Miss_Maple

I have been thinking of getting a new camera lense for my film SLR 20-200mm zoom so I would only have to take 1 lense. I also have a 3.2 mega pixel digital which I plan to take for fun -- but it has it's limits. I was just in Best Buy and I saw a very compact digital Sony handycam for about $300. It cost more than $100 for the lense.

We are going to spend 10 days on the Big Island -- doing the sights/volcano/waterfalls/gardens etc. I just wonder for those who have a digital camera -- did you really use it in Hawaii and how were the results? Our last vacation to Alaska we took 27 rolls of film.

pianograd99

I went to Oahu and Maui for 10 days last September. I took a Sony Cybershot 3.2 megapixel digital camera and was amazed at the pictures I came back with. I couldn't have asked for better pictures - waterfalls, ocean, rainbows, etc - they all turned out great. Of course, that all varies from camera to camera, but my digital did great! I came back with over 250 pictures from the trip.

bertaron

As a former non digital camera photographer I can easily say Hawaii with a digital camera is the way to go. If you don't like it the shot you can always get rid of it. It is tough to take a bad shot on the island. You should take the cord that connects your camera to a tv and you can see up close if you want to keep the shot after a long day of sightseeing.

astein12

The major advantage of the 20-200mm lens is at the 20mm. This will give you solid wide angle capabilities for taking landscape photos.

This issue with most digitals is that they are generally between 28 and 35mm on the short end. I'd consider taking both, a digital point and shoot to toss in my pocket and the more 'serious' camera for the rest of your photos.

BTW, I usually carry a little point and shoot digital (3mp) and a Nikon D100 digital SLR (6mp) with a 17-35mm for landscapes and a few others dependig on the location.

Cerlaurie

We just got back from Hawaii and took all our pictures with a digital camera. We have a small 3.2 mega pixel Canon. I wouldn't want to lug my SLR camera with the different lenses around Hawaii. I also wouldn't want to worry about film. I carried my camera along with an extra battery and memory card with me everywhere. I took 224 pictures but after I got home I narrowed those down to 130 that I had printed. Bringing the cord for the TV is a good idea. We didn't think about that until after we got there.

beachgirl86

We have been to Hawaii twice, and are returning this summer. We have been taking our digital, which is a 4 megapixel Canon PowerShot. The pictures come out beautiful. We have lots of great photos from the Big Island...the volcano, Hapuna Beach, Waipaio Valley overlook, Akaka Falls, etc....

antoinette

I purchased my first digital camera, a Sony Cybershot 7.2mp this summer with the knowledge that I'd be going to Hawaii in February and I didn't want to lug around my regular camera and its various lenses. We just got back from the islands and I really liked using the digital, especially the feature that lets you take movies with it. That was great for catching friends and surfing action.

I did miss not having my wide angle lens and my bigger zoom lenses though. For some of the water action I couldn't get the close shot I'd been used to with my previous camera, though the digital has a small zoom.

I loved just being able to tuck my camera in my shorts pocket though. That's a great feature; I could carry it anywhere I went w/o it being noticeable. The ability to see if you've captured what you wanted at that moment can't be beat either.

In the future I'd probably take both cameras, and use the SLR when I needed it, or check into getting a digital with lens options.

Good luck and have lots of fun!

Miss_Maple

Thanks for the replies -- Has anyone taken a digital video camera -- like the little Sony HandyCam? I know what you mean by being weighted down by a lot of equipment -- I do have a digital Cannon 3.2mp powershot which takes pretty good closeups but the mini-movies really hogs the space on the memory card. I also like the fact that with my SLR I have circular polarizer which really cuts the glare and deepens the greens/blues.

A good suggestion about taking the TV cord connection.

OldSouthernBelle

We took pics with our Canon S400 July '05 on Maui and Oahu. If you'd like to see them, go to:

http://tinyurl.com/rm8x7

There are times I wished the 3 second delay wasn't there, but the overall portability, usability made it worth it!

This is weird, I made it a tinyurl and when I 'preview', it is double what it is supposed to be, but when I go to the Fodor's 'edit' function, it shows it single as it should be...??
Anyway, give it a try.
Belle

OldSouthernBelle

Well, it posted correctly afterall!

Belle