Photography Travel Kit for River Cruise?

[Sapphire73]

Putting this question out there for those who are into photography and who have experience cruising European rivers. I have been to Zurich, Lucerne, Mainz, Boppard, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc. so I have some idea of what I will encounter. But this is my first river cruise, and I would love your input.

 

I carry a Canon 70D DSLR camera and a couple of lenses whenever we travel internationally or closer to home. (In the past year we have traveled to Korea, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Brazil.) I have a point and shoot camera and also use my iPhone camera - as back up - but am definitely taking a dslr on this cruise. In recent years, I have made sure my equipment is lighter and easier to carry and I try to figure out what lenses I am going to want the most.

 

If you were taking a dslr camera and some lenses on a European river cruise from Basel, Switzerland along the Rhine and Mosel rivers and ending up in Bruges, Belgium (and the World War 1 battlefields nearby) for a few days - what would you be taking with you? What focal lengths you have found useful?

 

I am currently thinking of taking a small, fast prime lens (28mm) for an inconspicuous walk around camera that can handle low light since we are traveling in the shorter days of November. And a moderate zoom lens (18-135) for doing wider or closer in. Those would be the two that I carried around with me most of the time. But I think I might want an extra wide lens (10-22mm) for shooting landscapes, architecture, etc. And a 70-300mm lens that could come in handy for photographing birds (storks, swans, etc.) and isolating details of the environment (castles on a hill, an architectural detail, etc.). But I wouldn't want to carry 4 lenses with me each day. I can carry the dslr w/any one of the larger lenses in a small camera bag and the 28mm prime in a very small purse and I also have the plastic sleeves that add some protection when shooting in misty, foggy weather.

 

One last thing - I have looked at some of the new mirrorless cameras but will probably wait to buy one of those. I compared the (replacement) cost and weight of my Canon equipment and a Fuji X-T1 option with comparable lenses and the Fuji kit would be almost as heavy and more expensive. But if you have set aside your dslr equipment in favor of a mirrorless camera, I'm sure that would be helpful info for others reading Cruise Critic. And a mirrorless camera may be in my future. :)

 

Many thanks!

 

Sapphire73

Edited October 25, 2015 by Sapphire73

[Host Jazzbeau]

You might want to try a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 (or a used -FZ200) before you replace your entire kit. For the price of one lens in the SLR or Mirrorless world, you get a Leica lens that zooms from 25 to 600 at a constant f2.8. The sensor is very small, but if you set the software to keep the ISO low you will get very good pictures in everything except low light. You can see examples of what a -FZ200 can do in my France blog (link in the signature below).

Edited October 25, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[Poconolady]

You might want to try a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 (or a used -FZ200) before you replace your entire kit. For the price of one lens in the SLR or Mirrorless world, you get a Leica lens that zooms from 25 to 600 at a constant f2.8. The sensor is very small, but if you set the software to keep the ISO low you will get very good pictures in everything except low light. You can see examples of what a -FZ200 can do in my France blog (link in the signature below).

 

 

Love that Panasonic LUMIX FZ300!! Great photos, quick and easy to use, much much easier than carrying around a lot of lenses. The LUMIX and the IPhone for quick pics that I might want to upload right away is all that is necessary.

[bubbulz]

Putting this question out there for those who are into photography and who have experience cruising European rivers. I have been to Zurich, Lucerne, Mainz, Boppard, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc. so I have some idea of what I will encounter. But this is my first river cruise, and I would love your input.

 

I carry a Canon 70D DSLR camera and a couple of lenses whenever we travel internationally or closer to home. (In the past year we have traveled to Korea, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Brazil.) I have a point and shoot camera and also use my iPhone camera - as back up - but am definitely taking a dslr on this cruise. In recent years, I have made sure my equipment is lighter and easier to carry and I try to figure out what lenses I am going to want the most.

 

If you were taking a dslr camera and some lenses on a European river cruise from Basel, Switzerland along the Rhine and Mosel rivers and ending up in Bruges, Belgium (and the World War 1 battlefields nearby) for a few days - what would you be taking with you? What focal lengths you have found useful?

 

I am currently thinking of taking a small, fast prime lens (28mm) for an inconspicuous walk around camera that can handle low light since we are traveling in the shorter days of November. And a moderate zoom lens (18-135) for doing wider or closer in. Those would be the two that I carried around with me most of the time. But I think I might want an extra wide lens (10-22mm) for shooting landscapes, architecture, etc. And a 70-300mm lens that could come in handy for photographing birds (storks, swans, etc.) and isolating details of the environment (castles on a hill, an architectural detail, etc.). But I wouldn't want to carry 4 lenses with me each day. I can carry the dslr w/any one of the larger lenses in a small camera bag and the 28mm prime in a very small purse and I also have the plastic sleeves that add some protection when shooting in misty, foggy weather.

 

One last thing - I have looked at some of the new mirrorless cameras but will probably wait to buy one of those. I compared the (replacement) cost and weight of my Canon equipment and a Fuji X-T1 option with comparable lenses and the Fuji kit would be almost as heavy and more expensive. But if you have set aside your dslr equipment in favor of a mirrorless camera, I'm sure that would be helpful info for others reading Cruise Critic. And a mirrorless camera may be in my future. :)

 

Many thanks!

 

Sapphire73

 

I took my dSLR on my last trip with a 15-85mm lens, knowing that I'd be lacking on the wide and really long ends and with low light shots, but I also knew I wouldn't be willing to lug around a bunch of lenses all day. My DH on the other hand, took his Sony RX100 III and got some really nice photos, but also was able to shoot many indoor shots I couldn't. Personally, I'd go even lighter next time than I did on my last trip vs. adding more lenses to my arsenal. But that's me. Sounds like lugging heavy gear isn't as much of a concern for you ... I think you'd be pretty well covered with the 15-135mm and a fast prime (although you'd probably run into the same issues I did with shooting architecture shots, so you may want to add a 10-18mm or 10-22mm (although you may not find the likely distortion pleasing).) Not sure I'd bother with the 70-300mm, but I think it all comes down to what you're will to carry. Sorry for kind of a non-answer, but the reality is that you sacrifice at one end or another to a certain extent. Some of the new mirrorless cameras are really impressive, but I'm not sure I'd jump into the investment quite yet given all the rapid changes we're seeing right now.

[Mark_T]

I must admit I've switched from DSLR to a bridge camera in the last few years.

 

Yes the DSLR quality can be better, but I'm getting a lot more photos with the bridge camera due to not having to change lens and being willing to carry it with me everywhere.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I must admit I've switched from DSLR to a bridge camera in the last few years.

 

Yes the DSLR quality can be better, but I'm getting a lot more photos with the bridge camera due to not having to change lens and being willing to carry it with me everywhere.

 

"The best camera is the one you have with you!"

[Sapphire73]

You might want to try a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 (or a used -FZ200) before you replace your entire kit.... You can see examples of what a -FZ200 can do in my France blog (link in the signature below).

 

Thanks for your input on this, Jazzbeau. You got some great shots with the Lumix. I especially like your shots of Monet's garden, and the camera served your very well with capturing the stained glass window in the Chartres cathedral.

 

I have a Canon PowerShot SX260 that I carry when I don't want to take a DSLR out and about, so I wouldn't really be in the market for the Lumix even though it would give me a bit more reach. But I appreciate your mentioning it here and hope that it will help others looking for suggestions on what camera to take on a river cruise.

[Sapphire73]

Love that Panasonic LUMIX FZ300!! Great photos, quick and easy to use, much much easier than carrying around a lot of lenses. The LUMIX and the IPhone for quick pics that I might want to upload right away is all that is necessary.

 

Thanks for your input on this. Sounds like the Lumix is a good option.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for your input on this, Jazzbeau. You got some great shots with the Lumix. I especially like your shots of Monet's garden, and the camera served your very well with capturing the stained glass window in the Chartres cathedral.

 

You're welcome. Stained glass windows are hit or miss -- but I was relieved to see someone's fancy SLR shots recently that were no better. If there's lots of sun coming through, the windows just go white. That's where the zoom lens comes in handy, because if I crop down to just the glass the camera will stop down for all that light. It also has some "scene" settings that I use for special situations -- "through glass" really helps in museums.

[Sapphire73]

I took my dSLR on my last trip with a 15-85mm lens, knowing that I'd be lacking on the wide and really long ends and with low light shots, but I also knew I wouldn't be willing to lug around a bunch of lenses all day. My DH on the other hand, took his Sony RX100 III and got some really nice photos, but also was able to shoot many indoor shots I couldn't. Personally, I'd go even lighter next time than I did on my last trip vs. adding more lenses to my arsenal. But that's me. Sounds like lugging heavy gear isn't as much of a concern for you ... I think you'd be pretty well covered with the 15-135mm and a fast prime (although you'd probably run into the same issues I did with shooting architecture shots, so you may want to add a 10-18mm or 10-22mm (although you may not find the likely distortion pleasing).) Not sure I'd bother with the 70-300mm, but I think it all comes down to what you're will to carry. Sorry for kind of a non-answer, but the reality is that you sacrifice at one end or another to a certain extent.

 

Great input, Bubbulz. Thanks. I think you are right that I could leave the 70-300 at home. I could substitute an 18-200mm lens for the 18-135mm but it feels more cumbersome. (The camera and 18-135mm and 28mm prime weigh around 3 lbs, so not all that heavy.) And I think you are right that I might really appreciate having the wide angle lens. Lightroom is doing a pretty good job with correcting distortion these days.

 

Several people on a photography forum have mentioned liking the Sony RX100. Sounds like you had it all covered between the two of you!

 

Some of the new mirrorless cameras are really impressive, but I'm not sure I'd jump into the investment quite yet given all the rapid changes we're seeing right now.

 

Yes, I am a bit hesitant. It is interesting to see how many professional photographers are going that route and seem happy with the results.

 

Not sure whether or when we will be able to take another river cruise. We had to book a November cruise for DH to be able to get away from work and retirement is a few years off. But we'll see.

 

Thanks again for your thoughts on this!

Edited October 25, 2015 by Sapphire73

[Sapphire73]

I must admit I've switched from DSLR to a bridge camera in the last few years.

 

Yes the DSLR quality can be better, but I'm getting a lot more photos with the bridge camera due to not having to change lens and being willing to carry it with me everywhere.

 

Good point. :) For now, my iPhone is the camera I have with me most of the time and I try to remember to back it up and clear out the photos before we leave on a trip.

[Rebel54]

This is such a hard decision. Last time I lived in Europe, we didn't have digital cameras so I am SO looking forward to having mine on this trip. At the same time I don't want to drag along a lot of heavy stuff either. I have a Canon 5D MII. Love it but man it gets heavy. I'm still having an internal struggle over what lenses to bring. I plan to do a photography tour in Prague so I want to make sure I have good stuff with me. Just got an iPhone 6+ and plan to use it as my back up camera when I don't want to lug the biggen out with me. I want to bring my tripod as well because I want to get some shots for HDR work. There's more weight :(.

[Sapphire73]

This is such a hard decision. Last time I lived in Europe, we didn't have digital cameras so I am SO looking forward to having mine on this trip. At the same time I don't want to drag along a lot of heavy stuff either. I have a Canon 5D MII. Love it but man it gets heavy. I'm still having an internal struggle over what lenses to bring. I plan to do a photography tour in Prague so I want to make sure I have good stuff with me. Just got an iPhone 6+ and plan to use it as my back up camera when I don't want to lug the biggen out with me. I want to bring my tripod as well because I want to get some shots for HDR work. There's more weight :(.

 

I hear you. In my case, I started using a T4i instead of a Canon 7D when I was about to get a knee replacement but now have the 70D, which I love. But moving to a full frame camera was out of the question for me. So are the heavier lenses. Hope you enjoy your time in Prague and the photography tour! Sounds like fun. :) I am thinking of taking a gorilla pod but no tripod on this trip.

[ganski]

We have been on 5 river cruises and we used to lug around Nikon DSLR's and various lenses, the last two cruises i took a Hasselblad Stellar and my wife took her Nikon V1, this was plenty of camera and I can carry it in my cargo pants pocket.

[bubbulz]

Great input, Bubbulz. Thanks. I think you are right that I could leave the 70-300 at home. I could substitute an 18-200mm lens for the 18-135mm but it feels more cumbersome. (The camera and 18-135mm and 28mm prime weigh around 3 lbs, so not all that heavy.) And I think you are right that I might really appreciate having the wide angle lens. Lightroom is doing a pretty good job with correcting distortion these days.

 

Several people on a photography forum have mentioned liking the Sony RX100. Sounds like you had it all covered between the two of you!

 

Yes, I am a bit hesitant. It is interesting to see how many professional photographers are going that route and seem happy with the results.

 

Not sure whether or when we will be able to take another river cruise. We had to book a November cruise for DH to be able to get away from work and retirement is a few years off. But we'll see.

 

Thanks again for your thoughts on this!

 

Happy to help. And excellent point about Lightroom. Also, I'm not sure what kind of camera strap you're using, but I used a Black Rapid RS-Sport 2 "slim" sling camera strap that worked great for the active days we had. It definitely helped given the weight of my camera and lens.

 

The Sony RX100 is a really impressive small camera. (I almost bought one as a backup for myself after this trip, but then decided it was easiest just to let DH be the backup. ;) ) I also forgot to mention that we both had our iPhones as well, and they came in handy for quick shots to share with friends and family.

 

I've been watching what's going on with the new mirrorless cameras and it is tempting to jump in. I guess I'm going to wait awhile, though, given that I just bought another dSLR yesterday. :D

[Talisker92]

I have a Canon Powershot and it has a 20 to 1 zoom. The pictures below are of a snow play area below the Jungfrauhoch.

I love the camera because I do not have to lug extra lenses around

[Sapphire73]

I have a Canon Powershot and it has a 20 to 1 zoom. The pictures below are of a snow play area below the Jungfrauhoch.

I love the camera because I do not have to lug extra lenses around

 

Nice photos. I usually take a Canon Powershot as a back up camera, and I do appreciate that zoom! Thanks for your input. :)

[Sapphire73]

Happy to help. And excellent point about Lightroom. Also, I'm not sure what kind of camera strap you're using, but I used a Black Rapid RS-Sport 2 "slim" sling camera strap that worked great for the active days we had. It definitely helped given the weight of my camera and lens.

 

That sling strap looks very useful. Thanks for mentioning it. Hesitant to try it for this trip since I will need to layer for warmth, but will definitely keep it mind. I use a Crumpler strap and wear it like a sling, so it already distributes the weight of the camera pretty well. But I could have used something like that in Masai Mara in 2014 when I used 2 camera bodies to avoid having to switch lenses!

 

I've been watching what's going on with the new mirrorless cameras and it is tempting to jump in. I guess I'm going to wait awhile, though, given that I just bought another dSLR yesterday. :D

 

Congrats on the new camera! Enjoy!

Edited October 26, 2015 by Sapphire73

[bubbulz]

Congrats on the new camera! Enjoy!

 

Thanks! I really intended to wait until I (and the technology/pricing) was ready to go the mirrorless route, but I ran into a deal that was too good to pass on. :)

[Bescotti]

I have used Canon dslrs for some years, including my 7D with all the big lenses but last year for my European trip I switched to the Olympus mirrorless and haven't looked back.

 

I've just returned from a month long African photographic safari with my camera club and again ditched my 7D for my Olympus and am extremely happy with the results. Half of my fellow travellers had also moved from dslrs to mirrorless and instead of being divided into Canon and Nikon camps, we're now either Sony or Olympus users. One thing I did find on that trip was that the Olympus batteries far outlasted the Sony batteries (Sony batteries lasted less than a full day while the Olympus could sometimes last 2 - 3 days).

 

Whichever way you decide to go, your 70D or something else, I recommend a wide angle lens as I found I got more use out of that in Europe for plazas, interior shots, etc. than my long telephoto lens.

[jpalbny]

This has been a great thread!

 

I have had DSLRs for about 10 years, at first a Nikon D50, and most recently a D700 (and film SLRs before that), which I used to faithfully lug on every trip. I never really got into lens switching though. I usually go cheaper on a lens that's good enough for most situations - I used to have a Sigma 18-200 and most recently upgraded to an 18-250. Because the cameras have APC-sized sensors, this makes the lens effectively a 24-375mm which covers most of what I need.

 

However, we hike a lot and are exposed to lots of weather when traveling. I've lost a DSLR in the jungle when we got a deluge. Plus they are getting to be a pain to carry. Chris has always carried advanced P&S cameras; some of her early ones were pretty bulky but as the technology has advanced they have become smaller. She's had Panasonic Lumix cameras as well as Canon Powershots.

 

So after we lost our cameras in the jungle, we downsized significantly. I went with a waterproof Nikon (AW120) that's only 24-120 zoom, but it's the size of a small wallet so you can't beat the convenience. I got Chris a medium-end P&S Sony that's also pocket sized; DSC-HX50V with a pretty decent zoom lens that takes good pictures. She is very happy with it and doesn't want a bigger camera.

 

So now I actually do not bring my DSLR on active trips unless I really need the zoom. For river cruises and other assorted Europe trips we make do with the pocket-sized cameras and though I do miss the somewhat better pictures I could get with my DSLR, I don't miss lugging it around. I did buy another D7100 earlier this year because we went on safari in Tanzania, and I would not have been happy with the little all-weather Nikon. Chris used the Sony and got great zoom shots with that.

 

I too have looked at the mirrorless systems, and I thought long and hard about making the switch this year...but in the end decided to stay with DSLR technology for now. The determining factor was that lenses for mirrorless systems seem to be the weak spot at this time. In other words - the available ranges don't seem as good for the price you'd pay. Plus, taking a small mirrorless camera, and plunking a huge 300 mm zoom on it makes it similar to an SLR in weight, size, etc.

 

So right now, I don't see the advantage of a mirrorless system. That will probably change as they gain popularity, and some of the knock-off brands start making compatible lenses. Edited to add: Bescotti - our posts crossed but I'd like to hear more of your perspective about mirrorless. It sounds like a nice system but I couldn't make it work for me. Sounds like you really like your setup!

 

**

 

WRT OP's question - we did the Basel-Amsterdam cruise with the two small cameras mentioned above. I'd go with the 18-135, and I'd leave that on most if not all of the time. You may run into occasions where the 18 isn't wide enough but in those settings you're up so close that the picture would be distorted. And I find that with such a wide angle, you get too much sky and not enough landscape. So I wouldn't bring the 10-22. That said, I've never had such a wide-angle lens so maybe I'd love it...

 

WRT to the 70-300, I personally wouldn't bother with that either. If I wanted a closeup, I'd probably crop an image taken at 135. With a crisp DSLR shot, some cropping probably would be acceptable. There were only a few times that my 120mm zoom wasn't enough and in those cases, Chris' P&S was fine.

 

The 28 prime lens sounds handy for downsizing the camera and since it adds almost no bulk, go for it.

Edited October 26, 2015 by jpalbny

[Sapphire73]

I have used Canon dslrs for some years, including my 7D with all the big lenses but last year for my European trip I switched to the Olympus mirrorless and haven't looked back.

 

I've just returned from a month long African photographic safari with my camera club and again ditched my 7D for my Olympus and am extremely happy with the results. Half of my fellow travellers had also moved from dslrs to mirrorless and instead of being divided into Canon and Nikon camps, we're now either Sony or Olympus users. One thing I did find on that trip was that the Olympus batteries far outlasted the Sony batteries (Sony batteries lasted less than a full day while the Olympus could sometimes last 2 - 3 days).

 

Whichever way you decide to go, your 70D or something else, I recommend a wide angle lens as I found I got more use out of that in Europe for plazas, interior shots, etc. than my long telephoto lens.

 

Thank you very much for your input! I am really drawn to getting a mirrorless camera but have decided to wait a bit longer after exploring the various options. Hard to choose! Interesting that you were divided into Olympus vs Sony users (no one using the Fuji cameras?) and that the Olympus batteries lasted so much longer.

 

A month long photographic safari in Africa sounds wonderful. Hope you enjoyed it!

 

I appreciate your recommendation to take the wide angle lens and perhaps skip taking the longer telephoto (70-300mm). The 18-135 might be a bit short but I could take a slightly heavier 18-200mm.

 

Thanks again!

[Bescotti]

So right now, I don't see the advantage of a mirrorless system. That will probably change as they gain popularity, and some of the knock-off brands start making compatible lenses. Edited to add: Bescotti - our posts crossed but I'd like to hear more of your perspective about mirrorless. It sounds like a nice system but I couldn't make it work for me. Sounds like you really like your setup!

 

The mirrorless did take a little while to adjust to and I wondered if I had made the right decision but I love it now. Using the viewfinder which gives a digital view was the biggest adjustment but now I can quickly adjust the exposure before taking a photo and know exactly how it will turn out. Looking through all my thousands of African photos I have only deleted about 10 photos due to image quality, ie blurry but none due to exposure issues.

 

As the camera and lenses are reasonably light I can handhold it and take images at a 15th of a second or so in low light with great success with little noise.

 

I use Olympus lenses 12-40mm f2.8, 9-18mm, 14-150mm MkII, and the 75-300mm. As this is not a full frame, you double those lengths to get the equivalent on a full frame. Those using the Sony had much bigger and heavier lenses which to me rather defeated the purpose.

 

The only time I would have preferred my7D and L lenses was when it came to photographing small birds in flight but the OMD-EM-1 performed very well with high speed continuous tracking at a rodeo earlier this year.

 

I've had many cameras over the years (and still have them all in working order) mainly slrs/dslrs including the original Olympus OM1 and OM10 from the 1980s, with the CanonG10, Powershot, Lumix, as backups when needed. My Olympus suits me now though as I am happy with the quality and it is light enough that I take it with me and use it more than lugging around the 7D. It's the one I will ne taking on my Mekong River cruise early in the new year.

 

As mentioned in my previous post, more and more in my camera club, including professional photographers, are either switching completely to mirrorless or using them in addition to their SLRS.

[Rebel54]

For Canon shooters, if you could take only ONE prime lens...what lens would it be?

[Sapphire73]

For Canon shooters, if you could take only ONE prime lens...what lens would it be?

 

I have 4 prime lenses: 60mm macro, 50mm "nifty fifty", 40mm pancake lens, and the 28mm. Since I am using a crop sensor camera body, the 28mm is the one I use most for a walk around camera - especially on busy city streets. It is less intimidating to people in rural Africa as well. I also love the macro lens but tend to use it more often when shooting locally.

 

Looking forward to hearing how others respond to your question!