which camera to bring with me to washington?

[breadbin]

<p>this is sort of like a which camera to buy question but i don't have the perfect 'one' camera so have a few that i use and i would normally bring them all with me. This summer however i'm flying to america and need to bring a light load with me. the cameras i own are<br>

i ahve extra batteries and cards for all of them<br>

<br />canon sd700 is - pocketable, no wide angle, on its last legs i think<br>

pentax k10d - big and bulky, no macro lens but 1.7 50mm indoors?<br>

olympus 7070 - not pocketable but better than dslr, <br>

olympus 8080 -big and bulky, slowish, poor battery life </p>

<p>i am definitely bringing the canon cos its so small and while no wide angle it is a carry everywhere camera and i suppose in case it breaks i need to bring another. i'm tempted to bring the k10d with a 18-55 kit lens but i hate not being able to take macro shots. i have a f1.7 50mm lens too which is lovely but the hassle of bringing a bag around with me. i had it in france and i was raging that i left the 8080 behind. i since bought a 7070 for underwater work and tempted to bring that too.<br>

<br />i suppose this is a personal decision but i don't want to miss out on any shots. its my first time to the states and i want to get the most of the trip. i was even looking at buying a new camera for the job. something like the s100 or more recently the ricoh grd iv! just wondering if anyone has any advice?</p>

[SCL]

<p>Regardless of whether you're going to the State of Washington, or Washington, D.C., I think you will want to have a angle lens, not ultrawide, but say 35mm (film) or 24mm (digital) provides good shots of the scenery and monuments from the proper vantage point. I wouldn't buy a new camera for the trip, but bring what you're comfortable with.</p>

[SCL]

<p>That should have read "wide angle" rather than "a angle"</p>

[allenahale]

<p>Bring the camera and lens combination that you most typically use to take the types of photographs that you normally take UNLESS for some reason this trip presents opportunities to take photograps that you typically do not take. Most likely you will be taking the same types of pictures that you do at and closer to home - the location is different but the subjects are the same. If you are venturing into types of photographs that you do not normally take - you can get more specific recommendations by being more specific i.e. - concert photographs, broad landscapes, birds, wildlife, insects, surveillance ... Best wishes for your holiday, be it Washington State or Washington D.C.</p>

[allenahale]

<p>I did not intend to post a third time</p>

[allenahale]

<p>Sorry - computer kept saying "awaiting reponse"</p>

[breadbin]

<p>sorry for delay but the mobile version was not letting me log in:~ i am thinking this trip will present different photography opportunities for me. i'm going to washington dc and will no doubt head into the museums and stuff so a good low light might be useful. also we don;t have skyscrapers over here either so i am looking forward to seeing these huge buildings. the biggest one in ireland is only about 11 storeys high! thanks for the thoughts</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>edmund - we live near DC, and spend a fair amount of our spare time around this area as well. I'm not sure how long you plan to be spend in DC, where you are staying or whether you are using public transit. Those all make a difference about what you'll see. You are right about having something that's good in low-light for the various Smithsonian museums; and you'll definitely want something with a fairly wide-angle for the monuments on the mall. Spending some time in Alexandria, a revolutionary-war era town just minutes from DC on the metro is a great idea. A 50mm or something like that is good for the buildings and views you'll see there. If I had to cut down on what I brought, I would bring one wide-angle lens (or camera) and one lens in the 50 to 85 range; lots of batteries and lots of film or cards. </p>

<p>And if you are headed here anytime soon you should check the weather. We've got record heat and humidity going on. DC is a walking city - you can easily do miles in a day, so be prepared for the climate regardless of when you are here.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

I'm not sure wht subjects in DC would call for macro that you wouldn't be able to photograph at home some other time. I would travel very light and plan to enjoy Washington while you are there, not by looking at the photos after you get home.

[stemked]

<p>IMHO the 18-55 should cover everything you need. Since the camera has a built in image stabolizer you can shoot indoors at ISO 800 and get your images fine.</p>

[breadbin]

<p>thanks all for the responses. i couldnt decide which to bring and have started looking at getting a better all in one lens for the dslr. i use macro for lots of shots of everything - not just nature but interesting things i notice and if it was a case that i couldnt do macro i am sure macro is all i would want to do;)<br>

<br />i seen there were a few thunderstorms over in washington recently! hope there was not too much damage done. i seen a few people were killed which isnt good. </p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Give some serious thought to the question of exactly why you want to take photos in DC, especially considering that there have already been millions of photos already taken and posted of every possible spot in DC typically seen by tourists, with many of these photos being of very high quality.</p>

<p>If your answer to this question is something as simple and honest as <em>"I want to take memory pix of my family on vacation"</em>, then just bring a nice P&S and don't burden yourself down with a large and heavy kit and enjoy the time with your family. </p>

<p>OTOH, if your primary photographic goal is specific and is not to simply reproduce typical, so-so quality tourist shots, e.g., <em>"be able to take exhibit quality photographs of the famous bonsai at the National Arboretum"</em>, or, <em>"be able to do street photography inside of dark metro stations"</em>, or even, <em>"I want to be able to take and display MY OWN high quality images of famous DC locations",</em> you'll probably be able to easily answer your own question.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p> </p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>Tom - that is such a key question and one that for us has become fundamental when travelling. I'm glad you raised it. Over the past couple of years we have started to ask ourselves that question more when we are getting ready to go somewhere, even if it is just for a day. If we want to have a record of "we were there" that is a whole different requirement from wanting to get the best quality shot for whatever purpose. And it takes the pressure of carrying everything, every day. If we are going someplace special (say, Costa Rica next spring, which we are) we'll likely bring almost everything, but on a daily basis we'll consider what to carry and there will be a day or two when a camera phone will do. I find it makes me appreciate the trip more, and the day after doing that always seems more productive and creative. Its as if the ability to see a shot has been refreshed. </p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Hi David - Probably the real reason I raised the issue is because I've become much more conscious of it myself over the past few years. As you said, sometimes bringing only a camera phone or even a small but decent quality P&S is like a breath of fresh air. </p>

<p>I live just outside of DC. These days, the only time I bring my DSLR kit to town is for work. But, I always leave a old junk P&S in my car, and about a quarter of the time, I throw a high quality P&S (Canon G12) in my brief case, over my shoulder, etc.</p>

<p>Have fun while here, and if you have any detailed questions, don't hesitate to email me.</p>

<p>Best regards,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

[craig_gillette]

<p>Washington DC is chock full of large monumental structures as well as the various monuments and memorials, Also the various museums. You'll likely find that even an 18-55 on an aps-c dslr isn't always wide enough, perhaps not even long enough. The advice to consider the weather conditions and that it's not uncommon for tourists to do a lot of walking in Washington is good, so good, smaller format cameras are not a bad idea. If your uses are primarily screen viewing, etc., then they do quite well. </p>

<p> </p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I work in Washington, D.C. on 7th Street right off Pennsylvania Avenue halfway between the Capitol and White House. Since you mentioned them, first thing is to point out that there are no skyscrapers in Washington. For many years, buildings were restricted by law to be no higher than (I forget which) either the statue on the dome of the Capitol or the top of the Washington Monument. A dozen stories or so are typical for Washington buildings, not 100-story New York skyscrapers.<br /><br />If you are interested in macro, you might check out the Botanical Gardens along Independence Avenue on the west side of the Capitol. Everything from tiny flowers to palm trees growing inside this very large greenhouse. <br /><br />I would bring the Pentax with the kit lens and if you want to travel light leave it at that.<br /><br />One word of caution. The tourist parts of Washington are perfectly safe. But don't walk about with the camera hung over your shoulder, dangling halfway around your back, while gawking at the monuments. I see that every day and I'm amazed that somebody isn't out there grabbing enough cameras to start a camera store.<br>

If you need any photo supplies/gear, go to Penn Camera at the corner of 9th and E Street NW, about three blocks from the National Archives building and right across the street from the FBI headquarters. That's the pro shop here in town. If your DSLR was Nikon or Canon, they would rent you any lens you need.</p>