Which camera to bring??

chasenluke

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
117
I have a Nikon D40x and love it. I also have a great canon P&S that I used before I got the Nikon. I have taken the P&S to Disney before and it worked great.

We are going back in December and I am trying to decide if I want to lug around the Nikon or just stick witht he Canon. The Canon is a 7mp.

I guess I am just nervous about breaking the nikon.
 
When I went in May I didnt know what to bring either, I took my Rebel XTI, 30D, Canon 870is and Canon S5is. In the end from all the pictures i took I used the Canon 870is point and shoot the most. Most of the time It came down to if i felt like carrying around a bag with my DSLR and the smaller camera won. Couple of days it was just to darn hot to be lugging a camera bag around all day.
 
When I travel I generally bring my "good" camera of the moment as well as my excellent P&S. Learned from a bad experience once that it is good to have a backup. I also figured I didn't spend the money on the DSLR to have it sit at home when there were photo opportunities available !! As long as the camera bag or backpack is comfortable I have no problem. Of course I don't bring much with me except the camera equipment....
 
only you can answer thaat question...

there is a reason you upgraded to a dslr..

perhaps because you wanted more out of your pictures..??

years ago I walked WDW with 2 slrs,

then I decided to go digital and bought a bridge camera, as close as you can get to a dslr without being able to change lenses....

it did a great job for most things at WDW, but it had it's limitations,

next trip I will be carrying 2 DSLRs.


but again, only you can answer your question...

if you take the P&S will you still be happy with the results now that you are used to the dslr...

if you take the dslr wil you decide it's too heavy to carry all day..

perhaps, take both..try the dslr, and if you change your mind, you have the other camera with you..

and if you're afraid to take the dslr places for fear of breaking it..why have it..
 

I brought both my dSLR and my P&S. And used both depending on what we were doing...walking around the resort taking pics...slr, going to animal kingdom, slr the first time (longer lens), the second day took p&s since we were going mostly for rides. Night shooting .... definitely slr, casual day shots on ride of person next to you...p&s. :)
 
My last 2 trips I only used my dSLR. The trip before those I had a PnS digital and a film SLR and used both. That was kind of a pain, but having the digital PnS was very convenient because I didn't have to change film all the time.

It comes down to an individual answer, but for me I'd only bring the dSLR. I've traveled the world with SLR's and don't regret any of it. Now that its digital instead of film its even easier. No film to cart around.
 
I personally can't see the sense in buying a nice camera then leaving it behind when going somewhere like WDW, unless you're just going to be taking a few casual family shots. It's like leaving the Ferrari at home and taking the Fiat to the racetrack!
 
I brought both my dSLR and my P&S. And used both depending on what we were doing...walking around the resort taking pics...slr, going to animal kingdom, slr the first time (longer lens), the second day took p&s since we were going mostly for rides. Night shooting .... definitely slr, casual day shots on ride of person next to you...p&s. :)

I do this too. When I know I am going to the parks specifically for the photo opportunities, i take my D40X. When I return purposely for the rides I take the P&S.

Personally I didn't find the Nikon D40X heavy at all and we have just returned last week so it was pretty hot there but I have to agree with the other posts... why buy the DSLR if you are going to leave it behind when there are excellent photo opportunities. :)
 
It's like leaving the Ferrari at home and taking the Fiat to the racetrack!

Except if you take the Fiat you will probably have to stop to fix it twice. ;)

When the first difficult shot with impossible lighting comes up I would be cussing if I didn't bring the SLR. WDW has a lot of those kinds of situations, take the SLR and leave the P&S for less demanding places.
 
When the first difficult shot with impossible lighting comes up I would be cussing if I didn't bring the SLR. WDW has a lot of those kinds of situations, take the SLR and leave the P&S for less demanding places.

This did happen to me and I was cussing. But, when we go to AK and we're not going to go see Lion King again but we are going to go on Kali 5 times in a row without ponchos, I'd rather have the P&S with me (safely in my bag in the middle) and a waterproof disposable for pics. :)
 
If you want the best pictures, bring your best camera. If you want the least bulk/weight, bring your smallest/lightest camera. If you want a compromise, you'll have to decide where the tradeoff is for you.

This did happen to me and I was cussing. But, when we go to AK and we're not going to go see Lion King again but we are going to go on Kali 5 times in a row without ponchos, I'd rather have the P&S with me (safely in my bag in the middle) and a waterproof disposable for pics. :)

But then you'll miss all the great photo ops on Kali.



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117412855_GrJAG-L.jpg
 


Okay Mark...How did you protect the camera for this one? I'd love to take these shots but I'm so overprotective of my camera!

To the OP. I plan to take both cameras (DSLR and Canon P&S). I don't have a great macro lens for my DSLR (yet!) so I don't think I can get great shots at character meals with that. So I'm bringing my p&s to the character meals just in case.
 
You got a lot of great responses... I just wanted to add...
What do you intend on using your camera to do? Take snapshots? Get some wildly creative night shots? Fireworks?

How easy is it for you to carry your SLR? Do you have a comfy camera bag? Do you mind lugging it around?

I like the ease of a P&S because it's quick and dirty. However, I always carry my SLR with me... because 99.9% of the time, the P&S is too limiting to what I want to do with my photography.
 
If you want the best pictures, bring your best camera. If you want the least bulk/weight, bring your smallest/lightest camera. If you want a compromise, you'll have to decide where the tradeoff is for you.



But then you'll miss all the great photo ops on Kali.



117412846_hcgHV-L.jpg


117412867_GeT8U-L.jpg





117412855_GrJAG-L.jpg

I did get some good shots...not great shots...but I always have a wall of water cascading over me :rotfl: ...were you ponchoed up? :)
 
Okay Mark...How did you protect the camera for this one? I'd love to take these shots but I'm so overprotective of my camera!

My camera and lens are weather sealed, so a little splashing shouldn't hurt them. My biggest concern was getting splashes on the front of the lens that would create blurry spots on the pictures. So when big splashes hit, I made sure to point the camera away from the water.

...were you ponchoed up? :)
I don't recall. I'm guessing that since my wife and kids were ponchoed, I probably was as well. I've ridden Kali about a dozen times and have yet to get particularly wet. My father, on the other hand, gets buckets of water dumped on him every time.
 
I carried by D80 around the parks for 8 solid days. I thought it would be heavy and I would hate it, but really it wasnt tiring at all. I found myself taking so many pictures (2000+) that I was so glad I had it. I even carried it on rides and took pictures (EE, BTMRR, Splash). I agree with what another poster said, I spent my money on this camera to take great pictures, and im not goign to leave it in the room so it can sleep all day. Nikon is a sturdy camera, it will be fine.

Take it one day and if you find it too much of a pain to carry, then bring it in selective situations. Me, I carry it 24/7
 
We went to a wedding last weekend and trying not to look like part of the official photo crew we took the P&S instead of the SLRs. Btw, what is it with people when they see a couple at a wedding with a pair of SLRs with big lenses they assume you are with the offical photographers? ;)

So, the close shots looked ok, outdoor shots looked ok. Anything indoors beyond 10 feet, you guessed it, they stunk!

The (im)moral? If you are happy with the typical photos take the P&S. If you want better (and since you bought a SLR you more than likely do want better) take the SLR.
 















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