Choice of traveling camera: D/SLR or P&S


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What would be your preferred photographic equipment when it comes to traveling?

Point and Shoot
Advantages
  • Light weight
  • Most P&S covers a comfortable range from wide to tele without the hassles of changing lens or carrying heavy lens
  • Portability
  • Cheap and hence less financial worry about damages or stolen when on trip

D/SLR
Advantages
  • Many choices of lens for different occasions
  • More advance features

Would you keep both a P & S and D/SLR in your Arsenal? And why?
 

IMHO, travelling with a simple system with a standard lens or possibly a standard zoom is all that is really needed. Requiring more equipment will turn the trip from a fun-holiday into a photo-shoot (not always recommended if travelling with non-photographers... i.e. family and friends). You spend more time worrying about equipment and miss the whole purpose of taking the trip - to relax and take things easy!

Depending on where you are travelling to... a DSLR system require you to charge your batteries fairly frequently and also download your images when the card is full... time consuming things to do and is on provision that you will have easy access to electricity and downloading capabilities. The P&S route is easy but may not produce the type of quality images one expects. I would much prefer to carry a manual/AF SLR with a simple lens or two and shoot it on film. No need to worry about recharging batteries and by shooting film, it makes you think before you shoot - you'll end up with more good shots compared to shooting everything under the sun with digital because you know you can "waste" exposures! The digital conversion can always be done later...

Have the P&S around for candid shots but keep the other system available (be it SLR or DSLR) for the important shots that you want to keep. What I personally do is use the digital P&S as a simple "polaroid" unit to check out compositions before commiting it onto film!
 

crazypaladin said:
What would be your preferred photographic equipment when it comes to traveling?

Point and Shoot
Advantages
  • Light weight
  • Most P&S covers a comfortable range from wide to tele without the hassles of changing lens or carrying heavy lens
  • Portability
  • Cheap and hence less financial worry about damages or stolen when on trip

D/SLR
Advantages
  • Many choices of lens for different occasions
  • More advance features

Would you keep both a P & S and D/SLR in your Arsenal? And why?

For travel, I would get the best of both worlds by using a camera that is as fast as a SLR, and yet as convenient as a P&S. One such camera is the Minolta A1. With Anti-Shake technology, it is able to give you a 3 stop advantage over. That's the difference between shooting at ISO 100 and ISO 800. With the A1's 28-200/2.8-3.5, you will need 2-3 lenses on your DSLR just to replicate that range. Focusing on the A1 is also very fast, though a little slower than a DSLR. Noise is also higher, but you get to shoot at ISO100 most of the time, so noise will be minimal.
 

crazypaladin said:
Would you keep both a P & S and D/SLR in your Arsenal? And why?

I will keep both. Depend the travelling objective. Family / relax trip. P&S.
Photography trip. SLR.
 

Snowcrash said:
I will keep both. Depend the travelling objective. Family / relax trip. P&S.
Photography trip. SLR.

:thumbsup: I agree whole heartedly =)
 

Although small P&S/digicam is recommended, I guess bringing a D/SLR + travel zoom (24/28-200/300) still enable u to enjoy the trip. ;)
 

If I bring SLR, I'll bring along a P&S to, coz the extra weight is minimal.

But most importantly, I see travelling with who.. But me being me, I dun think I'll care. Coz those who usually travel with me will wan good fotos to remember the trip. & for me, I'd prefer digital over film, coz U may never have the chance to go back the the same location, at the same time, for the same festival... & if U come back, look at all your film shots, for me, I'll bang my head and ask why I didn't take more...

Just my view... ;)
 

chriszzz said:
For travel, I would get the best of both worlds by using a camera that is as fast as a SLR, and yet as convenient as a P&S. One such camera is the Minolta A1. With Anti-Shake technology, it is able to give you a 3 stop advantage over. That's the difference between shooting at ISO 100 and ISO 800. With the A1's 28-200/2.8-3.5, you will need 2-3 lenses on your DSLR just to replicate that range. Focusing on the A1 is also very fast, though a little slower than a DSLR. Noise is also higher, but you get to shoot at ISO100 most of the time, so noise will be minimal.

this is also one of the more expensive options for a travel camera ;p
 

I am very reluctant to bring my DSLR along when travelling because of the weight and the unwanted attention that it might attract.

Having done that many times in the past, carrying a bag of DSLR gear for whole day sight-seeing trips is no joke to the shoulders and back even with 'anti-gravity' Optrek straps for the camera and bag. Also, not many countries are as 'crime-free' as Singapore and displaying such expensive gear while travelling in these countries can certainly increase the risk of getting mugged/robbed. I know many people would think that such things only happen to other people and in movies and won't ever happen to them but I don't like to take the risk myself.

So when I went travelling to Bangkok early this month, I got myself a P&S camera which must be: pocketable ie ultra-compact, tough, stylish and take good if not great pictures. After much considerations, I got the IXUS 400 and I was not disappointed.

Of course, if I am going to a place with absolutely stunning sceneries that beg to be taken with a DSLR to do them justice, then I might reconsider and bring one instead of a P&S.
 

tomcat said:
I am very reluctant to bring my DSLR along when travelling because of the weight and the unwanted attention that it might attract.

Having done that many times in the past, carrying a bag of DSLR gear for whole day sight-seeing trips is no joke to the shoulders and back even with 'anti-gravity' Optrek straps for the camera and bag. Also, not many countries are as 'crime-free' as Singapore and displaying such expensive gear while travelling in these countries can certainly increase the risk of getting mugged/robbed. I know many people would think that such things only happen to other people and in movies and won't ever happen to them but I don't like to take the risk myself.

So when I went travelling to Bangkok early this month, I got myself a P&S camera which must be: pocketable ie ultra-compact, tough, stylish and take good if not great pictures. After much considerations, I got the IXUS 400 and I was not disappointed.

Of course, if I am going to a place with absolutely stunning sceneries that beg to be taken with a DSLR to do them justice, then I might reconsider and bring one instead of a P&S.
Agree wholeheartedly with you. For me it depends on the nature of the trip and whether you are going to a place where there are great nature sceneries and good photo opportunities (e.g when there are major events or cultural festivals happening), then perhaps I would bring my DSLR along. But probably only pack 2 lenses to go with it...perhaps a medium tele and a wide would be nice. :D No 70-200mm or something of that sort....its much to heavy to lug around, unless its specifically a trip purely for photographic purposes.

A P & S would be nice if you are travelling light and just want to kick back and enjoy the trip. The huge advantages are its small size (you can just throw it into your bag along wif some batts and a spare CF or 2) and lightweight nature. This would be great for casual trips w/ family and friends.
 

I would suggest bringing both as u wld have different itinerary everyday..
1 day could be sightseeing, the other day could be shopping.
so if u r going shopping, u can leave ur SLR in the hotel's safe. i had tried lugging a Lowepro S&F 300 wif my F80 when i went shopping at bangkok's Chatuchak n Mah Boon Kong. It really difficult to squeeze thru the crowd, and wif the increasing shopping bags, handling the camera bag becomes a chore.. N anyway, these places only offer street photography, which a P&S wld suffice.

i wld suggest getting a P&S wif 28mm so tat u can use it for landscape too..
but i dun think any digital P&S has tat wide.. but i might be wrong.. :p

hope this helps.. ;)
 

hackie said:
i wld suggest getting a P&S wif 28mm so tat u can use it for landscape too..
but i dun think any digital P&S has tat wide.. but i might be wrong.. :p

hope this helps.. ;)

There's one - Ricoh G4 Wide that starts at 28mm.
 

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