digital cameras and travelling

Buy additional or larger memory cards for your camera. I have several so not everything is on one card. Lithium batteries are avaialble everywhere. I quit using rechargeable batteries---one less thing to worry about on a trip.

Memory cards are cheap. Get three or four. An adapter is necessary but a converter is not provide the input on your charger is 120-220v. Lithium batteries are available everywhere if you mean standard AA, A, C, and D sizes.

Since my husband takes as many as 300 pics most days, we take our laptop computer and transfer them to that each night. It's also fun looking at them.

You'll find that most new technology has dual wattage (cameras, laptops, cell phones, game systems, etc). You will need an adapter to plug them in though. Our plugs are different than European ones.

Thanks everyone, that is very helpful information. Now I just have to decide on a new digital camera..panasonic w/ 10xzoom or Sony w/ 10xzoom. Any feedback?

Loisanne,

To begin with, it would help to know what type of "digital camera" you're using? This will provide some idea of the file size of each image. Also, how many photos would you take on an "average" day, are these only JPEG and what type of memory cards does your Camera use?

Memory is relatively cheap right now, so I'd suggest travelling with several Memory Cards. 4GB is a practical size, although I use 8GB cards at times. The danger in using larger capacity cards is that if it should "fail" (and it does) happen!) you'd lose all the photos on that card. 4GB is a good "compromise" for many people.

Some people like to travel with a Laptop or Netbook and transfer photos to that at the end of each day. That's a practical solution, although if the Laptop is lost or stolen, ALL the photos from the trip go with it! There are also Portable Hard Drives such as those from Epson (and other firms) that have built-in Card Readers and are designed to provide portable photo storage. These have the same risks in terms of loss or theft, however they're usually smaller so can be taken in a Daypack or left in a small Safe if one is available.

Regarding Batteries, again it would help to have further information on your Camera. Does it use "AA" size rechargeable or proprietary Lithium-Ion rechargeable? To determine if you'll need a Voltage Converter, you need to look for the Input Voltage ratings on the Charger. If these ratings state "Input Voltage 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz" then all you'll need is a Plug Adapter.

Note that there are different types of Plug Adapters for different parts of Europe. For most parts of mainland Europe, the Adapter has two round Pins. In the U.K. these have two or three large rectangular pins and are considerably larger.

Happy travels!

Loisanne,

I just saw your last Post, which you must have been typing at the same time.

If you're buying a new Camera, I'd suggest buying at least TWO Batteries for it. Batteries are expensive in Europe, so it's best to bring these from home.

One other important note - according to TSA regulations, you can NOT transport "loose" Lithium Batteries in your checked luggage. These must be taken in carry-on luggage, and there's a limit of (as I recall) two Batteries. Check the TSA website for further details.

Cheers!

Carrying extra cards is one solution. I happen to take lots of photos, many in RAW format and not just JPEG. These photos take up a lot of space. Therefore I carry Picture Porter Elite by Digital Foci. It is easy to download photos to it and then to edit out non-keepers. My Picture Porter Elite has 100 megabytes; other capacities are available. In addition to storing photos, it will store video. It has a radio, earphones, carrying case, and rechargable battery. It is fairly compact. There are a couple other similar devices on the market. If you anticipate taking more photos than a fistful of memory cards can hold, this is worth investigating.

Thanks again for all the camera information. I find the TSA information interesting and will check it out. What a great site this is.

Dwayne,

I typically shoot RAW + JPEG, so the file sizes are really large. I've been managing quite well so far using just 8 & 4GB Memory Cards, although I do have a small 40GB PHD if needed.

Cheers!

Ken, I didn't know about the TSA regulation regarding batteries. I always take my camera and about 4 batteries. They are in the camera case along with memory cards. No one has ever checked them. It just goes throguh the scanner in my Civita bag.

As Ken pointed out, losing your photos can happen. I travel with a laptop (just bought a really CUTE 3-pounder with 10" screen for my upcoming trip) and upload each day's pictures. I then back them up on flash drives.

My camera is a digital SLR-like that uses rechargeable AA's. There aren't very many that do, but it is so convenient. The best online guide I have found for cameras is dpreview.com Once you narrow your search to a few models, use other websites to read users' reviews. DP tends to review from the professional's point of view while most users who post product reviews are amateurs like us.

Then go to your local camera dealers to see/hold/try-out the models before you buy.

Spare lithium batteries must be carried in carryon luggage, as Ken said. I can't find any limit on the TSA web page as to how many you can carry, though. I routinely carry a package of four. There are no regulations concerning regular alkaline batteries.

I take one memory card with a lot of memory. I can get about 600 pictures on the card. I edit as I go. I'll take three or four pictures of a subject then keep the best one or two. I'll probably take 1000 photos in 30 days but keep about 500. Since memory is cheap and tiny, bringing an extra memory card is a good idea.

Some people have had problems with losing memory but I haven't experienced that yet and I'm on my third digital camera; the first didn't count because short battery life made it pretty useless.

Another factor when getting a camera is how many pictures it can take on one charge. My camera takes about 300 between charges. I bring my recharger and use a plug adapter.

I'm also a big fan of a large viewing screen. It helps compose your pictures as well as edit them.

As for which camera - it's all about the optics. I've always had great pictures with a Canon or Nikon camera. I currently use an Olympus because it had features that weren't available in the other brands when I bought it. Sony now has Carl Zeis (spelling?) optics which are said to be outstanding. It uses a different memory card, but so what, they are essentially the same thing for the same price.

Between a Panasonic and a Sony, I would definitely buy a Sony.

I have the Panasonic 10x zoom that you may be referring to (TZ25)and I love it. It has been given great reviews on DP review and other sites. They came out with a new model this year so you might be able to pick up the older one for very cheap now.

In addition to extra memory, thumb drives, etc, you can always upload them to Picasa or other websites so friends and family back home can enjoy them while you travel. Even if you don't carry a laptop with you, you can sign on to the web at an internet cafe and then upload your photos.

Thanks for all the very creative replies. I now have a much better picture of what I need to be 'camera happy'.

I have a Canon PowerShot SX110...love it, love it. Uses AA batteries. I take along 2 memory cards (for 30 days, I'd take 3) and enough batteries so that I have fresh ones every two days. Recharging is a bother to me, and batteries take up no space in carryon or shoulder bag.

Regarding the memory, you could stop in a camera store at some point during your trip and have your photos backed up to a CD or DVD. Then you can delete photos from your camera without losing anything. Just make sure you keep that CD well protected in hard case during your travels.

Regarding lithium batteries, grocery stories and drugstores often won't carry them, but camera stores usually will.

Another vote for the Canon SX110IS. I just got back from a two week trip to Italy. I had my Canon digital SLR with 25 GB of memory cards (which wasn't enough by the way since I shoot L+RAW), my girlfriend had the SX110IS with the 10X optical zoom. I found myself taking her camera a lot of times so I wouldn't have to switch lenses, plus it had video. We had 10 GB of memory for her camera, and that was enough (even with all the videos).

I'd suggest buying more memory than you need while here. I found cards on sale for cheap her, but they are expensive there. I did look, though not very extensively for another compact flash card for my SLR, but could only find basic SD cards (not high-speed).

I took 3 batteries for the SLR (& needed them all), along with 3 sets of regargable lithium batteries & 1 pack of disposable lithiums for the SX110IS.

My canon charger, along with the Energizer charger were dual voltage, so I only needed an adapter.

I think Antuany means adapter, not converter.

I have a Sony worldwide charger that is just slightly larger than a cigarette pack and weighs about as much. It charges AA and AAA batteries. I just plug it in overnight and am set for the next day.

For anyone contemplating a new digital camera - we purchased the Canon G9 a year ago and it is phenominal. Much smaller/lighter than a SLR, just a little larger than the standard pocket camera. We share pix of our trips via a digital scrapbook and always get kudos on image quality. Image detail is so sharp that you can create 16" x 20" prints that are jaw dropping. A great way to capture memories.

loisanne, rather than a big zoom I'd suggest thinking about a wide angle. Panasonic makes several cameras that have a very wide angle setting. Personally I find this more useful than a huge zoom. More often I am trying to catch the view of a plaza or street, and the wide angle lets me capture it better. For zooming I prefer the legged zoom; I walk closer to what I want to photograph. And with really big zooms you might need a tripod because any vibration is really magnified and makes for a blurry picture.

It really comes down to preference; I don't want to say what I'm doing is right and others wrong, or vice versa. My preferences are for a small camera so that I can always carry it with me, and mainly for outdoor pictures (eg. well lit). So I have a small camera that takes dynamite pictures in good light, but won't work so well in dimmer settings such as inside a museum. Other people want to take wonderful photos in all settings and are willing to carry the equipment that lets them do so. I just want to point out some of the alternatives, so that you can think in advance about what your photography goals are going to be.

My pocket camera (Panasonic TZ4) has 10X zoom. There are newer ones out there that have even more. For reviews of all sorts of cameras, see http://www.steves-digicams.com/ and http://www.steves-digicams.com/. Good luck, and have a great time on your trip!

Thanks to all of your for your camera tips. All of your ideas and information have been extremely helpful. Fun and safe travels to all and here's to lots of great photos!