. You can always leave the SLR in the hotel safe if you don't feel like carrying it for a day.

Hope you have a great trip.

If you'd like to see some of my European photos, or just want to talk more photography, email me for a link to my site.

I took a SLR "equivalent" digital on our trip and was very pleased with the results.

Most people, would probably be very happy with a point and shoot.... especially if you are just going to put them in album.

Personally, I would never think of travelling with just a small point and shoot camera. It gave me much more flexibilty.

I suggest that if you own a SLR, you should defintely take it.

Herrz,

Well here is MHO. On our last trip I thought I would bring the old SLR and the digital to do comparison shots. When we got back and developed the SLR pics I was surprised at the difference between them and the digital shots of the same picture. The digital was better! The colors, light and depth of the digital shots were better in every case. This was all done with a digital Canon S300. There are limits and differences between the two technologies, but for the convenience and the quality of what you get it is difficult to justify bringing along a bulky camera that I don't really want to carry around. I also like the idea that I can see if I got a good picture or not before I get home and develop my pictures. The point and shoot camera has come a long way since the old Brownie. I have since upgraded to the the Canon S400, which has even more capabilities. Have fun.

Greg