Camera's and photography

[NanMar]

What type of camera's does everyone use to capture your pictures? Is it worth buying a GoPro for the trip? Most pictures will be of my 5 and 7 year olds. Thanks

 

[Drusilla99]

I go between my iPhone and my Nikon 3300. I don't mind carrying the bigger camera around places, theme parks, wherever, and I prefer it's pictures.

 

[ktlm]

We bought a Fuji waterproof camera 2 days before our trip for the beach and pools and we were really glad we had it. It was a lot of fun. It came with a float strap too. Outside of the water we used our iPhones and a Cannon camera. I think our iPhone photos were about as good as the camera photos. It really depended on the lighting as to which was better for any set of photos.

 

[Gorechick]

We brought our iPhones and our Canon powershot. We ended up using the iPhones and the powershot never left the room.

 

[alohamom]

We also bought a Fuji XP80 waterproof camera just for our last trip and it was fantastic! The pictures are pretty great for a fairly inexpensive camera and my kids (older teens) really had fun with it. They even found a coloring book setting so now we have a full on coloring book from our trip. When I get around to my trip report I will include some to show you guys, it is really cool. The only thing about the waterproof camera was making sure there were no drops on the lens, kind of learned that through trial and error.

 

[Pooh2]

We brought a dslr which spent most of it's time in the room and a Olympus TG3 waterproof camera which was with us in the ocean and pools every minute. Also used photopass.

 

[crystal1313]

Fuji XP80! Got a refurbished one on Amazon.....well worth the money! Never left my wrist and I only took a handful of photos on my DSLR on our very last night there. Our phones styed in the room all week. Just didn't want to fuss with them. =) You can see my photos in my trip report in my signature.

 

[igomezhnl]

I always bring my Gopro when I'm staying at Aulani. It's a great investment. However Selfie sticks are not allowed in the pools or slides. I use the Hero Session, and use the wrist strap. Gopro's are extremely wide angle, so you need to take the shot really close to get nice pictures.

 

[ehrawn]

Read these guys for info on action cameras: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-action-camera/
A gopro is a fantastic tool for a very specific set of circumstances. They are rugged so you don't have to worry about water and dirt. They are lightweight and small so it's easy to bring them everywhere. However, they are tuned for "action" situations: they have deep depth of field and wide angles to make sure you catch the subject, and thus require a lot of day light and have a look that can be offputting. I will happily admit that my gopro started me on an obsession with photography. Although I have since moved onto a Fujifilm mirrorless system because I found I wasn't getting what I wanted in my photos. On balance, I can certainly recommend their cameras. There is no cheaper and easier way to get photos of your family out having fun. Here's a few water photos so you can see what I am talking about.

gopro: I was carrying the camera in my boardshorts pocket here- just a quick snap from the hip while I was waiting for a wave. I did need to edit in post processing to get rid of the noise


gopro: I swam out to get this one. good light, not too much done to this is post processing


gopro: This was in full sun. The color was really washed out so I used so filtering to make it more interesting.


Fujifilm. There's no way I could have got this shallow depth of field or shot in this low light with a gopro.


Fujifilm. I had to stay out of this guy's way and needed a little bit of telephoto to reach him. A gopro would have made him too small in the frame.

Fujifilm. Shallow depth of field.

 

[NanMar]

Read these guys for info on action cameras: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-action-camera/
A gopro is a fantastic tool for a very specific set of circumstances. They are rugged so you don't have to worry about water and dirt. They are lightweight and small so it's easy to bring them everywhere. However, they are tuned for "action" situations: they have deep depth of field and wide angles to make sure you catch the subject, and thus require a lot of day light and have a look that can be offputting. I will happily admit that my gopro started me on an obsession with photography. Although I have since moved onto a Fujifilm mirrorless system because I found I wasn't getting what I wanted in my photos. On balance, I can certainly recommend their cameras. There is no cheaper and easier way to get photos of your family out having fun. Here's a few water photos so you can see what I am talking about.

gopro: I was carrying the camera in my boardshorts pocket here- just a quick snap from the hip while I was waiting for a wave. I did need to edit in post processing to get rid of the noise
View attachment 195851

gopro: I swam out to get this one. good light, not too much done to this is post processing
View attachment 195852

gopro: This was in full sun. The color was really washed out so I used so filtering to make it more interesting.
View attachment 195853

Fujifilm. There's no way I could have got this shallow depth of field or shot in this low light with a gopro.
View attachment 195854

Fujifilm. I had to stay out of this guy's way and needed a little bit of telephoto to reach him. A gopro would have made him too small in the frame.View attachment 195855

Fujifilm. Shallow depth of field.
View attachment 195856

thank you for sharing your pictures, they're great! The ones taken with your Fujifilm definitely look better.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I took my Canon DSLR and my iPhone 6S. I have lots of photos in my trip report. I was happy with these two choices. I do have a life proof case on my iPhone for when I know I'm going to near water.

 

[miked2023]

2 new GoPro Model were just announced this week (Hero 5, and one other) and should be available soon. Also check out the Yi 4k Action Camera. It's basically a knockoff version on GoPro (many say just as good) but at far less cost. The Yi doesn't come with water housing though but you can get one for less than 15 dollars on Amazon.

 

[Psymonds]

bumping this thread to ask:

what are your favorite areas of the resort to shoot?
What are your best tips for the harsh light of Hawaii, especially to bring out the vibrant colors?

 

[spacecanada]

I highly recommend a polarizing filter (a must!) and possibly a neutral density filter to help manage the sunlight and make your colours pop. I also have a brown filter to use in daylight to bring out colours and make them more vibrant, like in golden hours (hour before sunset).

Honestly, adjusting shutter speed and ISO can do most of that work without any fancy filters. However, a polarizer will negate glare and balance out shadows and sky colours, which cannot be done any other way. I use my polarizer almost every time I take photos outdoors in bright sun - I couldn't imagine shooting in the sun without it, it is that amazing.

What you use as far as extra gear and settings is heavily influenced by what style and type of photo you want in the end. Photo editing is great, but no substitute for a beautiful RAW image.

 

[Psymonds]

I highly recommend a polarizing filter (a must!) and possibly a neutral density filter to help manage the sunlight and make your colours pop. I also have a brown filter to use in daylight to bring out colours and make them more vibrant, like in golden hours (hour before sunset).

Honestly, adjusting shutter speed and ISO can do most of that work without any fancy filters. However, a polarizer will negate glare and balance out shadows and sky colours, which cannot be done any other way. I use my polarizer almost every time I take photos outdoors in bright sun - I couldn't imagine shooting in the sun without it, it is that amazing.

What you use as far as extra gear and settings is heavily influenced by what style and type of photo you want in the end. Photo editing is great, but no substitute for a beautiful RAW image.

I need to make sure I have a polarizer for my landscape lens. definitely have one for the lenses we have taken to the islands before. not planning on bringing or buying much more. I'll just go out and work with the light as I see it.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We've use the Fuji XP90 and the Olympus TG-4 waterproof cameras. The TG-4 is much faster and able to handle low lighting (including underwater in the evenings) much better. Never used a GoPro but those pictures look nice.

 

[Psymonds]

I need to make sure I have a polarizer for my landscape lens. definitely have one for the lenses we have taken to the islands before. not planning on bringing or buying much more. I'll just go out and work with the light as I see it.

I looked in my camera bag and holy moly I already bought a 77mm polarizing filter.

 

[Psymonds]

I looked in my camera bag and holy moly I already bought a 77mm polarizing filter.

and an 8 point star filter (why???)