Headed to Europe... What to bring?

I have a few questions for the folks that have been to France and Italy with cameras.
I am going on a Med. cruise next month and I can't decide on what camera gear to bring with me considering how bad the theft problem is over there.
I have a Fujifilm X-100 that I love and it would be a easy carry with just a slash proof neck strap, but I know I will really miss my Nikon DSLR gear. But how to carry all that?
Also, what to do about storing images? seems my cards fill up pretty fast and I have a habit of bracketing which makes it worse. What are my options for storing? Would I have to bring a laptop or something?

I think the X100 is all you need and a table tripod or a gorilla tripod so that you can be included in the picture. Have a safe trip and keep an eye on your wallet. My friends got their son's wallet and cell phone stolen after the guy bumped into him.

My advice is this - you have to get yourself in a certain kind of mindset in order to have a successful photography experience IMO. I went on vacation recently with all these crazy ideas of making a bunch of cool pictures. When I got there I seem to have forgotten about all the little things I needed to do to get the most out of my snaps. I made many many mistakes. I wish I would have been more relaxed and more attentive to my angles, how I was holding the camera, etc. I just wish I would have put more thought into my shots but I sort of let the whole experience overwhelm me.

I'm planning to head to Europe in Spring, and I do not intend to bring my whole gear pack with me. If it were a photography only trip, I'd bring a pack for that and wheel it around all over, but it's with my wife, so I'm packing light. In fact, unless Nikon can come out with one better between now and then, I'm buying a Canon G1X for the trip. Even though the V1 looks nice, it's still more bulk than I want to deal with when you consider the size of the zoom lens on it.

Eye-level said:

My advice is this - you have to get yourself in a certain kind of mindset in order to have a successful photography experience IMO. I went on vacation recently with all these crazy ideas of making a bunch of cool pictures. When I got there I seem to have forgotten about all the little things I needed to do to get the most out of my snaps. I made many many mistakes. I wish I would have been more relaxed and more attentive to my angles, how I was holding the camera, etc. I just wish I would have put more thought into my shots but I sort of let the whole experience overwhelm me.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. It's tough to get into "the zone" when you are not relaxed, and it tough to relax when you are worried about the security of your gear.
From what I hear it will be very crowded and I get frustrated trying to get the shots I want when there are too many people around and too much activity going on. I also don't want to burden my fellow travelers with my obsessive changing lenses and jockeying around for the perfect shot.
The more I think about it, the more I want to scale down and just bring the X-100, but there is a part of me that thinks I will kick myself in the caboose once I get there and think I am missing out by not bringing the DSLR and lenses.
Now I have to also decide how to deal with storing images. PSD? IPad? Laptop? more cards?

Bring a strong ND filter and good tripod with you to busy and popular places. A 15 min exposure will give you an image without a single person in it. It's an awesome way to get shots of popular places without tons of people in them.

I took my DSLR, my F2, and my Anscoset rangefinder, and two lenses the 28 and the 105. I shot one picture with F2, no pictures with the rangefinger, and 75% of the digital shots were with one lens the 105. If I could do it over again I would bring only the DSLR and the two Nikkors.

X100 is fixed lens so I don't know if I would be comfortable taking that alone.

2 second exposure with f22 should eliminate most moving people in a snap.

I don't think I could go anywhere without my Nikon..

tracsoft said:

I don't think I could go anywhere without my Nikon..

Click to expand...

I seem to want to take all of my Nikons with me whenever I go somewhere...

I did a few trips to europe and my gear has evolved. My first trip was in Italy and I only took a little Canon S5. Most of these trips were cycling so I did care about the weight. The second trip was to Mallorca and I took the D90 with the 18-200. The gear was a little heavier in the bike bag, but the pics were worth it. Last one was in Hungary and I took the D700 with 18-200, 35 1.8 and Sigma 10-20. I usually only carried the 18-200 but we went for specific tours where the 10-20 and the 35 were very much handy. I think the 18-200 is the travel lens "par excellence"; it's not too heavy and the quality is OK + VR useful.

I also carried a monopod which was very very handy in churches or large city halls where flashes were prohibited or would have ruined the atmosphere. The monopod also acts as a thief repellent since when attached to the camera gives you leverage if someone tries to slash the neck strap. I also found the camera easier to carry all day long when the weight was split between the strap and the attached monopod. The monopod also can be used as some kind of club if push comes to shove.

Take your good gear, but don't forget to insure it and just be alert and you should be fine. Happy trails!

Shoots808 said:

I have a few questions for the folks that have been to France and Italy with cameras.
I am going on a Med. cruise next month and I can't decide on what camera gear to bring with me considering how bad the theft problem is over there.
I have a Fujifilm X-100 that I love and it would be a easy carry with just a slash proof neck strap, but I know I will really miss my Nikon DSLR gear. But how to carry all that?
Also, what to do about storing images? seems my cards fill up pretty fast and I have a habit of bracketing which makes it worse. What are my options for storing? Would I have to bring a laptop or something?

Click to expand...

Take camera gear with you that you will not mind losing and then insure the hell out of it!
Same thing with your laptop. Don't forget your return ticket!

Take a laptop, it will be very safe on the ship. Since you'll be staying on the ship, you can decide about your gear every day and only take what you'll need one day at a time.

Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

Hello, I am new here and this is my first thread post.
i just want to say this is a very cool forum, i have been looking around and love the nice helpful vibe.
I nee a little advice, Me an my wife are going to Europe, specifically Berlin, Prague, Viena.
I was going to take my D600 24-85 and 50 f1.8 but is on repair on Nikon service (long story)
I got a used D90 because I simply cant go without a camera, the question is what to take:
I have the following:
D90
18-55vr
70-3300vr
35 f2
50 f1.8 G
85 f1.8 G
also 24-85 G vr
Flashes SB600 and SB700
A bag pack medium size

A must go for now is the 18-55 VR and the 35 f2
Also a must is one flash i was thinking the SB600
Extra stuff I plan is: Extra battery for the D90, I ordered a ring adaptor for my polarizer filter a Joby DSLR tripod

So what do you think? should I take more like include the 70-300 and a 85 f1.8? or a simple two lens would be enough?
Rent something instead?

Extra info: I live in florida, warm weather... Berlin today is between 30 and 40 degrees, so is a bit cold for me

thank you in advance for your help

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

I would add the long zoom. Heavy to carry around but the long reach might come in handy.

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

I travel to Europe pretty much every year for work and/or pleasure. Here are a couple things to consider:

Are you traveling by yourselves or on an escorted tour? The reason I ask is that if you are on an escorted tour, or plan to take walking/guided tours, your time will be restricted. If this is the case, you might want to consider a general purpose lens like the Nikkor 18-200 or the Tamron 18-270.

Will you be taking pictures in buildings (e.g. churches, museums)? If so, use of flash will probably be restricted. You might want to consider a fast zoom like the Nikkor 17-55/2.8, Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-70. Additionally, you will probably want an ultra-wide like the Nikkor 12-24, Tamron 11-16 or Sigma 10-20. In my experience, you'll probaby wind up using the wide-angle more than a long zoom.

I find that I don't use a long lens very much. Depending on plans, I'll either bring my Nikkor 70-300 VR or the 18-200 but not both.

I love low-light so I'll find a way to bring the 35/1.8 and/or 50/1.4. Again, depending on plans, I may bring the Nikkor 105 Micro.

My standard travel kit is my D300, Sigma 10-20, Nikkor 17-55 and Nikkor 70-300 VR along with the 35mm and 50mm. With this setup, I usually shoot between 70-80% of the time with the 17-55.

I've been to all three cities and they are a photographer's playground. Have fun!!

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

First rule in these places is to ditch the yellow Nikon strap and cover the words Nikon on your camera with tape.. dont sling it on your neck only and keep one hand on it at all times..be ready to dodge anyone walking towards you ..one knocks you to the ground and the other steals your camera.Keep away from the kerb...motor cycle robbers ...grab... cut the strap and you if you argue.....

Usually in a city you cannot get far enough back so take the wide stuff

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

pistnbroke said:

First rule in these places is to ditch the yellow Nikon strap and cover the words Nikon on your camera with tape.. dont sling it on your neck only and keep one hand on it at all times..

Click to expand...

I might rephrase this to be aware of your surroundings, don't overload yourself with gear and use "big city" precautions especially at night.

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

My travel kit of choice in Europe was: D7000, sigma 10-20, Nikkor 18-200 VR, Nikkor 35 1.8 DX and, most important a monopod.

You can have a look at my gallery under Hungary and Vienna section. All photos there were made with this kit.

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

A good monopod has the added benefit of being an added layer of security. Funny how much more space a car will give me when I'm walking along a country road with a monopod in my hands than otherwise.

Re: Traveling to Europe - advice from Nikonites

BackdoorHippie said:

A good monopod has the added benefit of being an added layer of security. Funny how much more space a car will give me when I'm walking along a country road with a monopod in my hands than otherwise.

Click to expand...

Be aware that some intra-Europe airlines will require you to check monopods and some attractions (churches and museums especially) will not allow the use of a tripod or monopod.