I’m Terrified!!!

[zackiedawg]

Thanks on the picture comments.

 

Maryann, I tend to use a few different cameras, but on this trip I stuck to digital cameras only and left the film behind. I primarily used a Sony H1 and a Sony 717. Both are 5MP...the 717 is an older camera with optical zoom (about 210mm). The H1 is a new 5MP cam with a 12x optical zoom (35-432mm) with image stabilization. I also have a 1.7x telephoto extension that increases the H1 optical zoom range to 740mm. I used the H1 the most...probably 80% of the shots in the gallery, since it was new and I was testing it out. Some of the sunsets are with my 717, and some indoor shots were with my little ultra-compact pocket cam (L1).

 

Doglady, everyone is allowed to have opinions…I personally didn’t find the red and gold content offensive, but maybe I like red and gold. The dining room and main lounge were the two rooms that exhibited the most red…and gold color is prominent in ships with all the brass railwork. Other rooms were predominantly other colors – such as the Crow’s Nest which is blues and light yellows, the Oak Room which is off-white, the beige and light blue Ocean’s Lounge, and the yellow and black atrium bar area. But if the red and gold stands out too much for you, It sounds like the Zuiderdam may not be the ship for you. I’m sure you’ll still be happy just enjoying the other HAL ships…that’s what selection and choice are all about!

[peaches from georgia]

Zackiedawg-

 

Do you like your Sony H1? My husband just bought one because of the zoom. Anything special he should be aware of- he is an amateur, but did nicely with a Nikon Coolpix 3100 as a starter digital. Wanted the additional zoom, however. Thanks in advance.

[Himself]

I have been on the Zuiderdam and the OOSTERDAM. I was nervous about the Zuiderdam because of all the negative things I heard about her on these boards, but when I went on her, I was pleasantly supprised at how nice the ship was. Last May I spent a week on the OOSTERDAM and I just loved this ship. It is different than the "S" or "R"class but it is still a wonderful I would highly recommend. So, I say, "Don't worry, Be happy!"

[zackiedawg]

Peaches,

 

The H1 is a great camera. The combination of flexibility that huge zoom offers with the focus speed and feature set of the camera make it quite a bargain. I shopped all of the ultra-zooms, but a few key features of the H1 plus the price made it the choice for me.

- Basic recommendations: Use "P" mode, not "Auto" (program still does almost everything automatically, but allows manual override of some settings).

- Set focus mode to Monitor, not Continuous (no need to have the camera focusing when you aren't shooting).

- Also, keep Image Stabilization in "Shooting" mode instead of "continuous" - it will only kick in when you half-press the shutter.

- Use the histogram! it shows you how the camera is metering light - bell curve is good; if bunched up to the left, too dark; if bunched up to the right, too bright; if it spikes too high, you are blowing out the whites.

- Get familiar with "spot meter" to meter only on the spot in the crosshairs; move it around until the LCD looks good, then half-press the shutter to lock the exposure, and shoot.

- In "spot focus" mode, don't forget the focus point can be moved anywhere with the 4-way pad, allowing you to focus on something in the lower right corner while still framing straight ahead.

- Lastly...use the "manual white balance"..auto does a good job, but if the picture on the LCD looks bluer or redder than the naked eye, point the camera at something white, then hit the manual setting - white will be white again.

Any more questions or advice, feel free to e-mail me, as I don't want to go too off topic on this thread!

[peaches from georgia]

Peaches,

 

Any more questions or advice, feel free to e-mail me, as I don't want to go too off topic on this thread!

I think DH may have some questions, but don't see your email address. Is it posted? Thanks.

[zackiedawg]

Ah...I thought it was in my profile! Sorry...here it is:

 

sflavwaudigtg@aol.com

 

Feel free to ask about anything related to camera functions, tips, or information about the H1 or any other cam. I've been shooting with digital for 8 years - and started with a 15x optical, image stabilized camera (though only 1MP), so I've gotten pretty knowledgeable about these long zoom style cameras.

[cruznon]

I've never been lucky enough to sail on one of the smaller HAl ships. We also found the Oosterdam and Zuiderdam to be elegant, beautiful ships. Just because they're bigger doesn't mean the beauty of HAL ships are lost. The public areas and individual cabins beautifully done. The same great service. Still beautiful fresh flowers everywhere. The layout of the Oosterdam made you feel it was a smaller ship--so many lovely, quiet areas. Yes we saw many young families, but in our experiences they were better behaved than on Carnival.

As for the Carnival ships, some have very glizy decor and have neon but....the newer "spirit class' ships are quite nice. The staterooms on these ships are very spacious and comfortable--decorated in soft peach tones.