Good travelling camera?

Another consideration is to take a waterproof/weatherproof camera as a back-up and iffy situation camera. A Canon Sureshot A1 looks like a toy camera but will take the abuse of a pouring rain - and come out smiling. Pentax makes a nice weatherproof digital - comes in colors. Adds another photosituation that you might miss with the M6 and as I said, if your in the midst of a bad looking street, everyone will think they're toys. Of course they might still mug you for your credit/ATM card but as a tourist you always run that risk.
 
ChrisPlatt said:
Do we travel solely for the purpose of photography, or is photography merely a tool for documenting our travels?
Hobbyists will find themselves somewhere between those extremes, but more often closer to the latter.

Were I a pro "on assignment" of course I would carry around all my tools. But I travel solely for pleasure.

At the risk of sounding heretical in a photo forum I have found that concentrating too much on photography diminishes my ability to experience a new place.
Further it can often be a real imposition on others. One must be considerate of their hosts and traveling companions.

Photography may be inappropriate, inadvisable or even prohibited in some places I'd like to visit.
As quiet as you think your Leicas may be, here your camera bag is the dead giveaway.

It is important for me to travel light, yet I still want the ability to make some great photographs.
For me carrying a lightweight, unobtrusive top-quality pocket camera can help me achieve both goals.

Chris
Click to expand...

Traveling with photography in mind is a dual-purpose kind of thing, even for pros who are working. We want to see and appreciate our surroundings, and we want to look around with an eye to taking good pictures. Those are not necessarily the same activities.

For me, one of the advantages of travel photography is that it slows the travel. I like to "see" a place first as a traveller, then see it again concentrating on photos. So, there's really no reason to let photography spoil your appreciation of a place. Just schedule appropriately.

Given away by the bag: I take my camera out in the morning and I put it back at night. Otherwise, it's very visibly in my hand or hanging on my neck. I think this stuff about bags outing someone with a camera is a bit silly. *Everyone* has a cell phone with a camera.

i travel as light as I can. That usually means a camera body and three lenses for photography. That's usually been a Bessa or an M2. Next myth, it's a Nikon D5100 and three lenses. The bag is a bit bigger, but it's a few ounces lighter.
 
wgerrard said:
Traveling with photography in mind is a dual-purpose kind of thing, even for pros who are working. We want to see and appreciate our surroundings, and we want to look around with an eye to taking good pictures. Those are not necessarily the same activities.

For me, one of the advantages of travel photography is that it slows the travel. I like to "see" a place first as a traveller, then see it again concentrating on photos. So, there's really no reason to let photography spoil your appreciation of a place. Just schedule appropriately.

Given away by the bag: I take my camera out in the morning and I put it back at night. Otherwise, it's very visibly in my hand or hanging on my neck. I think this stuff about bags outing someone with a camera is a bit silly. *Everyone* has a cell phone with a camera.

i travel as light as I can. That usually means a camera body and three lenses for photography. That's usually been a Bessa or an M2. Next myth, it's a Nikon D5100 and three lenses. The bag is a bit bigger, but it's a few ounces lighter.
Click to expand...
Dear Bill,

No.........

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Dear Bill,

No.........

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

Well, true. But, I think the ubiquity of cell phones with a camera has muted the surprise and potential offense of someone showing up with a camera.

That doesn't explain why people might not care about a cell phone camera, but will take noisy offense when someone pulls out a "real" camera. People are... funny.

I was out of town this weekend, playing with the new camera. I found myself also using my cellphone camera just for the ease of sending a pic to someone immediately.
 
wgerrard said:
Well, true. But, I think the ubiquity of cell phones with a camera has muted the surprise and potential offense of someone showing up with a camera.

That doesn't explain why people might not care about a cell phone camera, but will take noisy offense when someone pulls out a "real" camera. People are... funny.

I was out of town this weekend, playing with the new camera. I found myself also using my cellphone camera just for the ease of sending a pic to someone immediately.
Click to expand...

Dear Bill,

Highlight 1: I can't recall anyone, ever, being funny about my carrying a camera except one or two supermarkets in Hungary, rather more supermarkets in the United States, and Virgin Records in the UK in about 1970. My feeing there is that if they don't want my business, there's plenty as does, and besides, I start wondering what they're trying to hide. Generally, if you assume you have a perfect right to carry a camera (as is in fact the case), and don't look furtive or guilty, no-one blinks at the fact. This works for me even in Las Vegas casinos.

Highlight 2: Very true.

Cheers,

R.
 
It's never happened to me. I have carried a camera into museums, etc., that prohibit photography and been politely reminded and asked to put it away, but that doesn't count.

Over the weekend, I saw someone gleefully use a phone to grab a shot of a pro shooting on a riverfront. And someone else shooting, emailing the pic, then calling to talk about it. All kind of interesting.
 
I love this thread, as travel photography and gear choice is something very close to my heart. I've had the good fortune of traveling around Australia for work in the last four years, as well as taking trips to China, Hong Kong and Japan. Each time I've taken a number of cameras based on what I had and what my interests were.

For the OP: if you have a M6, heck, take the darn M6. As everyone says, it is meant to be used and can be replaced if necessary. But definitely take a secondary camera. My preference would be for something that shoots in ways or situations that the M6 cannot, which would mean things like:

- wide angle digital compact like the Ricoh GRD III, Canon S95, Pana LX3/LX5, Olympus XZ-1 or Samsung EX1

With a camera like this, you can shoot with wide apertures and keep the ISO fairly low. You'll get a very quiet and versatile camera that can go in a pocket, depending on the camera you choose, and in the case of the Canon and Pana, take decent video.

- high quality travel zoom like the Sony HX9V, Panasonic TZ22

If wide apertures are not as important, but zoom is, then a good travel zoom is an excellent choice. I am consistently impressed with the photos and video taken by the Sony. And for a trip around the world, I think that video is wonderful.

- tough compact like the Panasonic TS3

Something you can stick in a pocket and even taken snorkeling if you have to. The recent Panasonic waterproof compacts even have decent image quality, and the shutter sound is so quiet you won't even know you took the photo.

A compact digital as your secondary camera will give you a lot of flexibility, as you can take snapshots of anything and everything that takes your fancy, get decent video if the camera supports it, and if it has zoom it greatly expands your shooting options compared with a prime on the M6.

If I was going on a world trip, I would take a Leica body and two or three lenses, a large sensor compact like the Ricoh GXR and 28mm module, Sigma DP1/2 or Leica X1, and a compact like the Canon S95 or Ricoh GRD III. There have been times when I've only taken a GXR and two modules on a short trip and been very happy, but I know that on a round the world trip I'd desperately hanker for a Leica body and decent video.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom