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Which camera would you take on your honeymoon? GF-1 or XZ-1?

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if she hasn't told you by the third day that she can't stand being in the same room with you, you are doing pretty good!

TEdolph
 
I have traveled all over Mexico with different kits. PS, GF1, D300 with 3 different lenses. D300 with just my wife and/first child was fine. Once we had a second child the D300 was left behind. A PS just didn't give me what I wanted so the GF1 has been the camera of choice for the last three trips.

I know you said you didn't want multiple lenses, but my vote would be the GF1 and pick up a used 14-42 (14-45 may be better but it is 2x as much used) for $125. Grab a cheap waterproof bag for $30 and call it a day.

Don't overly worry about having anything stolen. Just use the same caution you would anywhere else and trust your gut. I recently figured that in the last 15 years I have spent about 11 months in total in Mexico. Not just tourist areas, but hop a bus and ride for 18 hours (with and without kids) to the middle of nowhere and not see another foreigner for days or weeks. The ONLY problem I have had is getting ripped off at the gas station. The attendants have all kinds of tricks to skim a bit of cash from you.

If you get a chance, take a trip to Merida. It is a wonderful city 4 hours west of Cancun. Make sure you hit a cenote or two. Start with Gran Cenote in Tulum and then try car wash cenote, Dos Ojos. If you have a car, you should also try to drive about four hours south to Bacalar and spend a night or two. The ruin of Coba is a must do as well.

If you don't do any of the above, then do just one thing. Rent a car or grab a bus and explore. You will find some of the most amazing people in the world there.

Darren
 
second that.

I can think of at least a thousand things I'd rather do on my honeymoon than take pictures... As a matter of fact photography, if done by someone involved, takes away the immediacy of any event.

One who thinks about taking pictures in special moments cannot - by definition - appreciate the moment as is, because photography is impossible without reflecting upon any given situation, thus one ceases to be immersed in that moment.

I'd rather not have pictures of my honeymoon than lose the immediateness of such once-in-a-lifetime-moments.
 
for a couple of weeks (August 2010,) and then met my wife in Tokyo for a couple of weeks to finish the holiday. I was happy with the results- some really nice images, but there were some times that I was kicking myself because the high ISO ability wasn't good enough. For example:









I love these shots so much, but had to work so hard to get detail out of the RAW, and really wish I could have take them (especially the first one) with a larger sensored camera! The first shot could do with some cropping, but I can't really afford to because it will show up the noise and lack of detail too much. My last holiday to Tokyo/Kanagawa (December 2010) I took the D90, and was pleased with the output:

























HOWEVER, it was a bit of a drag carrying the D90 with Tamron 17-50 f2.8 everywhere (I had a bad back at the time too.) So for my next holiday to Tokyo (in 7 weeks) I'm going to get a 14-45mm lens for my GF1 and make that my main travel camera (along with the 20mm and an FD50mm1.4 for shallow DOF.) That seems to be the best compromise.

Why not get a 14-45/42 lens for the GF1 and have the 20mm in your pocket for lowlight moments?

--
http://dailybento.webs.com/

It wasn't until I stopped trying to be a PRO that my photography really improved.
 
phlowtography said:
I'd rather not have pictures of my honeymoon than lose the immediateness of such once-in-a-lifetime-moments.
Click to expand...
This is indeed true and something I've thought about myself quite a bit. But, over 168 hours, I'm sure there will be enough time for both un-framed moments with the camera in the pocket, and plenty of cheesy pictures of us in front of pyramids, the ocean, and bars. :)

We'd still take pictures even if we didn't share them with anyone but each other.

Thanks though. You give a good reminder to stop and enjoy those moments, instead of trying to capture them.
 
ski_mexico said:
I have traveled all over Mexico with different kits. PS, GF1, D300 with 3 different lenses. D300 with just my wife and/first child was fine. Once we had a second child the D300 was left behind. A PS just didn't give me what I wanted so the GF1 has been the camera of choice for the last three trips.

I know you said you didn't want multiple lenses, but my vote would be the GF1 and pick up a used 14-42 (14-45 may be better but it is 2x as much used) for $125. Grab a cheap waterproof bag for $30 and call it a day.

Don't overly worry about having anything stolen. Just use the same caution you would anywhere else and trust your gut. I recently figured that in the last 15 years I have spent about 11 months in total in Mexico. Not just tourist areas, but hop a bus and ride for 18 hours (with and without kids) to the middle of nowhere and not see another foreigner for days or weeks. The ONLY problem I have had is getting ripped off at the gas station. The attendants have all kinds of tricks to skim a bit of cash from you.

If you get a chance, take a trip to Merida. It is a wonderful city 4 hours west of Cancun. Make sure you hit a cenote or two. Start with Gran Cenote in Tulum and then try car wash cenote, Dos Ojos. If you have a car, you should also try to drive about four hours south to Bacalar and spend a night or two. The ruin of Coba is a must do as well.

If you don't do any of the above, then do just one thing. Rent a car or grab a bus and explore. You will find some of the most amazing people in the world there.

Darren
Click to expand...
Thanks Darren. I did't originally come here for travel advice, but that's the best Mexico travel advice I've read yet.

We'll be staying in that general area. Like all honeymooning couples, our original thought was a resort in Cancun. But we've ended up at a little boutique hotel south of there. We're both the types that would rather explore and experience something real. The only day trip we've been planning to do for sure is Tulum. But I like the sound of your suggestions quite a bit.

We're really not too worried about the crime (even though everyone we talk to freaks out when they hear we're going to Mexico, and not to a resort). We lived downtown in the most violent city in the US for a year, and used to regularly walk around the rougher parts of town with a d90. :) I'm sure where we're going in Mexico is nothing in comparison.

Thanks again. And great to hear that the GF1 ended up being your favorite pick for Mexico. Still a very good chance it will be ours as well.
 
To bring a camera along with me during a trip, a zoom is a must; otherwise, I would miss lots of shots.
 
Fantastic photos Waimak. Thanks so much for sharing.

You illustrate some great points.

I made my one, and probably only, trip to Tokyo five years ago. That was before I learned to obsess about cameras, and went with my lowly Sony P200 P&S. I came home with thousands of amazing photos of the Tokyo nightlife.

On the one hand, everyone who saw them loved them, and I loved them, at the time. But now when I look at them, I really really wish I'd taken a better camera with me for such a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I see a dreadful grid-like noise everywhere now. When I dig through my collection for the best "show off" shots, I don't even consider the Tokyo folder.

By the same token, when I look at those first two photos, the first thing I thought of was that they were really great photos. It wasn't until I read your complaints about the noise that I did a second take and noticed it (at least in the first).

So, who knows. Maybe one point to take away from this ramble is to learn to ignore the technical flaws of your photos. Nobody but us forum geeks will ever notice. :)
 
phlowtography said:
One who thinks about taking pictures in special moments cannot - by definition - appreciate the moment as is, because photography is impossible without reflecting upon any given situation, thus one ceases to be immersed in that moment.
Click to expand...
This is an important point to remember, not really for the OP, but for all of us. Back in the '60s, I gave up photography for many years for precisely that reason, when I got swept up in the here-and-now-ness of that time. I still think about it a lot, though I'm back to the (several) camera(s). I know I'm missing something important as a result.
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix
 
Mr Sincere said:
So, who knows. Maybe one point to take away from this ramble is to learn to ignore the technical flaws of your photos. Nobody but us forum geeks will ever notice. :)
Click to expand...
And also it's a good idea to print more often. You won't notice anything too objectionable in up to A4 size, so if you have an album of printed shots then you'll be able to look at them happily without zooming in 100% You're likely to be very satisfied, especially with the XZ-1. It seems to have very good output, and I was happy to have the zoom of the S90 to compress things up sometimes. However, the lower dynamic range was dissapointing at times. Also, for the sake of getting the marriage off to a good start, the most unobtrusive camera would be a good idea, and one that's easy to operate would have you chimping and reshooting less.

Personally, however, I'm getting tired of being invested in too many systems and would like to sell my S90 as soon as I can get a 14-45 for the GF1. I'm the kinda guy who carries a bag everywhere anyway, so I don't really need to put things into my pocket, and another camera means another charger, more batteries, and my wife reminding me how many cameras I have.
--
http://dailybento.webs.com/

It wasn't until I stopped trying to be a PRO that my photography really improved.
 
The GF-1 is a far better camera and lens combination.

Other than having Gear Acquisition Syndrome I can't think of a good reason to replace it with a significantly inferior product.

In any case have fun!!

Best,

Bill
 
is not to eat Brussel sprouts, deviled eggs, and butter beans for dinner on your wedding night.

It will erode your camera lens.
 
well now I have heard everything. camera on a honeymoon? ssh

ken
 
I suspect the ZX-1 will not perform in IQ up to a GF-1.

Not a good time to be swapping out a known good camera (GF-1) anyway.
2nd time you want to get rid of a GF-1? The odds of being right are against you.

Any camera would attract attention at a club and if money is a concern I would kep what you have.
--

Torch
 
I have tons of unsolicited Mexico advice if you want to know more. Just a little tidbit to tell your friends and family questioning your choice of trip because of all of the violence going on mostly near the border. The murder rate in the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan (IE most of the Yucatan peninsula) was about 2 per 100,000 in the 2010 Mexican census. The murder rate for Columbus OH where I live is about 14 per 100,000. The Mexico stat. puts it at about the same as Montana and Wyoming.

If you do want to rent a car use http://www.easywayrentacar.com . They end up being cheaper than the national companies and there are no hidden costs when you go to pay for it. Just make sure you get all of the insurance they offer.

Darren
 
sean000 said:
If you want to give the XZ-1 a try, I suggest trying it out before you get rid of your GF1... and if you do decide to take the XZ-1 on your honeymoon, make sure you give yourself time to become familiar with it before you leave. The only thing dorkier than a groom on his honeymoon with a DSLR is a groom on his honeymoon with his nose stuck in the user guide for his camera ;-)
Click to expand...
I didn't want to bump this thread anymore and risk getting anymore snark replies (note to self: should've just said "vacation", instead of "honeymoon" :) ). But as long as it's near the top already, I wanted to thank you for your great reply, as well as everyone else who offered their input.

Still on the fence. If there was just either a native portrait lens for m4/3, or a fast zoom, it would be a no brainer. I'd sell one kidney for a native portrait lens, and both for a fast zoom like the 18-50 2.8 sigma I used to have for my d90.

The XZ-1 lens actually offers more DOF control at it's long end than the m4/3 kit lenses, and getting a bit of background separation in portraits is important to me. Probably my most important factor. That is probably the biggest thing pushing me towards the XZ-1.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of good advice about just using a legacy lens for portraits, but asking my wife to sit still for 2 seconds will be enough of a drag already. :) And I like getting more spontaneous, candid portraits.

Thanks again everyone. Very much appreciated.
 
I'd probably get the XZ-1 and forget about all the minutia. You have a whole life ahead of you to acquire cameras/lenses, etc. The new top of the line Kodak Easyshare zoom would probably be adequate to the job, to be honest. This is not a Vogue magazine model shoot. It's a honeymoon. The focus (ahem) must be on your new wife and her happiness and company, not annoying her with waiting around while you focus, change lenses, check gear bag, clean sensor, etc. Don't ruin her lifetime memory of her wedding and honeymoon with obsessing about cameras. Seriously. I speak from experience on this. Do not ruin the honeymoon by concentrating on anything other than the honeymoon. (End of rant.)
 
output looks amazing up to 400 ISO...faster lens....more versatile...and as has been mentioned you are not shooting commercial travel magazine photos.

It sounds more spontaneous to use, and more versatile at a very small sacrifice in quality...and at the same time.....less of a chore to use.

Best of luck and congrats to you and your lady. Not sure if you will be able to get as much out of the current camera as you are hoping...loss of value out the door is almost as bad as buying a car...so I wouldn't count on that extra $250 for cerveza...
--
Richard Katris aka Chanan
 
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