I will be travelling to Europe for a couple weeks at the end of August and i need to decide which camera(s) to bring with me.
The trip is going to be mostly hiking and biking, and possibly some boating along the coast. Last year we did a trip like this and i brought my canon T2i and basic walk about lens (17-85mm). I swore i would not do this again - it rained a fair bit and some of the terrain was kinda rough meaning that i really had to put the camera away and use both hands to get around. Plus the light was iffy and in the end, i generally went with auto iso as i just didn't have time to keep adjusting the settings and still keep up with our group.
In the spring after a fair bit of research i got an Olympus TGII - waterproof, tough - some ability to control the settings - but still a point and shoot with no ability to work in RAW.
I also have a sony nex7 - a fabulous mirror less camera. I have the kit lens (18-55) plus a tamron zoom (17-200).
We are very limited as to what luggage we can bring - i will have one small suitcase and one carry on and i need to bring two weeks worth of clothes as well!
So - what to do?
Option 1 - the canon and the olympus - i would love to have the canon with me... but i now have a 70D and it's quite a bit heavier than the T2i.
Option 2 - the sony and the olympus - this probably makes the most sense, but i've been spoiled by having a fabulous 18-55 f2.8 cannon lens for the canon - neither of my sony lenses come close.
I am thinking of going with option 2, although i'm having a tough time wrapping my head around this. My canon is my go to camera for anything i want to do that is more than just "walking around".
One other possibility is to get a really good quality lens for the sony. Not sure what's out there that makes sense - there doesn't seem to be huge amounts of choice. There are a couple in the 16-70mm or 24-70mm range that seem to be good quality. High priced tho, and one doesn't seem to be easily available.
Having just come back from two weeks in England, I got very tired of lugging around my Canon 60D. I also had my Sony Nex6 with me, equipped with my 55-210 mm zoom. Truthfully most of the Sony pictures were just as good as the Canon. When I go to Italy in November, I'm taking the Sony and maybe a couple of other lens. This little camera truly amazes me sometimes. I've even contemplated getting the Nex7 but probably more sensible to get a wide angle and maybe a 50mm for the 6. It sounds like a great trip -- don't weigh yourself down with cameras!
For 2 weeks ?-i'll probably shut myself off from 365 and just have FUN,FUN,FUN - enjoy my vacation,relaaaaxx,sleeep,EAT plus quality time w/ family!!:)
I would go with Option 2 or any option that is not ruining my trip and over burdening me. In the end, you want to enjoy the trip, first, and make good pics, second. Right?
I know it is not on your list of options but I love my Canon Powershot ELPH when I simply can not lug an SLR .It takes quality images and has fun settings..shoots in mono,fish eye,tilt shift..etc..I took it with me to Seattle and was happy with what I was able to shoot. AND it fits in your pocket!
Hypothetical solution that I don't necessarily endorse and recommend you do plenty of research, but did you know you can fit your 17-55mm f/2.8 (and most other Canon lenses) on your Sony with an adapter and retain IS, autofocus, etc.?
Autofocus is very slow and there are a few other niggles, but depending on what you want to shoot, these may or may not cause an issue, and is a cheap alternative to getting a great lens on a compact camera.
Otherwise, the Sony 18-105mm f/4 PZ lens is a bit more reasonably priced than the other two you are looking at, but still a nice step up from the kit lens, and covers a good range for a travel lens:
You'll see some reviews mention distortion, which is true, but it's more of an issue for video work -- for stills, all the NEX cameras automatically fix the distortion in JPEG, and you can fix it in post on raw files as per any other lens. My Mum uses this lens and it produces very respectable results.
I would be worried that the 24-70 would be limiting at the wide end for landscape work, but you know best whether you tend to use focal lengths wider than this frequently.
I probably would steer clear of taking the 70D unless you expect to be taking action shots, as space and weight is constrained.
What will you dowith the photo's after your trip? If you only want to use them for yourself/us and not for example 'selling' then I would definitely go for the most easy option. A little point and shoot camera sounds suitable in your sportive conditions to come! :)
@joemuli yeah... i'll probably forego 365 whilst away... but not the camera... must have camera!
@mzzhope tx Hope... my Olympus can likely do much of what the Elph can... just that i really struggle when i don't have full control...
@abirkill - tx Alexis... i will look into that lens... i'm really thinking that this time around i'll bring the sony instead of the canon - but i'd love to have some decent glass for it... and indeed, i do like the flexibility of having some wide angle, so would definitely prefer 18 over 24 :)
@blueberry1222 - tx Krista... sadly, my T2i has gone belly-up (the reason i now have the 70D)... the 70D + 17-55mm f/2.8 + behemoth
@mbrunner - tempting, but i don't think i could limit myself with a prime... we won't be close to switzerland i'm afraid, or i'd definitely let you know!
@stimuloog - that of course is the right answer from the rational perspective, but just not sure i could content myself with only a point and shoot at this point...
@lynnilou tx Lynn - like i said... first world problems ;p
@catwoman2 - yes - i think this is going to be the answer... just looking up lenses to see what options are available and what makes the most sense... i agree that the quality of the nex is generally excellent... i don't love this camera as much as the canon, but i think that's more my fault than the camera's...
@espyetta - uhm... uhm... can i get back to you on that? ;p
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB-EF-E-BM4
Autofocus is very slow and there are a few other niggles, but depending on what you want to shoot, these may or may not cause an issue, and is a cheap alternative to getting a great lens on a compact camera.
Otherwise, the Sony 18-105mm f/4 PZ lens is a bit more reasonably priced than the other two you are looking at, but still a nice step up from the kit lens, and covers a good range for a travel lens:
http://store.sony.ca/e-mount-e-pz-18-105mm-f4-g-oss-zid31-SELP18105G/cat-31-catid-All-Alpha-E-Mount-Lenses
You'll see some reviews mention distortion, which is true, but it's more of an issue for video work -- for stills, all the NEX cameras automatically fix the distortion in JPEG, and you can fix it in post on raw files as per any other lens. My Mum uses this lens and it produces very respectable results.
I would be worried that the 24-70 would be limiting at the wide end for landscape work, but you know best whether you tend to use focal lengths wider than this frequently.
I probably would steer clear of taking the 70D unless you expect to be taking action shots, as space and weight is constrained.
Enjoy your holidays, should you be close to Switzerland let me know
@mzzhope tx Hope... my Olympus can likely do much of what the Elph can... just that i really struggle when i don't have full control...
@abirkill - tx Alexis... i will look into that lens... i'm really thinking that this time around i'll bring the sony instead of the canon - but i'd love to have some decent glass for it... and indeed, i do like the flexibility of having some wide angle, so would definitely prefer 18 over 24 :)
@blueberry1222 - tx Krista... sadly, my T2i has gone belly-up (the reason i now have the 70D)... the 70D + 17-55mm f/2.8 + behemoth
@mbrunner - tempting, but i don't think i could limit myself with a prime... we won't be close to switzerland i'm afraid, or i'd definitely let you know!
@stimuloog - that of course is the right answer from the rational perspective, but just not sure i could content myself with only a point and shoot at this point...
@lynnilou tx Lynn - like i said... first world problems ;p
@catwoman2 - yes - i think this is going to be the answer... just looking up lenses to see what options are available and what makes the most sense... i agree that the quality of the nex is generally excellent... i don't love this camera as much as the canon, but i think that's more my fault than the camera's...
@espyetta - uhm... uhm... can i get back to you on that? ;p