Camera type for Peru

SK101

Hi ,

I am heading to Peru soon for 6 weeks of travelling but I am stuck between purchasing a DLSR (Nikon D3200) or a GoPro.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

sarkozy

Get your camera insured in case (preferably on house insurance).

Don't buy a camera for a holiday. You'll be spending money, so think beyond that about what else you'll use it for.

The choice between a DSLR and a GoPro strikes me as very odd. There are so many other sizes and levels of cameras between those two. You may end up very happy opting for a good quality compact or a micro-four-thirds camera with interchangeable lens.

DSLRs are bulky (not necessarily heavy, though my Canon 5D is heavy). Maybe that's not something you want. You might want something more discrete. If image quality is what you want, obviously DSLRs are best, but perhaps you also want something quite discrete, which would mean going for a different option.

GoPros are very basic and not designed for photos so much.

Gatica

We got a Sony NEX-5N for our honeymoon. It was the perfect balance between picture quality and control over shots, and the weight/size of the camera. The lens is interchangeable, so we have a wide angle lens and a zoom lens. It's really good for night-time shots, panoramas, and fast shooting... Would defo recommend it.
Much much lighter than a DSLR and for the number of controls available on it, it suits us just as well, considering we're not professional.

Rew

Still quality of a gopro isn't great so if your looking for a stills camera look else where. If you looking for mainly video its a good option.

Corkbah

gopro is great for video and wide-angle.... fantastic little thing.

however, you may need to actually learn about cameras/photography BEFORE you purchase....I mean...whats the point in spending a couple of hundred on a camera when you cant get the best out of it.

if you simply want to take holiday snaps - get a compact - these days you can pick up a very good one for €100-250, if you want more control over the exposure (most cameras do fine on program/auto mode) then buy a bridge/micro four-thirds or DSLR camera.

buying a camera is like buying clothes - its important to get one that you are comfortable with, something that feels right when you have it on you and something which can take photos wherever you want (the camera - not the clothes)

buying a fancy camera is no guarantee to taking better photos, you also have to understand what makes a good photo and learn how to capture it (or how to get the best out of the camera you do have)

your experience/knowledge in photography is important for people to recommend a camera for you.

why are your options narrowed to the Nikon 3200 or the goPro ? whats your budget and what type of photos do you want to take ? do you have any photography knowledge or interest in learning photography and how to take a photo ?

at the moment I would suggest a simple compact camera - this will mean you will take pics of most situations (limited zoom and flash options usually)
(things to note off the top of my head)
- those with "super zoom" basically mean you may experience "camera shake" or lesser quality in the image when its zoomed fully - this doesn't mean you can capture the image just by zooming closer - it means they try to sell you the good points but dont tell you about the bad parts)

- compact camera flashes usually only cover an area about 5-10feet in front of the camera so sometimes the compact cant produce enough "flash" to expose the subject properly.

- shutter lag ...most if not all compact cameras experience a second or fraction of a second delay between you pressing the button and the photograph actually being taken - in some cases this results in missing the pic - the trick is to guess what will happen and press the button ...you can always delete if it is wrong (it takes timing and experience to get this right)

with a DSLR - you usually don't suffer the above issues - but you have a heavier object which also makes you a bigger target for thieves, you also have to purchase extras to assist you to "improve" your pics (better quality lenses, different zoom lenses, external flash units, for the old school you also have filters but for the newer generation you must also buy or download post processing software to "fix" little bits and pieces....normally people with compact cameras just accept the pics they took while those with DSLR's tend to post process to get different effects (some people REALLY over process the images)

SK101

Thanks for all the help guys!

I decided to go with the DSLR for a number of reasons,

Firstly, I suppose I phrased the original question incorrectly. The camera which I was to buy would be one I would carry with me for years after this trip and was not looking for it specifically for Peru.

Secondly, I chose the DSLR as I am interested in photography and want to learn more about it, the different lens and attachments for the DLSR I think make it a better camera to start off with. My reasoning behind the GoPro was that I do a lot of outdoor activities and so post-Peru I was looking at a camera with a lot of durability, good quality etc. As I do a lot of water based activities it seemed that the GoPro would be a good choice but I have decided to leave that for another day as entering into Winter and Spring now I probably won't be spending too much time in the water due to the temperature and so the GoPro would be more use over the Summer period which gives me time to save up for it for Summer 2014.

Thanks again for all the help.

Corkbah

SK101 wrote: »

Thanks for all the help guys!

I decided to go with the DSLR for a number of reasons,

Firstly, I suppose I phrased the original question incorrectly. The camera which I was to buy would be one I would carry with me for years after this trip and was not looking for it specifically for Peru.

Secondly, I chose the DSLR as I am interested in photography and want to learn more about it, the different lens and attachments for the DLSR I think make it a better camera to start off with. My reasoning behind the GoPro was that I do a lot of outdoor activities and so post-Peru I was looking at a camera with a lot of durability, good quality etc. As I do a lot of water based activities it seemed that the GoPro would be a good choice but I have decided to leave that for another day as entering into Winter and Spring now I probably won't be spending too much time in the water due to the temperature and so the GoPro would be more use over the Summer period which gives me time to save up for it for Summer 2014.

Thanks again for all the help.

now all you have to do is buy lenses and accessories for the DSLR - and learn how it works....enjoy Peru.

(these days most DSLRs are upgraded within 2yrs because people want to buy the newer technology - cameras are improving and getting cheaper)