Caring for a camera on holiday

humanji

I was just looking for some advice on bringing my camera on holiday. I'm heading off to south america and I have a brand spanking new SLR that I want to bring along (and not destroy in the process ). So I was just wondering about any advice on taking care of it while I'm there. I'll be in the rainforests so humidity will be a factor. I've been told that I should pop the camera into a sealed plastic bag and let it climatise for a few hours before I use it. Is this a good idea, and is there any more advice?

FreeAnd..

possibly lots of silicon gel too for your bag compartments and lenses. Do you have a good padded bag for carrying it around? I have been wondering about sealable plastic bags too and would like to hear from anyone who knows more. I am trying to get a nice set up for all my gear for heading off too..anyone know if it is easy to get ziplock plastic bags (all sizes) around Dublin?

besides that i cant really offer too much more, the way i would look at it is - if anything happens to the camera, then thats life. Just do as much to make it as safe as possible..What kind of camera is it? Have you got it insured?

rymus

insuring it would be top priority. I think the plastic bag idea is a good one, sorry I didnt have a few ziploc bags when I went to Canada earlier this year.

Glowing

You can get good quality large ziplock bags in Tesco - in the food storage section. They're great for all sorts of things - clothes, washing powder, guidebooks etc!

Borderfox

Tough conditions for a slr, maybe get one of the sensor cleaners or never take the lens off when away. Get a padded bag that doesnt look like a camera bag.

event

so, has anyone any experience of those bags?

was looking ata few of them, like these ones

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_8&products_id=21
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_8&products_id=22
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_8&products_id=20

would any of those be any good?

just for my digital camera on holidays

Zillah

My solution:

8 year old backpack + hoody + camera = Perfectly safe camera.

Now, if I was lugging around extra lenses and things its a bit different.

leinsterman

I spent several months travelling in South America ... in fact it was the people I met on this trip that fuelled my interest in Photography and led to the purchase of my first SLR ... in a second hand Canon EOS 500 in Buenos Aires ... after I had dropped a point and shoot Canon Sureshot 400 into a live volcano!!

It is a big place with very diverse climates and cultures so a lot will depend on where and when you are going ... a couple of pointers ...

• Security - you will hear all sorts of negative stuff about South America but I had zero problems in 3 months covering 25,000KM excepting a friend having her Oakley's taken off her head outside the Maracana football stadium in Rio ... nevertheless - get it insured, keep it out of view when not in use (although I found Chile, Argentina, rural Brazil, Uruguay OK security wise and regularly held it in my hand with the strapped wrapped on my wrist ... Paraguay, Brazilain cities now that was different ... I'd be extra careful there ... I have to confess to occasionally leaving my SLR in my tent ). Remember in some of the poorer places you are carrying a years wages in your hand... be discreet, if it looks dodgy then it probably is!!
• If you are going remote (and it is very easy to do this in South America) bring lots of batteries or in may case I had the battery grip in the 20d since it allows use of AA batteries
• Bring a digital point and shoot that fit in your pocket for evenings on the town ... and leave the SLR in the Hotel safe (only need to do this where your instincts tell you) ... or better still get one of those waterproof Sony point and shoots ... great for under water stuff (we did a snorkel in the river Sicuri near Bonito .. amazing under water experience)
• Camera equipment does not like sudden temperature changes ... it causes condensation ... so if possible acclimatise your camera before opening the case (e.g. by leaving it outside)
• Bring a full cleaning kit ... including something like a Copperhill kit for CCD cleaning ... and clean your camera often (and your ccd when needed)
• If you are photographing people ... ask ... and then show ... and offer a few bob if appropriate (it can cause offence but some of the people you will meet are very poor) ... even 20c can mean a lot .. you'd be surprised the number of people who lack this simple level of respect and many poeple will agree and then ignore you and continue whatever they are doing ... producing better results ...
• Never, ever, ever shoot a policeman or a military person or the places where they hang out ... especially in the favellas in Brazil ...
• If you are going to places that will be dusty or damp then bring a plastic bag and some elastic bands and put your camera in a makeshift protection device ... or just buy the one that is available for your camera ...
• Finally - Don't drop your camera into a live volcano on the second week of a three month trip and then scab the use of your travel companion's camera for the following month ... cameras do not respond well to volcanoes!! ... but do hike to the top of the Villarica volcano near Pukon in Chile if you are going there ... amazing ...

If you do need to buy a camera on your trip then the best place to buy is the dodgy duty free shops over the Brazil border bridge in Paraguay near Iguassu (Ciudad Del Este), dodgy shops with grey market gear cheaper than EBAY but be careful of buying seconds!! ... and one final bit of advice ... if you do just one thing in Brazil then see the Iguassu falls and do the helicopter ride!! - here's only a very small part of the reason why -

humanji

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll let you know how it works out (ie how I screw it up. The volcano sounds like my kind of cock up )