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Camera for AK cruise


GwenA
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This will be our first cruise. I was just going to use my Samsung S7, but since it has my life on it, I don't want it to get wet, due to weather & excursions.

So do I get a P/S, or get a quality water-proof case for the phone.

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This will be our first cruise. I was just going to use my Samsung S7, but since it has my life on it, I don't want it to get wet, due to weather & excursions.

So do I get a P/S, or get a quality water-proof case for the phone.

 

 

If you get a point and shoot camera, get one of the better quality ones with a longer zoom because AK wildlife is usually seen in the distance. If is something that might move, like a glacier calving or an animal, use the sports setting or shutter priority with a shutter speed of at least 1/500. Consider a 1 inch sensor model just for the image quality.

 

I have an S7 and it is in a LifeProof case because we are going to AK for the 7th time this summer. I know from experience that it rains often and mishaps happen. I tripped while shooting a video and destroyed a new cell phone during our 2014 cruise. I didn't have drops and spills insurance. Now I do what I can to protect my phone. I also have a ballistic glass screen protector on the S7 and it works fine with the LifeProof case. I haven't noticed any difference in sound quality. I would suggest you get a quality water-proof case for you phone even if you get a point and shoot.

 

If you aren't going to be using the point and shoot except for this cruise consider renting a high quality camera. You don't want to come home and be saying to yourself, "If only I'd had a different camera I might have gotten a better picture of this."

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Before our Alaska cruise, I got a Sony HX80. It's a small point and shoot that fits in my jacket pocket but it has a 30x optical zoom on it. I think it's the perfect compromise to take great shots of wildlife but not huge that you feel that you are carrying extra weight.

 

Take some pictures but make sure to live in the moment while you are there.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Cell phone camera's have come a long way and now are decent camera's for everyday use out and about. Now that being said for Alaska I'd want something better than just a cell phone camera. There are plenty of quality point and shoot camera's that are water resistant that won't break the bank, from pretty much all the major manufacturer's. Trust me for Alaska you want a camera that can reach out more than a cell phone camera will. Get a spare battery and memory card too, I took well over 2000 picture's last year in Alaska between 2 camera's.

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...Take some pictures but make sure to live in the moment while you are there.

 

I see people posting this advice fairly regularly and I while understand the sentiment, it really doesn't apply universally. I love to take photos. There have been high and low spots in my photographic history and in looking back, I regret the times when I just left the camera alone and "lived in the moment". We travel a fair amount and generally choose destinations that are a compromise. My wife chooses based on her enjoyment of new and interesting places (I'm sure shopping is an unspoken criteria) and as luck would have it, those tend to offer some really nice opportunities for photos. I literally have a camera with me all the time on a trip. I wouldn't enjoy traveling without one (or two). Photography has had a side effect of forcing me to look for compositions in everything and that has taught me to truly "see" the places we visit. The ability to pull up the photos and "see" all those places again at any time is a nice bonus. Taking pictures has been a part of my life since I was about 10 years old and has become a lifestyle. I realize it isn't a lifestyle for everyone but trust me, you can "live in a moment" and still come away with some great photographic "memories".

 

Example: Small boat, wind and salt smell with the adrenaline rush of seeing whales in the wild. I remember the "moment" but thanks to my hobby of choice, I can also see what I saw when it happened...again and again.

 

p1992410208-5.jpg

 

 

Dave

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Hi Dave, my sentiments exactly. I travel with my DLSR, a bridge camera and something that first into my pocket. They are not all with me all the time but allow me choices. My guess is that you did not take that picture with your cell phone.

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For Alaska, you absolutely must get the camera linked to below. Anything less than this and you will be totally disappointed. ;-)

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1384729-REG/hasselblad_h_3013775_h6d_400c_multi_shot_medium_format.html

 

I hate to say this but, "back in the day", I'd spend 5G's on a whole Blad kit. LOL 50G's really...

 

framer

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