Art and Photography

SLR on vacation

  • Last Updated:
  • May 5th, 2008 4:46 pm
Tags:
None
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jun 25, 2003
5334 posts
353 upvotes
Toronto

SLR on vacation

Im going to Dominican for a week on sunday and im not sure if i wanna take my D80 for the fear of being stolen.

Any input ?


I do have a Canon SD450 that i wouldnt be nearly as upset if i lost that compared to my D80.
11 replies
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 10, 2006
7743 posts
85 upvotes
Toronto
There is always a risk of losing your camera no matter where you go. I personally could not travel without my best camera (with a P&S as a backup).

Make sure it's insured just in case!
See this button :confused: :confused: Learn how to use it PLEASE ;)
Deal Fanatic
Apr 15, 2004
5264 posts
125 upvotes
Nepean
I would personally bring my DSLR. But I've never travelled for vacation to Dominican, so I would just be safe.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readf ... d=27411816
a thread about some guy going to africa with his D3, and all his pro lenses.... then becoming a victim of theft.

Just gotta be smart, and keep alert at all times.
heatware available upon request
Newbie
Apr 30, 2008
8 posts
1 upvote
New Westminster, BC
I was in the carribbean two decembers ago and went to a variety of places, including the dominican. I was carrying a canon s3 with a bunch of accessory stuff (lens adapter, wide angle lens, filters, mini-tripod, etc.) and it was pretty obvious on me. But just made sure to never set it down and leave it unattended, as well as keeping it on me as much as possible with straps around my neck or waist or what have you. I didn't have any problems with it. I guess like other people have mentioned, you just need to be hyper vigilant with it. Of course, if someone is going to mug you that's another story, but generally I think if you stay alert and don't let yourself be distracted by con artists or even other locals (e.g. that story about the stolen D3) you should be okay.
Member
User avatar
Nov 28, 2007
373 posts
3 upvotes
gta
Bad things could happen anywhere including in your own home.

Travelling with a few friends or a group tour could be somewhat safer.

Don't get over paranoid, otherwise you won't enjoy your vacation. Enjoy your vacation and take lots of great pictures.

I found this useful photographer's packing checklist, this could come in handy. You don't want to forget anything before leaving.
http://www.*************/ViewList.aspx? ... +Checklist
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 26, 2003
7174 posts
217 upvotes
Nepean
I bring my dSLR + my P&S + tripod when I go away :)
Deal Guru
User avatar
Dec 3, 2004
10943 posts
430 upvotes
Markham/Mississauga
Went on a trip to Vietnam for a month, carried it all in a Lowepro CompuTrekker AW the following:

15" laptop
40D body w/17-55mm IS w/hood
70-200mm F4L w/hood
50mm F1.8 II
Canon 580ex Speedlite
40D charger
2 x sets of rechargeable AAs for 580ex speedlite
Charger for AAs w/adapter
Nintendo DS
DS charger adapter
cell phone charger adapter
Logitech MM50 Ipod speaker in case
miscellaneous cleaning tools
4 x packs of Davidoff Magnums
Laptop power cord and adapter
77mm B+W CPL
2 x CF cards

Travelled from south to north in a 16 person van, stayed at over 12 hotels on way up and back. Went to 2 beach resorts, left bag in hotel without camera on multiple occasions when going out to eat/party. Never had anything stolen. It just comes down to being careful, and selective of the places you are going to.

If it looks shady, don't trust it.
Deal Addict
Jun 22, 2004
1049 posts
11 upvotes
i did a 2month trip all over europe, stayed in hostels with my gear and nothing was stolen.

just dont make it easy to steal and you should be fine. most thefts are because the victims make themselves easy targets. so just use common sense and you should be fine.

now...muggings and what not you wont be able to prevent, so just give them your gear and this is what insurance is for. speaking of which, your house insurance should already cover...but call to make sure
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jul 18, 2006
3833 posts
69 upvotes
bob0 wrote: i did a 2month trip all over europe, stayed in hostels with my gear and nothing was stolen.

just dont make it easy to steal and you should be fine. most thefts are because the victims make themselves easy targets. so just use common sense and you should be fine.

now...muggings and what not you wont be able to prevent, so just give them your gear and this is what insurance is for. speaking of which, your house insurance should already cover...but call to make sure
Care to share your experiences/tips? :razz:
I'm going on a 2-month backpacking trip in Europe in about a week, and I plan to bring my SLR and 2 lenses.
You're not funny.
Deal Addict
Jun 22, 2004
1049 posts
11 upvotes
billdozer wrote: Care to share your experiences/tips? :razz:
I'm going on a 2-month backpacking trip in Europe in about a week, and I plan to bring my SLR and 2 lenses.
sure thing!
here's what i brought
- xti
- 17-85is
- 70-300is
- lens cleaning kit
- 6 2gb cf cards
- lowepro slingshot
- spare battery
- portable hdd
- tripod

looking back at it. i would recommend all that plus a hyperdrive so you can backup your CF cards on the go. i got careless and overwrote a couple cards...and i still kick myself for that today.

walking around.... i usually held my dslr in my hand and had the neckstrap wrapped around my wrist. i think this is the safest way to have it out. makes it hard for ppl to just snatch it or to cut the strap

do have a good zoom range, there are tons of things to shoot but you'll definitely need a wide angle. i would even recommend something wider than what i had. telephoto is great for candids and wildlife

IS is very handy especially in churches where they do not allow flashes or tripods. and any other low light photography. i hardly used my tripod on the trip.

have a system to note which cards can be reused...haha...i cant stress this enough.

never had any thing stolen from me. just keep your bag on you, if you sit for lunch, put it between your feet or something. and just be aware of your surroundings, use common sense, and if you dont feel safe, leave. travel in a group if possible. just remember that there are tons of other tourists, so as long as you're not the easiest guy to steal from...you probably wont get targeted.

umm... anything else you'd like to know?

edit: oh...there are a lot of internet cafes and most of them had usb2...so backing up cards was no problem. 6cards usually lasted me 4days?

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)