01-19-2009, 10:32 PM
Thanks for the replies all!
I'll make sure I drink beer, look at TT scale stuff and will do my best to take photos of anything that rolls, doesn't roll, looks new or old!
To that end, I decided against taking my Nikon D40 (smaller SLR) in favor of a big point and shoot. I figured I was more likely to take more pictures if I had something that was fairly easy to keep on person all the time. I decided on a Panasonic TZ5 - it has a very large zoom range yet will still retract the lens fully into the body when turned off. Also invested in a spare battery for both it and my Camcorder (Canon HF10) and got spare SD cards for both. The camcorder may get left at home if the movie mode on the Panasonic is good enough, which will make things simpler (I had initially been planning 3 cameras - the D40, my wife's pocket camera and the camcorder!).
I've been busy wringing my hands about all those things you can't fully plan for (like the weather), though I've just about got apparel nailed down. I'm going during the coldest part of the season, but the temp shouldn't be much different than here in Ohio - about 25deg F. This, of course, guarantees three feet of snow and frigid temperatures, or a 60 degree heat wave, so I'm planning on layers and dual purpose, comfortable footwear.
Then there's the confirmation of medical coverage, currency exchange rates, what to carry on a long flight, etc. etc.
So much more to plan! Thanks again for the feedback!
Matt - the international travel noob
I'll make sure I drink beer, look at TT scale stuff and will do my best to take photos of anything that rolls, doesn't roll, looks new or old!
To that end, I decided against taking my Nikon D40 (smaller SLR) in favor of a big point and shoot. I figured I was more likely to take more pictures if I had something that was fairly easy to keep on person all the time. I decided on a Panasonic TZ5 - it has a very large zoom range yet will still retract the lens fully into the body when turned off. Also invested in a spare battery for both it and my Camcorder (Canon HF10) and got spare SD cards for both. The camcorder may get left at home if the movie mode on the Panasonic is good enough, which will make things simpler (I had initially been planning 3 cameras - the D40, my wife's pocket camera and the camcorder!).
I've been busy wringing my hands about all those things you can't fully plan for (like the weather), though I've just about got apparel nailed down. I'm going during the coldest part of the season, but the temp shouldn't be much different than here in Ohio - about 25deg F. This, of course, guarantees three feet of snow and frigid temperatures, or a 60 degree heat wave, so I'm planning on layers and dual purpose, comfortable footwear.
Then there's the confirmation of medical coverage, currency exchange rates, what to carry on a long flight, etc. etc.
So much more to plan! Thanks again for the feedback!
Matt - the international travel noob
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio