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What Digital Camera/Camcorder do you bring?

MyImagination

By MyImagination,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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tef43

tef43

Posted
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I love my Canon PowerShot.

 

A couple of things to consider. "Optical zoom" is superior to "digital zoom" and you do not necessarily have to go with the highest megapixels available. Unless you are enlarging your photos to 8x10 or larger, 3 - 3.5 megapixels should be more than adequate.

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GoinCruisin

GoinCruisin

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I generally take my Nikon 3100 (small).... however, we got a new Nikon 8800(bigger, but MUCH better) over the holidays, so I'll probably take that along. As for video camera, I take a Sony TRV140 Digital... Not the best, but it gets the job done.

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MyImagination

MyImagination

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I love my Canon PowerShot.

 

A couple of things to consider. "Optical zoom" is superior to "digital zoom" and you do not necessarily have to go with the highest megapixels available. Unless you are enlarging your photos to 8x10 or larger, 3 - 3.5 megapixels should be more than adequate.

 

Thanks, that was on my list :) I agree about the megapixels, some people buy a camera with way more than they need. I dont really plan to print many. I mainly want to send most of them as attachments to friends and family.

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MyImagination

MyImagination

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I generally take my Nikon 3100 (small).... however, we got a new Nikon 8800(bigger, but MUCH better) over the holidays, so I'll probably take that along. As for video camera, I take a Sony TRV140 Digital... Not the best, but it gets the job done.

 

Thanks, I will have to check on that one. Im still not sure about the camcorder...I can just take my son's.

 

Has anyone had problems with condensation and foggy lenses on the camcorder?

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lrizit

lrizit

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I have a Kodak Easy Share that does both, but the video time I think is only like 20 min. depending on how much memory I have. I really like it though. I'm not much of a video gal anyway though. Just little shots

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Jonathan Quayle Higgins

Jonathan Quayle Higgins

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If you are planning the use the camera at the beach or near water, some cameras have accessories like water resistant covers that allow you to use all of the cameras features and not have to worry about water spraying or splashing on the camera. Also, for some cameras you can also purchase waterproof hard cases for using the camera underwater.

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GoinCruisin

GoinCruisin

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Thanks, I will have to check on that one. Im still not sure about the camcorder...I can just take my son's.

 

Has anyone had problems with condensation and foggy lenses on the camcorder?

 

I like the 3100, not sure if they even carry them anymore. I have been a Nikon fan for a long time, and have had many of their cameras. For everyday use, the 3100 has worked like a charm... Generally I just use it to upload to my website... having digital has made me lazy!!!! But I just got a new photo printer, so I can actually have prints once again! LOL!!!!

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judyf

judyf

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I have two digital's the Kodak Easy Share DX4900 4 mega pixels and a Olympus D-560 zoom. I like the size and easy of taking pictures much better with the Olmpus, but I love the doenloading easy of the docking station with the Kodak.

 

I just got a JVC small camcorder and I love it! I bring all 3 with me. My daughter just got me an underwater digital camera I plan to bring in MArch. I haven't even taken it out of the box yet to see have it works!

 

I had problems the first few cruises with my camcorders and mositure in the early mornings. I read here on cc to put it in a ziplock bag till it gets use to the new temps for ac to hot and humid and it worked! Also read a tip to wrap it in a towel.

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dsclark

dsclark

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The best camera to bring on a cruise is the sony dcp 150. It is the smallest 7.1mp on the market and takes great shots. Also, it is the only point and shoot that also can be had with a waterproof case, and an adapter that lets you add a lens (I always have a polarizer).

I have both of these accesaries and they are quality. If you don't use a polarizer, then you won't be able to capture the blues of the sea, sky and other colors.

I use a Panasonic pv 200 camcorder. Unlike other cams, it uses 3 chips, one for each color (red, blue green)It has the perfromance of any camcorder and is also small. I also use a a poloarizer a lot with it and it really makes the difference. Never shoot without one! Lastily, I use a surround sound mic that mounts on the top of the cam. It makes you think you are back on board.

Prices? A sony 150 with the adapter, waterproof housing (hey, you can video tape yourself snorkeling!) and polarizer will run you around $500 off the 'net.

A Panny 200 with a polarizer will cost you around $550-$600 off the net. The surround sound mic is only about $60, shipped to the house from reasonproducts.com

Oh, the panny 200 will take 2.3 mp pics, but NO camcorder on the market takes good pics, not even the panny400 (with 4mp). IF you want good pics, get a good camera.

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Donnask8pro

Donnask8pro

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I have a Sony 5.0 its awesome. (forget the model #) I also have a kodak 4800 3.2. Its kinda ok. Also Sony 301 camcorder that records right onto a mini dvd. LOVE IT. I can play right in my vcr. No work at all. I researched all on consumerreports.org. I have a subscription. Also Steve's digicams website. They helped me alot. :D Good luck. Check out the websites...

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karenh1127

karenh1127

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I plan on taking my Canon Elph. It is so small that it will fit right in your pocket but has a nice size screen and takes great pics. Now if you ask my dad ( a professional photographer) he will say Nikon. I have a camcorder but probably wont take it because I just hate being strapped down with it even thought it is a mini digital one. My camera will take 60 sec videos.

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Suzieb

Suzieb

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I have a Fuji S5000 and enjoy it. Nice camera, small and looks like a small SLR, and is a 3.1 meg. It also allows me to use all sorts of filters andis fun to use.

As tef43 said look at the optical zoom for the lens. Also the megipixals only is important when it comes to printing on paper. My fuji will print on a 8x10 pretty good but I only print 4x6's so 3.1 megs is just as good as a 5 meg camera. If you print on a 8x10 you will use about 4 times the ink as a 4x6

 

So have fun searching for a camera I had fun and drove my wife nuts, there are alot of good cameras out there

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msredbird51

msredbird51

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I just got a new one of each. Splurged on myself for Christmas. lol

 

A Canon PowerShot SD300 Elph digital still camera, it is 4 megapixels and smaller than my palm but still has a big LCD screen, and a Sony Handycam DCR-HC40 digital camcorder. It too is quite small, but very adequate for an amateur who just wants to capture a little video of family and vacations for great memories. I've only had them for about two weeks so I do not have a lot of field experience with them yet, but so far so good. I have played with them a lot and the pictures and video (of the house) seem to be good quality from very portable and easy to use cameras. I like that I can stuff the still camera in my pocket and not even notice that it is there and the camcorder could fit in my purse, even in a case.

 

I did a lot of research prior to this and found http://www.cnet.com very useful. There are reviews of virtually every camera ever made by professionals and the consumers who have purchased them. The buying guides were also very helpful. Best of all, it is free!

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serene56

serene56

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Tef: I just upgraded my Fuji to a powershot 95a. I have been reading that booklet of instructions and trying to figure out how to change the settings. I have a 128 mg card. From reading I will only get 50 pictures???

I have a 128 mg card for the fuji that let me take over 400 pics.

How to change the settings from 5 to a lower number??

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zydecocruiser

zydecocruiser

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Another Canon fan here. They make a number of point and shoot cameras that you can get a waterproof case for. Even some of their high end camera have a waterproof case option.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113

 

Serene - you upgraded your camera - why not upgrade the memory card and take full advantage of what your camera offers?

 

I did a quick search and after rebate, you can get a 512mb CF card for 36.99 from Amazon. Or 1gb for under $75.

 

To get more pictures on your 128mb card, you can lower the resolution and compression.

 

If you insist:

Press FUNC button

Up/Down Arrow until you get to ~L* (the ~ is really sort of a quarter circle which seems to be missing from my keyboard)

Left/Right Arrow to select Resolution - choices are L M1 M2 S - L is highest and S is lowest

Press Set button

Select the compression you want - choices are Superfine Fine or Normal - on the screen it will appear as the quarter circle thing with an S to Normal which looks like stairs.

Press FUNC

 

M2 and Fine resolution should let you get decent 4x6 prints and about 220 pictures on the 128mb card.

 

I really would think about upgrading the camera memory.

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dsclark

dsclark

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A couple of things to keep in mind:

 

DVD cams will deliver lower quality than DV. This is a result of the compression used to to put info on the dvd. DVD cams also are larger and on the average,more $ than DV.

 

The best cam will have three chips. All of the dvd cams and, actually, all other small cams outside of panasonic only have one chip.Sony has one large cam with three chips and more on the way. Not only do one chip cams deliver inferior color performance, many of them have poor low light performance. This is partially due to using a small CCD. If you are spending around $600, there is no reason not to get a 3 chip panny cam. High quality, best pic,small size etc. Here is a link to why it is the best camcorder for under $1000 for '04. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Quick-Review-Camcorders--Panasonic-PV-GS200.htm

Their tests are way better than anything consumerreports has.

 

Point and shoots... The best, very best point and shoots are the Olympus 7000, Canon 70 and the Sony 150. All are 7.1mp. Casio and Pentax also offer a 7.1 point and shoot, but they are not as good as these three.

Here are the main differences:

Both the Olympus and Canon offer powerful zoom lenses. They both look and feel nice, but the pricey Olympus, imho, felt the best of all. It has an all metal body, nice feel and lots of features.

The problem with these two is that they suffer from noticeable chromatic artifacting. This is purple fringing in some shots. It isn't super bad, but hey, sometimes you'll notice it. Also, those zoom lenses can cause barrell optical distortion. This is where the image will be stretched or bowed out. This is more a result of physics than poor quality.These cameras and lenses are small. If you want geometrical fidelity, you'll need to get a full size slr with a good lens. Those guys lugging around those big cameras are not ignorant of small point and shoots- they want the best looking pics and they'll likely get it.

The Sony? It has the fastest ready time of any small camera, least amount of chromatic artifacting and has great geometrical fidelity.It also is the cheapest 7.1 on the market can be had for under $400 I think the pics it takes look a bit better than the Canon or Olympus.

However, part of this is due to having a relatively puny zoom. Also, although the size (real small, about the size of my palm) is quite convenient, some might find it too small to hold easily.It also has less features than the other two cameras. I got the accessaries and they are quite well built. Canon might offer a lens kit for the 70, I don't know about the 7000. if you don't use a polarizer on a cruise, you might as well be shooting black and white! Here is a good article on polarizers: http://dpfwiw.com/polarizer.htm

All a polarizer is is a filter that goes on your camera. You turn it until you get the best looking pic. In the sample pics in the article, you can see where it took the glare out of the water, made the sky bluer, even brought out the detail in trees. Pretty cool stuff.

As of now, there isn't a camcorder that puts out good photos. In other words, even the best of them are hard pressed to put out a pic that is at least as good as a you get from a disposable camera. As for digital, up until recently, 35mm was better. Kodak came out with HD films that really did offer fine detail and good colors. But now, we are seeing some new dig cameras that (gulp!) for the first time, can take better pictures than the finest 35 camera with the finest 35mm film. The new 8.1 mp SLR cameras are the leaders of this breed. Check out the pics they can take and you just might go home with one. They might sound costly (around $1,000), but for what they are offer, compared to 35mm, they are a bargain.

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