Travel Stuff: Cameras

Do you bring digital cameras for your travel? Recently, people use their "cellphones" instead of them. Then they can store your "memories" in your Dropbox folders etc.

Now things I write here is a little "classical" topic. However, please mind these if you bring a camera on your travel.

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I have some digital cameras. One is on my smartphone. It has only a 2 mega pixel camera function. It's good for daily reminder, but it's not good to cut up scenes on my travel.

"Nightclub #1"

"Nightclub #2"

They are not cool. I used "night mode" with the flash. However, I can't read the letters even the brand of the beer. I also took some photos with people around there. However, it was not good for my camera's abilities.

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What should we learn from these?

1. Pixels

If the camera doesn't have enough pixels, the images become very rough. Especially, they don't have flash functions, the images become too bad. If you print the photo and share with your friends, I recommend to have more than 6 mega pixel cameras.

2. Flash

My phone has a flash. I took "Nightclub #1" with the flash, but the image became like that. Naturally, my phone is not a substitute of a digital camera. I should not say anything for these problems. Now iPhone and most Android phones have fine flashes. However, I recommend you to check how your phone's camera work before you start traveling.

3. Battery

If you buy a compact digital camera for your travel. Please take care of your batteries. Mostly, you need to bring your battery charger and it's OK. If you leave from the outlet for a long time on your travel, it's good that you bring one extra.

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For the batteries, I have a bad experience. I have "Canon Powershot A590IS." Why I bought this was very simple: I can buy AA battery everywhere in the world. Normally, I use some rechargeable batteries with this.

When I traveled in Los Angeles years ago, I ran out of my batteries. Then I went to "99 cents shop" to buy some Alkaline batteries, and bought. I replaced them and kept taking some photos. However, after I took only 10 or 15 photos, the batteries were gone. I also tried other replacement, but the same thing happened.

Finally, I needed to get a glossary mart, and bought some expensive butteries.

Here is one lesson: Don't believe in stuff in 99 cents stores much.

Naturally, we can buy and take advantage of a lot of stuff from 99 cents stores. However, they are not always useful. On the contrary, it may demand other expenses on our travel.

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Well, now people have smartphones. Like the Prince Harry's naked photos in Las Vegas, everyone can be a paparazzi and take. Recently, Justin Bieber suffered from a paparazzi on the highway in Los Angeles, and arrested for speeding.

"Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga (2009)

Adrian Grenier, an Entourage actor, shot a documentary named "Teenage Paparazzi" in 2009. This was aired on HBO in 2010. This documentary is a little showy, but has some surfaces of paparazzi. We can understand how they think and do.

When you are on your travel, you may encounter celebrities and take their photos. However, if you don't respect their privates, they may confiscate your camera. Please be careful when you take photos.

(Without these, you may not take military related buildings, and equipments. Some of them are strictly managed. I heard a topic about Heathrow Airport in London. When a traveler just took a photo near the  restricted area, the security guard confiscated his camera for the reason. )