Cameras

[birte]

There are a lot of posts on wether to bring a digital or a normal camera......i am just wondering what brand for both you suggest and also if you brought a digital camera or just a camera did you like it or did you wish you would have taken the other? ----i hope this question is not too confusing
.....another quicky.....how much film do you bring?
......how many memory sticks?


price range.....$300 max

[Jules80]

well you'd have to go to a store and look into it. but you're gonna want to spend about 200$ on the camera plus as much as 100$ for memory sticks... you can probably get something fairly basic for 200$ in the 3 or 4 Megapixel range.

[Eagle]

birte, welcome to the Board! A few comments on the questions you raised.

First of all, it would help to know whether you presently have a film or digital Camera, and whether this is the "Point & Shoot" variety or Single Lens Reflex?

I think it's safe to say that most on this Board now tend to favour digital Cameras. There are a few members here that are still "die hard" film users. There are pros & cons for both formats (especially where travel is concerned).

To summarize briefly, using a film Camera means that you have to pack along enough film for your trip (it can be expensive in Europe), keep the film with you (if the film gets stolen or lost, your images are gone!), and pay developing and printing costs when you get home. You have no "feedback" on image quality until you see the finished product, and should you want to store the images in a computer there is usually an additional charge to have these burned to a CD. There's also the risk of having film ruined (fogged) by powerful airport X-Ray luggage scanners (this is more of a concern if the film is packed in checked luggage, and if this is "high speed" film - ASA 800+). The initial purchase price of a film Camera is probably less than digital right now, as there are LOTS of surplus film models on the market. This might make the film types more attractive for those on a limited budget.

With a Digital Camera, there is instant "feedback" and pictures can be re-taken as many times as desired, as there's no cost in doing this. However, the initial purchase price of digital Cameras is higher as the buyer also has to allow for Memory Cards, Spare Batteries, etc. Digital pictures are easily transferred to computer when back at home, and processing costs are a bit less as one only has to pay for the prints that are desired. When travelling with a digital Camera, it's necessary to give some thought on how to store images when the memory cards become full. Transferring images to computers in Net Cafes is not a good solution, for a variety of reasons. One of the easiest solutions these days is to have the photos burned to a CD at a local shop, and then re-use the memory card.

How many Memory Sticks or Memory Cards (are you using a Sony Camera?) to travel with depends on a number of factors -- the resolution of the Camera (ie: how many MP), the format and compression settings (ie: if the user is shooting RAW or using compressed JPEG images?) and the size of the Memory Cards (which to some extent depends on one's budget).

How much Film to bring -- I suppose this depends on your "shooting style". You probably have some idea how many pictures you normally take while travelling, so this should provide some idea. Of course you also have to choose the type of Film (some prefer Kodak, some Fuji, etc.) and the speed (lower ASA speed films provide sharper images, while higher ASA speeds are often needed for taking pictures in low-light conditions (ie: in Museums where no flash units or tripods are allowed). One disadvantage with Film is that the user can't change the ASA (speed) -- this is determined by the film. Most digital Cameras allow the user to select ASA speed, and this can be changed with each photo if desired.

Perhaps the best example I can provide, is my experience on my last trip to England. I packed along one P & S Film Camera and one P & S digital Camera. At the beginning of the trip I used both Cameras about equally, however by the end of the trip I found that I was using the digital almost exclusively. I won't be taking a film Camera on my next trip! I did find the 3x zoom and somewhat limited angle of view a bit of a "limiting factor" (wide angle capability - I could get around this somewhat by "stitching" however that's a bit of a bother to do with every shot), so will be taking a digital SLR on my next trip. I will also be taking the digital P & S again, as it's quite handy to throw in a pocket, so I'm more likely to have it with me more often than the larger Camera.

Hope this helps? You might get some good tips by reading through some of the other posts in this section of the Board. Good luck with your Camera decision!