So you have decided to take a trip… a trip of a life time, you are all packed, even packed your Towel and then it dawns on you *facepalm*, what camera to take?!?!
Do you lug around a huge DSLR (Nikon or Canon) with extra lens and have to pay for excess baggage and a pelican case, or do you run with a small point and shoot?
In this series of articles we intend to provide some expertise in how to choose a camera, how to store the images whilst on your trip/holiday, some basic editing, how to share your images with friends and family and answering your questions.
So where to start?
A few things to consider when planning your trip:
a. Which camera to take
b. Power source – for charging your camera
c. Storage – where to store your images
d. How to share your images – Facebook
There are two types of cameras available for you, a Point and Shoot (P&S) and a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR).
Point and Shoot Cameras
A Point and Shoot (P&S) camera means just that; point the camera at something and press the shutter. The camera does all the work for you.
Most times the camera is rarely as smart as the photographer so the results can be iffy. These cameras started out as a fixed lens focused about 4 feet in front of the camera with a fixed aperture and shutter speed.
- Sony Cybershot
Some features of a P&S Camera include:
Metering systems, which calculate the amount of light entering the camera
Variable shutter speed
Variable aperture
Zoom lenses
Automatic focus
Preset controls for various photographic situations such as: landscapes, nighttime people and close-up or macro
The biggest drawback to a P&S camera is that many do not have a through the lens (TTL) viewfinder. This means that what you see through your viewfinder may not be what you capture on film or digital media. P&S cameras are usually small and fit into a pocket or bag.
P&S Cameras are best used for casual picture taking when capturing the memory is more important than creating a marketable image.
That being said, you can still get some awesome pictures with your P&S camera.
Image taken with Sony Cybershot
Some popular P&S Cameras:
Nikon Coolpix / Sony Cybershot / Pentax Optio / Canon Powershot
DSLR Cameras
Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) this refers to how the light enters the camera. These are the cameras you see many professionals and serious amateurs lugging around. These cameras have a larger body than most P&S cameras and interchangeable lenses.
While SLRs started out as fully manual, where the photographer had to control all features including focus, most of these cameras are capable of acting in a fully automatic mode just like a P&S. Many now allow the photographer the freedom to also take control of all functions or any combination of functions. These cameras allow for great control over the photography process and allow the photographer to take images not always possible with a P&S.
- Nikon D90
SLR and DSLR allow for control over:
Shutter speed
Aperture
Film speed
Focus point
Magnification (through the use of various lenses)
Capability for add-on flashes
Remote releases
Additional battery packs
Popular DSLR Cameras:
Whatever you decide, the DSLR will give you a bigger choice of how you will capture the memory of your trip. Some reputable stores will give you a good deal, where you can purchase the body of the camera and a kit lens to go with it.
Some DSLR’s will also take video such as the Nikon D90 and the D7000 Canon EOS 7D and the EOS 5D
If you do decide to purchase a DSLR make sure that you get the best lens for what you think you want to capture. Some stores will offer you lenses which will be in the range of 18-55mm and 55-200mm. To use these lenses, will require you to change when you want to use the larger lens (55-200mm).
If for example you decided on a Nikon body, then I would attempt at getting a Nikon 18-200mm lens, this gives you the advantage of having a semi-wide at the 18mm and the ability to zoom out to 200mm without the need to change lenses and also avoid the possibility of getting dust and dirt into the camera body when changing lenses.
Image taken with a Nikon D200 DSLR
Power Supply (Voltages)
International Voltage this link will give you a quick way to work out if you need a power adaptor or voltage adaptor.
Storage
Unless you’re taking your own MacBook laptop and a 500gb fire wire drive (OK, so that is my personal choice), you are going to need a way to store your images somewhere.
What are your choices, well there are a lot of them!
Dropbox: Allows users access to cloud storage and to share files and folders with others across the internet using file synchronization. There are free and paid services. Dropbox offers a relatively large number of user clients across a variety of desktop and mobile services. The free service provides 2GB of free online storage. Users who refer Dropbox to others can gain up to 8GB of additional free storage.
Mozy: Up to 2GB free storage. This requires a free download of the Mozy software; this helps you figure out which files to back up. Photos, music, emails, all can be backed up here. You don’t have to give your credit card or other financial information.
Omemo: Omemo works as a peer-to-peer network to create an immense virtual hard drive. Download the software, store your files online, and take advantage of the space this service has to offer.
Box: Box’s personal plan is free and allows for one user with up to 5GB of storage space. Streamlined sharing and collaboration with other users is also available here, as is mobile access to files stored at Box.
Mediafire: MediaFire puts very few limits on what you can do at their very popular service for absolutely no money. Unlimited uploads and downloads, up to 200MB file size for sharing, unlimited storage, direct linking to files (instead of jumping through hoops) and advanced sharing features are what make MediaFire an extremely attractive option for file storage.
DivShare: Upload all kinds of files here, including slideshows, Flash-based videos, audio playlists, Word documents, PDF files, etcetera etc. You can manage all your DivShare files easily from a centralized dashboard; from here you can also share your files with anyone you want via links and embed codes.
4Shared: A quick registration (free) and you instantly have access to 10GB of storage space, instand ad-free downloads, and the ability to upload files directly from the Web.
PhotoBucket: Photobucket is a service aimed at photo and video storage only. A free account gives you the ability to upload literally thousands of images; you can also use Photobucket’s internal artistic tools to edit, tag and organize your photos.
ImageShack: Similar to Photobucket, ImageShack is only for images and videos. No sign-up is required, simply upload your images and you’ll instantly get an embed code or URL for wherever or however you’d like to share.
Facebook: Nearly everyone has a Facebook account. This is probably the easiest way to share your images (and store them) online and also document your trip.
However, this Link will explain the legal rights and copyright information for when you upload to Facebook. This Link refines the copyright and sharing privacy concerns.
Please feel free to comment or ask questions of the Author and look out for more Travel Photography information.
