TheOldBear

Anyone ever had 2 or all 3 of these models to compare for me? Which you liked better? Easiest to use? etc.

 

Jimbo:)

Over on dpreview they have a side by side comparison tool

The SX60 is a generation newer than the others - and has a higher resolution viewfinder.

I've been happy with an older, larger Panasonic camera - the FZ50. That camera is larger, larger sensor, better lens - but much more primitive electronics [2 generations older].

We plan our first transatlantic cruise in late April and will ultimately end up in Amsterdam. I was wondering if anyone had taken any excursions that were not Paris .. from the port at LaHavre France. My husband is interested in Normandy Beach. There are several Normandy excursions and wondered if anyone had comments or advice?

I did some poking around over in the France section of the "Ports of Call" forum - Normandy is a fairly popular topic. One third party company we are considering is 'Overlord Tours' - they have van and bus tour options. With the van option, the cost is to rent the van, and it is common to use the 'roll call' for your cruise to find other folks to share the expense.

I am waiting for Cunard to post excursion prices and other details, but we may decide to book directly with Overlord.

Taking pictures in JPEG format yields image files that can be directly viewed, printed, shared and stored. That covers almost everything you want to do with images.

The 'raw' file is the digital equivalent of a film 'negative'. It is a useful thing to have a copy of when you want to do something special in post processing.

Note - I am an 'advanced user' with lots of experience with post processing. Even on the fancy camera I find that I will use/share the jpeg image with little adjustment.

Hi everyone!

 

As I've mentioned we're working on the gradual roll out. One of the reasons for doing so is to fix technical issues as quickly as possible.

 

As Keith mentioned, many members were invited to test the new format months ago. However, there is always something to fix and bugs to address when we roll it out to everyone!

 

We're keeping a list of these, and will address them all one way or another.

 

For the timebeing, most of you are now seeing the old format on all devices.

 

Laura

The 'new format' makes very poor use of space on landscape format screens [like my MacBook Pro].

I'm still trying to figure out why they don't tip over. I look at those enormous sections above the waterline and mentally position the center of gravity way up in the air. (I know they don't, but have NO idea why!)

The actual center of gravity is much lower - open space does not weigh much compared to engines and other heavy bits. Ships are designed so that rolling motion produces a counteracting 'righting moment' that tends to force the ship back upright.

Wikipedia has an entry covering the basics of ship stability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacentric_height

Thanks, and my bad should have been more specific, I was referring strictly to cruise ships. Also, I am a little confused about the tonnage of a ship vs displacement. Do you mind explaining the difference? Which is the actual weight of the ship? Because it says the Harmony weighs 220,963 tons, with a displacement of approx 12,000. I am confused about the actual weight of the ship now lol.

There are three tonnage numbers - and they are at best loosely related.

1. Gross Tonnage is a measure of the enclosed space within the ship's hull and superstructure. 100 cubic feet is one 'ton' for this measurement.
    
   
2. Displacement Tonnage is a measure of how much the ship weighs - what you would measure if you picked up the ship and put it on a big scale. [Or the volume of water 'displaced' from a full pool if you carefully lowered the ship into the pool]
    
   
3. Deadweight Tonnage is how much cargo you can fill an empty ship with and still safely sail.
   

Divide the Gross Tonnage figure by the number of passengers, and you get a crude measure of how much elbow room a typical passenger will have.

I would say bring at least one spare battery, and multiple memory cards.

Keep the 'exposed' cards in the safe.

If the camera has some sort of wi-fi feature, you may be able to copy selected photos onto your phone, and view them on the phone's larger display, or later upload to google photos.

Another product to consider is Corel's Aftershot - it is photo organizer in the same category as Lightroom, Capture One or Apple's old Aperture

These programs all offer a 'non destructive workflow' - the original file is never altered by any editing action, instead the system keeps track of the original file plus a recipe recording all the editing actions [cropping, rotating, changes to white balance, sharpening or smoothing.....] and allows the user to view, display or export any desired version of the image [e.g. export for printing, export to Facebook, export to Google Photos.....]

The catalog program can also send the image to an external editor [PaintShop, Photoshop, Pixelmator] that can make pixel by pixel edits of the file. This sort of editing changes the file. Some photo catalog tools [e.g. Aperture] link or 'stack' the original and externally edited versions of the image.

At an $800 budget point, I would suggest the EM10.2 with the 14-42mm kit lens [$649] plus a 40-150mm tele zoom [$99]. This combo covers the full frame equivalent of 28 - 300 mm. Prices are from Olympus' direct to consumer online store [getolympus.com].

Today's kit lenses [all manufacturers] are really quite refined, and the cheep Olympus zoom is an outstanding value [also works well with the Panasonic body as it also has in body image stabilization ].

Robin Wong has a few blog postings of interest about lenses

On kit lenses

40-150 Mini Review

I am cruising for the first time this December out of New York City and I have some questions about what security is like as well as boarding. I have read some posts on here and I have an idea, but some of them aren't exactly recent. I just want to have an idea of what to expect!

Step one, take a look at the NYC Cruise Port Manhattan Page

1. Are there metal detectors or body scanners?

Metal detectors

2. Is 11am a good time to arrive for a 3pm departure?

I usually plan to arrive at the terminal about noon - that allows some spare time for traffic delays.

3. Are they strict about arrival times?

Not overly strict, but we come prepared to wait.

4. How long does security usually takes?

Not long at all.

5. Are there really drug dogs walking around?!

Have never noticed any K9 units

6. Do bags get scanned just like at an airport?

Your carry on luggage must fit in a scanner similar to the ones used at an airport or court house. Checked luggage has its own clearance procedure. Some cruisers have reported needing to go the ship's "naughty room" to open their luggage.

7. What happens after you go through security?

The rest of the check in process [last minute paperwork, validation of passport, photo for the on board ID card]. Then waiting for the boarding time or announcement.

8. What is the boarding process?

Depends on the ship/line. For some lines, cabins are not available when boarding starts - passengers need to keep all their carryons and visit pubic spaces on the ship. Other ships will have the staterooms available, and most of the time your checked luggage will be waiting for you.

 

Thank you!

One option is renting a camera or camera package for the trip. The principal downside is that you will only have limited time to practice with the camera and accessories before the trip.

One possibility is a kit similar to https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/wildlife-package-for-micro-4-3 This includes Olympus 'Pro' level weather sealed lenses and camera body.

Lensrentals also has a large sensor fixed lens camera [Panasonic FZ-1000] that would likely be quite suitable for an Alaska trip.

Just returned from a 3 week holiday starting on Harmony for the TA then a week on NCL Getaway I used mainly my iPhone for pictures aswell as my go pro for action shots.

I have decided my iPhone is not good enough to capture properly the beauty of places and as we are planning Alaska for 2018 I really really want a good camera.

My hubby has said I can have one off Santa so I need some help from the experts have around $400 or £350 to spend wanting something that will take great photos in all light as some of my pictures are very dark due to the suns position would love it to also be waterproof or at least resistant and not to heavy and ideas oh and large memory ofcourse.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

All cameras are compromises - the closest to a 'one size fits all' are some of the super zoom 'bridge' cameras like the Panasonic FZ200. There is a dedicated thread on this forum. My much older FZ50 camera has proven to be a travel workhorse for everything from scenic landscapes to portraits.

The downside is that it is far from pocket/purse size. My FZ50 is almost the size of a film SLR camera.

The other main choices are 'travel zoom' cameras and 'tough' cameras. Travel zooms have a moderate size lens and sensor, but an extreme zoom range. The Fuji F900EXR is a typical example. 'Tough' or waterproof cameras are similar size, but with a reduced zoom range so everything is in a rigid waterproof housing.

I would not recommend getting an interchangeable lens camera - your budget does not include getting multiple lenses.

I would recommend getting a spare battery and several memory cards - and not erasing the cards until you have copied all the 'keeper' pictures onto your home computer.

A resource you may want to visit is the DPReview 2016 Roundup: Consumer Long Zoom Cameras

We rather like the Brooklyn terminal - there are no bridges or tunnels between the driveway and the terminal poking lot.

We come prepared to wait a a couple of hours if needed, with books, magazines or a kindle in the carry ons - but usually the wait has been quite short.

Hey folks,

 

We just got back from a cruise and i think its time to upgrade our "vacation" camera. Previously we would take our Canon T1i and few lens when we go on holidays or cruise, well over time that got annoying lugging it around. So past few years we ended up just taking our waterproof Panasonic Lumix dmc-ts3 12.1mp. It was good for portability but picture quality was ok. Not the best not the worst.

 

So now wanting to upgrade our camera. Can anyone suggest a good point and shoot. Waterproof or not. Just looking for something that takes good low light shots nice to carry around for travels. Or should i got mirrorless like sony a6000?

 

Thanks in advance

Waterproof cameras have many compromises to make a waterproof package [slow lens, slow focus, tiny sensor].

There are cameras that are in between the waterproof / travel zoom cameras and the interchangeable lens camera. Two examples of this are the Fuji X100, and the Ricoh GR. Both have large sensors [similar in size to a SLR camera], fast fixed lenses, and can produce high quality images. The Fuji has an interesting hybrid viewfinder between an optical peep viewfinder and electronic, and handles like a classic rangefinder camera.

Other examples are the Canon 'G' series, and Fuji X30 - these use larger sensors than most, brighter lenses and have a zoom range optimized for taking pictures of people [from wide angle to a good 'portrait' length].

Still a third example would be a smaller interchangeable lens camera - like the 'micro four thirds' from Olympus or Panasonic.

And for comparison - I have a Panasonic FZ-50 'bridge' camera, a Fuji F505 'travel zoom' camera, a Panasonic LX7 large sensor compact, and just purchased an Olympus OMD M10 mk2 & a couple of 'kit' lenses.

I bring my old sailing binoculars - Nikon 7x50 waterproof. They are a bit bulky, but we do not have to worry about air transport.

There's another thread on tis forum about selling a Panasonic FZ-200 camera. Perhaps that is worth investigating :)

I'm looking for a new camera for my cruise, saw this one at Costco. I want to take pictures but don't need fancy. Anyone have any advice about this camera?

It's not quite my ideal bridge camera - I will want a viewfinder in addition to the back of the camera. [One reason I keep my old FZ-50 as my walk around camera].

It does have a nice wide angle range for the zoom, and optical stabilization for the tele end [holds the image steady, does nothing for the moving subject].

Now on my second Canon power shot camera and they have been great, easy to use cameras that have served me well. But-- I am an expert of taking pictures of poles and signs. While on bus tours, I click to take a picture and by the time my camera focuses I get the pole in the middle of my picture.

 

Would like recommendation for easy to use Canon camera ( not pricey or complicated one) that I can use to take pictures while I am on bus tours, taking action pics of kids soccer games or even of moving animals on an Africa safari.

Sticking with Canon cameras - you my want to look at a so-called 'bridge' camera. These have a good zoom range [wide to tele], brighter lenses [focus a touch faster] and mostly have electronic viewfinders [fine aiming].

I did a camera feature search over on dpreview and there were several possibilities from Canon's 'S' and 'G' series cameras [the 'G' series are the fancier ones]

Can anyone tell me how much it cost for the different packages for wi-if on the ship? Also can you buy it before the ship sets sail? Thanks so much!

Like most cruise related topics, that will vary with the cruise line. I would suggest looking in two places [assuming you have picked a cruise line]:

• The cruse line forum here on Cruise Critic [listed alphabetically by cruise line name]
  
• The cruise line's web site. This may be a searchable topic under their FAQ section or a 'life on board' section.
  

Booked for 2017 - not even looking at 2018

In fact, a year from today we'll be mid Atlantic heading back to NY :-)

You may want to look at the thread for the Panasonic FZ200 - I have the much older FZ50 model and I've been quite happy with it.

 

These days P&S or 'fixed lens' cameras are mostly

• Long zoom range 'bridge' cameras similar to to the FZ200 [or other models by Canon, Olympus, Sony, Fuji....]
  
• Enthusiast large sensor cameras like Fuji X100 and X30 series, Panasonic LX100
  

Oops - too late to edit - I meant to say cameras with viewfinders. Most are electronic, some interesting versions [the Fuji] have hybrid optical / electronic viewfinders.

Hello: Any recommendations for a point and shoot with a viewfinder? Thanks

You may want to look at the thread for the Panasonic FZ200 - I have the much older FZ50 model and I've been quite happy with it.

These days P&S or 'fixed lens' cameras are mostly

• Long zoom range 'bridge' cameras similar to to the FZ200 [or other models by Canon, Olympus, Sony, Fuji....]
  
• Enthusiast large sensor cameras like Fuji X100 and X30 series, Panasonic LX100
  

Will this storm delay QM-2's arrival in Red Hook, NY on Thursday 8th September or affect passengers flying into NYC to board the ship? If so suspect Halifax will be cancelled so that QM-2 will arrive in Southampton on time on 16th.

 

Any thoughts?

So far this storm has resisted prediction. It seems to be the Zeno's Paradox of storms [approaching but never actually arriving].

Here on Long Island, 'Tropical Storm Conditions' were forecast for yesterday and today - but so far nothing of notice [dry and a bit breezy]. There was an emergency notification misfire calling for the evacuation of Suffolk County. There actually was a 'voluntary evacuation' order for Fire Island, but that was rescinded. Last night's ferry ride was a little cool, but not rough sailing.

The current weather guess from the national hurricane center is at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5-daynl#contents

I did a quick map search - and there are branches of 'enterprise' and 'dollar' car rentals fairly close to the terminal. [The dollar office shows as much closer]

Enterprise advertises that they will 'pick you up', in practice, that means returning the rental to their office, and then an employee will drive you to a nearby destination. [service included with the rental price].

I would suggest contacting the companies directly, and if possible contacting their Brooklyn affiliates to confirm policies, and the drop off arrangements.

Its a bit of a walk from the brooklyn cruise terminal - but there is a water taxi between Ikea Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan

See https://www.nywatertaxi.com/ikea

There is no early service - but it _might_ be useful to get back to the ship.