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03-05-2010, 03:31 PM   #1
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Vacations and P&S cameras

I guess this isn't a "beginner's question" per se, but being a beginner, I'm going to mostly stay in the kiddie pool for now. I'm one of those people who is very reluctant to hand over my camera or anything else in a public place to someone I don't know. On our last overseas trip, I only permitted strangers to take our picture with the K20d when there wasn't anywhere to run and I had decided I could almost certainly catch them anyway. On top of it, I forgot that most people get confused by a camera with an LCD screen but no image. So, wanting to limit our risk on trips while not missing out on shots of "us," I figure a P&S in the bag is a good idea.

I assume brand loyalty isn't particularly important, save perhaps for favoring models that take SD cards. I also assume that paying for bells and whistles isn't necessary since virtually everything you take with it will be "Us at the <sight>", unless something goes horribly wrong with the primary.

So, do you all have one for those travel moments when you need to ask, "excuse me, could you take our picture?" If so, which one?

03-05-2010, 03:41 PM   #2
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03-05-2010, 03:48 PM   #3
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You may want to consider a water-proof/crash-proof camera. We have a Lumix DMC-TS1 which is great for kayaking trips. My wife also uses it underwater (video) to improve our son's swimming techniques. Its image quality is no match for that of the K-7 but some photos is still better than no photos.

There are many water-proof/crash-proof cameras to choose from. We picked the TS1 partly because of its "wide" lens (28mm equivalent).

Last edited by SOldBear; 03-05-2010 at 04:58 PM.
03-05-2010, 04:47 PM   #4
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To ensure the return of your camera, only ask fat old farts (who can't outrun you) to snap your likenesses. Or stick to the wheelchair-bound, although it'll be strange if all pictures of you are shot from your waist-level. Or you could just keep your grip on to the K20D, put a 10-17 on it, hold it out at arm's length, and accept the distortion. Or hang the K20D from a tethered helium balloon and fire the shutter by wireless remote. If you MUST have another camera, take something old and ratty and big and obviously not worth stealing -- if your nominated shooter is reluctant to even touch it, all the better.

03-05-2010, 05:47 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
Or stick to the wheelchair-bound,
I see you have very limited experience where it comes to wheelchair bound people. A lot of them would roll away a lot faster than you can run.
03-05-2010, 06:29 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Glarus Quote
. . . "excuse me, could you take our picture?". . .
That's my cue to turn on Live View
Your other option for self portraits is a tripod and remote (or timed) shutter release.

I also travel with a P&S. They're much less obtrusive, are easily bought (or made) waterproof, and are pretty handy at macro, where they have tonnes of depth-of-field.
03-05-2010, 06:37 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Glarus Quote
I guess this isn't a "beginner's question" per se, but being a beginner, I'm going to mostly stay in the kiddie pool for now. I'm one of those people who is very reluctant to hand over my camera or anything else in a public place to someone I don't know. On our last overseas trip, I only permitted strangers to take our picture with the K20d when there wasn't anywhere to run and I had decided I could almost certainly catch them anyway. On top of it, I forgot that most people get confused by a camera with an LCD screen but no image. So, wanting to limit our risk on trips while not missing out on shots of "us," I figure a P&S in the bag is a good idea.

I assume brand loyalty isn't particularly important, save perhaps for favoring models that take SD cards. I also assume that paying for bells and whistles isn't necessary since virtually everything you take with it will be "Us at the <sight>", unless something goes horribly wrong with the primary.

So, do you all have one for those travel moments when you need to ask, "excuse me, could you take our picture?" If so, which one?
Self timer on tripod?

03-05-2010, 09:02 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by flyer Quote
I see you have very limited experience where it comes to wheelchair bound people. A lot of them would roll away a lot faster than you can run.
That's when you throw your grappling hook into their spokes, of course.
03-06-2010, 05:12 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
That's when you throw your grappling hook into their spokes, of course.
People practicing sports in wheelchair often put spoke guards on their chair to avoid that problem.
03-06-2010, 08:30 AM   #10
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We have a Pentax W20 which fits nicely in a pocket, has great battery life and good video even under water.
03-06-2010, 08:59 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Clicker Quote
Pa*****icTZ5
I agree...mine is great!

Jason
03-06-2010, 10:25 AM   #12
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Pentax W80 or the new Pentax W90.
Has macro functions, waterproof, shockproof and has HD video.
Has an intervalometer too.
The new W90 has front lens LEDs for those macro shots.
Only problem so far with the W80 is the battery life although there are aftermarket batteries being sold that have a higher capacity mAH rating.
03-08-2010, 02:00 PM   #13
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I would second the Panasonic lineup ... loved the TZ4 till I had it (gifted it to my dad)... and have retained an FZ5 ...

Recently got the LX3 ... and used it on a recent vacation (you can see some of the snaps at Flickr ... Amsterdam - a set on Flickr ) ... this entire set is shot with the LX3 ... and I am very happy with it ... the zoom range may be limiting but the picture quality is good given the larger-than-typical sensor size (for a P&S) and tons of settings you can customize images with ...

the DMC-ZS7 / TZ10 has recently been announced, and this one has manual controls as well (vs. the earlier TZ models, while retaining the zoom range) ... all in all, lots of options in the Panasonic lineup ...
03-10-2010, 02:49 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
To ensure the return of your camera, only ask fat old farts (who can't outrun you) to snap your likenesses.
That's my strategy now. I'm willing to be a bit less selective if we're somewhere where there's nowhere to run because it's some place remote or nowhere to hide because they're also foreign tourists. It sounds like the Panasonics are respected. Some of the features missing from P&Ss generally aren't really relevant to the use I have in mind. I'm more of a "things" shooter, so most shots of people are to appease, ahem, my other half, which is the same reason I wouldn't be carrying a tripod on vacation. Even hand-holding in the daytime, I found my picture-taking to slow us down quite a bit on our last trip, though in most cases it was because I was a novice, chimping shots. Thanks!

Last edited by Glarus; 03-10-2010 at 02:55 PM.
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