My process for choosing a camera for this trip was probably more in depth than anyone you’ll ever meet, so I’ll put a little summary up front, and if you’re still interested in more, you can click through to read the full story.
Summary:
Wanted a DSLR for the quality, but thought they were too big. Looked at high-end point and shoots and decided to get the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Two weeks later realized that if I can’t fit my camera in my pocket I won’t shoot any photos. So I sold the LX3 and bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1. It’s a great 12MP camera with a 28-129mm lens that is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof AND shoots 720p HD video. For me, size meant everything!
Long Version:
The process of picking the camera that would travel with me for almost 8 months began almost 8-10 weeks ago. I’ve dabbled with photography for the past few years and naturally wanted to take a nice camera. Thinking that a DSLR would definitely be the way to go (and it would be compatible with my current Nikon lenses) I started off borrowing a Nikon D50 from a friend. At one point I was 100% set on purchasing it from him, until I saw the website for the Canon G10. Now I had forgotten about the DSLRs and decided to look at the high end point-and-shoot market.
There are two clear front-runners in that market. The Canon G10 and the Panasonic Lumix LX3. The pro for the G10 was its 28-140mm lens (the LX3 only had 24-60mm). However, the pro for the LX3, which eventually won me over, was that it shot 720p HD video. So I was now set on the LX3, but needed to find somewhere to buy it. At the time the only store in the country that had the LX3 in stock was down in San Jose, so off I went. After playing around with the LX3 for a bit, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a new small DSLR from Nikon, the D5000. All of the sudden DSLRs were back in the game. However after about an hour of mental debating, I stuck with my gut and bought the LX3, primarily because it was much smaller.
So after about 2 weeks and 200 photos, I really started to get attached to the LX3, but it had one MAJOR flaw… it didn’t fit in my pocket. Right about that time, I read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts (now my favorite book), which suggested take something small, light and durable. I immediately starting reevaluating my purchase. I ended up selling the LX3 and started searching for something smaller.
I knew that I wanted a durable, light camera that still shot HD video. It took me only a matter of minutes to stumble upon the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1. A waterproof, dustproff, and shockproof 12MP camera that has a 4.6x zoom and shoots HD video. I knew the second I read about it that it was the perfect camera. I picked one up on eBay and awaited its arrival. Now that I’ve had some time to shoot with it, I can say that it’s certainly not a DSLR, but it almost seems indestructible, and still takes a decent picture.
My advice: Unless you already know you MUST bring your DSLR, take something small an durable that will last you the length of your travels.
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