My Next Purchase!

[cdr116]

So I just want to see what you guys think of what I'm planning on spending 500-600 dollars on because I need gear for going on a 10 day trip to Europe over Spring Break.

First, I'm thinking I'll pick up another 2gb Lexar 300x card so I can have 2 2gb cards so i can take plenty of photos

Second, a 430EX because I lack a flash and I'm thinking I'll be wanting it in the churches and museums and for future use

And Thirdly, to carry all of my gear, a Tamrac Expedition 8 Backpack.
I'm considering this one cuz it's big enough to carry all my gear around with me so that I don't get it stolen in Italy and other places, and it's a backpack so I can easily carry it.

But does anyone know of a cheaper backpack that could carry about as much? Because maybe if I find a slightly cheaper bag I can spring for a 580 rather than a 430EX...

Thanks

[BLWNHR]

Second, a 430EX because I lack a flash and I'm thinking I'll be wanting it in the churches and museums and for future use

From what I understand most churches and museums won't let you use flash. Some won't let you photograph at all. Perhaps better to invest in a fast, wide prime?

[SpecialK]

I would recommend a couple more cards and a 6" mini tripod which you can use to jam the camera against a wall, post or other convenient surface.

[TheWengler]

From what I understand most churches and museums won't let you use flash. Some won't let you photograph at all. Perhaps better to invest in a fast, wide prime?

From my experience, this is correct. Also, some of them won't let you take a bag inside. You'll need to leave it in the cloak room.

[Rhys]

From experience of Italy, a backpack isn't a good idea. There are bagslashers with very sharp knives who'll slice through your bag without you even knowing. There are also distraction robbers that are very good at causing accidents that cause you to separate from your gear.

I would recommend...

A general purpose lens such as the 17-85 IS and a wide-angle such as the 10-22 or 12-24.

I would suggest a camera holster that will take both lenses and I would suggest carrying it in front of you like a belly pouch.

[cdr116]

Thanks everyone for bringing this stuff to my attention

Yeah I was aware of the bagslashers and everything, which is why I was planning on wearing my bag in front of me... But maybe that wont be enough?

And as for the flash, I need it anyway...

So maybe I'll just got for a smaller bag and some other equipment with the money saved from that.

[faisal]

Instead of a 2GB, I'd advice you to go for a 4GB or more....if you plan to shoot in RAW that is...

[TheWengler]

Yeah I was aware of the bagslashers and everything, which is why I was planning on wearing my bag in front of me... But maybe that wont be enough?

You should wear it in front when you're in crowded areas but not all the time. Also, pay attention to what's going on around you. Don't let people distract you.

[Nickcanada]

Most camera backpacks have some serious padding. I don't care how sharp your knife is there is no way I couldn't tell if someone was hacking away at my pack. If you really are worried about it you could buy a rain cover for your pack to mask any vulnerable spots on your pack.

[24Peter]

Man, you guys are the doom and gloom crowd today

I spent three weeks in September traipsing around China with an XT in my shoulder bag and an HD camcorder in my hip pack. I didn't see any bag slashers, daddy killers or mommy rapists. And I even got lost for three hours alone in the Forbidden City. (I've also travelled to Europe and even South Africa in the past without incident.)

Should one be cautious and aware while travelling? Of course. Paranoid? Well that takes a lot of the fun out of it if you ask me...

[michaelb]

In terms of a cheap backpack, for the money, you can't beat the Canon one, IMO. I have a Tamrac, but I wanted a second bag and I just picked up this one about a week ago. You can buy it new for $37 and it holds all the lenses you see in my sig, plus my 40D, filters, hoods, etc. It feels very solid to me; I'm very surprised at how nice it is actually.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Backpack-200EG-Cameras-Greenish/dp/B00009R6TA


For lenses; if your shooting museums, IS would be really nice. I would consider the new 18-55 IS, which you can buy new for $180. This lens gets better reviews than your kit lens and it has IS! You also might consider a 50mm f/1.8. I love my flash (430EX), but I proabably wouldn't even pull it out of my bag on a Europe trip.
Definitely make sure you have enough memory!!
I took a month long driving trip of Western Europe 3 years ago - you'll love it!!!

[Rhys]

Man, you guys are the doom and gloom crowd today

I spent three weeks in September traipsing around China with an XT in my shoulder bag and an HD camcorder in my hip pack. I didn't see any bag slashers, daddy killers or mommy rapists. And I even got lost for three hours alone in the Forbidden City. (I've also travelled to Europe and even South Africa in the past without incident.)

Should one be cautious and aware while travelling? Of course. Paranoid? Well that takes a lot of the fun out of it if you ask me...

China is somewhat different. The Chinese need to be on their best behaviour as did the Russians under Soviet rule or they get incarcerated without trial.

Western Europe and countries formerly in the USSR are a bit different as theft etc is now seen as a legitimate career.

[njoy_az]

...
Western Europe and countries formerly in the USSR are a bit different as theft etc is now seen as a legitimate career.

I have been to most EU countries (except the more recent eastern ones) and never had any problems. :rolleyes:

[cdr116]

Okay well I already have a 2gb Lexar CF card, would one more (but faster speed) be good enough, or would I need to go for a 4gb along with my 2?

And the 50mm 1.8... is it good quality? Because I'm hesitant about it only being $90...
How is the focus speed on the 1.8?

[TheWengler]

Okay well I already have a 2gb Lexar CF card, would one more (but faster speed) be good enough, or would I need to go for a 4gb along with my 2?

And the 50mm 1.8... is it good quality? Because I'm hesitant about it only being $90...
How is the focus speed on the 1.8?

Are you shooting RAW or jpeg? The 50mm is good for the money. What cities are you going to?

[cdr116]

I normally shoot Jpeg, but I'm thinking RAW for this trip.

I've got slightly over $500 USD to spend, so with the 430EX, sto-fen diffuser and 50mm 1.8 I'll have about 200 dollars left over.

And so I could go for a 4gb card and still have 80$ or so.

[cdr116]

Okay I've got it figured out. Tell me what you think:


430EX
Sto-Fen Diffuser
50mm 1.8
4GB 300x UDMA CF Card

for $467 at Samys.com

and have about $100 for spending money while there

I love samys...

So what do you think of that?

[Rhys]

I normally shoot Jpeg, but I'm thinking RAW for this trip.

I've got slightly over $500 USD to spend, so with the 430EX, sto-fen diffuser and 50mm 1.8 I'll have about 200 dollars left over.

And so I could go for a 4gb card and still have 80$ or so.

Don't waste your money on a Stofen. Buy a pack of 6x4 white notecard and a couple of the scrunchies girlies use in their hair. Et voila you now have what the press uses. It works just as well as a stofen but a ton cheaper.

Your 430EX will cost $240 new at B&H or a 580 will cost $360. I'd go for the 580, personally.

Memory cards at Newegg are the cheapest you'll get. 4GB Compact Flash is just $15 at newegg (A-data). I'd load up with that if I were you. In fact I might well load up with a few of those to take my photos and data to my parents house.

[cdr116]

Don't waste your money on a Stofen. Buy a pack of 6x4 white notecard and a couple of the scrunchies girlies use in their hair. Et voila you now have what the press uses. It works just as well as a stofen but a ton cheaper.

Your 430EX will cost $240 new at B&H or a 580 will cost $360. I'd go for the 580, personally.

Memory cards at Newegg are the cheapest you'll get. 4GB Compact Flash is just $15 at newegg (A-data). I'd load up with that if I were you. In fact I might well load up with a few of those to take my photos and data to my parents house.


How can they be selling 4gb cards that are at all good quality for 15 dollars though?

And the sto-fen is only 20 bucks..

[Rhys]

How can they be selling 4gb cards that are at all good quality for 15 dollars though?

And the sto-fen is only 20 bucks..

A piece of white card is less than 1 cent.

Heck - they sell 32GB at $135. They're what they call "speedy". Mostly by A-Data but Transcend is cheapest of the 8GB cards at $39.

Reviews indicate it can be slow - too slow for fast burst photography - but it's fine for me. Then the figures say it's 60x so up to you whether 60x is too slow.

[njoy_az]

I normally shoot Jpeg, but I'm thinking RAW for this trip.

I've got slightly over $500 USD to spend, so with the 430EX, sto-fen diffuser and 50mm 1.8 I'll have about 200 dollars left over.

And so I could go for a 4gb card and still have 80$ or so.

Imho a Ultra II should be quite sufficient if you want to get a brand name. 4GB (approx. 400-440 RAWs) go for €27 (about US$40) around here. In the US the prices seem to be quite a bit higher (considering that they are just netto prices and don't come with 19% VAT included) :eek:.

No need to get anything more expensive, as your camera is the bottleneck speedwise. I would either get plenty of flash (as Rhys suggested) or take one of the larger (hdd-based) ipods / image tank / laptop etc to store your photos. An image tank runs about €100 for 80GB here. At Amazon.com they seem to start at about US$130 for 80GB.

[Rhys]

Imho a Ultra II should be quite sufficient if you want to get a brand name. 4GB (approx. 400-440 RAWs) go for €27 (about US$40) around here. In the US the prices seem to be quite a bit higher (considering that they are just netto prices and don't come with 19% VAT included) :eek:.

No need to get anything more expensive, as your camera is the bottleneck speedwise. I would either get plenty of flash (as Rhys suggested) or take one of the larger (hdd-based) ipods / image tank / laptop etc to store your photos. An image tank runs about €100 for 80GB here. At Amazon.com they seem to start at about US$130 for 80GB.

Damn... 19% VAT. We were appalled when Thatcher mugged the country by raising VAT from 15% to 17.5%.

In the US, it's a bit strange. In most states anything mail or internet ordered from another state is tax free. Orders from the same state are taxed however.

[njoy_az]

Damn... 19% VAT. We were appalled when Thatcher mugged the country by raising VAT from 15% to 17.5%.


Yup, highway robbery it is. We went from 16% to 19% VAT. :eek: :mad:

[shrike]

Re the backpack issue, I also have the Canon one and it served me well on the family trip to Maui last week. Even got rained on and let no water in at all. Just go inside the outer pocket and make a small slice in the fabric, get a pair of pliers and wrangle off the CANON - aka "steal me" badge and you're good to go.

[michaelb]

Okay I've got it figured out. Tell me what you think:


430EX
Sto-Fen Diffuser
50mm 1.8
4GB 300x UDMA CF Card

for $467 at Samys.com

and have about $100 for spending money while there

I love samys...

So what do you think of that?

I have the Stofen and I think its worth it.

You shouldn't spend more than $30 on your 4GB CF card; not worth it IMO.

I still think you should consider the 18-55 IS; I would use this alot more than the 430EX on a Europe trip.

[Rhys]

I have the Stofen and I think its worth it.

You shouldn't spend more than $30 on your 4GB CF card; not worth it IMO.

I still think you should consider the 18-55 IS; I would use this alot more than the 430EX on a Europe trip.

I wouldn't spend more than the bare minimum on any memory card - not when they're constantly being upgraded and replaced.

[Vich]

I agree with Rhys about memory. I can get 2GB 40x cards at Microtimes (generic) for about $15. They will perform identically. Also; 4GB total is really nothing for such a trip. I'd want about 16GB and a card wallet to keep them organized.

Last time I went museum shooting I took just the body and a fast prime (35 f1.4) and was really happy with the results. The 50 f1.8 would work just as well I'm guessing. A few shots were blurry, but overall I just kept SS above 40 and leaned on posts, etc.

IS is nice but if that sticks you with f4 or so, that sort of mitigates the benefit. Besides; the shots looked far artsier with the intense blurring of f1.4.

As for a backpack - I know nothing about wandering EU but a shoulder bag would seem a lot simpler. Get insurance for the trip, keep your memory cards on your person, and don't worry about it beyond reasonable precautions.

[michaelb]

Skip the 430 EX for the trip unless you have Sarkozy and his new "girlfriend" lined up for a portrait session. :D

[cdr116]

Thanks for all the feedback

And again, the 430 is mainly just for me to use on things other than the trip, I want to get started with some flash photography.

About the CF card... I have a fear of buying really cheap non-brand name products because I fear they'll be faulty. I just don't want to buy a couple 4gb or something and have them take days to load onto my computer....

[cdr116]

What about this instead of a CF card and just load my photos on to it at the end of each day on the trip?

Would I be able to put photos on it straight from my camera so that I didn't need to bring my entire laptop to Europe with me?

Here's the link to it: http://www.samys.com/product_detail.php?item=11288

[njoy_az]

What about this instead of a CF card and just load my photos on to it at the end of each day on the trip?

Would I be able to put photos on it straight from my camera so that I didn't need to bring my entire laptop to Europe with me?

Here's the link to it: http://www.samys.com/product_detail.php?item=11288

That is just a external USB hdd. I was thinking more in line of s.th. like that (as you do not need access to a computer to use it):

http://www.amazon.com/Wolverine-Data-7060-FlashPac-Portable/dp/B0007WLI0M