You really agnswered your question yourself. I went to Denmark a few summers ago and took all my Canon D30 equipment with three lenses. I also had a small Olympus digital. This summer I will only take my Canon Elph Sureshot to downsize. It's the size of a pack of cigarettes! I am sure I will be happy to downsize, but I took some nice shots previously with my equipment. Don't think I will need to again and it was cumbersome.
Ronnie

Thanks Ronnie.
Another point I failed to think about is the fact that I will get so many more pictures with a camera that truly just slips in my pocket. No worries at all.
Appreciate the good words.
AJ

I took my Nikon D70 last month and SHOULD have left the extra len's at home, never used them - I would take Canon D10 with a telephoto - you really want to use your polorizer.

Also make sure you are real familier with your histograms on the camera - exposure is a real bear at the beach. you will not be able to see the actual photo it'll be to bright.

All the phots on my trip report site were with my D70.

http://webpages.charter.net/grinder2/StJohn.htm

AJ
I wrestled with same.

Do I bring the trusty Canon A1 and all the asorted film, etc. or just go with the Canon A80 digicam?

Decided to just go with the digital. Yeah it limits you somewhat, but I must say I have been impressed with results the A80 gives you on several of its automatic settings (which are similar to the A1 which flattened the learning curve somehwat).

Got an extra CF card and a filter kit that included a polarizer. As Grinder points out, polarizer is pretty essential in the islands and really makes the colors pop.

Have posted some pics form our 3/27-4/4 STJ/STT trip here. Hope link works.

http://flickr.com/photos/33027254@N00/

That RamHead overlook is awesome isn't it. I think it's one of the best views on the island. Nice shots.

Yes - shouldve given you big props up front. I think the only reason we turned off there is becuase of your posts. Many thanks.

Someday I'll get a digital SLR - probably a Canon. I know some who are waiting for the price to come down on the Digital Rebel because they have the Rebel 35mm and those AF lenses are compatible.

Headed to STJ in early August. I'm not really into the photography scene but this thread got my attention.

I'll be taking a Canon A75 digital camera and couple of CF cards (256 MB and 32 MB). Should I spend the money to get a polarizing filter and the neccessary adapter to use it? And if I'm going to do that should I also get the 2.4x Telephoto lens that fits on the adapter. The lens doesn't have any front threads though so I couldn't use the telephoto with the polarizer.

I think i'm convinced the adapter and polarizer are worth it but still unsure about the need for a telephoto with no filter? Any advice?

The only experience I had with adapter was on my Olympus and I really did not like it. The lens blocked my view finder. With that said you do not NEED a polorizer. Sometimes they make the sky look unnatural and you get more contrast on a very contrasty subject. It's good for blue water though as it takes the shine off it.

What you can instead of a polorizer is set the camera to Vivid or Cloudy. You get some really rich colors with a Cloudy setting on a sunny day.

You MIGHT want to get a larger memory card because of the constant need to taking extra shots because of exposure problems on super white beachs.

I was surprised at how many people do NOT bring a camera - it's the ultimate camera island! Plus - you HAVe to take THE photo of Trunk Bay.

Its true what Grinder says - the adaptor does annoyingly block the viewfinder on the Canon too making you use the LCD screen which can be a challenge in bright sunlight.

My Powershot happens to have the screen that swings out and pivots every which way. This comes in mighty handy and enables for taking shots at interesting low angles without getting on the ground or over peoples heads.

Using the screen also eats up batteries more, so get an extra set of rechargables - the Everyreadys are pretty impressive. Carry fresh alkalines as a backup and you are good to go. (another reason I went with the Powershot).

Grinder also right about getting another CF card - even the 512mb is cheap now at buy.com. That way you can leave your quality settings maxed out at all times - you never know in this place when one of your shots would look great on the wall as an 11x14.

The circular polarizer I got is not too dark and doesnt seem to create as dramatic contrasts as others I've worked with, which turned out to be a very good thing.

Cant speak about the add on telephoto - only can say I would be cautious about it compromising quality but it may not. I would agree that sometimes in wouldve been nice to have >3x which is about equivalent to 105mm, which I am used to because I always used a 35-105mm on my trusty Canon A1.

Well, one small detail I failed to realize - I have a Canon underwater housing for the S500. So, I guess I'm bringing just that. Now, to figure out a polarizer option. Don't think a filter adapter is available for the elph powershot series.
Thanks folks.
AJ

I didn't read the whole thread, but thought this might help. We went to STT last summer. My husband used to be a semi-pro photographer--very talented & artsy--but I took my Cannon CoolPix & bought an underwater housing specifically built for it, allowing access to ALL the controls. We snorkel, & I was tired of murky, dark shots from the disposable cameras. I took a bunch of photos & kept about 200. (You get washed around & end up w/ nothing in some shots, & when I zoomed, sometimes I couldn't see the display well enough to see if I got what I wanted, but that's b/c of my vision & the small display, not the housing.) I deleted about 1/3 of the shots daily & still got a great variety. The quality underwater was super, & above the surface (when I could be dragged out onto land) was great, too. Had an extra memory card, so I was good for a day. At night I'd download them to my computer & be ready for the next day. I didn't even bother with a fancy photo editing program (which I have)--just used the basics w/ iPhoto (yes, I'm a Mac user, & proud of it!). The too-bright on-land shots I could edit, & the underwater shots were amazing, once edited (when I first saw them as they downloaded, I was disappointed, but even the simple auto-editing feature fixed most of them beautifully--stuff showed up that I couldn't even see in the downloaded shot. The ones where that didn't come out right, I just adjusted myself.) Even got good shots through glass in an aquarium. Am going to have a photo album made by Apple (you design it yourself). I think there are online service like that for PC users, too--nice linen cover w/ a photo on it, your own title, etc.

I got the housing from B & H Photo (Pro Housing for Nikon CoolPix 4300 and 885 - Rated to 130' depth). They make models for lots of other digital cameras. It was only $150, incl. shipping, plus they'll reply to your e-mails, if you have questions. You can buy housings that are at least twice that expensive, but as I said, this gave me total access (they sell a slightly less expensive model, but it doesn't give access to all the camera buttons). Web address is: www.bhphotovideo.com (it was the best price for the item at that time). If you want to see a few of the results (photos are small--webpage wouldn't allow upload of original shots, so I had to shrink them, but you can still get an idea), the website is: http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-candacebland Directions for viewing are above the photo on the home page.

So now I have above-ground shots as good as I ever got w/ a "regular" camera, I'm not wasting money on disposable cameras & developing that yields only dark, poor, sandy, murky shots. It was the answer for me! And my husband was happy with the shots, so he didn't lug his gear around.

Candace

Nice pics. Thanks Candace.

I was on St. Thomas last May, 2005, and I got really GREAT pictures with my little ole Kodak disposal camera. Fits in pocket or purse. No extra lenses, lights, nothing. Why bother with such expensive equipment to lug around on your vacation? And then have to worry about it. I just point, shoot, develop, and enjoy

I guess it depends alot on what you are looking to acheive. I took my 10D with me on my last trip, and really only used my 17-40 lens and polarizer. I don't really consider this to be too cumbersome of a setup. Here is a link to my gallery.

http://www.pbase.com/rcplanefan

Now, I have several of these images in 20x30 format hanging on my walls at work. I will say that it inspires me to keep working so that I can return!

Ken

Ken, you and I have talked before and you recommended FM Sephia plug-in. I have convinced myself to bring both camera's with my 17-35. Once again, your pics are incredible.
aj 🙂