Which camera should I take?

For our upcoming cruise to New Zealand in 2 weeks time, I feel undecided as to which camera I should take.

I have a Canon 650D [t4i] and a Panasonic Lumix FZ200, which I have recently bought.

The Lumix is lighter in weight and I wouldn't have to take extra lens [ zoom, wide angle, etc], but will the quality of the photo's be as good as the Canon?

I'd thought of taking both, but the weight factor, of carrying a heavy bag is putting me off.

For our upcoming cruise to New Zealand in 2 weeks time, I feel undecided as to which camera I should take.

I have a Canon 650D [t4i] and a Panasonic Lumix FZ200, which I have recently bought.

The Lumix is lighter in weight and I wouldn't have to take extra lens [ zoom, wide angle, etc], but will the quality of the photo's be as good as the Canon?

I'd thought of taking both, but the weight factor, of carrying a heavy bag is putting me off.

take the one your most familiar with . If weight is an issue then take the Lumix . Quality should be the same .

My answer is usually to take both (I usually take 3). Just because you have both on the ship does not mean you carry both with you all the time. There are situations when you want the most versatile with you and other times you go with the lighter weight.

My answer is usually to take both (I usually take 3). Just because you have both on the ship does not mean you carry both with you all the time. There are situations when you want the most versatile with you and other times you go with the lighter weight.

Great and wise above summary on the reasons for taking BOTH cameras. As detailed below from my live/blog, we enjoyed lots and lots in both New Zealand and Australia early last year. Much depends on what you are doing that day. To fit what you doing for that day, you could take the camera that fits those needs/situation.

As an example when doing a jet-boat adventure near the Arthur's Pass scenic mountains, having my better camera (a Nikon D7100) that would take a fast series of pictures was vital. Then, I was able to later pick out what pictures worked best later when reviewing on the laptop computer. There are times when just the "basics" will be OK. BUT, other times a longer or wider lens will better and needed to capture the situation. See two examples below for using a longer versus wider lens.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 125,978 views for this posting.

This is the inside of Old St. Paul's church in Wellington where having a wide angle lens was vital.. It is the former cathedral in the Diocese of Wellington for the Anglican Church. As an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture, they adapted to colonial conditions and materials. It is at 34 Mulgrave Street, close to the New Zealand Parliament. It was completed in June 1866. It is constructed from native NZ timbers. The interior has been likened to the upturned hull of an Elizabethan galleon. As this picture shows, it has exposed curving trusses and roof sacking. The flags displayed in the nave include the Royal Navy, NZ Merchant Navy and US Marine Corps. My wife is in yellow walking down the center aisle as she absorb the building details.:

Here is one of the famed gannets from Cape Kidnappers near Napier along the eastern NZ coast. This is just one small sampling of many large groups of these super cute birds that we saw here as they were nesting. Having a longer lens was vital for getting this image.:

The gannet picture is awesome Terry.

The gannet picture is awesome Terry.

Appreciate so much your kind comments on that gannet picture. Was very please with how my camera performed in capturing those various, fast-moving images. For the record, that picture was shot using my Nikkor 50-300mm lens. It was shot at 300mm, f/9 at 1/5000 of a second with ISO of 800. Using the multi-shot capability with a better camera helps improve the odds for getting above-average results.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 188,864 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate so much your kind comments on that gannet picture. Was very please with how my camera performed in capturing those various, fast-moving images. For the record, that picture was shot using my Nikkor 50-300mm lens. It was shot at 300mm, f/9 at 1/5000 of a second with ISO of 800. Using the multi-shot capability with a better camera helps improve the odds for getting above-average results.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 188,864 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Thank you so much Terry, for your comments and helpful advice. I love your gannet picture and your explanation of the settings used helps me considerably, I am hoping to achieve similar results with my photography as I continue to learn. It can be mind boggling, trying to grasp the concepts.

The reason I bought the Lumix was for the zoom [600mm], and the high recommendations on this board. I have downloaded Graham Houghton's ebook and Utube video's to learn how to use it.

Both.

Hi Katie

We recently experienced our first cruise (south pacific islands) and beforehand I had toyed with getting a superzoom. I have done a lot of wildlife and bird photography but the lens I use most is just a 300mm/f4. Superzoom would give me more 'reach' than that but would I get the quality I was used to? I just wasn't sure. I decided to not buy the superzoom - but you never know in future I might decide to get one. You already have one so I'd also say to take both. You can weigh things up as you go. Atleast you will have the choice and won't regret leaving something home. I took a non-SLR with me also - an Olympus Tough TG-4. It came in very handy for taking pictures around the ship (all that food....) and then in the water for fishies. I found for the most part I did not require longer reach than the 300mm (but then wildlife opportunities were limited) but by having SLRs and a non-SLR I was able to cover all my bases!

One of the cameras I carry is a superzoom (at least a superzoom by 2012 standards). I do not use it for wildlife but more for architecture as it lets me let close in pictures that would otherwise not be possible.

Here is an example from Athens

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff386/mmkbx75/IMG_2930_zpsac3abc17.jpg

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff386/mmkbx75/IMG_2931_zps0d9ec4e0.jpg