past Alaska cruisers-- what camera?

[sailor moon]

There is a thread about digital cameras on the RCCL website that I have been following. :rolleyes: Since I am buying a new one specifically for my Alaska trip, I thought I would ask past Alaska cruisers what camera they used. Future cruisers are welcome to post too! :D I am really trying to make an informed choice!

[calee]

Since you're going shopping my suggestion would be to get one with at least a 10x OPTICAL zoom lens and an even more important feature an IMAGE STABILIZER to eliminate the shakes when you're zooming in those wildlife shots. A mono-pod also comes in handy for steadying the camera and is a great walking stick when not in use on the camera.

[judynorth]

We took a Panasonic FZ10 last year and the pictures were wonderful (see below). We took 573 pictures and oly deleted 3 of them as unusable. The newest version is the FZ20. It has 12X optical zoom with image stabilizer and 5 megapixels. It has some nice improvements over the FZ10. I bought a small Canon A510 to take for myself (my husband has taken over the FZ10 even though I took most of the pictures last year). It is a 4X optical zoom and 3.2 megapixels. It takes great pictures too. The most recent Williamsburg pictures on webshots are taken with both the FZ10 and the A510. The A520 is 4 megapixels. The FZ20 is about $599 and the A510 is $199. The A520 is $299. I guess what you get depends on the size and features that you want. If you want one that will fit in your pocket you can't beat the Canon. It even has a decent zoom. However, if you want a big camera with a long zoom the Panasonic is great. Whatever you buy, be sure that you have plenty of media cards or some way to download the pictures. We bought a RoadStor for our upcoming cruise.

[Singinman]

My wife and I went through this same process last year and decided on the Panasonic Lumix FZ-10 which has been replaced by the FZ-20. It has a 12X stabilized lens and in auto mode (point and shoot) is nearly fool-proof. For samples check out http://community.webshots.com/user/judymnorth These are our Alaska pics from May 2004. All are auto-mode. Many of the Yukon pictures were taken from a moving bus.

 

The Photography board on this site has several threads related to choosing a camera. There are excellent web sites with camera reviews for just about every camera made. If you need help finding one or two of them give a holler and I will post the link. Steve's degicams and dpreview are two good ones.

 

The FZ-20 is $600 retail. It is the king of optical zoom for a one lens camera. The FZ-5, just out this year has the same lens and CCD. It just does not have all the options of big brother and the case is plastic. Just remember, distances are lone in Alaska. It's about 140 ft straight down from the sports deck of the Diamond P to the water. The bergs look small but they are not. Big lens means detail at distance. Nuff said for now.

[JohnQ]

The panasonics with the 12x zoom and stablizer would be ok if you want a point and shoot digital that could shoot most of your shots for Alaska. If you want more than that and are in to photography, the new Canon Rebel XT with a telezoom extra lens is the hottest value for the dollar. Search for JPCruising photos on this site and you will see what the Rebel can do. Canon. Olympus and Sony also make 10-12x zooms. At least 4-5 meg is needed to make decent enlargements.

[sailor moon]

Ya'll are wonderful! I will also check out the other photo board. I have been to other websites mentioned and learned a lot. Now it is a matter of narrowing down. The 2 favorites are the panasonic FZand the canon powershot S1 IS. Any thoughts?

[calee]

Both are very good and you can't go wrong with either. Like most other things comfort is important so I'd go to a camera shop and do a "hands on" with both models, select the one that has controls/menu best suited to your taste and is the most comfortable in your hands.

[judynorth]

We looked a MANY cameras and we both like the feel of the Panasonic and it was one of the few where I could actually see through the viewfinder with my glasses on. (I don't like using the LCD except in macro mode.) It fits the hands well and has enough heft to be stable. It feels like a standard 35mm SLR because it is the same size. It also has a great Leica lens. It doesn't have interchangable lenses though. You have to pay bigger $$$ for that feature. It also means that you would have more stuff to carry around with you. We found that the Panasonic was a good compromise - not too expensive, not too cumbersome, packed with features, and it takes great pictures.

 

 

BTW, my husband and I posted replies within minutes of each other without even knowing it!

[KFH]

I bought the Canon S1 IS for our Alaska trip in August. The biggest reason was the cost. I paid $306 for the Canon and the Panasonic is at least $475. I really like the Canon, its big down fall is in low light conditions. We will use our cheaper point and shoot for those shots because those are mostly indoor close up shots. I don't think that you could go wrong with either camera though. I also were glasses and have no problem with the view finder.

[wcal]

I purchased the Nikon Coolpix 8800 for our upcoming Alaska cruise this August. It has 10X optical and vibration reduction, also has 15 scene modes. I am upgrading from an older coolpix. The camera is very well built and takes great pictures. Was thinking of buying a digital SLR but the like the portability of this one more. No need to take different lenses along.

[Singinman]

If I could afford the FZ-20, I would take it hands down over any Canon short of a true DSLR where Canon is king right now. It has the better and more powerful lens IMHO and good electronics. Maybe the E is not quite as good as the Canon, but it is much improved over the FZ-10.

 

In choosing between the S1 and the FZ-5, one faces compromise. The F has more pixels and the better lens. The S has better E and LCD screen. Either would be a fine choice.

 

Whatever you buy, take it out of the box and get to know the camera before the cruise. Take lots of pictures. Take them at the highest quality possible, especially in the S. You do not have many pixels to play around with in the S.

 

Main thing take pictures and enjoy.

[calmac]

I was all set to buy a Canon S1 IS last weekend and even had a local camera shop put one aside but Canon announced the launch of the S2 IS - 12x optical zoom, 5 megapixels. No launch date for USA or UK as yet. Expected price to be $400 or thereabouts. Once the S2 IS hits the shops the price of the S1 IS should drop.

 

With Canon's announcement DH bought the Canon Digital Rebel (the newer one - 350D model in UK) so I'll be using his Nikon 5700 which was purchased for last year's vacation. DS is very happy as he'll be using "my" Nikon 3100 which is a higher spec than the Canon Digital Ixus which he was using.

 

Now all I need to do is read the manual for the 5700 :D

[Singinman]

This web site:

 

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/d/Digital-Camera-Reviews&level_b=Panasonic.htm

 

has a way of objectively testing cameras for color and sharpness. The Canon S1 rates at 1.94 effective MPs or 62% of nominal MPs stated by Canon. The raters consider this a lousy score.

 

The Panasonic FZ-5 rates a 3.88 effecitive MPs or 79%. For me thats the ball game. Go with the FZ.

[sailor moon]

I went and handled the Panasonic FZ20 and I must say, it fit very well in my hands... It really wanted to go home with me :) This was at Circuit City and I know I can get it cheaper on the internet! At this point it is my 1st choice... really...I mean it...must quit reading thread and hearing about other cameras...AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

Thanks for the imput!

[judynorth]

Sailor moon,

 

I see that you are going on the Radiance of the Seas. If you haven't seen this website you should check it out:

http://www.jaddie.com/personal/alaska_03/

 

Buy the FZ20. You'll love it. Be sure that you give yourself enough time to familiarize yourself with all the features.

[sailor moon]

Thanks Judy, I did order it this afternoon and it should ship Monday. Can't wait to play with it!

[DougH]

I had a Nikon 990 digital I was pretty happy with but just bought a Canon Digital Rebel for my upcoming Alaska cruise. Allready had a Canon Rebel SLR that I had bought just prior to getting the Nikon digital so had a couple of lenses already. Can't wait to try it out.

 

Doug

[judynorth]

Thanks Judy, I did order it this afternoon and it should ship Monday. Can't wait to play with it!

 

I hope you post some pictures when you get back from your cruise. We look back at our pictures and relive every moment of the trip.

[Deb in Cali]

I have researching digital cameras for weeks now. We were just about ready to purchase a Kodak that had 10 x optical with 5 MP. The Kodak seemed like the perfect camera for us until we went into Costco tonight. We left with the Konica Minolta Z 5. It has 5 MP. 12 X digital zoom with 4 X optical zoom.

 

About the only drawback on the Minolta is that it has AA batteries instead of the lithium batteries. That is a situation that can go either way. You can purchase batteries just about anywhere, but you do have to purchase them.

 

My brother was explaining the problems with the lithium battery. Once it is dead, it takes a while to recharge. It also doesn't tell you that it is going to die until it at the very end of its life. He informed me that once it tells you that the battery is dying that you might get another picture or two before it dies.

[DougH]

My Nikon used AA's and I liked that, just buy two sets and a quick charger. I always carry the extra set and you can recharge each night in about an hour. Like you said in a pinch you can always buy regular AA's anywhere.

[jukeboxy]

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cruising042002/

 

Alaskan photos here were done mostly with Canon Digital Rebel, some with the tamron 28-300 lens. Some of the pictures were taken with my Canon A70 but I think there are a few good ones.

[judynorth]

We left with the Konica Minolta Z 5. It has 5 MP. 12 X digital zoom with 4 X optical zoom.

 

I hope you realize that the only thing on a zoom that really matters is the optical zoom. Digital zoom essentially crops the picture before you see it. (That is my understanding anyway.) So if you use the digital zoom you are going to lose picture resolution. That might not be a problem if you use the max resolution and don't want to blow the picture up to print. Your Minolta, although a very good camera, should only be considered to have a 4X zoom for practical purposes.

 

There are some advantages to using AA batteries. I've had cameras that use both. You can buy rechargable ones and a charger, which is cheaper than buying another lithium battery. Also you can always carry a spare pair of non-rechargable batteries just in case. The main thing is that you should always use high quality batteries. There are some designed specifically for digital cameras (of course, this might just be a sales gimmick).

[tee_wrecks]

Optical zoom is acquired by physically changing the position of elements within the lens to change the magnification of the image. Digital zoom is accomplished by having the digital processor in the camera magnify the image provided by the optical lens. As far as image quality, usually optical zoom is more desireable than digital zoom though both can produce great results.

 

The biggest problem folks have with digital zoom on the point and shoot cameras is that their optical viewfinders will ONLY show the amount of optical zoom available even though their cameras continue to magnify the image. Therefore, they end up with pics that are drastically cropped from what they saw through the viewfinder. This problem is easily solved by using the LCD screen to compose shots when digital zoom is used.

 

The second problem they have is a failure to understand that your camera is magnifying that image 12 times from normal but it's also magnifying any camera shake by 12 times. All too often I hear people complaining that their crummy camera doesn't take sharp pics. Well, when you have a normal image magnified 12 times just the beating of your heart or you breathing in and out will cause camera shake that will be obvious unless you use a fast enough shutter speed. If your camera doesn't offer IS capabilities (Internal Stabilization) or even if it does, make sure you're using good technique to realize the maximum quality your camera is capable of producing.

 

Good luck, good shooting, and feel free to e-mail me if I haven't explained this clearly enough.

[judynorth]

I talked to someone today (someone who works at a camera store) whose son couldn't understand why his pictures taken with his 2 mp camera were so pixelated. He was using digital zoom and pixelation was the result. Of course, it didn't help that he started with a 2 mp camera. I don't know if he was using the max resolution or not.

 

Thanks tee wrecks for your good explanation of digital vs. optical zoom.

[mountainhouse]

The second problem they have is a failure to understand that your camera is magnifying that image 12 times from normal

 

No, it's not. "12x" means the focal length of the camera from wide angle to telephoto changes 12 fold. For example, the FZ10 is 35mm (wide) and 420mm (telephoto). 420/35 = 12. These focal lengths are actually 35mm camera equivalents.

 

I'd never use the "10x/12x" specification to pick a camera. When judging focal length, go to www.depreview.com, and look up your camera's focal length. So, for example, the FZ10 shows 35mm wide, and 420mm at the other end. Then find a site that has focal length comparisons. Canon's comparison site is real nice (for reference, 50mm is about what you'd consider NORMAL - as your eye sees it). Be sure you consider wide end of the zoom too. It much easier to get a group of people in a photo with a 28mm wide angle, than a 35mm wide angle.

 

One last thing, yes, optical zooms are pretty useless. You're better off shooting without it, and then cropping the photo in your computer when you get home. You'll have much more control, and you'll always have the full resolution original to go back to.