in case anyone is considering
Discussion
not taking their DSLR on holiday and just taking a compact (Lumix for me) - don't!
I found it very frustrating and actually quite difficult to get the shots I wanted, especially trying to rely on the lcd screen to focus correctly in bright sunlight.
So lesson learnt and back to one extra bag next year!
I found it very frustrating and actually quite difficult to get the shots I wanted, especially trying to rely on the lcd screen to focus correctly in bright sunlight.
So lesson learnt and back to one extra bag next year!
Interesting point.
I am just editing the shots from my honeymoon and i remember thinking that i wish i had a smaller camera that i could comfortably hang from my neck all day or slip into a normal bag and not need to cary a rucksack or camera bag around with me. Everything is a compromise i suppose.
There are a few shots i couldn't have got without an SLR and associated lenses, two picked at random here, neither are brilliant shots but both needed a 'big' lens to take.
IMG_2956 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_2966 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
But for 98% of the shots i would have been happy with a decent CSC and a standard zoom, or maybe a 35mm prime.
I am just editing the shots from my honeymoon and i remember thinking that i wish i had a smaller camera that i could comfortably hang from my neck all day or slip into a normal bag and not need to cary a rucksack or camera bag around with me. Everything is a compromise i suppose.
There are a few shots i couldn't have got without an SLR and associated lenses, two picked at random here, neither are brilliant shots but both needed a 'big' lens to take.
IMG_2956 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_2966 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
But for 98% of the shots i would have been happy with a decent CSC and a standard zoom, or maybe a 35mm prime.
There are lots of very small, high quality options now if you want to travel light and still get some really decent photos. Anything from a Sony RX100, Canon M, Micro 4/3 or Fuji X set-up. The older Micro 4/3 gear can be picked up used extremely cheaply now and you can get a brand new Canon M and lens for £199.
I used to take a Panasonic GF1 and 20mm 1.7 on our summer beach holidays abroad, tiny, cheap set-up but superb quality. For our honeymoon last year I took a Fuji X-E1 and 35mm 1.4, a bit bigger but still incredibly compact and helped me record some brilliant memories whilst barely being noticeable in my bag day to day...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/harry_s/sets/7215763...
I used to take a Panasonic GF1 and 20mm 1.7 on our summer beach holidays abroad, tiny, cheap set-up but superb quality. For our honeymoon last year I took a Fuji X-E1 and 35mm 1.4, a bit bigger but still incredibly compact and helped me record some brilliant memories whilst barely being noticeable in my bag day to day...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/harry_s/sets/7215763...
Edited by ukaskew on Monday 25th August 05:57
good points all thanks, I've been back through the photos I'm not happy with and they are all "action" shots so I think I am being unfair expecting the Lumix to come anywhere near the 5D3!
That said I also think I do need to practice more with the Lumix but I will stick to the DSLR in future.
That said I also think I do need to practice more with the Lumix but I will stick to the DSLR in future.
I think the choices rather depend on what sort of holiday one expects to have.
If I'm travelling light I have Canon S90 as an "always in my pocket" camera.
Not quite so light means I take a G11 as well. It has a filter adapter, a useful articulated screen and a proper flash shoe and offers a few controls that the S90 does not have.
"Fill the cabin bag" mode adds a DSLR (Consumer lightweight) plus, last time out, the kit lens and my 70-300 L DO. The latter is compact though a little heavy.
I used all of them though most frequently the G11. The DLSR at the time was an aging Canon 400D. Effectively disposable should anything untoward happen.
All of them are approx 10Mpx and at a glance in a like for like perspective image it's not easy to tell which camera was used. One benefit of the relatively small sensor density is that the files are smaller - great when travelling. I knew I would have access to a PC so just took a couple of small external drives for backup.
Now that may seem like a lot of kit but it worked well as a set and as the S90 and G11 were bought at good prices as Canon Refurbs (as was a 580 EX II flash) I had just about everything covered. The alternative was to take a 1DIII and a stack of L glass - which would not fit in the cabin allocation and would likely require an excess baggage charge.
It's probably time to think about upgrading the smaller stuff but in terms of what I normally use if for I'm sure I need to as yet. That means that one could take some older, not too expensive doesn't-matter-if-it-gets-trashed pocketable kit for the day to day snaps and something more interesting or when you want to do something more serious without having to lug that around everywhere with you 'just in case you see something' you want to capture.
If I'm travelling light I have Canon S90 as an "always in my pocket" camera.
Not quite so light means I take a G11 as well. It has a filter adapter, a useful articulated screen and a proper flash shoe and offers a few controls that the S90 does not have.
"Fill the cabin bag" mode adds a DSLR (Consumer lightweight) plus, last time out, the kit lens and my 70-300 L DO. The latter is compact though a little heavy.
I used all of them though most frequently the G11. The DLSR at the time was an aging Canon 400D. Effectively disposable should anything untoward happen.
All of them are approx 10Mpx and at a glance in a like for like perspective image it's not easy to tell which camera was used. One benefit of the relatively small sensor density is that the files are smaller - great when travelling. I knew I would have access to a PC so just took a couple of small external drives for backup.
Now that may seem like a lot of kit but it worked well as a set and as the S90 and G11 were bought at good prices as Canon Refurbs (as was a 580 EX II flash) I had just about everything covered. The alternative was to take a 1DIII and a stack of L glass - which would not fit in the cabin allocation and would likely require an excess baggage charge.
It's probably time to think about upgrading the smaller stuff but in terms of what I normally use if for I'm sure I need to as yet. That means that one could take some older, not too expensive doesn't-matter-if-it-gets-trashed pocketable kit for the day to day snaps and something more interesting or when you want to do something more serious without having to lug that around everywhere with you 'just in case you see something' you want to capture.
I started looking back through my Flickr to find my smallest ever travel set-up, I found this one...
New York City 2011 by Harry_S, on Flickr
Olympus E-PL2 + 14mm 2.5 + concrete wall for support. This one made it onto a very large canvas and still looks great. I think that combo cost me about £160 at the time, and is as small as I am comfortable using.
New York City 2011 by Harry_S, on Flickr
Olympus E-PL2 + 14mm 2.5 + concrete wall for support. This one made it onto a very large canvas and still looks great. I think that combo cost me about £160 at the time, and is as small as I am comfortable using.
Depends on the intention of the trip. I've travelled with a DSLR, with a film rangefinder plus single lens and with just a compact and been happy with all of them. You just have to accept that each has it's own limitations and that you are going to miss some shots whichever you choose.
ukaskew said:
I'm quite impressed by these. It does make me wonder whether I need to take a dslr everywhere. How much post processing did you need to do?strudel said:
I'm quite impressed by these. It does make me wonder whether I need to take a dslr everywhere. How much post processing did you need to do?
They were pretty much all transferred onto my iPad whilst I was away and uploaded straight to Flickr. Obviously a few have B&W conversions and the Route 66 ones have a filter applied, those were done in Snapseed (still on iPad).The beauty of the Fuji X system is that JPEGs are pretty much spot on straight from camera, I've used a lot of different systems and nothing comes close to their JPEG engine in my opinion, so it was perfect for me using an iPad (and I detest image processing, few things bore me more)
Edited by ukaskew on Wednesday 27th August 12:48
Borrowed my Dad's latest pocket-camera - a Sony with apparently good optics and a decent sensor. We were only out for a walk with the dog and our young lad, so thought it'd be more discreet than an SLR.
Except the A-F was shocking - you'd hold the button down for up to 4 or 5 seconds in mixed light, and at least a second in good light, while it worked out whether it wanted to take a photo or not - AFTER the screen had lit-up green to show the A-F had locked-on, allegedly. (bear in mind 3pm on a sunny day walking through fields and woods)
Missed no end of 'action' shots with either the dog or J because of this - neither dogs nor kids know how to pose for you!
So lesson learned - forget the hardware, it's the software that'll kill the shots. I'd happily use my old 20D with a kit lens instead of that thing again.
Except the A-F was shocking - you'd hold the button down for up to 4 or 5 seconds in mixed light, and at least a second in good light, while it worked out whether it wanted to take a photo or not - AFTER the screen had lit-up green to show the A-F had locked-on, allegedly. (bear in mind 3pm on a sunny day walking through fields and woods)
Missed no end of 'action' shots with either the dog or J because of this - neither dogs nor kids know how to pose for you!
So lesson learned - forget the hardware, it's the software that'll kill the shots. I'd happily use my old 20D with a kit lens instead of that thing again.
RobDickinson said:
I only go on holiday to take photos with my slr...
This. I'm going to Bruges in November with my girlfriend's family for her Dad's 60th. I was rambling on yesterday about all the locations I want to shoot before she rudely interrupted me to tell me I'd need to spend time with her Dad. I was going to buy him a pint before I set off, Christ... 
RobbieKB said:
RobDickinson said:
I only go on holiday to take photos with my slr...
This. I'm going to Bruges in November with my girlfriend's family for her Dad's 60th. I was rambling on yesterday about all the locations I want to shoot before she rudely interrupted me to tell me I'd need to spend time with her Dad. I was going to buy him a pint before I set off, Christ... I would suggest you include him in your shooting plan as a record of the event. Your personal contribution to something he can look back on as he loses his memory on the post 60 downhill slope and wonder who is in the picture and where it was taken. (You could add a caption to remind him!)
With luck after an hour or so he will be too knackered to want to carry on. A few bottles of something strong in a bar should have him "resting" whilst you carry on to get the rest of the locations. leaving with a promise the 'shop him into the images as if he had actually been there.
Photos obtained, attention paid, honour satisfied all round.
What do you think?
I'm currently in adeja and lugged the 5d3 along as well as the rx100m3.
5d3 has made it out once and was a right PITA and impossible to get anything discreet or candid. The rx100 has gone everywhere and I've got some wonderful low light evening portraits shots of the kids and loads of the locals without them even realising. Having reviewed a few on the mac, the quality of the out of camera jpegs is superb - anecdotal, but I don't think the 5d would have AF'd any better in low light. I feel a bit of an rx100 evangelist but it's just such an amazing camera, and even better I can hand it to wife and kids and they can happily shoot away - impossible with the big rig.
5d3 has made it out once and was a right PITA and impossible to get anything discreet or candid. The rx100 has gone everywhere and I've got some wonderful low light evening portraits shots of the kids and loads of the locals without them even realising. Having reviewed a few on the mac, the quality of the out of camera jpegs is superb - anecdotal, but I don't think the 5d would have AF'd any better in low light. I feel a bit of an rx100 evangelist but it's just such an amazing camera, and even better I can hand it to wife and kids and they can happily shoot away - impossible with the big rig.
StuH said:
5d3 has made it out once and was a right PITA and impossible to get anything discreet or candid.
I never had any problems with either using 5D and 1D. IMO pro bodies are actually better at shooting things like that because of ease of adjusting things.As for RX100 being as good as 5D MK3 in low light AF - it also depends what lens are you using.
Edited by rottie102 on Thursday 28th August 15:35
RobDickinson said:
I only go on holiday to take photos with my slr...
I was talking to someone the other day who'd recently been on a photography safari in South Africa. Only half a dozen of them on the vehicle and a professional photographer a provided as well as a wildlife ranger to give any advice as required. Sounds like a bloody good idea.My Mrs is far a better photographer than me so usually I take a compact and she takes the SLR, so we tend to get the best of both worlds as I can get the quick holiday snaps that she's got the wrong lens on or can't get the camera out in time for, and she gets all the good photos. Mind you when we went to Iceland we may have overdone it as with her underwater camera and my gopro we had 4 cameras between us
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