16 days trip to Europe end Dec

[tengcc]

Hi,

My family will be going for a 16 days, 6 countries European tour group holidays end Dec.

I was told that the winter will be terribly cold by then. In view of the cold weather, can anyone give me some advice on my preparation in terms of what to bring, eg. more batteries as I heard the sub zero temperature will kill the battery life fast. FYI, I have just bought a battery grib for my D80 and I intend to bring along my 18-200VR and my 50mm 1/8 lens. As I may be going out during the nights, I am sure I cannot leave home without my SB600 flash. What else I need to prepare for this trip, taking mostly scenery and family pictures along the way. thanks.:think::think:

 

[vbs1979]

Hi,

My family will be going for a 16 days, 6 countries European tour group holidays end Dec.

I was told that the winter will be terribly cold by then. In view of the cold weather, can anyone give me some advice on my preparation in terms of what to bring, eg. more batteries as I heard the sub zero temperature will kill the battery life fast. FYI, I have just bought a battery grib for my D80 and I intend to bring along my 18-200VR and my 50mm 1/8 lens. As I may be going out during the nights, I am sure I cannot leave home without my SB600 flash. What else I need to prepare for this trip, taking mostly scenery and family pictures along the way. thanks.:think::think:

hi there, this is my 2 cent thoughts.

for my own preference, i will love to travel light. Enjoy the trip and at the same time capture beautiful pics.

Unless u r taking lots of portraits, if not just bring yr D80 w/o the grip. Bring xtra batteries n SD cards which u definitely need.

U can bring along yr 18-200VR and 50mm. Yr built in flash on yr D80 shld be sufficient for most occasions, so can leave yr SB600.

Travel light, bring only the essentials

 

[TMC]

just bring the cam, the lenses and the batts, minus the grip. since you are with family, enjoy your time there. leave hte flash at home too. it is too clumsy to be brought around.

 

[chentao]

hi there, this is my 2 cent thoughts.

for my own preference, i will love to travel light. Enjoy the trip and at the same time capture beautiful pics.

Unless u r taking lots of portraits, if not just bring yr D80 w/o the grip. Bring xtra batteries n SD cards which u definitely need.

U can bring along yr 18-200VR and 50mm. Yr built in flash on yr D80 shld be sufficient for most occasions, so can leave yr SB600.

Travel light, bring only the essentials

agreed with above.
If you have kids,sigh ,just bring a cam with a small zoom will do..
And if can,amend yr time from Dec to Oct..from -2 to 15C,I experince both last 2 yrs,and this yr global warming effect,its may be colder.
Just imagine you wear few pieces of clothing with a thick jacket with a big cam bag....
daylight from 7am to 3.30 pm....

 

[tengcc]

agreed with above.
If you have kids,sigh ,just bring a cam with a small zoom will do..
And if can,amend yr time from Dec to Oct..from -2 to 15C,I experince both last 2 yrs,and this yr global warming effect,its may be colder.
Just imagine you wear few pieces of clothing with a thick jacket with a big cam bag....
daylight from 7am to 3.30 pm....

Thanks for all the tips and yes, I totally agreed with all that I should travel light and enjoy our trip. Unfortunately, the dates to travel at end Dec has already been fixed, primarily due to concide with the school holidays. Just have to bear with the cold and hopefully my batteries can tahan the sub zero temperature.

Cheers :thumbsup:

 

[jeanie]

i went to europe for 2 months.
was in switz at -8 degrees.
didnt have much problem with batteries going dead.

in any case, bring some handwarmers.those that they sell at planet traveller.
open it and put it in your jacket pocket, and leave the batts there with it.

 

[jeanie]

oh ya, 1 important item to bring.
ziploc bags.

leave your camera in there and seal it when not in use.

 

[huggable]

Maybe you can add a lightweight tripod too? To take family shots for keepsake. ;p

 

[LeoDaddy]

Maybe you can add a lightweight tripod too? To take family shots for keepsake. ;p

Yesh.. TRIPOD!! Bring it or regret later

You can put ur batteries in pocket to keep them warm.

 

[waileong]

Dec still autumn. Not to worry.

 

[tengcc]

Dec still autumn. Not to worry.

Thanks to all for yr advice, appreciate it. Ya, I have taken note and will do the same during my forthcoming trip. :thumbsup:

 

[Parchiao]

The weather will make a difference to how much you will use your camera. If the temperature is less than 10 degrees celsius and as long as the wind blows, your fingers and ear lobes will feel very uncomfortable, and so will your family. Photo taking becomes a pain, because no one will want to stay in the open for too long. A compact camera, be it digital or film becomes very useful in such situations. If it is cold and the wind isn't blowing, it should be manageable, even with a DSLR. But of course, you wouldn't know how the weather will turn out as the geographical nature of each european country is different e.g. places like London and Paris tends to be really cold because of the wind. I guess nobody really knows how the weather will turn out nowadays, so just bring along mittens and clothing that can keep your ears warm e.g. hooded jacket. Also, if you can get your hands on wind proof clothing, all the better. Without the mittens, you might actually end up only wanting to keep your hands in your pockets just to keep yourself warm, and end up not taking any photos or wished that you brought along a pocketable camera.

For low light, a 35mm f2 with your DSLR should be better than a 50mm f1.8, considering that you are in Europe and you will want to capture as much as you can in a picture. You might also want to consider the possibility that you will want to take pictures in cathedrals and other old buildings where indoor light is really really low. As for tripods, you won't get to use it much indoors, mainly for outdoor use. Just bring a light one along cause weight may not matter that much as there should be transportation that ferries you around. I am ssuming this is correct as you mentioned you are with a tour group. With the same logic, there isn't any harm bringing along the flash in case you need to use it, which you won't have much opportunity unless you are outdoors or if photography is allowed at the places you are visiting. Buy the SB-400 if you have the money. Forget about the grip. 2 batteries for you DSLR should be fine, just charge them every night. Keep the SD card and battery in the internal pocket of your jacket, should be sufficient to keep anything warm in there.

 

[midicity]

Can consider a P&S for other ppl to take pics of you and your family. While u can use ur DSLR for your own pic taking. Think this is lighter than a tripod, AND you have a backup camera

The price of being a photographer is that you're usually not in the photo.....:sweat:

 

[giantcanopy]

Yup bring a PnS along as well! will come in handy

The price of being a photographer is that you're usually not in the photo.....:sweat:

Urm how about pasing ur dSLR to a passerby to take pics for ya :bsmilie:

 

[midicity]

Urm how about pasing ur dSLR to a passerby to take pics for ya :bsmilie:

well, a lot of passerbys won't know how to use a DSLR. They will try to focus from the LCD instead of the viewfinder. Also, worry that the guy runs off with your DSLR.....:sweat:

 

[tengcc]

The weather will make a difference to how much you will use your camera. If the temperature is less than 10 degrees celsius and as long as the wind blows, your fingers and ear lobes will feel very uncomfortable, and so will your family. Photo taking becomes a pain, because no one will want to stay in the open for too long. A compact camera, be it digital or film becomes very useful in such situations. If it is cold and the wind isn't blowing, it should be manageable, even with a DSLR. But of course, you wouldn't know how the weather will turn out as the geographical nature of each european country is different e.g. places like London and Paris tends to be really cold because of the wind. I guess nobody really knows how the weather will turn out nowadays, so just bring along mittens and clothing that can keep your ears warm e.g. hooded jacket. Also, if you can get your hands on wind proof clothing, all the better. Without the mittens, you might actually end up only wanting to keep your hands in your pockets just to keep yourself warm, and end up not taking any photos or wished that you brought along a pocketable camera.

For low light, a 35mm f2 with your DSLR should be better than a 50mm f1.8, considering that you are in Europe and you will want to capture as much as you can in a picture. You might also want to consider the possibility that you will want to take pictures in cathedrals and other old buildings where indoor light is really really low. As for tripods, you won't get to use it much indoors, mainly for outdoor use. Just bring a light one along cause weight may not matter that much as there should be transportation that ferries you around. I am ssuming this is correct as you mentioned you are with a tour group. With the same logic, there isn't any harm bringing along the flash in case you need to use it, which you won't have much opportunity unless you are outdoors or if photography is allowed at the places you are visiting. Buy the SB-400 if you have the money. Forget about the grip. 2 batteries for you DSLR should be fine, just charge them every night. Keep the SD card and battery in the internal pocket of your jacket, should be sufficient to keep anything warm in there.

Thanks for yr detailed advice above, appreciate it and yes, I agree with you regarding the erratic weather conditions at different countries as we will be visiting 6 countries altogether during our trip. Will be visiting Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium. Yup, will leave out my batt grip but will also bring along my SB600 for indoors. Just worried that my 2 batteries might suddenly go flat during the day but will also bring along a P&S in case this happens. I remember during my Japan trip that a fully charged batt can go flat after taking 1/2 hours of pictures, primarily due to the sub zero temperatures. thanks again.

 

[kelccm]

If one of your batteries goes flat when shooting in cold temperature, you can try to warm up the batteries inside your jacket pocket or somewhere warm. You should be able to get some battery juice back.