dslr or p+s....really confused

[lynx]

Hi everyone,

I will be going on backpacking trip to Europe for 2 months from this June, but cannot decide whether to take my digital Nikon D70 or not. My primary reasons for not taking it are the security issues and also this camera is not exactly light to carry around.

I really want to take this camera as the places that I will be visiting will give me many opportunites to take good photos, and leaving it in the cupboard will be no use to me.

If I do decide to take my D70, then not sure whether to take a daypack (like Lowepro) which stores all my day things as well as the camera. However with this, I am not sure how to carry this as carrying Lowepro on my chest it not exactly do able.

Or whether to take daypack separate from the camera (put this in a small bag) as this will allow to carry the daypack on my chest.

Alternatively to this, I could simply invest in a P+S and then carry this around instead.

I am not a professional photographer (but just enjoy taking photos) so I am not back packing to take photos but this would give me a really good chance to make use of my Nikon D70. If I was going to take the D70 then I would also be taking 2 lens (18-70mm and the 50mm. Any comments on these would be appreciated as well)

Any advice on this would be appreciated as am really confused on this matter.

Many thanks

[MuvverRussia]

Not so sure about Nikon kit, as I'm a Canon fan boy, but as for the dSLR vs P+S debate, I'd take both. If I can I normally take 3 cameras, a canon 350d, panasonic dmc-fz5 and a crappy HP (used for high risk stuff, so bars, if it's likely to get wet etc - I got the camera dirt cheap on ebay). All 3 don't really take up much room at all, they all fit (inside cases) within a reasonably small sized daypack.

All of them have their pros and cons, but if I were to condense that outfit to one camera, I'd probably go for the Panasonic. It's small, has a good lens and delivers results that aren't that far behind the Canon with the 18-55mm USM lens (of course, the Canon with L glass might be a bit different). As well as that it's generally slightly more concealable than the Canon, which comes in handy for certain shots (churches etc, not that I would advocate taking photos where photography is banned .

As for cases, I'd get a Lowepro case, but carry it on your back. Keep your memory cards separate AND GET A GOOD INSURANCE POLICY. Carrying packs on your front is just asking to be mugged in my opinion.

[frankftr]

I would agree with MR, I carry my Nikon dslr as well as a little Kodak p&s. The Kodak is about 6 MP so takes nice pics and fits in my pocket so it goes on the high risk trips and the Nikon goes where I'm looking for a more professional looking shot.

However, I am more what you would call a 'pro-sumer' or a very serious amateur photographer so I feel it is worth carrying around the extra pounds. If you are on the fence about it, maybe just taking a higher quality p&s with you would work just fine. It's like they always say, it isn't the lens, it's the person looking through the lens. (To some degree anyways!)

As far as security is concerned, just don't be stupid! I've seen people get their cameras stolen because they were standing at the Eiffel tower holding their camera a full arm's length away from their body! That's just asking for it! But I have carried my camera around in some of the most crowded situations and was never truly concerned, but I was always aware.

I am also in the market for a new pack for my camera though. I have been looking at the Lowepro bags as well. I can't answer your questions because I haven't used any of them, but I can say that the prices on ebay are substantially less than at Ritz or anywhere else. The one I am looking at now is the Tamarac Adventure 7, they run about 50 - 80 bucks on ebay. Backpacks are nice because they don't look like traditional camera cases, so they're a little less conspicuous!

[Kim]

I love, love, LOVE my camera backpack. Don't know how I lived without it before. I have a Nikdn D70 as well.

Makes life SO easy. Mine is like this:
www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/classic/Orion_Trekker_II.aspx

Love the fact that it unzips around the middle (this is hard to discribe) because in airports, you can unzip it and all your equipment is sitting right there. It is stable for when it goes through the x-ray machines etc.

The main part has a middle section for a body/lense then 2 side sections which I keep 2 other lenses.

The top has an open section for other stuff as well as a small zippered pocket.

That said, would I carry all that stuff for a long trip? Probably not. It's heavy and hulking it around would be a pain. For a shorter trip - absolutely. Well, maybe I would for a longer trip, hard to say.

Those are the two lenses I would take though - your 18-70 and 5omm.

Kim

[Eagle]

lynx, from the comments in the preceding Posts, it seems that all of us have developed different strategies and preferences for travelling with Cameras. I tend to "fine tune" this a bit with every trip, but this is the method I'm currently using:

Like some of the others, I usually travel with two Digital Cameras - a Canon 350XT and an S-50 P&S. During the daytime when I'm out touring, I normally pack both Cameras around (when getting other people to take a photo of me, it's preferable to use the P&S as the loss won't be quite so serious if they run off with it!). Although the XT is somewhat larger, heavier, more awkward to carry AND presents more of a "security risk", I've been very glad on a number of occasions that I had it with me. Due to the flexibility of the dSLR (wide angle and zoom Lenses, variable ISO, AV & TV controls, IS, etc.), I've been able to get some shots in "challenging" conditions that would not have been possible with a P&S. The fast start-up is also a huge benefit IMO.

So far I've used three Lenses (including the Lens on the Camera) to provide a fairly flexible range for different conditions - 10-22 for wide angle shots, 17-85 IS as a "walkabout" Lens and a 70-300 IS for the "longer" shots (keeping the "cropping factor" in mind, this is actually a range of 16-480). I found on my last trip that I used the 10-22 far more than I had anticipated.

If going out at night I normally just take the P&S, as it's much easier to carry and somewhat more discreet. However, there were a few instances on my last trip where I was out for the evening, found some unexpected photo op's and regretted that I didn't have the dSLR on hand.

My philosophy is that since travel is quite an expensive venture, I would prefer to capture some (hopefully) good quality photos of the places I visit as I might never return to some of them. For that reason, I don't mind the nuisance and risk of packing my dSLR with me.

With regard to a method for carrying the Camera gear, I normally just hold the Camera (tightly!) and secure the strap around my neck or whatever. I often carry Lenses, Batteries and other spare kit in a Vest (not specifically a "photo Vest", but it does the job), so if walking in crowded locations I put the Camera out of sight inside the Vest (I haven't yet figured out how to send photos on the Boards here, as this would be a better way to demonstrate the concept).

When touring in "high risk" areas (such as under the Eiffel Tower), I try to be very aware of those around me and try to keep some distance from anyone that looks even remotely "suspicious". During air travel the dSLR, 17-85 IS Lens, spare Battery & Memory Cards and a couple of Filters are stored in a small LowePro Case inside my normal (inconspicuous) Daypack (which is expandable, a useful feature!).

Since you still have a month or so before your trip, you have some time to find a solution that works for you. If you decide to go with a Backpack arrangement, make sure the Camera pocket can be secured in some way so that equipment can't be "removed" while you're in crowded locations (ie: the Metro stations?). Carrying a Camera pack in the front sounds a bit awkward, but it's certainly a good idea to try the concept for a few hours around your own neighborhood, to see if you find this a workable solution.

Good luck and happy travels!!!

[lynx]

Thank you so much for all your detailed comments and opinions.

As Eagle kindly mentioned, I still have time to think about this and will be doing so.

I should make things more simple and not carry it around but then I should really make use of it and this will be great opportunity for it.

I know it's not the camera but the person that is taking the photos that is important , but you cannot beat the quality on slr.

I will be going to places with so much varied landscapes/cities that I know the slr will be perfect for this job.

I will leave it for now on this and take everyone's comments on board and hopefully come to a decision fairly soon.

Thanks once again.