kaphinga
Veteran Member
I just got back from two weeks on a Rhine/Danube cruise with my m4/3 gear, and here are some thoughts and pictures.
Although I had a great time, the trip presented a few challenges for photography. With a cruise, of course, I often could not control the timing on my wanderings -- and the light was often less than optimal. It was cloudy and rainy much of the time, and many any of the locations did not allow interior photography. Finally, my traveling companion had serious mobility issues, which meant that much of the time I was taking pictures while pushing a wheelchair.
My advice to anyone contemplating a river cruise is to enjoy the trip and not worry about coming home with perfect shots.
Gear
I took two bodies, an EM5ii and an EM-1 (original), and I used both bodies most days. I find two bodies much simpler than switching lenses on the fly. I also took a bunch of lenses:
Now, on to some pictures ...
Cologne Cathedral. When we arrived in Cologne it was cloudy and drizzly, and my heart sank that my only pictures of the whole cathedral were black silhouettes against a blown out white sky. Arrrgghh. Anyhow, I hung out a while and had dinner and some beer. After dinner, the clouds began to lift as the sun went down, and I got this shot.
I wound up with a lot of detail shots like this. It was too cloudy/hazy/misty or whatever to include sky in the shot, and so I wound up concentrating on little details that excluded the sky. The 14-150mm was my friend for these shots.
I got lucky at the Albrecht Durer House in Nuremberg. Once a day they offer a guided tour in English, and I stumbled into the museum by chance just before the tour. This is a picture of our tour guide. I added some slight texture on my iPad, but otherwise it's pretty much as shot.
The Parliament building in Budapest, shot from the (moving) ship. This is where I was really glad that I brought 45mm prime along.
And another nighttime shot in Budapest. I was pleasantly surprised with my keeper rate on these shots.
Channeling my inner Orson Welles in Vienna. This ferris wheel, built in the late 19th century, appeared in the film The Third Man, and it was conveniently located on the way back to the ship.
Looking at all the amazing BIF shots on this forum, I am almost embarrassed to post this shot. But .... it's my first successful BIF shot ever, and I am pretty darned pleased with it. It was not planned in any way, with S-AF and no high speed burst mode.
One of the few occasions when the sun was out.
That's it for now. Thanks for looking.
Although I had a great time, the trip presented a few challenges for photography. With a cruise, of course, I often could not control the timing on my wanderings -- and the light was often less than optimal. It was cloudy and rainy much of the time, and many any of the locations did not allow interior photography. Finally, my traveling companion had serious mobility issues, which meant that much of the time I was taking pictures while pushing a wheelchair.
My advice to anyone contemplating a river cruise is to enjoy the trip and not worry about coming home with perfect shots.
Gear
I took two bodies, an EM5ii and an EM-1 (original), and I used both bodies most days. I find two bodies much simpler than switching lenses on the fly. I also took a bunch of lenses:
- The Olympus 14-150mm was my everyday companion. Although I was expecting to use this lens for things like shooting castles from the river, I was not expecting how much I would use this lens to shoot details on many cloudy days when the sky overpowered everything else in the scene. The simplicity and versatility of a superzoom was a godsend.
- The Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 was useful indoors, and I often enjoyed having the extra 2mm over the 14-150mm. Still, if I had to choose between the 12-40mm and the 14-150mm for this particular trip, I would have picked the 14-150mm.
- The Olympus 9-18mm. I contemplated getting something wider before the trip, but I am glad that I stuck with the trusty 9-18mm. The compact build makes it a great travel companion.
- I also took two primes, the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8. I didn't use the primes very often but I was glad I had them for some night shots. I would have regretted leaving them at home, for sure.
- The Rokinon Fisheye didn't get used at all. Most of the places where I would have used the fisheye did not allow photography. It always seems to be the odd man out.
Now, on to some pictures ...
Cologne Cathedral. When we arrived in Cologne it was cloudy and drizzly, and my heart sank that my only pictures of the whole cathedral were black silhouettes against a blown out white sky. Arrrgghh. Anyhow, I hung out a while and had dinner and some beer. After dinner, the clouds began to lift as the sun went down, and I got this shot.
I wound up with a lot of detail shots like this. It was too cloudy/hazy/misty or whatever to include sky in the shot, and so I wound up concentrating on little details that excluded the sky. The 14-150mm was my friend for these shots.
I got lucky at the Albrecht Durer House in Nuremberg. Once a day they offer a guided tour in English, and I stumbled into the museum by chance just before the tour. This is a picture of our tour guide. I added some slight texture on my iPad, but otherwise it's pretty much as shot.
The Parliament building in Budapest, shot from the (moving) ship. This is where I was really glad that I brought 45mm prime along.
And another nighttime shot in Budapest. I was pleasantly surprised with my keeper rate on these shots.
Channeling my inner Orson Welles in Vienna. This ferris wheel, built in the late 19th century, appeared in the film The Third Man, and it was conveniently located on the way back to the ship.
Looking at all the amazing BIF shots on this forum, I am almost embarrassed to post this shot. But .... it's my first successful BIF shot ever, and I am pretty darned pleased with it. It was not planned in any way, with S-AF and no high speed burst mode.
One of the few occasions when the sun was out.
That's it for now. Thanks for looking.
