TECHNOLOGY - CAMERAS

 
Cameras
 
A camera is essential for those passenger’s who want to capture highlight of their cruises to share with others and to have lasting memories that will last a lifetime.
 
With each passing year the number of cameras continues to grow.
 
You can find cameras in all different sized, with a wide range of capabilities and at different pricing.
 
There are different types of Cameras to choose.
 
Smart Phone
 
With each passing year smart phones can offer camera capabilities with increasing levels of quality.  The upside is that they are easy to carry with you and you don’t have to remember to take a camera with you.  They have limitations including the inability to take photos at great distances, and limits to how much control you have over the camera.
 
Point & Shoot
 
These cameras come in different sizes.  Some come small enough to fit into your pocket while others are fairly large.  They offer most people a camera with as many capabilities as they will require and a simplified approach to taking photos without many of the bells and whistles that most people never make use of in the first place.

DSLR
 
These cameras also range in capabilities with some of these cameras being used by professional photographers.  These cameras provide the ability to take photos using automatic capabilities or the ability to take photos in a manual mode or even the ability to combine both automatic and manual capabilities. They also offer the opportunity to change out lenses.
 
Choosing the right camera for use can be very daunting and even more challenging then selecting your first cruise.
 
When we are getting ready to make a new camera purchase we have found that an excellent source of information is DPREVIEW.  This site can be found at:


http://www.dpreview.com
 
This site provides a list of most existing cameras and often provides a review and comments from users of the camera.  It also provides easy capabilities to search for a new camera whether based on camera type of manufacturer and it also provides a simple method to compare the capabilities for several cameras side-to-side.  It provides the prices of cameras and other equipment along with some places where the cameras and components can be purchased.
 
Once you narrow down your choices, we recommend that if possible you look for the actual camera(s) in the store even if your eventual plan is to order them on-line.  This allows you to hold each camera and get a close up look at each one.  We recognize each camera has a different feel and touch and this varies by person because each of us has hands and even fingers of varying size. 
 
We like taking photos so depending on the length and itinerary of a voyage we bring two or more cameras with us. This includes a point and shoot camera that fits into our pocket or purse for taking photos on the ship such as at one of the on-board restaurants.  In ports where safety of valuables is a concern, we will use this type of camera to safely secure it and because it is far less expensive then our DSLR cameras. 
 
In the vast majority of ports we take our DSLR with us.  We also bring a few lenses with us such as a telephoto lens and a wide angles lens and even a fixed lens and vary which lens we are using based on the specific photos we plan to take.