Photography in Europe
Which cameras, film, and gadgets work best for your travel photography. Any tips on getting the best shots? Carry a big 35mm camera or a point 'n shoot? Is a camcorder worth the trouble? What about digital cameras and flash cards?
- Please don't post questions here. Use our Travelers Helpline.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Spent 8 days in Rome over Christmas and took 1,530 photos with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 camera. This camera is great for travel as it is compact, light weight and will fit in a jacket pocket. The results were somewhat mixed, varying from grainy and somewhat blurry in low-light settings to crisp and sharp in sunny, outdoor locations. For the most part, a great performer and one to consider for your travels, although Panasonic now offers the LX5, a further refinement of the LX3. Good luck and good travels.
Gulliver
Dallas, USA 01/20/2012
Photography Lovers Traveling together!
Photography lovers gotta check this group out. I belong to a travel organization called PhotoFly Travel Club. It is a wonderful mix of amateur, beginner, and professional photographers that travel together. They plan photography oriented trips all over and the group leader is always there to help people learn more about getting the best shots while abroad. More info about the club is here: http://www.photoflytravel.com/
John
San Diego, CA USA 12/13/2011
Camera
To avoid losing photos, I took my ipad and transfered the best photos of the day onto it every night using the camera SD Card attachment. I left the photos on the memory card, too, meaning they were in 2 places so less likely to be lost or stolen.
I am a decent photographer and have a nice enough 35mm SLR but often just bring a very small digital camera (point and shoot with some manual settings, not SLR). If your main point is photography, bring the best equipment you can get, but if you just want nice travel shots, I find bringing the major stuff to be overkill.
With some knowledge of lighting and framing shots, you really can get good photos from a basic camera. Certainly good enough for family memories and showing off your travels to friends. If you are not already interested in more advanced photography, there is no need to get special things beyond a good point and shoot camera in order to get quality travel shots!
Miranda
OH USA 09/07/2011
Why photos are banned
Most tourists haven't mastered the art of disabling the flash on their cameras. Flash is injurious to paintings and drawings. Control ? Baloney, as Ed Koch used to say. By the way the Metropolitan in NYC allows (non-comercial) photography -sans flash.
USA 07/13/2011
Photography allowed?
One thing I am learning to try to be better prepared about is to learn beforehand whether a given venue will let me enjoy taking pictures. More and more do, they realize the advantage they get out of free publicity. Many still adduce the weirdest excuses. When I know beforehand, I simply avoid those, there are museums and castles aplenty in Europe where I can enjoy my visit. I have found it is pointless to try to reason with those that forbid photography: prohibitions are about control, by definition indicate a weak sense of openness, and trying to discuss with someone who feels weak might engender an Ugly American image.
Coming from the US, where except the Smithsonian, most museums still don't get it, I was amazed that, except in a couple areas, the Louvre let me take as many shots as I wanted. No flash, but that's not such a big deal. I have read elsewhere in Rick's that in Great Britain they feel surprised that anyone would forbid photography!
Yama Ploskonka
Austin, TX USA 07/10/2011
Film and Digital
Only lost the fight for hand inspect. of film twice in Europe. Budapest, was the least helpful. They could have inspected my measly six rolls in plastic bag in half the time we spent arguing.
The Fuji site says exposed film should not be xrayed.
I had exposed film [reversal] and could find no place to develop in Romania and didn't want to take the chance of lost in the mail.
Used film mostly for night/low light shots as I do not have a high-end digital. I had a Kodak Z712 most of the trip until it was stolen in Germany. Love the superzooms.
Michael Snow
Vermillion, SD USA 04/30/2011
Memory card back up
A tip to to avoid losing all those precious memories captured on your camera. I always travel with 2 memory cards and make sure I swap them over every evening when I return to the hotel. This way if the camera was to play up or the be stolen at least you have half of your trip saved in the alternate card. I keep the spare card with my passport and credit cards in a money belt.
I also have a spare battery for the camera and at the end of each day I swap the batteries too and recharge the battery I've used that day so it then becomes the back up next day - I keep the spare battery in the money belt with the memory card.
I keep the memory card and battery in a small ziplock bag so they are not exposed to moisture.
Baz
Brisbane , Australia 02/17/2011
Beyond the Visual
Many of today's cameras have the ability to record sound. With my Canon G10 I can record 1 minute of audio on top of an existing image. Where this came in handy was in Sacré-Cœur. This basilica holds a perpetual service so photography is not allowed. However, I was able to record sounds including the singing and come away with something to remember.
Robert Alescio
Bainbridge Island, WA USA 11/09/2010
Great small digital SLR
If you don't want to take a full size digital SLR I would recommend the Pansonic Lumix DMC-LX3. I took it to Italy and it takes great pictures, is small, easy to use and has a fast lense so you can take photos without flash almost anywhere. It definitely beats a cheap point and shoot camera anyday.
Terry
Portland, or USA 09/21/2010
Digital Photography
Amen to the people who have written about raising the effective film speed in order to take indoor pictures without a flash. I spent 2 1/2 weeks in Rome, Florence and Assisi earlier this year. I set my camera to ASA600 and got great pictures in all but the dimmest churches. And, the quality was great. I did resort to using a pew or two at times, but generally, my exposure times were at least 1/30 sec. But, remember to turn off the flash. The docents in a lot of the museums can get rather blunt about people using flashes. I can't really blame them given the potential damage to paintings, fabrics, etc. that thousands of flashes per month can inflict. And, if you keep the flash off, your batteries will last for a looooong time.
Bill
Dayton, OH USA 09/20/2010
Use modern DSLR High ISO
Most new DSLR's take great photos using higher ISO's! My Pentax K10D works great to ISO 800 and negates the need for tripod etc. inside of cathedrals...etc. My new K-x goes to ISO 12800 but produces great inside shots with little noise up to 3200!
Wendell Hoover
Carmel,, IN USA 07/05/2010
Beanbag photography
Or you could open your wallet and spend $20 and get a Gorilla Pod that works everywhere. You can elevate your camera, twist the legs onto a fence/railing to get a shot and the Gorilla Pod doesn't weigh you down, it fits easily into a shoulder bag/backpack.
USA 06/26/2010
One word: beanbags!
Mini-beanbags are great camera supports. I sew a long tube of swimsuit material, then cut lengths as wide as my point-and-shoot. Sew the ends, leaving one gap to fill through. Turn the bag inside-out through the hole, then fill it and sew the hole closed. I use cracked corncobs (sold as pet bedding material) but you can use anything granular. Nestle your camera into the bag and it will stay in place. For long exposures (church interiors!) put the camera in place, then use the self-timer. In pickpocket-prone areas, I put my wallet in my trouser pocket and the beanbag on top. A pickpocket will have to remove the beanbag to get at the wallet!
Tom Nelson
Minneapolis, MN USA 06/23/2010
Scrapbooking
I have seen many scrapbooks on this site. Can anymore tell me how they are done? Software?
Claire D.
Gatineau, Qc CANADA 06/10/2010
Paris Photo Tour
Randy Harris gives a very good 3 hour photo tour, even for those with point and shoot cameras. He is also a fun guy to talk to.
Charles Faulkner
Arrington, TN USA 05/31/2010
No Problem
I've been to and from Europe twice in the past year. I have not had any problems with film going through multiple x-ray machines. My pictures have always turned out beautifully.
Stephanie
Philadelphia, PA USA 12/31/2003
And for the quality of digital files? Please. I have stunning 16x20's and 20x24's hanging on my walls from what I photographed in Venice and Sarlat. There is absolutely no spotting pixels or any tell-tale clues that it's a digital file. However! Because I'm a professional, I know how to use Adobe Photoshop and my equipment is pretty high-end. There are more and more higher-end comsumer type of digital cameras that are on the market these days but to get consistently great shots, shoot at the highest resolution, get a camera with at least 4.0 megapixels and make sure you know how to use it!
Use black electricians tape (or use a black sharpie on masking tape) and cover up EVERYTHING on your camera that states what kind of camera it is. My Canon 10D had about 7 or 8 pieces of tape covering it but I never had any problems with would-be thieves. I traveled with three lens in a backpack (don't use a camera bag, that's screaming "Steal me! There are cool things inside!"). I bought a pair of those really thick warm socks that you usually only wear when it's negative degrees outside and your feet are freezing. I slid my lenses into those and they were completely protected and who would have known that there was pretty expensive lenses in them?
Next, always keep a hand on your camera at all times! I rarely put my camera away (except in Nice, that experience was a bit scary) so that I wouldn't miss anything let alone, let a thief think that i was easy pickings.
Memory is getting very cheap nowadays. One gig worth of memory really isn't that much anymore and may be worth it so you don't have to track down an internet shop. I averaged about 100-200 shots a day. Most people wouldn't come close to this but I use it for stock photography and greeting cards. I burned everything to CD in the event that something was stolen. There are plenty of Internet shops around that would do that for you. Or, borrow a friend's memory discs for more memory or get a portable hard drive that you can download into. I also took along a battery recharger and plenty of extra batteries.
Go out either in the early morning
or in the hour before sunset. The light is absolutely stunning! Tuscany
is fantastic for that. Look down alleyways (Sarlat and Beynac were my
favorites), the light is usually filtered which gives it a nice glow and
there's usually a beautiful set dinner table, a gaily painted door or
pots of flowers. I'm heading off to Madrid the end of January and can't
wait! For inspiration you can go to my website: www.serendipitypics.com
and click on Destinations. Enjoy.
K.D.
Duvall, WA USA 12/18/2003
Photos of Europe
My photos of Europe, and other subjects, are at www.bobsheldon.com
Bob Sheldon
Reading, PA USA 11/06/2003
digital photography
We used our digital camera on our recent trip to Italy. I had extra memory
cards (2-128mb) and also took rechargeable batteries (with a dual voltage
1 hour charger). The charger was relatively small and really did not take
up too much space (about the same space as 5-6 rolls of film) and really
came in handy. The batteries lasted approx. 2 days with fairly constant
shooting - I kept the view screen off most of the time. We had no problem
finding internet cafes or photo shops to burn CD's for us (3-6 Euro each).
We took 1,045 photos and burned 4 CDs there (with between 140 to 190 photos
per disc) and two more when we got home. Xray machines did not damage the
memory cards or CD's. I haven't done the math so I can't speak as to the
economics but I have good pictures and knew whether they were good or not
immediately. That's worth something all by itself. I didn't have to worry
about lugging about several rolls of exposed film that may or may not have
had good pictures or worry about xray damage. Overall, I have no complaints
with digital travel photgraphy. It may be a little more expensive overall,
but I found it to be less worrisome and we have good quality photos of a
great trip.
Tim Mangrum
Spokane, WA USA 10/28/2003
Mona Lisa?
I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago and visited the Louvre. I was shocked at the zoo that has become the Mona Lisa exhibit. Despite signs forbidding flash photography, the minute I walked into the room, all kinds of flashes were going off, people were video taping and literally within 5 feet of the painting. Security guards were just standing around doing nothing. The room is brightly lit too. I was pretty surprised at this whole thing. I was expecting something totally different.
Kwong
San Leandro, CA USA 10/22/2003
X-Rays - Camera Bag for SLR - Tripod
Just got back from a trip to Central Europe with 40 rolls of film. Speeds varied from 100-400.
I was able to request a hand inspection in the States when I was leaving, even though I left within days of the new warnings on Cameras, I didn't have any problems. The inspectors were very good, but it took a couple of requests for the hand inspection.
Europe on the other hand, was more difficult. All my film was in a clear zip lock bag for ease of inspection. I was not able to get a hand inspection at Heathrow, but again, the inspectors were very nice.
I left Europe from Warsaw, and actually had a local write a message in polish to hold up to the security folks at the gate. They still made me pass it through the xray machines. Oh well, it was worth an effort.
Total number of passes through the machines 3. So far I have not noticed any fogging of the film at all.
One thing of note. I brought over a nice SLR camera and was worried about how to carry the body and lenses around, without being too conspicuous. I settled on a courier or messenger bag and bought some small wraps to protect the body and lenses when inside the bag. It worked pretty well, but was a bit akward, because I had to put the camera together before I could take a shot.
I did bring a tripod but only used it a couple of times. Next time I will probably just bring a monopod and a mini tripod.
Matt
boston, ma USA 10/16/2003
Tiny zip lock bags for batteries, etc
Our new digital camera takes two AA batteries. Having purchased several
extra rechargeables, I was looking for a simple, lightweight container to
use to keep my spare batteries in at home and while travelling. I had originally
been searching for small plastic boxes made specifically for batteries (which
are available on the internet, but it costs more in shipping than you pay
for the boxes). What I found was 2 x 3 inch zip lock bags. They are called
'pill pouches' and come in packages of 50 at the pharmacy for under $2 (look
in the section with the pill storage boxes). These zip lock bags fit two
AA batteries perfectly, keeping them from shifting around enough to have
the contacts touch. I cut out several red and green squares of construction
paper, the appropriate color to be placed in each bag with the batteries....red
for dead batteries, green for charged. Or you can label the outside, as
each bag has a 'write on' area, intended to indicate date and time for pill
dosage. The bags are surprisingly sturdy and would be useful for all sorts
of small things (even pills!).
kba
10/13/2003
Flashless in Europe
I am just back from Europe. It has been said before, learn to shoot without
a flash. Also, if the thing you are shooting is military, it is also a possible
target for "bad guys" so don't shoot there.
CA USA 10/11/2003
Photography in St.Petersburg, Russia
Be very careful if you are taking any pictures in the Metro. I took 3 but
had an official rush out of his office, very unhappy to see me taking a
picture. The metro used to be a bomb shelter and they still don't want you
taking pictures there.
Lorrie
Cincinnati, OH USA 09/14/2003
Bery good MColor film from Migros
The best value for film in Switzerland, in my opinion, has to be "MCOLOR" from the Migros group. A 3-pack of 24 exposure film is 8,50 SF, and the
3-Pack of 36 exposure film is 11 SF. That is far better than paying 20 SF
for a 3-pack of Kodak film and the quality is almost indistinguishable.
I really liked the results of my photos with the MCOLOR film.
Josh Hanz
Foster City, CA USA 09/05/2003
Compact Flash Card Transfer
Just made contact with the people of Miller Optik (Innsbruck and Vienna)
who will download your images from a Compact Flash Card to a CD for 5 Euros.
If anyone knows of a shop in Munich or Zurich who offers such a service,
please drop me a note.
Mike S.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA 09/01/2003
Love those 8mm Movies
In my previous post, I mentioned my 8mm movie camera. I love it! I can hold
it in the palm of my hand, it can zoom in much farther than my zoom lens,
and lots of Europeans have them. This means if you are in a tourist location,
you don't seem out of place. They even let you use them at museums and at
Disneyland Paris. They say you can't use them inside the rides but eveyone
else was so I did too (I just don't use the light). It is also easy to use
my Cannon ES because it does not have a red light. You can set it on a table
or stand and record without anyone knowing unless you can't keep from looking
at it. It does not have the LCD display which I do find annoying. I find
it easier to look through a lens like a regular camera. The battery is only
good for two hours but you wouldn't film every minute of every day anyway.
I plug in the charger at night or if I come back to the hotel in the middle
of the day, and in a half hour I 'm ready to shoot again. I also like it
becuse it's small enough to hang around my neck like a regular camera.
Janice L. Killingbeck
Saginaw, Michigan USA 07/10/2003
Photography and Film in Europe
I am an avid photographer I have made three trips to Europe, two in the
last two years. I am particular about my results and therefore don't like
digital because on enlargement the pixels are very evident unless you use
the best setting, which gives you very few pictures per disc.
I used to request hand examination of my film because i was worried about the xrays and didn't believe anyone who told me it wouldn't hurt the pictures. Since both my last trips have been since 9/11, I have not insisted so my 80 rolls of fim went through xray machines in Saginaw, Detroit and Paris plus at various sights that routinely xray purses and bags (such as the Louvre, Ste. Chapelle, Versailles). So some of my rolls went through even more xrays. The prints all came out superbly. No fogging that i could see.
As I carry a 35 mm SLR camera, a point and shoot waterproof 35 mm camera, and an 8 mm movie camera, my bag puts up an "electronic equipment red flag" sometimes when going through Security. To save hassles I keep all my film in plastic ziplock bags. I buy Fuji film both because it is cheaper and because I like the blues better than Kodak. It comes in translucent plactic containers instead of the opaque containers of Kodak. That helps make it obvious that it really is film. I learned this back in 1986 when I was coming back from England and the inspector had to open every single one of my 100 rolls of film to see if it was really film!
Also I usually don't have time to label film as I take pictures but I always mark the day and where I was on the film canisters in permanent marker. So when I get home and can't afford to develop all the fim at once, I can turn in a representative sample each time.
I don't take all three cameras when I'm out: I pick one still camera and the movie camera; or just one still camera. I use ASA 400 film because I can take pictures without flash anywhere on my SLR: inside Notre Dame or outside in the bright sunlight.
The only real probem I have is taking pictures of mountains. The automatic cameras and the light meters often expose to the whole scene, making the trees and houses in perfect exposure but allowing the high snow clad peaks to fade into non existance. There was a beautiful sunset of the Aguille du Midi near Chamonix but when the picture came back from my point and shoot camera with no telephoto lens, it showed only the trees and no snow topped mountain glowing golden in the setting sun.
I think digital pictures are best for those who see them only as fun
and aren't really serious about the results. Most people who show me pictures
they took that they love, I would find unacceptable for me: out of focus,
the subject so small you can hardly tell what it is, under or overexposed,
and terrible composition. If you just want a picture to point to and say
I was there, any camera will do. But if you are into enlarging or into
the artistic aspects of photography, then I feel film is best and a 35
mm SLR camera with a telephoto lens is a must. Just remember it is you
that will be dragging that extra weight all around Europe so make sure
you really are an avid photographer!
Janice L. Killingbeck
Saginaw, Michigan USA 07/10/2003
Digital is THE way to go
I have made several trips to Europe and China with both film and digital.
There is no comparison, digital wins hands down. All of the problems given
by the previous writer, except time lag and batteries, also apply to using
a film point and shoot camera.
The time lag can be cured as noted in the response below, or by reading the camera reviews. There are several digital cameras with mimimal lag.
The weight of batteries, come on, what do they weigh, 1 or 2 ounces? My Canon 10D goes at least 400 photos between charges. I can get away with only one battery, but being a belt and suspenders guy, I would carry a back-up to Europe.
The writer complains about using auxiliary lenses and then recommends prime lenses. Is putting on an auxiliary lens any more of a problem than changing lenses? If anything, the auxiliary lens is easier.
For film speed, you cannot beat changing ISO with the push of a button instead of having to either carry two cameras or changing film mid roll (both of which I have done) because you just went from outside to inside a cathedral. The 400 ISO photos from my Canon 10D are very clean and are better than 400 ISO slide film.
With digital, I know immediately if I got the shot, not a month later at home. If it is not what I wanted, I can trash that shot and take a new one. (Saves on air fare to go back to get that "one" shot you really wanted.)
One last item, I no longer have to carry and try to get hand inspection
of 40+ rolls of film at every airport.
Bob Sheldon
Reading, PA USA 07/08/2003
Digital delay - How to solve it.
Solving the problem of "digital delay", the delay between when you push
the shutter release and the time the actual picture is taken, is no mystery.
The delay can be a few seconds with some cameras in certain situations.
It is based upon the camera you use and how you use it.
1. If you use a digital SLR then the delay is similar to that of a film SLR. Examples of DSLR's include Nikon's D100, D1x, and D1h and Canon's 10D and 1Ds. I use a Nikon D100 and there is not delay problem at all IMHO. Most news and sports photographers use digital SLR's and this crowd wouldn't if delay was a problem. Digital SLR's are generally priced from $1,500 (in the US) and up for the camera body and use the same lenses as the same manufacturer's 35mm SLR bodies.
2. A point and shoot digital camera (generally under $1000 in the US) will have delays of up to a few precious seconds. I have owned a digital point and shoot camera since 1997 (first an Olympus 320 and now an Olympus 3040). The delay can be maddening but it can be minimized. Digital point and shoots generally have ways (read your manual) that will allow you to take one or more pictures with minimal delay at a time. Generally the strategy is not to use flash, to pre-focus and possbily to engage a special mode in the camera's menu.
3. Digital ZLR's - (Zoom Lens Reflexs) are a hybrid. They show you in the viewfinder what the lens is seeing (like a SLR) but have a fixed zoom lens. An example of this is an Olympus E-20. Some ZLR's have delays close to that of digital SLR's (read the spec's and try it out in a store). I have played with the Olympus E-20 and it has a very minimal delay.
An excellent source of information about digital cameras can be found
at http://www.dpreview.com
Michael Brochstein
New York, NY USA 07/07/2003