plan that cruise

New_Zealand

New_Zealand

Veteran
Wife decided that it time to start planning another cruise out on the water for the holiday season. Last cruise we went on I had my Canon 5d mkiii and it was a nightmare carrying it around. And those of you that have done cruises before know what I mean when you dock in these small towns.

I mentioned this before but couldn't find the old thread but as we all know cameras have changed a lot in the past seven months. I would like to carry a small camera in my pocket that can take good photos and HD video :-) Any inputs?

Thanks,
 
Sony RX100 either mk ii, mk iii, or mk iv. (All still available at increasing cost by version.)

TRULY a pocket camera.
As good as your 5D? No. But a real surprise package for the TINY size.

The others are; Panasonic LX100, Sony a5100, and Sony a6000. But all of those are nearly twice the size of the RX100.
Admittedly they are still smaller than a FF DSLR, but I know the travelling scenario you mean - and the RX100 is pretty darn impressive for this task.
 
No idea why carrying a 5D can be a nightmare. Even when trekking with my little son in heavy fog/rain for 3 days and have an overall 50-60 pound load on my body, I still felt it was a joy to carry a 5D ready to shoot anytime (my 5D never quit working in fog/rain, though i know it's not even close to waterproof).

IMO, 5D is not really big or heavy. In case you do feel big heavy & too conspicuous, then most likely you are using an eye-catching lens. If so, replace it with a 40mm STM, then it'll look just like a cheap SLR used by many tourists nowadays. The tiny 40mm f/2.8 lens adds little weight/size to the cam itself, but is a perfect prime for street shots everywhere.

If 5D with a tiny lens is still too big not to be a nightmare, I would not pick a tiny camera that would not be of much use once cruise is over. Instead, I would rather either look for a tiny water-proof pocket camera (to complement 5D being not waterproof), or just go for a water-proof smart phone. Sony offers an excellent smart phone, which is not just water-proof but also has a built-in 20MP camera with 25mm wide angle (it actually also has a smaller camera). That's an incredible all-in-one little device to carry and use anywhere you go.

Well, in case you want to switch away from 5D, that would be a very different story.
 
Carrying a 5d isn't a weight issue as I have carried it though New Zealand and across the outback of Australia while shooting films. The issue is carrying it in a few countries that you stop off in port on a cruise ship. Having a large camera bag hanging from your shoulder as you walk through the streets of Jamaica isn't a good idea. It brings too much attention to yourself. Too many people get rip off by doing this stupid stunt. Taking photos in a few different places is fun but we know these photos that we take most people will never look at or are interested in looking at in one own travel album (and here is another photo of Aunt Linda standing by that rock etc..) so why would you take your expensive camera $6k on a trip like that unless you are doing a special photo shoot of something? You are a tourist so bringing a small camera that can stick in your pocket easily is the best thing.
 
We will be doing a river cruise starting from Amsterdam, and currently I'm thinking of taking my GH4 with SpeedBooster and Zeiss Contax 28-85mm zoom.

The last time I took a camera with me was years ago when I was still shooting film. Ever since then I have just used my iPhone.
 
what camera you use doesn't matter, as long as you do use a camera

what camera you use doesn't matter, as long as you do use a camera

I understand the concern of a camera like 5D being felt too eye-catching. But in reality, that concern is more imaginary than real and with some exceptions, it rarely makes sense at all.

Here is why:

- In many places where you might think it's the camera that catches locals' attention, it is actually the fact that you look like a foreigner, act like an outsider, and/or speak like an alien, that actually attracts curious eyes on you. The extra (if any) attention caused by using a 5D instead of a pocket camera is marginal at most, or non-existent at all. To many who don't know much about cameras or photography, the differences between a 5D and any other picture-taking tool shaped like a camera doesn't really matter. They are all cameras after all, right....

- Also, in many places on the earth, if you found filming, you're in serious trouble and could even be beaten or killed, but that has nothing to do with what you're filming with. Furthermore, using a concealed/concealable pocket camera, instead of a clearly noticeable tourist camera, might even cause more suspicions/troubles as you could be perceived as peeking or spying. Imagine: what if you had taken pictures of a military base and got arrested for doing that? Would switching from 5D to a pocket camera make any difference to the police who arrested you for spying on the military base, or to the judge who hears your case? The only possible difference is: using a small camera could be perceived as evidence against you! Other than that, which camera to use has nothing to do with whether you would be found guilty. And the same applies to all the people who see you taking pictures....

- In some really dangerous places (Jamaica has some such places), you might think you could easily get ripped off, and you would lose only a $300 camera instead of a $3,000 camera if you had switched from 5D to a pocket camera. But the way of that thinking is seriously flawed: first, why would you as a tourist pick a really dangerous place to visit? Second, if you did get robbed, would switching from 5D to a pocket camera make any REAL difference? Did the robber decide to rob you only because he wanted to have your used 5D??? Third, if you did lose your 5D to a violent criminal, you should thank God for not letting you switch to a cheap camera, that you at least had a valuable with you, otherwise you could have lost an arm or a leg or even your own life if the robber could not be satisfied!

In short, the point is: what camera you use doesn't matter, as long as you do use a camera.


As for "a large camera bag" - carrying a 5D doesn't mean it has to go with a large camera bag. I have used a diaper bag for my 5D with 24-105 attached, and it was an absolutely perfect fit... Any camera bag for 5D must be bigger than 5D. If you think 5D is already very eye-catching, why add a bigger bag on top of that?


Here are a few tricks/tips:
1) try to mingle with locals. If you are good at that and/or have tried hard enough, you may very well find yourself welcome to take pictures of locals or around them with whatever camera you have, 5D or not.
2) if it's really dangerous, don't even reveal your having a camera, unless you have no other choice or believe it'll be worth to take the risk. In that case, 5D or not doesn't matter.
3) don't take with you on your cruise any non-essential accessories. Take the camera but leave your "camera" bag at home. The camera is meant to be used, so either hang it over your shoulder (not around your neck if possible), or wrap it in soft clothes if you must store it away. A simple soft pouch is more than good enough. And in case you must carry a camera bag, then take the cam but leave the bag in hotel (or on your ship).


If you believe even 5D can't make your travel photos interesting enough to friends/relatives, then with a lesser camera your photos could only be even less interesting... And if what really interests you is just the "taking" of photos (whatever photos) during your travel, then why don't you quit looking for a new camera and instead, just try to fill up the memory card in your smart phone and be happy with that? Many have found today's smart phones have evolved so much that some of them are already very capable cameras for both still and video.


To me, families are always more important than clients, and family vacations are always as important as any paid work. It's not only fun, but also my duty for my family, to capture some of the sweetest moments while enjoying quality time with my family. So, I always carry at least one decent camera when going out with my family. By all my experiences put together, in places where I'm a stranger, using a DSLR like 5D instead of a less noticeable camera does not make me more of a stranger, and does not make an otherwise safe place dangerous to me, nor will make a dangerous place more dangerous. And with all things considered, 5D is a best compromise for travel and for family vacations.

The thing is, if you do believe you are a good photographer and/or filmmaker and you do love your family, why don't you use some of your talents/genius on your loved ones, for example: taking a few beautiful pictures of wife and kids, and/or making a memorable movie of your family vacation so that your family/friends/relatives could cherish some of the sweetest moments of your family for ever?
 
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