Who takes compact and SLR cameras with them?

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

After much research, I bought an olympus epl 2for my trip last time.

This is a micro 4/3 , with interchangeable lenses.
Basically it's a bit bigger than a p&s, but it has a much larger sensor, in fact the same as entry level dslr's, so the quality is there. I have a 20mm prime lens, that sits on it 95% of the time,. I carry it around my neck all day without any problems, (except the shame of looking like a tourist.
i have a small cross body bag that I carry a 40-150 zoom in, it's about the size of a tall thin jam jar, as well as my wallet and phone. I wouldn't mind another style of bag as I tend to put everything I accumulate throughout the day in there, I really should take more care about this.

As I was new to this style of camera on my last trip, I am not happy with a lot of the photos, I will be using auto mode mostly on my next trip. (It's not the cameras fault, it's capable of taking beautiful pics)

My biggest problem was not shooting in high res, so when I went to print, the quality was not there. ( don't be fooled thinking it all looks the same on the LCD screen!!)

I have since done a lot of reading on photography, so hopefully my skills will be better, but I find as soon as I get in the field, the constant transition between looking at the LCD or viewfinder and broad daylight gives me quite the headache, I struggle to change any settings or even see what I am shooting - so end up just shooting and hoping for the best!!!

Battymum - just put the camera on auto luv. Seriously, you've got a camera you love, it takes good pictures, let it do it's job. Unless using manual settings is second nature you spend too much time trying to get it right and miss the wonderful opportunity to just be in the moment.

Seriously, auto is your friend.

I quite often put my own camera on auto if I want to just quickly snap away and not think.

You will come home with beautiful photos and feel much happier.

This is the lens I use, but my camera has a crop sensor so 24 is not quite wide enough. It is on the heavy side. My christmas present was a 10-22 so looking forward to trying that out. I will take a prime for low light, probably the 30mm f/1.4. I did have a 17-50mm lens which was a great walk-around lens. Unfortunately it did not like being dropped (not by me).

My P&S is the Canon S100.

I generally use the 28mm which is good in low light too but I really am looking for a more multipurpose lens to use.

The 24-105 gets pretty good reviews and the price is good so I think I'll try it. Failing that, I'm at a loss. I'm really trying to simplify my life.

A photographer friend of mine just went to Europe and only took her S95 and she rocked it. Very impressive but she wasn't travelling with children so was able to stop and smell the "photography" roses.

Me - I'm always running along behind the family snapping with one hand

 

[battymum]

Yes, I will be doing that, my camera is a lot smarter than I am!!!

When you are touring you are generally moving along at such a pace, indoors/ outdoors to many different situations - It's too hard to keep up!

 

[BecBennett]

Me - I'm always running along behind the family snapping with one hand

I don't travel with kids either, but DH is such a commando tourer (It's more about how much you saw, not the time you spend seeing it) that most of my pics are ruined because I can't take that extra second to brace myself and make sure the photo is steady.

I can't count the amount of times while in Japan that I was trying to compose an awesome photo, only to have DH step into it, so I started trying to snap before he could get into it. That = blurry photos!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Seriously, auto is your friend.

I quite often put my own camera on auto if I want to just quickly snap away and not think.

You will come home with beautiful photos and feel much happier.

I went to a photography course once and the teacher was what I refer to as a 'photography snob'. I came out feeling like I'd failed because I didn't own an SLR, I often used auto, and I have never used a tripod.

Then I went to a presentation at the Auckland Museum by an award winning wildlife photographer. This guy took some of the most stunning photos I've ever seen, yet had this amazingly relaxed attitude to taking them. One of his most beautiful photos was taken on safari in Africa while using auto and dangling his camera outside the safari vehicle with one arm. What I took from his seminar: take photos because you enjoy doing so and take photos of things that make you happy. The rest is just semantics.

 

[Royal Consort]

I'm going to chime in simply because I've surprised myself with what I can now do with my camera after spending some time with it.

I wasn't happy with the snaps from my previous trip and the point and shoot just wasn't able to do what I wanted (duh). Because I'm out exploring at night too, it was simply pointless. For my 2012 trip I vowed to learn to work a DLSR and improve my skills. Throughout the year I learned and put in time when I could spare it. I practiced on my walks and then finally began to take the types of photos I wanted. i have been really proud of my photos from this trip. Perfect moments from parades frozen in time with the characters staring into the lens, dusk over Cinderella Castle, and coloured mist blowing in the breeze from world of colour etc. I couldn't believe what I was able to do with manual controls!!

Auto is ok but not that intelligent. The world really opens up if you begin to tell the camera what you want. It seems daunting at the beginning but you learn one thing at a time and it's all cumulative.

So switch that auto to manual modes!! Haha.

Auto is fine but I just wanted to say that if you can dedicate a little time to it, and are interested in it, you can easily accomplish shots you never thought capable of.

 

[Jade+3]

I don't travel with kids either, but DH is such a commando tourer (It's more about how much you saw, not the time you spend seeing it) that most of my pics are ruined because I can't take that extra second to brace myself and make sure the photo is steady.

I can't count the amount of times while in Japan that I was trying to compose an awesome photo, only to have DH step into it, so I started trying to snap before he could get into it. That = blurry photos!

My DH does the same, I get so annoyed with him. I have so many shots of the back of his head.

I'm going to chime in simply because I've surprised myself with what I can now do with my camera after spending some time with it.

I wasn't happy with the snaps from my previous trip and the point and shoot just wasn't able to do what I wanted (duh). Because I'm out exploring at night too, it was simply pointless. For my 2012 trip I vowed to learn to work a DLSR and improve my skills. Throughout the year I learned and put in time when I could spare it. I practiced on my walks and then finally began to take the types of photos I wanted. i have been really proud of my photos from this trip. Perfect moments from parades frozen in time with the characters staring into the lens, dusk over Cinderella Castle, and coloured mist blowing in the breeze from world of colour etc. I couldn't believe what I was able to do with manual controls!!

Auto is ok but not that intelligent. The world really opens up if you begin to tell the camera what you want. It seems daunting at the beginning but you learn one thing at a time and it's all cumulative.

So switch that auto to manual modes!! Haha.

Auto is fine but I just wanted to say that if you can dedicate a little time to it, and are interested in it, you can easily accomplish shots you never thought capable of.

I agree, it is amazing what you can do with manual controls. I must admit though that I often use shutter or aperture priority when the kids are running around or when everyone is getting impatient with me. My goal this year is to get the tripod out and practice some night shots.

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

For what its worth, I take the Canon 5d mk 2 DSLR hooked up to the 24-105 lens and use it 95% of the time at WDW. I'll also carry my 17-35 lens as well for the wide angle "stuff". The fact that you can rapid shoot so easily with the DSLR makes it worth the extra effort, As it also does HD video, it is my perfect 2 in 1 toy.
I dont carry my mobile with me in the states, so the I-Phone stays here in Oz. My wife carries a Canon point and shoot and takes some excellent photos with that. And she also carries her mini I-Pad with her which takes brillaint photos and video for immediate uploading to her social media. All bases pretty much covered.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

For what its worth, I take the Canon 5d mk 2 DSLR hooked up to the 24-105 lens and use it 95% of the time at WDW. I'll also carry my 17-35 lens as well for the wide angle "stuff". The fact that you can rapid shoot so easily with the DSLR makes it worth the extra effort, As it also does HD video, it is my perfect 2 in 1 toy.
I dont carry my mobile with me in the states, so the I-Phone stays here in Oz. My wife carries a Canon point and shoot and takes some excellent photos with that. And she also carries her mini I-Pad with her which takes brillaint photos and video for immediate uploading to her social media. All bases pretty much covered.

Grazing Goat, care to share a few pics you took with the 24-105 since that is the lens I'm about to buy to take to Europe.

 

[alicia1506]

the lumix p&s i took on my last trip took some gorgeous shots that even when blown up into larger res & printed had no loss of clarity or colour or noise etc... but the lack of manual focus drove me nuts

for this upcoming trip i have every intention of buying a micro 4/3 similar to battymum and learning it's quirks and features so that i can get those amazing shots rather than looking at my shots of an evening and being disappointed by the lack of focus, or focal points being in the wrong places

maybe we should start a thread on the ANZAC disboards site with examples of great photos we've taken with p&s and dslr and m4/3 cameras from our holidays, just to show that it's about the photographer and the moment, not necessarily the hardware

 

[WanderlustNZ]

maybe we should start a thread on the ANZAC disboards site with examples of great photos we've taken with p&s and dslr and m4/3 cameras from our holidays, just to show that it's about the photographer and the moment, not necessarily the hardware

Lol, this would actually be quite cool. I'd love to see people's pics. It might just convince me that perhaps I do need to buy a DSLR.

To the most part, I've always been quite happy with my pics. Every photo on my blog was taken with a digital camera, and all, except one, was taken in 'auto' mode.

I must admit though, every now and then, I do see photos from someone with a DSLR and get jealous. One example is from a TR I'm subscribed to at present. The guy includes a link to his flickr album and the Harry Potter pics are giving me serious photo envy. As does his Disney Human Element Album.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3021614

I have to wonder though if it's just the expensive camera, or also the talents of the photographer. A combination of both I suspect.

 

[marvel]

Ok, so now I need to buy a good point and shoot as a reserve, any recommendations?

 

[Royal Consort]

I have an S95 but Canon now have an S100 - new model. They have manual controls too.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

He says he's using the Canon 10-22mm lens and yes his composition is excellent but its the saturation of colours that to me makes the pics really pop out (looking at his cruise pics, not got to HP yet). Those experts on here would know-is that the result of post editing rather than just the camera lens?

 

[Aussie Wendy]

OK so where was I reading the query and link to a TR and seem to have managed to have got myself lost and posted the above on the wrong thread??? Must be time to go to bed.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Lol, this would actually be quite cool. I'd love to see people's pics. It might just convince me that perhaps I do need to buy a DSLR.

To the most part, I've always been quite happy with my pics. Every photo on my blog was taken with a digital camera, and all, except one, was taken in 'auto' mode.

I must admit though, every now and then, I do see photos from someone with a DSLR and get jealous. One example is from a TR I'm subscribed to at present. The guy includes a link to his flickr album and the Harry Potter pics are giving me serious photo envy. As does his Disney Human Element Album.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3021614

I have to wonder though if it's just the expensive camera, or also the talents of the photographer. A combination of both I suspect.

He says he's using the Canon 10-22mm lens and yes his composition is excellent but its the saturation of colours that to me makes the pics really pop out (looking at his cruise pics, not got to HP yet). Those experts on here would know-is that the result of post editing rather than just the camera lens?

That would be Scott. His photography skills are amazing. He shoots in raw and then post edits his shots. But really.....it's his angles and shot composition that I admire the most. He really rocks that UWA lens.

There are a number of really great photographers on the Dis....both of the hobby kind and the professional kind.

 

[Jade+3]

He says he's using the Canon 10-22mm lens and yes his composition is excellent but its the saturation of colours that to me makes the pics really pop out (looking at his cruise pics, not got to HP yet). Those experts on here would know-is that the result of post editing rather than just the camera lens?

This 10-22mm is my new lens. It takes some really nice shots, but mine are nowhere near as good as his. My composition is boring, I don't think outside the square. I love the night shots. My un-expert opinion is that he has adjusted the colour saturation and the brightness.

I have an S95 but Canon now have an S100 - new model. They have manual controls too.

The S105 was released not that long ago, so the S100 can be picked up quite reasonably. I got mine late last year. Just check the serial number on the S100 as there are some batches with a lens error. The serial numbers are on Canons website.

If I had my choice of P&S I would go for the Sony RX100, but it comes with a hefty price tag. It has a large sensor and the images it produces are amazing.

 

[craxyfox]

I think Sony makes great P&S cameras, at least I think they are after playing with a few I have a Sony dsc-w570 (almost 2 years old) and the photo quality is nice and crisp, and they can turn out really great in the hands of someone who doesn't just point and shoot randomly.

There's a BIG difference in photo outcomes when my mum uses the camera compared to when I use it

 

[alicia1506]

scotts pics are amazing and yeah there is some post production work going on but honestly the guy has talent and his composition and eye for detail are incredible... i hace long been a fan of his work.

i think a photography thread here may not be too shabby i might have to go off and start it as soon as i get to my big comp with all our vacation shots