Australia for 2 years. What camera?
Discussion
Off to Perth on a 2 year work assignment. Will be based in the city although will make the most of exploring WA and hopefully further afield while there.
Got an middle of the road Canon point and shoot and an iPhone 4S which I currently use when away and at home.
Questions is, how do I record my journey and subsequent adventures? Stick with what I have, buy now before departure or buy if I think I need to when there. Been contemplating a refurb Canon 500d. My budget all in is under £400 which I think is do-able.
Advice?
Got an middle of the road Canon point and shoot and an iPhone 4S which I currently use when away and at home.
Questions is, how do I record my journey and subsequent adventures? Stick with what I have, buy now before departure or buy if I think I need to when there. Been contemplating a refurb Canon 500d. My budget all in is under £400 which I think is do-able.
Advice?
The best camera in the world is the one you've got with you.Based on the experiences of those who have been there (albeit in Sydney) for a little over a year ....
Something pocketable was attractive - and water/beach resistant. They bought a Sony W10 (iirc) not perfect but it's getting a lot of use and the sweep panorama facility works quite well - you don't get an image that will cover a large area though.
The word it that there's not much variety and action around Perth but internal travel is quite cheap (compared to the cost of living out there) so many temporary expats seem to travel a lot. Price of cameras seems to be about the same in Oz as n the UK - or was when I last checked late last year. Petrol is cheaper (but distances to go anywhere greater). The rest of life is somewhat more expensive as far as one could tell, based on exchange rates. Not so bad if you are getting a sensible local salary.
Soooo, what does all of that mean for a camera decision?
Definitely have something pocketable with you at all times. iPhone (latest) may be enough - but likely not, especially if you get into scuba diving and stuff.
Something that will take a filter or two is useful - the light can be very strong and a polariser is very worth having.
But then a relatively long lens is also useful for wildlife shots ...
The bottom line is ;
If you are likely to be doing water and beach based stuff get a pocketable compact that is designed to be ruggedised for such use.
GC's suggestion of a Canon S100 is good. I bought a cheap S90 to take over on holiday last year and that was my pocket alwasy with me camera.
I also bought a cheap G11 and a filter adapter that would allow me to use existing filters. Almost pocketable and I carried it too most of the time using it in the car (someone else driving) taking advantage of the swivel screen for example.
At the last minute I decided my 'travel light' objective might backfire a little so I also took my old 400D, kit lens (small and light), a 14mm and a compact 70-300. Plus a light(ish) quality travel tripod. And a good flash. Sounds a lot but it all fitted into a a sensibly sized backpack despite all the different chargers and stuff.
Use was about equal for all 3 systems, each having their place.
If going for 2 years and planning on getting into the beach scene I would probably go with the a water-resistant job in place of the S90/95/100 end (choose carefully - if at all possible buy something that will shoot RAW), miss out the G11/G12 idea and go with a smallish sized DSLR (for convenience) with the sort of lenses I took, keeping the sizes (and filter sizes) sensible with travelling in mind. But if you are not sure exactly what you are likely to get into at least the same sort of kit can be found in Oz at about the same sort of prices as the UK (based on typical exchange rates when I last looked last year) so the decision probably does not have to be made before you go.
ETA: Your budget may be a bit tight for certain parts of my recommendation but then you will have to decide whether to top it up when you see what the potential is.
If the cost of living in Perth is anything like Sydney and Melbourne (and I doubt it is likely to be less overall being some way from anywhere) bear in mind that the exchange rate is around 1.5 Aus dollars to the £. Something like 2 AUD to the pound would be closer to overall cost parity. 2.5 even more reasonable. (Although at the rate at which things seem to be going up around here the difference may not be so great by the time you get there!)
If your Perth salary and general remuneration support does not reflect that sort of income, compared to your UK income, you might have a reason for making alternative photographic plans based on less travel .... so head for the nearest (safe) beach.
Something pocketable was attractive - and water/beach resistant. They bought a Sony W10 (iirc) not perfect but it's getting a lot of use and the sweep panorama facility works quite well - you don't get an image that will cover a large area though.
The word it that there's not much variety and action around Perth but internal travel is quite cheap (compared to the cost of living out there) so many temporary expats seem to travel a lot. Price of cameras seems to be about the same in Oz as n the UK - or was when I last checked late last year. Petrol is cheaper (but distances to go anywhere greater). The rest of life is somewhat more expensive as far as one could tell, based on exchange rates. Not so bad if you are getting a sensible local salary.
Soooo, what does all of that mean for a camera decision?
Definitely have something pocketable with you at all times. iPhone (latest) may be enough - but likely not, especially if you get into scuba diving and stuff.
Something that will take a filter or two is useful - the light can be very strong and a polariser is very worth having.
But then a relatively long lens is also useful for wildlife shots ...
The bottom line is ;
If you are likely to be doing water and beach based stuff get a pocketable compact that is designed to be ruggedised for such use.
GC's suggestion of a Canon S100 is good. I bought a cheap S90 to take over on holiday last year and that was my pocket alwasy with me camera.
I also bought a cheap G11 and a filter adapter that would allow me to use existing filters. Almost pocketable and I carried it too most of the time using it in the car (someone else driving) taking advantage of the swivel screen for example.
At the last minute I decided my 'travel light' objective might backfire a little so I also took my old 400D, kit lens (small and light), a 14mm and a compact 70-300. Plus a light(ish) quality travel tripod. And a good flash. Sounds a lot but it all fitted into a a sensibly sized backpack despite all the different chargers and stuff.
Use was about equal for all 3 systems, each having their place.
If going for 2 years and planning on getting into the beach scene I would probably go with the a water-resistant job in place of the S90/95/100 end (choose carefully - if at all possible buy something that will shoot RAW), miss out the G11/G12 idea and go with a smallish sized DSLR (for convenience) with the sort of lenses I took, keeping the sizes (and filter sizes) sensible with travelling in mind. But if you are not sure exactly what you are likely to get into at least the same sort of kit can be found in Oz at about the same sort of prices as the UK (based on typical exchange rates when I last looked last year) so the decision probably does not have to be made before you go.
ETA: Your budget may be a bit tight for certain parts of my recommendation but then you will have to decide whether to top it up when you see what the potential is.
If the cost of living in Perth is anything like Sydney and Melbourne (and I doubt it is likely to be less overall being some way from anywhere) bear in mind that the exchange rate is around 1.5 Aus dollars to the £. Something like 2 AUD to the pound would be closer to overall cost parity. 2.5 even more reasonable. (Although at the rate at which things seem to be going up around here the difference may not be so great by the time you get there!)
If your Perth salary and general remuneration support does not reflect that sort of income, compared to your UK income, you might have a reason for making alternative photographic plans based on less travel .... so head for the nearest (safe) beach.
Edited by LongQ on Saturday 7th April 23:11
Edited by LongQ on Saturday 7th April 23:17
Depends how far out you travel. If you're gonna head up to the Kimberleys, up and down the coast, or do any significant travelling get yourself a DSLR of some sort.
Also, remember that right now Aussie dollars are worth their weight in gold compared to pounds. Things do cost more in Oz too, but it makes buying overseas much more attractive.
Also, remember that right now Aussie dollars are worth their weight in gold compared to pounds. Things do cost more in Oz too, but it makes buying overseas much more attractive.
Typhon said:
Also, remember that right now Aussie dollars are worth their weight in gold compared to pounds.
You must be kidding? It's currently less than 1.5 AUD to the pound. Not like the halcyon days of the early 2000's when your pound would buy you nearly 3 dollars. It's the reason more and more expats are moving back to the UK.
Check out the prices of the cameras you are interested in at www.dicksmith.com.au and www.harveynorman.au and compare them with what you can get them for from Amazon, the exchange rate is creeping up again but it was still cheaper to buy in the UK when I looked just before last christmas.
I'd get an SLR too.
I mean, you're going with the view to explore, you'll know you're going out where you'll see things you want to photograph.
Any of the low end (c. £400-500) SLR kits will give you great results. If that's a little steep for you, what about one of the Olympus Pens or something similar. Interchangeable lenses, big sensor and about £200!
Camera phones have got so good now that for 'spur of the moment shots' they're pretty acceptable, imo.
M.
I mean, you're going with the view to explore, you'll know you're going out where you'll see things you want to photograph.
Any of the low end (c. £400-500) SLR kits will give you great results. If that's a little steep for you, what about one of the Olympus Pens or something similar. Interchangeable lenses, big sensor and about £200!
Camera phones have got so good now that for 'spur of the moment shots' they're pretty acceptable, imo.
M.
Edited by marcosgt on Sunday 8th April 08:48
mattdaniels said:
You must be kidding? It's currently less than 1.5 AUD to the pound. Not like the halcyon days of the early 2000's when your pound would buy you nearly 3 dollars. It's the reason more and more expats are moving back to the UK.
Bluequay said:
Check out the prices of the cameras you are interested in at www.dicksmith.com.au and www.harveynorman.au and compare them with what you can get them for from Amazon, the exchange rate is creeping up again but it was still cheaper to buy in the UK when I looked just before last christmas.
Ckecked out 50 mm lense, £20 cheaper at Amazon UK than ozzie web site, and the EOS110 DSLR plus lense is about £100 cheaper in the UK as well.No contest really. Only thing I have found here cheaper than UK so far, are tissues, 68p a box.......
Typhon said:
mattdaniels said:
You must be kidding? It's currently less than 1.5 AUD to the pound. Not like the halcyon days of the early 2000's when your pound would buy you nearly 3 dollars. It's the reason more and more expats are moving back to the UK.
Right now your pound buys you less in Oz than it has for years, and aside from that, Oz is getting more and more expensive in itself. I've just come back from a month there, and was quite surprised at the cost of things.
Vipers said:
Bluequay said:
Check out the prices of the cameras you are interested in at www.dicksmith.com.au and www.harveynorman.au and compare them with what you can get them for from Amazon, the exchange rate is creeping up again but it was still cheaper to buy in the UK when I looked just before last christmas.
Ckecked out 50 mm lense, £20 cheaper at Amazon UK than ozzie web site, and the EOS110 DSLR plus lense is about £100 cheaper in the UK as well.No contest really. Only thing I have found here cheaper than UK so far, are tissues, 68p a box.......
mattdaniels said:
But the OP is a Brit, going to Oz. So the Aussie perspective is irrelevant.
Right now your pound buys you less in Oz than it has for years, and aside from that, Oz is getting more and more expensive in itself. I've just come back from a month there, and was quite surprised at the cost of things.
The relevance is that he's going to be working there, so presumably earning dollars. I've been working here for just over 2 years, and found the exchange rate very favourable. Buying power tools and car/motorbike parts is much cheaper from overseas than from here in Australia, because as you say it's mor expensive. Tbh I don't know if this will also work for camera prices - I only bought a used Hasselblad here, never looked into any new equipment. Ofcourse OP's situiation may be different, but in my experience it might be worth considering Right now your pound buys you less in Oz than it has for years, and aside from that, Oz is getting more and more expensive in itself. I've just come back from a month there, and was quite surprised at the cost of things.
When I was comparing the best prices I could find at the time in UK/AUS last year at the then exchange rate there was really very little difference in the basic prices although any special local or dealer deals could highlight a difference. A few pounds here or there is really no big deal in the general scheme of things.
Also if one is going to be resident for 2 years an Oz warranty would seem to be a better bet than a UK warranty.
On other matters ..... cars are expensive. Petrol less so. Taxes implicated in all areas of expenditure.
Bear in mind that your really cannot compare incomes and costs easily between two very different places.
When I first visited Oz about 20 odd years ago at around 2 AUD to the GBP things seemed, on balance, OK in temrs of cost comparisons. There were some notable exceptions in both directions.
At around AUD 1.50 to the GBP Oz is an expensive place to visit spending in pounds but, if the salary is properly set for residents, maybe not so bad to live there. Thus if one's local Oz salary and support package reflects the real spending power difference between th curencies a camera or lens that may sem to be a few quid more expensive in Oz may actually be no more expensive (or even less) in terms of real spending power.
And you get local warranty, should you ever need it.
Also if one is going to be resident for 2 years an Oz warranty would seem to be a better bet than a UK warranty.
On other matters ..... cars are expensive. Petrol less so. Taxes implicated in all areas of expenditure.
Bear in mind that your really cannot compare incomes and costs easily between two very different places.
When I first visited Oz about 20 odd years ago at around 2 AUD to the GBP things seemed, on balance, OK in temrs of cost comparisons. There were some notable exceptions in both directions.
At around AUD 1.50 to the GBP Oz is an expensive place to visit spending in pounds but, if the salary is properly set for residents, maybe not so bad to live there. Thus if one's local Oz salary and support package reflects the real spending power difference between th curencies a camera or lens that may sem to be a few quid more expensive in Oz may actually be no more expensive (or even less) in terms of real spending power.
And you get local warranty, should you ever need it.
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