Travel with camcorder or camera?

charlesmartel

charlesmartel

Anarcho-Monarchist
Jun 26, 2006
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Tierra del Fuego
Hey,

I'll be traveling to Moscow, Crimea, Prague, and Vienna next month. I was thinking of getting a camcorder but I've never traveled with one. Would you prefer to travel with a camera or camcorder?
 


Camera personally, pictures are easy to look at. If you think about it, how many times might you actually sit down and watch everything you recorded, probably not too often.

Sounds like an awesome trip!
 
Thanks. I was leaning towards a camcorder but thought about that. Any one have a reco for a compact camera? Anyone have experience with any of the Panasonic Lumix models?
 
Just get this (or just about any other mid- to high-end model) and have both:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1BgR2xlbdM"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]
 
New smartphones like the EVO 4G and upcoming iPhone 4g support 720p video recording and 8 megapixel cameras... more than enough to capture the moments.
 
Dare Devil said:
Just get this (or just about any other mid- to high-end model) and have both:

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.
Click to expand...

Lol. I was going to suggest that.

I personally like Nikons. Everyone I've talked to that has one has loved it because it's easy to use and the color and clarity is great for the pictures. I think mine cost about $350.

Now, having said that - mine is several years old. When I saw the commercial for the Olympic PEN camera, it looked very promising. I like that you can record actual movies, change out the lenses, etc. It means that you only have to deal with a single body and can upgrade to suit your specific needs.

SD cards are cheap and can hold a ton of stuff. So, just buy a few 4GB ones and you are good to go if you only plan to take photos. If you want to take some movies too, grab one or two 32GB cards so you don't have to stop mid-take.

You'll most likely be traveling with a laptop, so you could edit your movies and pictures at night and just delete the crap, which will save you a good bit of space on your cards. This is especially important for the movies, because the idea of what you want to show off to people will be fresher in your mind that night than it will be a few months later if you ever got around to editing the video.

Anyhoo, your trip sounds fun. :)
 
dreamache said:
New smartphones like the EVO 4G and upcoming iPhone 4g support 720p video recording and 8 megapixel cameras... more than enough to capture the moments.
Click to expand...

Terrible advice, especially when talking about capturing images from a trip like this. Camera phones take shitty pictures. More megapixels isn't going to change that. You want something with a decent lens and sensor. Almost all point and shoots and dslr cameras do video recording these days.

We've had no shortage of camera threads here. Search and you will find recommendations. Also remember the best site for camera reviews is Digital Cameras: Digital Photography Review, News, Reviews, Forums, FAQ.

If I were buying a camera right now it would be something like this...

Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS digital camera specifications: Digital Photography Review << the 24mm lens is really versatile. I wouldn't get a camera that couldn't go to at least as low as 28mm. Has 720 video.

I would also look at the ZS5 and ZS7 Lumix models. The older ZS1 and ZS3 got killer reviews and they have 25mm wide angle to 300mm zoom and also do low light well.
 
dreamache said:
amanda, this is absolutely terrible advice, read above - because the guy might some day want to open up his own photo exhibit of his trip. /s
Click to expand...

Really?

Have you ever taken a photo with an iPhone and then taken the same thing with any decent, sub $200 camera, and compared? Give me a break.

I personally have a Canon SD780 IS ($200 or so, tiny, and does HD).... to make a comparison... does your iPhone take photos like this? (i have no photography skill)

15020621.jpg


10204021.jpg


I would NEVER go on vacation only with a phone camera.



Here is a few iphone pictures (courtesy of Dr_Ngo and google)

114769796.jpg


4518451107_9530d39bfd.jpg



HIGH QUALITY SHIT THUR!!!!!!!!!
 
070707 said:
Really?

Have you ever taken a photo with an iPhone and then taken the same thing with any decent, sub $200 camera, and compared? Give me a break.
Click to expand...

Bother to actually read my post and notice I mention iphone4g / evo 4g, not the iphone 3g or 3gs, those are quite outdated.

Here are shots from an EVO:

4651811340_f565b90ee2.jpg

4669983729_f616048f0a.jpg


Of course a dedicated camera would be the best bet, it's just a fucking suggestion. Perhaps he's considering a new phone but has a limited budget? This would kill 3 birds with 1 stone. A phone, camera and video camera all in one.
 
I use a Kodak Zi8 pocket cam, it has 1080P in a bunch of modes, battery is excellent, supports 32G HDSD and has built in USB port

Fits into pocket and has gone with me from Amsterdam to NYC to Cancun to San Fran to Omicron Persei 8.
 
Lots of good advice here. (I have an iPhone 3GS.) I was considering either a $450 and under camcorder or a $300 and under digital camera. The Canon SD780 IS pics are impressive, esp for the size of the camera. I always travel with one bag only, so compact and light items help. Thanks for posting camera pics. Very helpful.
 
070707 said:
So a iPhone 3gs camera is outdated when it was released 1 year and 4 days ago?
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Unfortunately technology moves so fast the fact is that it's out dated the day you buy it. Why? Because the company that makes whatever you just bought already has a prototype for the successor.

They might not release it for sometime but that better technology already exists.

Back to the OP question. Even though the comments about using an iPhone or EVO are really not that BAD for the simple fact that it would be an all in one unit (3 birds with 1 stone as it was put earlier).

If it was me however I would buy a nice Olympus / Nikon / Sony standalone camera within the $300 - $500 range. If you go lower you really won't get that great of a camera. Last year I got the Olympus Tough 8000 which is a great camera that can be dropped from 2m with no problems but the night pics are only "ok" and "ok" is all you are gonna get with a phone.

If you want exceptional pics (for a life long memory of your trip) spend a bit of money and get a nice one. I do however suggest you consider portability. I travel a lot and I can tell you that hauling around a big camera sux and since you can't stick a bigger camera in your pocket they are usually a target for theft.

I would recommend you check out either of these two places and post up what you want the camera to do. I'm sure you'll get some decent suggestions on what to get:

Digital Camera Resource Page Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Forums: Digital Photography Review
 
bb_wolfe said:
I use a Kodak Zi8 pocket cam, it has 1080P in a bunch of modes, battery is excellent, supports 32G HDSD and has built in USB port

Fits into pocket and has gone with me from Amsterdam to NYC to Cancun to San Fran to Omicron Persei 8.
Click to expand...


This thing looks badass and is only $140.00 on Amazon. I think I'm gonna pick it up.
 
The cameraphone idea is bad, I'd rather have the manual controls a real camera offers me. Shutter speed, aperture priority, ISO, etc.
 
dreamache said:
amanda, this is absolutely terrible advice, read above - because the guy might some day want to open up his own photo exhibit of his trip. /s
Click to expand...

If you like having no low light capabilities, poor optical zoom (if any), poor ISO performance, noisy/grainy pictures, a dead battery if you actually need to make a phone call, etc. etc. etc. then by all means go for a phone with a camera.

From the sounds of things the OP is going on a trip of a lifetime and you're handing out shitty photography advice. Maybe he might like to take nice photos of his trip for his own enjoyment. Photos that could be printed at a large size and framed not for some exhibit, but for his home or whatever.

charlesmartel said:
Lots of good advice here. (I have an iPhone 3GS.) I was considering either a $450 and under camcorder or a $300 and under digital camera. The Canon SD780 IS pics are impressive, esp for the size of the camera. I always travel with one bag only, so compact and light items help. Thanks for posting camera pics. Very helpful.
Click to expand...

The 780 is nice but it only goes as low as 33mm. The wider the lens the more creative potential for the camera especially indoors in small spaces and also for huge vistas outdoors (though all the p&s Canons do photo stitching for multi-shot panoramas). It's not a complete deal breaker of course, and a camera like the 780 is going to out perform a phone on every level.

The SD3500 IS I linked to is exactly $300... [ame=http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dphoto&tag=dpreviewbuybox-20&field-availability=-2&field-keywords=Canon%20PowerShot%20SD3500%20IS]Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS, Include Out of Stock Camera, Photo & Video[/ame]

The ZS5 looks like it's a bit less... [ame=http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dphoto&field-keywords=Lumix+ZS5&x=0&y=0]Amazon.com: Lumix ZS5 Camera, Photo & Video[/ame]

The ZS7 looks to be right within your budget too... [ame=http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dphoto&field-keywords=Lumix+ZS7&x=0&y=0]Amazon.com: Lumix ZS7 Camera, Photo & Video[/ame]

Those are all very versatile cameras. I've owned 3 Canons, 2 p&s and a DSLR, and for the most part couldn't be happier.
 
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