Beginner Holiday advice

Captain Caveman

Captain Caveman

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Name
Simon
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Hi all,

As a complete noob (doing lots of homework tho) Im looking for some advise/tips for shooting my holiday snaps in a few weeks. I'm off to Egypt so mainly beach/pool shots etc with plenty of sunlight etc.

My camera is a Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm lens (basic package). Pictures will range from portraits and fast moving shots of the lil monster. Is there anything I should be picking up beforehand ??
 
Plenty of memory cards (unless taking a laptop) and you might need some sun cream
 
UV filter may be useful and a clear filter if lots or sand blowing about which might scratch the lens.

Top Tips

Having been to Egypt recently watch out for pick pockets, if carrying money only take just enough out for the day and take a body money belt. If going through a town what ever you do DO NOT engage with the locals, look straight ahead, otherwise you will be pestered with all trying to sell their goods. That is unless you want a suitcase full of fake Rollex watches. Camera are a prime target and I left my Nikon D300 on board ship and took my camcorder which fits nicely into a trouser pocket. I would recommend taking a compact camera which can be hidden in clothing

Egypt must be one of the biggest country full if thieves. On our Nile cruise on person had £300 snatched by distraction method. Their are 3 police forces ,Military- Civil and Tourist and on one trip to Abu Simbal someone tried with a camera phone to take a photo which was strictly forbidden, with notice boards, Suddenly was grabbed by the tourist police and we never saw him again (not from our party)


Abu Simbal


Sorry about wind noise,, did not have muffler on at the time on the mike
 
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realspeed said:
UV filter may be useful and a clear filter if lots or sand blowing about which might scratch the lens.

Top Tips

Having been to Egypt recently watch out for pick pockets, if carrying money only take just enough out for the day and take a body money belt. If going through a town what ever you do DO NOT engage with the locals, look straight ahead, otherwise you will be pestered with all trying to sell their goods. That is unless you want a suitcase full of fake Rollex watches. Camera are a prime target and I left my Nikon D300 on board ship and took my camcorder which fits nicely into a trouser pocket. I would recommend taking a compact camera which can be hidden in clothing

Egypt must be one of the biggest country full if thieves. On our Nile cruise on person had £300 snatched by distraction method. Their are 3 police forces ,Military- Civil and Tourist and on one trip to Abu Simbal someone tried with a camera phone to take a photo which was strictly forbidden, with notice boards, Suddenly was grabbed by the tourist police and we never saw him again (not from our party)


Abu Simbal

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHbYkyp2PR0
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Been to Egypt 3 times before so I know what to epect from the locals , we've trained our lil boy to say "no hassle man"!!

vtrjames said:
52mm. It's on the back of the lens cap for future reference.

James
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So it does , DUH ! lol
 
Maybe you can video your other half belly dancing and put it on here ??
 
Captain Caveman said:
Ok , so ordered this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311369331522

Noob question....whats the Hood for ??
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Stops the sun shining direct onto the lens is the short answer. You can get all sorts of strange " reflections/glare/flare" on the photo. Best to try and keep the sun so it is behind and over the shoulder.

If your in the shade taking the photo of say a person first get the camera reading where they are then lock the settings " L " on back of camera before returning to shade. This will stop over exposure

]
 
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realspeed said:
Stops the sun shining direct onto the lens is the short answer. You can get all sorts of strange " reflections/glare/flare" on the photo. Best to try and keep the sun so it is behind and over the shoulder.

If your in the shade taking the photo of say a person first get the camera reading where they are then lock the settings " L " on back of camera before returning to shade. This will stop over exposure

]
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So you recamend using a hood 100% of the time ??
 
Captain Caveman said:
Any tips on camera setting for your average pool/beach scenes ?
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Not really as it depends on the weather and light conditions, but as a rough guide I start with the camera set to aperture priority and work from there. This should then a rough idea to shutter speed and ISO settings. A hood will help protect the lens if dropped.
Being silly but you would not want to use a hood in the evening as it gets dark as you want as much ligth on the lens as possible.

Your lens being f3.5-5.6 won't let in as much light as say an f1.4 lens.
So apart for what the camera does also depend very much on the lens being used. This is a minefield which I struggled with at first and my best suggestion is to get used to what you have first and take it from there.

Another thing is memory cards. An important point so often overlooked is MB/s! Most people look at a card and only see the GB (amount of memory it can take which is the last thing to look a). Why? A slow MB/s speed say for arguement sake is only 20 then what can happen is in continuous shooting mode the camera can stall while the card catches up. Then the head scratching starts thinking something is very wrong, which it is not. You cannot extract memory from a card faster than the card can give the camera.

So never buy a "slow" card, often cheaper, but look for one around 45MB/s or more to stop the stall.I prefer either 60 / 95 MB/s memory cards as i do a lot of video work as well, which is beside the point really. There is also a number on a card and for video work should not be less than class 4. If in doubt ask you local camera shop to explain,( I use class 10)
 
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yes good choice, plenty fast enough, hope you don't mind me mentioning in case other members are reading this thread
 
Captain Caveman said:
So you recamend using a hood 100% of the time ??
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Yes, use the hood all the time unless you know your lens has fancy coatings that prevent flare (which yours doesn't), for anything else it protects the front of the element way more than any filter can (and to be honest, protection filters are a waste of time - front elements are much tougher than a filter, much tougher)

Ignore the UV filter - in bright light it will create more problems than it solves, a polariser is a good shout though (but learn how to use it).

I've been to Egypt many a time and all over the world to many 'dodgy' locations carrying many thousands of pounds of camera gear and have never ever had any issues at all with stuff being nicked or even feeling threatened, not once. A lot depends on how you present yourself - there is a way to look like a victim and if you do you most likely will be.

To be honest, your requirements aren't that demanding so take what you have and leave it in P mode unless you need more specific control over your shots.

You are much better off concerning yourself with composition and subject rather than camera/kit/settings. If you haven't done so already, read up on "rules of composition" it will be much more beneficial than any new kit or camera settings.
 
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Nawty said:
I've been to Egypt many a time and all over the world to many 'dodgy' locations carrying many thousands of pounds of camera gear and have never ever had any issues at all with stuff being nicked or even feeling threatened, not once. A lot depends on how you present yourself - there is a way to look like a victim and if you do you most likely will be.

.
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+1
I've travelled extensively in Egypt, from camping on the Nile to using the Cairo metro, never had a single problem with being hassled. Can recommend Any Simbel, Luxor, Giza and a few more off the beaten track locations.
 
I agree on not bothering with the UV filter. On a 90quid lens its really not worth the expense. Just wipe the crap off with your cotton t-shirt or cleaning cloth, the front Elements are hardy enough. Its annoying when lights reflect off the inside of the filter and cause weird blobs!
Have fun and don't be the annoying guy whose more interested in taking photos rather than chatting with their friends/family :)

-BTW That lens is great with the push button release to extend! Enjoy!!
 
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Did any one say wall socket adaptor?

Egypt = sand. Air-blower!

I had read somewhere that fixed lenses are better for leaners. this was true for me. i got a nifty fifty (50mm 1.8) before going to corsica and it was the only lens i used. it forced me to move around to get the best composition and i am a better :)rolleyes:) togger for it.

have fun,
S
 
I can't really see how that hood is going to be any use at all on an 18-55 lens. The hood is a 'petal' design but the front element rotates which means that the alignment of the petals is also going to rotate. It could mean that you end up seeing the hood appear in your shots at the wider end of the zoom range. I would suggest you pick up a genuine nikon hood or a copy of it's design to be effective.
 
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