"F4 and be there." Must be a 4/3rds shooter.
The phrase for the rest of us is F8 and be there. Thanks to Weegee.

In fact the best F number depends on many things, including desired depth of field, available light and the lenses "sweet spot". F8 works pretty well for most things though.

I wouldn't take the camera myself. Not about having it get stolen or whatever, but it's just extra weight and one more thing to worry about when you're moving around.

I'd just use your phone - but I do agree, be careful with that, because it would be a lot easier for someone to grab and run than a camera!

Hi nymphlys, I have the same worry as you did, and I mostly stay in hostels/guesthouses, but I never traveled without my camera, and so far nothing happen to it. Being cautious is the key. I'm also a small, young girl; trust me, that doesn't has anything to do with the thieves: they will steal from whoever they could, be it a male or female, strong or weak. My brother was a muscular man but his camera got stolen in Netherlands. I learnt from his lesson.

Put your camera into lockers in hostels. You should be able to check in advance if the hostel provide this service. Many hostels do it for free nowadays - at least the good hostels. While traveling, put the strap of your camera on your neck, never put it out of sight.

Eventually, what's the point of a camera if we can't use it in need? :)

Moreover, if you take out your iPhone too often, the possibility of your iPhone got stolen is higher than the camera.

As Ansel Adams said, "a good photograph is knowing where to stand." At least, in terms of scenic photography, I've found that to be so true.

The "when" matters more when you are photographing action or people, not something I do so often - although if you are shooting outside, obviously you care about where the sun is, what the sky is like, etc. If it's a day with scattered clouds, sometimes with sunbreaks, the "when" can mean trying to guess when the sun will break through and light your subject the way you want it - or "when" the sun will rise or set, etc.

Like hetismij2, I default to F8 at least on my 24-105mm lens that I use much of the time when shooting manually. I'm not a big fan of narrow depth-of-field - it's an overused technique I think, one that really works sometimes but not always. I usually want to see the whole scene, not just the subject with a blurred background. Of course, it depends what you are doing. Even though I shoot in "Program" mode much of the time (unless I'm using my tripod), I still pay attention to what choices the camera is making for shutter speed and F-stop. If the light is good, and I don't need anything special, I'm usually happy with the choices it makes. Part of shooting is knowing how to use your camera to its fullest potential, even if it's a basic camera with manual focus, as my first real 35mm camera was. With my DSLR, I've looked carefully at hundreds of my shots and learned what I care about and what doesn't matter.

my glorious "when" derided. Of course the when matters in any situation, not only action or people. When do you fire the shutter, that's the eternal question. Followed by "how do you gesture with the camera?", the gesture taking up the entire body. :) :)

Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.

zoom lenses. pah!

I take my camera on travel and enjoy using it, but don't want carry it with me everywhere, every day. If I'm not carrying it, I keep it locked in the hotel safe. It sounds like you might not have a secure place to store your camera -- that would be a problem for me.

If you're happy with the photos and videos you get with your phone, then the most carefree option is to stick with that. Maybe spend some time before you go experimenting with the photo options on your phone so you can make best use of it while you're traveling.

IF I did want a camera separate from my phone, I would just buy a tiny point & shoot digital camera. I see no point in packing a "new Canon DSLR" by a "small young girl" who is not a photographer and will be staying alone in hostels.

Followed by "how do you gesture with the camera?", the gesture taking up the entire body.

menachem I'm sure there's some wisdom in this...can you explain to an amateur?

"When" is everything with lighting IMO...

suze: I don't see any link between "small young girl, staying alone in hostels" and "no point in packing the camera". You couldn't have known more hostels than me. I took the caution steps, and no strangers have touched my camera. There is always a point in packing the camera, if the OP loves photography, as she said.

I also fail to see suze's point. But I often do. Her size, youth, profession and travel status would seem to me to have no bearing whatever on her wish to take some good pictures.

There is no point in a small point and shoot and a phone. The phone will probably produce better photos.

As I said upthread though if OP has no means of backing up her photos she either has to carry, and risk losing, a lot of memory cards, or stick with phone and save to the cloud.

Same with batteries. You will need at least one spare, and the charger for it, so you have to decide whether you want to carry those as well.

Personally I see no point in owning a DSLR and not taking it away with you, if at all possible. There are extremely comfortable, and theft proof, straps and bags available. I left mine behind just once, on a flying visit to the UK, and I so missed having it. Now it's always packed and always carried.

And you are actually less likely to get your camera stolen in the hostel than out on the street. Or in fact, the only time I've had items stolen like that were when they were locked in the car. I really don't think it matters what you look like- age or gender. Theft is a matter of opportunity and inattention on your part.

I am not saying let your guard down but honestly the only thing that has ever disappeared on me at a hostel was food. People don't generally touch other people's stuff in your room. Not only too many witnesses but also unless you flash your valuables around, people won't know you have enything worth stealing.

<if the OP loves photography, as she said.>

Well she ALSO said:

"and I'm not sure if I want the responsibility of constantly worrying about my camera"

Her words.

I love to travel, I like taking photos, and have never used a fancy camera myself. I'm not sure why that is so hard to understand.

Back in my film/SLR days, when I would do multiple mental calculations for fill flash and more, I kept my camera on F4 at the hyperfocal distance and aperture priority in case I had no time to calculate a shot. F8 could yield too slow a shutter to allow a grab shot. I couldn't afford autofocus, just autoexposure.

Now that smart cameras are cheap, I concentrate on the image and let the chip figure out the numbers.

I have no doubt the OP will take her lovely camera and be glad she did. In my 50s I began walking long distance paths in England, no support, small pack with all I needed on my back, medium format Rollei with film, charger on my front, plus 35mm slr, film, etc. Yes, heavy but had the time of my life and kept it up year after year. Then went home to the darkroom. Life and travel have gotten a whole lot lighter, lest we forget.

sundriedtopepo one can get very philosophical about photography, but at the end of the day it is "making one thing out of everything". Or, as the photographer, you bend "reality" to your will, framing it, selecting, taking a split second out of time and expanding that to a permanent state. That is the inherent tension in photography that I love, the tension by what happens in front of you that is time based and how that is shot, caught and fixed.

The practice of the photographer is determining the position of the "body with the camera" in physical space so that the photograph can be made, and then to determine when the shutter will be fired. That is all there is to it. Of course it is the confrontation with the time based world that makes this into such an exciting adventure.

There's a lot in here about the frame of mind of the photographer, questions whether you intend your photographs to be windows or mirrors etc.

here's Paris:

https://flic.kr/p/NU9frW

>>I love to travel, I like taking photos, and have never used a fancy camera myself. I'm not sure why that is so hard to understand.

suze: we don't aim here at understanding you. We try to understand the OP and provide her advises that she needs. In the end only she knows if she need her camera or not. It has nothing to do with weather you want your camera or not. About constant worrying, I have said twice in this thread, and I'll repeat the 3rd time: put it in the locker in the hostel, no more worry, end of story.

No idea if the OP is still even reading this thread...
But, if so, how often do you haul your DSLR around to actually take photos where you live? If it's not more than once a week, for example, it's really not worth the bother.

Your camera will be absolutely adequate for what you intend to do.

Just take sensible precautions to keep it safe - don't leave it unattended on a table, don't use it on public transport, etc. Might be a good idea to buy a lanyard to use around your neck, too.

Maybe OP will be the photograph of her generation. Maybe not.
Not my turf but I can imagine wanting to take it if you have it.

<i> To bring camera or not?
Posted by: nymphlys on Feb 9, 17 at 8:23pm</i>

You will be happy you did. Keep the strap around your neck and keep one hand on the camera to keep it from bouncing on your belly, and to keep other hands away from it. Theft in Europe is primarily by invisible pickpockets and not by brute force. Back up your images every night, just in case. The pictures will be worth more to you than the camera.