Going to Europe in Oct. Need some advice...

[matt_foringer]

<p>So my Wife and I are traveling to London then Paris then Scotland in mid October and I need some advice on what to do about the following situation.<br />We plan on taking the following cameras:<br />Samsung TL320 (very nice little camera with amoled screen)<br />An old Canon AE-1 Program with multiple lenses<br>

Now my wife hates the TL320 and doesn't know how to use the Canon. So I'm half tempted to pick up another camera for her. But I've also been told I should pick up a camcorder for the trip. I really can't see myself going back and reviewing hours of video of our trip versus the enjoyment I'll get out of all the photos we will take. So I was originally thinking I should spend a good amount of money on a camcorder, I'm now thinking I should go with a nicer camera for the wifey. Will we be missing out on not taking a camcorder? Sure our cameras have video options but should we at least pick something up? Like maybe the Flip HD? I think the Flip might be redundant with what the cameras will already be able to do.<br />I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that I'm not going to screw up without having a camcorder. Oh and I could use some suggestions on cameras, thinking of going with the Panasonic lumix DMC-ZS7.<br>

I appreciate the help!<br>

Thanks,<br>

Matt</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>whatever you do, wear all backpacks/camera bags on your front, not back. Put your wallet in a front pocket, preferrably a front shirt pocket that buttons. A pickpocket can ruin a vacation.</p>

[philipward]

Are you sure the wifey is into photography?.

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>I'd strongly suggest to let her choose. Something that fits her hands, her way of working. And maybe she likes video, maybe not. Others cannot tell you that.<br>

Likewise, whether you miss video or not, only you can tell. Personally, I never saw the need to have a video of a street, square, church interior etc. One or 2 good photos do the same, and I much more enjoy the process of making those. To each his/her own.</p>

<p>London and Scotland in october - be sure to have rainproof places for the gear too :-)</p>

[nodpete]

To add to what Nathan said, I put a rubber band around my wallet and passports and put them in my front pocket. The rubber bands make it quite difficult to remove the items.

[charlesheckel]

<p>The worst place for pickpockets is the Paris Metro, but overburdened and often distracted tourists are fair game anywhere. Whatever you carry you're going to have to be responsible for, so I favor traveling light--perhaps a quality point-and-shoot with a long zoom, such as the Canon G series. Passports and large denominations belong in a money belt under your clothes, and the point-and-shoot is best on a long strap under your coat. There is a gadget called a Pac-Safe that's quite light, encloses stealable stuff in a cocoon of something like aircraft cable, and can be locked to immovable objects. In case of emergency, you want photocopies of your ID, your passport, and your airline tickets in a separate location such as a suitcase.</p>

[phule]

<p>[[i guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that I'm not going to screw up without having a camcorder.]]</p>

<p>Well, as everyone approaches their own travels differently, I'm not sure how that's going to work. Some people love shooting video, others do not. </p>

<p>You've already stated that you don't see yourself reviewing the footage from your trip, so you need to ask yourself: what does video give me that I have to have it for this trip <strong>and</strong> it has to be with a dedicated device? Are you going to be standing around with a tripod and the video camera and a crew of 20 people shooting some beautiful production? Or are you going to be forcing your friends to sit through 3 hours of the "Blair Witch Project 2: European Vacation" when you return in order to justify buying a video camera? ;)</p>

<p>Will you remember the trip, or will you just remember /recording/ the trip? </p>

[tonmestrom]

<p>As for your idea, Panasonic makes very nice compacts, so do a lot of others, Not much chance of going wrong there. If you're not into video you're not into video. Period!</p>

<p>As for Europe, it's a big place but although all the well intended advice might give you the idea that it's quite unsafe overall it's allright provided you use your common sense. Take the Paris Metro for instance, while there are indeed pickpockets, as Charles suggests, it's no worse than most other cities. For many years I've spent a lot of time in the Paris Metro while carrying 35 mm and MF camera's in plain sight. I've never had a single problem. Just make sure you don't stick out like a sore thumb like carrying your backpack at your front (sorry Nathan). Take a cheap and/or tatty looking one instead.</p>

<p>Wouter is right, you should expect rain. However, all these places are great to visit in all weather conditions. Have a great trip.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[photo5]

<p>Travel light travel light, repeat after me, travel light! I'm a firm believer in this. If I were you, I'd leave the Canon AE-1 and several lenses at home, and just shoot digital. My wife and I went to London two years ago and I brought my Nikon D300, a 16-85mm lens, a Sigma 10-20mm lens, and a Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D lens as well as a Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens. I used the 16-85mm most of the time, and only used the 50mm at the airport (in Seattle and London), and the 10.5mm was used in some museums. I loved the Sigma 10-20mm in the British Museum but otherwise I only used it for a couple days out of the 10 days we spent in London. I also brought a little Panasonic point and shoot with a very useful 25mm wide angle zoom lens, and this camera also could shoot 720p video, but the sound that came with that video was horrible, and <strong>I wish I had brought with us a proper video camera</strong>. If I were to go again, I'd bring the Nikon D7000 which is both camera and HD video in one, and bring only the 16-85mm, 35mm 1.8, and 10.5mm DX fisheye lenses, leaving the wide 10-24mm zoom at home. I'd also bring my Nikon P6000 for those times when I wouldn't want to whip out the big SLR, like in tube stations and on the top level of London busses (the best view of London is from the front row on the top floor of a London bus).<br /> We stayed in an apartment in South Kensington, and while it was a little bit more expensive that the hotel we were going to stay in at Bayswater, we really liked the conveniences of South Kensington, having three tube lines including the Picadilly Line, available at the tube station just 10 minutes walk from our apartment. We had the time of our lives and I can't wait to go back!<br /> <br />We had planned a night in Paris but before we left they had the fire in the tunnel, so we canceled that part and spent the weekend in London, and went to the Portobello Road Antique Market on Saturday morning and had a blast.<br /> <br /> <img src="http://hull534.smugmug.com/photos/382425948_tkXX8-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="532" /><br /> Yours truly walking across the zebra stripe in front of Abbey Road studios...the wife at the controls of the D300...</p>

[bmm]

<p>Nathan (and Don/Charles) - with respect you are kidding right? I live in Paris and catch metros every day. Putting a backback on ones front is the surest way of screaming out 'look at me I'm a tourist, I'm carrying valuables and by the way I'm scared as hell at all the myths about this place being full of thieves'.</p>

<p>To most people it makes you a joke and to the few you do have to be worried about it makes you a big huge target.</p>

<p>Safety here, like everywhere, is 99.999% about <strong>not being noticed</strong>. Backpacks on fronts, big wire/lock arrangements all over you, bum-bags/'fanny-packs' (as Americans call them), obvious camera bags rather than small generic bags, getting wallets or passports out of socks or hidden pockets rather than where they should normally be, and of course non-neutral clothing (especially tourist or sporting clothing from another place) makes you noticeable. And therefore more at risk.</p>

<p>So again if I were allowed a 'golden rule' about this it would be - 'does this (supposed) security precaution draw attention to me or differentiate me in any way from others?' And if the answer is even slightly 'perhaps' then it is counter-productive and should not be done. Around eight million Parisian catch at least one return trip on the metro every single day; all with wallets, credit cards, jewellery, laptops and various other goods. I can assure you that none of them do this silly stuff to stay safe. Real safety is simply about being one of the eight million.</p>

<p>I'm sorry to be countering so directly but I cannot feel more strongly about this and every day I shake my head at the ridiculous stuff I see. People thinking they are mitigating risk actually putting themselves at more risk. And also more generally how obvious it is that people are worried/scared when they should be enjoying their holiday with a free and easy mind about these things. And that counts not only for my home city of Paris but for all the other places in Europe, Middle-East and Asia that I travel to regularly. Oh and by the way whats with the distinction between safety and petty theft in Europe against the USA? This continent in fact is far safer than the one most of you live in every day.</p>

<p>Just to finish on the original post, I recently got my wife a Canon S90 as an advanced P&S. Its a mighty good little camera, great fun to use, good images, and lots of flexibility. If I was wanting to travel with a compact only, I'd get it (or its successor the S95) without hesitation.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>I agree totally with B M Mills.</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>One more point I would like to raise:</p>

<p>It seems that in 90% of the cases where Americans say that they are going to England, London is always the destination (and Paris in France).<br>

I know the British Isles are small relative to the US but there is a lot more to see than London.</p>

 

[jaybee]

<p>Add me to the list of people who agrees with B M Mills. The key to being safe and protecting your belongings is being aware of your surroundings. I've found this to be true for both domestic and international locations.</p>

<p>The last time my wife and I went to Italy, I decided I didn't want to bother with a DSLR, so I bought a Canon G10. There were only a couple of times when I missed my other camera, but don't regret what I did.</p>

<p>P.S. to Dave Lee: Crossing the zebra stripe at Abbey Road is a really cool thing to be able to do. We were lucky that we did it with a walking tour, so we were able to get someone in the group to take a picture of my wife and me crossing at the same time.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>I also agree with B M Mills. Don't draw attention to yourself as a target. The best defence against pickpockets is to know how they operate. They usually work in gangs and in crowded places.Paris Metro is typical but the place isn't crawling with them so you would be unlucky to come across them. Most travellers are just ordinary weary commuters who want to get from A to B as quickly as possible.</p>

<p>One ploy is to distract you - maybe someone pushes in front of you just as the doors open to the train or drops something in front of you. Then a couple of others act like the crowd behind and push in behind. That is when the pickpocket can take your wallet out and pass it quickly to someone on the edge of the crowd who disappears fast.</p>

<p>The defence is to not get too crowded. If a train is full let it go and wait. If you feel crowded get out quick. Keep your valuables - passport, money etc in an inside pocket, preferably buttoned or zipped.</p>

<p>As for the camera - just take whatever you and your wife feel happiest with. Europe is not too different from any other places you are likely to photograph.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Wow, he's going to London, not Newark. I've been to Europe a bunch of times, taking subways, walking around at night alone, and I've never had my pocket picked. I always wear my backpack on my back, too.</p>

<p>My rule for subways (metros) is not too crowded but DEFINITELY NOT EMPTY. If you are in a crowded car, someone can try to steal your wallet. You can foil that threat by keeping your most valuable cards, ID, money, etc. in a money belt. But if you are on an EMPTY subway car, you are a prime target for a MUGGING. A money belt isn't going to save you if you're mugged.</p>

<p>The train from CDG airport to Paris runs through some bad neighborhoods, so be careful if you take it. I prefer busses. The express trains from Heathrow to London are excellent, or you can take the subway. It's not bad, but watch your belongings as you would on any subway.</p>

[ben_pike]

<p>France should be safe as they are in the process of deporting all their thieves back to Eastern Europe.</p>

[mike l]

<p>I've travelled a fair bit and now go cheap and lightweight, certainly wouldn't take more than one camera lens. With too much gear I find I miss enjoying the experience of being there. If it's cheap I'm not paranoid about it being stolen or damaged. Usually I walk around with a shoulder bag (manbag!) containing the camera stuff so it's easy to get at when needed.</p>

[matt_foringer]

 

<p>Thanks for all the responses guys! I went with the panasonic DMC-ZS7 for the wife and she loves it!<br>

To everyone who has chimed in on pickpocketers and general crime. My father told me once to always keep eyes in the back of my head, and never drive over stuff in the road (He was an Ex convoy driver in Vietnam). I never let my guard down, if it were the states, I'd also be carrying (not a camera).<br>

I will make sure to not step into an empty subway car, and I'll make sure not to wear "Loud" clothing (wasn't planning on it anyway). I do have a daypack I plan on carrying with me at all times. But it will be filled with stuff that can be replaced. I also bought a scottevest that looks to be a pickpocketers nightmare. <br>

So I assume we'll be fine.<br>

Oh, decided to not worry about video. The panasonic does well enough video.</p>

 

 

<p>Thanks again,<br>

Matt</p>

[charlesheckel]

<p>B M,<br>

I agree that most of the Parisians I saw on the Metro know how to take care of themselves. They are aware of the dangers of theft, say nothing to others, and keep their heads down and a close eye on their belongings. I'm not surprised you feel that blending in with this security-conscious behavior is a good way to keep secure.<br>

Likewise, Italians in Rome know about the well-dressed gents on the 69 bus which is usually full of tourists, and never leave their gear unattended in the overhead racks on trains where it can easily be stolen. And in the same way, I can get around in my own city unmolested--the people who have a problem there are typically Japanese tourists who are used to neighborhoods with a very low crime rate. <br>

I don't keep a particularly high profile, but I don't try to persuade myself that my haircut, my clothing, and my accent don't mark me as a non-native and a potential target regardless of what I do. And with my looks and charm, I'm unfortunately going to stand out wherever I go.<br>

Finally, if I'm a tourist who has to travel heavy, as opposed to a native who can travel light, I will indeed invest in aircraft cabling around expensive gear inside a knapsack so I can lock it in place as needed and don't have to worry about it 24/7. As you feel strongly about conspicuousness, relax a little--it's not that easy to spot. ;-)</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>Where was the question about safety and pickpockets? I missed that.</p>