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Old 09-14-2004, 09:50 PM   #1
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Hey, anyone out there who's experienced in travelling with a bulky digital camera (which will get bulkier if I can ever afford some new lenses for it), is there any advice you have for taking a camera overseas? As in, what's the best kind of camera bag for a digital SLR, and how do I not get robbed blind? Any tips would be great! I've seen some nice backpack style camera bags that seem to hold a lot of extras, but that would probably interfere with my big pack, and though I love my camera, I would rather have clean clothes. I'll probably have to go with the dreaded shoulder bag , but any alternatives anyone knows of would be great to check out.

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Old 09-15-2004, 09:35 AM   #2
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I say try to avoid anything that yells "hey pickpockets-- there's cool stuff in this bag!!!" as much as possible-- and camera bags definitely fall into that category. You could maybe look for a daypack that has a special padded pocket to carry electronic-type stuff in. That would be my suggestion. I just kept my camera in my daybag-ish purse, and it was fine.
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Old 09-15-2004, 10:11 AM   #3
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Back in the heady days when I used to carry around an SLR (never mind the fact that I didn't really know how to use it) I had a cube-like camera bag that fit into the bottom of my daypack perfectly - almost as if it were modular. I felt pretty safe going anywhere that my stuff was securely at the bottom of my bag, and also that it'd take quite an effort to rip both straps off of me.
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Old 09-15-2004, 07:09 PM   #4
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Thanks for the great advice! I agree with you SV that a camera bag does seem like a big neon sign saying "rob me!" I think I'll try looking for a bag that will fit into my daypack like you said, Omisan, seems like a good idea. Now I just have to decide on a daypack. And a backpack. Ugh, the pre-trip decisions never end...
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Old 10-14-2004, 02:15 PM   #5
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I'm wrestling with the same problem Dee. I got a digital rebel this spring and would love to have it with me in Europe this fall, but I'm not sure it's really going to be practical to take it. First of all, I really think it would freak me out have $1000 sitting there in my bag anytime I took it off. Secondly, I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice the space in my pack for it, and a separate pack is out of the question in my mind. Keeping track of one seems like enough work to me. Most likely I'll just take my old Canon S300 point n shoot instead. It takes decent pics, is small, and it won't break my heart or bank account if something happens to it. Are you absolutely set on bringing it with you? I'll be interested to see how it goes for you if you do, and good luck.
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Old 10-15-2004, 11:15 AM   #6
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Hey PlayPal, mine's a Rebel too! I've thought it over a lot, and I'm pretty definite that I want it with me. Who needs clean socks anyways? I want to go into photography eventually, so I want my camera with me and I can build up my portfolio while I'm there. I'm probably going to be completely paranoid that something will happen to it while I'm there, and I won't make any friends because of all the suspicious looks I'll be directing at anyone who comes within 6 feet of me , but so be it, lol. (The dirty socks won't help the situation either, lol) I'm going to look into getting insurance on it. I found a camera bag that's a backpackstyle one, which I didn't really intend to buy but it was halfprice and I'm a sucker for a sale tag. I'm not sure yet whether I'll use it though, it seems to take up a lot of space in my pack.
Thanks for all your advice everyone, I'll let you know how it goes.
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Old 10-16-2004, 08:05 PM   #7
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I brought my velocity 3 slingbag for my minolta dimage 7hi. it's big enough to act as a general bag and my camera. i took it everywhere with me, kept it in front of my (hand on the strap or used a biner to attach it to my belt loop) in crowded areas. never had a problem. if you keep your eye on your bag and your surroundings you shouldn't have a problem.
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Old 10-17-2004, 08:43 PM   #8
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well before mine got stollen on the beach in barcelona... my d-snap panasonic digi cam was awesome... about 250 pictures decent quality on my 256 card. Takes video and audio as well. Plus added bonus of mp3 capabilities... no need for an extra mp3 player. No software needed... just usb cable yourself to any computer you find and drag and drop pics into email, disk, or whatever.

I loved mine. About the size of a credit card and a half and inch thick. awesome!
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Old 10-18-2004, 04:06 AM   #9
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Old 10-18-2004, 08:20 PM   #10
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This is slightly off topic Dee, but i was wondering what you thought of your digi-reb. I've taken a lot of pics with mine and to be honest, they don't seem to have a lot of pop. I realize this is a very vague description of the problem, but I don't know how else to say it. It seems to take what should turn out to be a really great picture and turn it into nothing special. I am new to the Digital SLR game, but I do know something about normal SLR's, and have spent a lot of time bracketing different settings, etc, and to be honest, it seems that I got better pictures from my old point and shoot S300. Is it just me, or have you noticed this as well?
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Old 10-21-2004, 10:39 AM   #11
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I'm fairly new to photography, so I probably won't be a lot of help here. I know what you mean though, a lot of pictures I've taken that should be a good shot just don't turn out the way I think they should. I've also seen a lot of really good shots taken with the digi-reb, not taken by me. I have a friend with a digital rebel who's been involved in photography for a lot of years, and he gets really good results with it. I'll keep in mind what you pointed out though, and see if I notice it happening more now that I know to look for it.
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Old 10-22-2004, 08:40 AM   #12
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SONY DSC-W1


thats all i gotta say...
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Old 11-05-2004, 07:45 PM   #13
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I've got a tamrac digital zoom 4 (http://tamrac.com/5684.htm) for my Canon 10d. I plan to keep it in my daypack most of the time and take it out when I want a picture. Pain in the ass I know, but makes me feel a little safer.

Playpal: Most pictures straight out of the camera aren't going to "pop". Get a copy of photoshop elements and read up on post proccessing. Simple curves and saturation adjustment would probably give you exactly what you're looking for.
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Old 11-05-2004, 08:15 PM   #14
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Here's an example.

http://www.rit.edu/~brm4961/before.jpg

this is a picture straight out of the camera (admittingly not one of my best composition wise, but still)

http://www.rit.edu/~brm4961/after.jpg

This one was taken about 5 seconds later and this is after about 5 minutes of adjustment. I adjusted it for print so it's too oversaturated for a monitor, but you get the point.
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Old 11-10-2004, 05:39 PM   #15
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I don't know much about digital cameras, but I love my Nikon Coolpix. Small, concealable and easy to use.
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Old 11-10-2004, 10:28 PM   #16
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dude i dont know why i didnt think of doing that before with my pics.

They looked good before but now with just hitting auto levels in Fireworks makes the pics 10x better...

Thanks for the idea!
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Old 11-27-2004, 08:19 PM   #17

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im enjoying my Olympus Camedia. it's only 3.2 megapixels, but it's got 10x zoom which i find really bloomin handy when i want to take pictures of things that i can't get close to and i find that happens a lot while traveling. *shrug*
the zoom lense does make it a little bulky but it's worth it. i'm about to travel with my little $400 treasure for the first time...and i will cling to it like stink on a monkey


last time i travelled it was with a POS that i gave my mom 12 years ago. somehow my thumb ended up in half the pictures and the lens cover would always get stuck closed. taught me a lesson
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Old 01-02-2005, 01:07 PM   #18
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Just got back from my month long trip with my 10d. Aside from the fact that the camera took up about half my bag, I didn't have any regrets taking it along. No one really looked at me strange with a large camera. At first I was a little protective of it, but you get used to it and just keep an eye out for people looking at you and your camera a little more than they should be and you'll be fine.
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Old 01-02-2005, 01:13 PM   #19
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I have to agree with the Nikon Cool Pix.. I take it everywhere I go. Just charge the battery at night and shoot during the day, and the memory cards are so small you can bring as many as you want and barely even notice them.
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Old 01-10-2005, 02:18 PM   #20
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I've travelled with a bunch of diff digital cameras. The first two trips I went on, I had an old 2MP HP and the second time, I had a 3MP Kodak. Both were typical film camera size if not a bit larger. I really disliked how clunky they were and how I absoultely had to have a pack to store them in.

The two I've liked the best are the Canon S400 and the Pentax Optio SV (my newest one). Asside from their rich set of manual features, they're both very tiny. I'll attach the wrist strap to my wrist (duh) and then slip the camera up my sleeve. It fits nice and snugly up there and I can do it with the same hand all James Bond like. When there's something that I want to take a picture of real quicklike, I just let it slide out of my sleeve into my hand, turn it on and presto. No need to root through a pack to get at your camera.
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