First time to Europe

[cruisin73]

We are heading to Europe for the first time this May.  We are also trying to pack as light as possible.  We have a canon DSLR rebel however I was thinking of not taking that and just sticking with our Iphone for all of our pictures.  Will I regret this?  I definitely want to make a photo book with our pictures.  Another option is to take the DSLR with maybe 2 lenses instead of the entire backpack size camera bag.  What are your suggestions? 

[Hezu]

Where in Europe? What would you like to photograph?

You are talking about a large continent and for some photo opportunities camera phones may prove to be somewhat limited. I can think about at least two use cases, where mobile phone cameras may be insufficient: when you want to take photos of far away subjects and dark locations (eg. interiors of old buildings). Of course, for these situations, you would need a telephoto lens and a fast aperture lens(es).

 

[cruisin73]

My husband likes to take pictures of landscapes. We will be in Cinque Terre one day and I want to get all the beautiful buildings and landscape there but also going to Rome and would like to get pics of all the things there.  I believe all that we will be taking pictures of will be outside. Besides the ship which would be some inside pictures.  

[pierces]

I have found that in almost every non-wildlife situation, the resident normal zoom on my camera has been workable for 98% of situations encountered. My current walkabout lens is a Sony 24-105 f/4 zoom and it rarely comes off the camera while travelling. If we are going to a potential wildlife spot, I will take a longer zoom. If interiors are in the mix, I'll mount a 12mm ultra-wide on my A6600 in a belt pack and leave the 24-105 on the A7 III. Lately, I have been using my Pixel 6 Pro for walkabout wide angle stuff (it's about 16mm equivalent). Its ability to take very acceptable images even in bad light is quite remarkable. 

 

When cruising, I usually pack a pretty comprehensive kit but only take what I expect to nee for the day when ashore. I like the fact that the hotel goes with you on a multi-country trip and you only have to lug the bag at either end 😉

 

Dave

[Host Bonjour]

23 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

Another option is to take the DSLR with maybe 2 lenses

 

This plus your smartphone (especially if it's a recent model) will probably serve you well.

 

It also depends on what size you want the prints to be (any enlarging?) and as others have said, where you'll be, not just the actual place, but where you'd be in proximity to the thing you'd be photographing.

 

Where you're able to position yourself and the camera, and the image you'd like to have when you return home, might inform your decision on choosing to bring along the DSLR. You'll get the composition you want, which might come closer to what your own eye is seeing. (You can also work wonders in Lightroom, but there are limits to what photo editing can do, though it is pretty cool.)

 

The later edition smartphones are pretty cool. You can also get a little tripod for it, if you really wanted to get crazy with the settings. (I've done long exposures on my older iPhone, but using intentional camera movement, so, no tripod involved) A gorilla pod is cool too, because you're sometimes able to wrap it around something that might provide an interesting angle. 

 

I think I almost always had two cameras in Europe, because I wanted different options. Sometimes I was shooting on black & white film, sometimes I didn't want to carry the heavy Nikon, sometimes I wanted a different look. But I was always really happy I had the DSLR (and my old Olympus point and shoot, so amazing) because these images were exactly what I hoped they'd be. 

 

Meanwhile, I'd fish through a few smartphone photography podcasts (not for beginners) for some smartphone shooting tips. They usually share some hidden secrets and other great tips for shooting that will definitely elevate your phone photography.  Definitely worth it for this trip!

 

Colleen 🙂 

[mskaufman]

On a Med cruise I average about 300 pictures per port.  Not only the buildings but zooming in for details.  My DLSR with a 16 - 400 zoom is the only lens I bring.  I also change SD cards every couple of days.  I find that my phone does not give me as much control of the image.  If I was just going to take photos of the family in front of famous destinations, the phone would work fine.