[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by tjdmlhw

My wife and I have an Alaska cruise tour scheduled in August and we think that we probably need a better camera than the ones on our phones. We have Samsung A13 5G phones which take fantastic pictures, but when you try to zoom in the shots become pixelated. Our daughter (who is going with us) has a Samsung S21 and the camera is better, but I'm not sure if it is good enough.

Do any of you have suggestions about what type of camera we should buy? Will a point and shoot be good enough or should we get a DSLR? I really hate the idea of paying a lot of money for a camera that will likely go in the box wih my 40 year old Nikon 35mm camera to never be used again, but Amazon has Canon Rebel camera kits for $400 which is cheaper than what I am paying for most of the excursions that we will be taking in Alaska.

I have ordered one of the monoculars which can attach to your phone and used as a zoom lense, so that might solve the problem. I'll test it tomorrow when it arrives from Amazon.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Just an unasked for tip.... if you have not booked all your excursions through the ship yet, keep in mind you are in the USA, no language or money barriers, and the docks at the ports are filled with residents, many of them young couples, who are independent tour operators who live there year round (not employee's of tour companies who move personnel to Alaska for "the season". We've cruised in Alaska five times now on three different lines, (RCCL, Princess, & Holland A.) and all were top notch, HAL maybe a tad above the others, but we've always booked right at the port and have been so impressed with the residents we met, and the difference in touring with people who actually live there, each cruise was fabulous. Favorite places there for us are Sitka and Kodiak, and walking ON the glaciers.

[srswans]

Originally Posted by tjdmlhw

My wife and I have an Alaska cruise tour scheduled ….

I have a Nikon Z50 with 50-250 - it is small and takes amazingly sharp photographs. It has a larger sensor than point-and-shoot cameras. This kit has 7x magnification for getting shots of animals and birds. Use your smartphone for wide angle vistas.

Hope you have fun in Alaska!

[Sandy and Ed]

Originally Posted by Pondboy

What do you plan on doing with your photos once taken? Most of mine are never to been seen again once posted to social media. So I wouldn’t invest too much in a big system, especially if the old one is collecting dust. Besides, do you really want to lug around all kinds of equipment (camera, multiple lenses, cases and chargers)?

Why not break out the old 35mm and see if it brings you new joy?

Another option; if you just want photos and don’t want to be a “Proud Photographer” would be to buddy up with a shipmate and buy a few of their choice photos.

If you’re still wanting a new camera after all that, get a point and shoot. Don’t need lots of equipment, they’re small, lightweight and easy to use. Keep in mind the basics ; big aperture, good zoom (if you want to shoot wildlife vs landscape) and decent amount of megapixels (10-20 max). Your budget will determine the rest.

Best of luck.

Amen. Just returned from our second Alaskan cruise. IMHO: use the phone camera unless you can get a small enough camera to fit easily in your jacket. I saw folks lugging around cameras - didn’t look like they enjoyed.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by tjdmlhw

My wife and I have an Alaska cruise tour scheduled in August and we think that we probably need a better camera than the ones on our phones. We have Samsung A13 5G phones which take fantastic pictures, but when you try to zoom in the shots become pixelated. Our daughter (who is going with us) has a Samsung S21 and the camera is better, but I'm not sure if it is good enough.

Do any of you have suggestions about what type of camera we should buy? Will a point and shoot be good enough or should we get a DSLR? I really hate the idea of paying a lot of money for a camera that will likely go in the box wih my 40 year old Nikon 35mm camera to never be used again, but Amazon has Canon Rebel camera kits for $400 which is cheaper than what I am paying for most of the excursions that we will be taking in Alaska.

I have ordered one of the monoculars which can attach to your phone and used as a zoom lense, so that might solve the problem. I'll test it tomorrow when it arrives from Amazon.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

I use an iPhone 13 max, and I bought it specifically for the camera. If I turn on the camera and press 3x, it turns on the sort-of telephoto lens that is the equivalent of a 100mm lens on a 35mm camera. By comparison, your Samsung—a good one!—has the equivalent of a wide angle 35mm lens and a super-wide 28mm lens. Yes, if you zoom on any phone lens, including the iPhone, it will pixilate or at least lose definition. But the iPhone telephoto is the real deal, just as sharp with most lens. If you are at the zoo, your photos will be much closer if you use 3x.

Did you order your telephoto lens for your phone on Facebook? I did that. It was a complete scam. A total piece of junk. It was not at all like what was on the ad, and the photos were so blurry that they were unusable. Getting a refund was a farce. If I wanted a 100% refund, I would have to ship it back to China, with postage costing as much as what I paid for the lens. I just threw it away.

The Canon Rebel is a good camera, but no sharper than my iPhone. Usually it comes with an inexpensive 50mm lens that is considered a “normal” lens. It will bring you a little closer than your phone, but not much. I edit all of the photos I keep on my phone or iPad, and I delete most of them and only save the best. Do you know how to use the advanced photo editing tools your phone has? They are amazing. I generally crop the photo, maybe adjust the exposure or color balance or saturation. I can make my photos look so much better. So can you. Learn how.

Here’s the big question to ask yourself before your cruise to Alaska: Do you want to take photos of majestic mountains and glaciers and beaches, or do you want closeups of bears and birds? If the former, then your phone and a knowledge of the photo editing tools is all you need. Don’t ever use the zoom function on your phone. Just crop the photo later. Below you can find a couple of my photos taken with an iPhone. (The bird is 3x, but the bird was only twenty feet away. The others were taken with an old phone. The originals are sharper than what you see here.) But if you want relative closeups of eagles and deer, the Canon Rebel will NOT do it unless you buy a very good zoom lens. At least 300mm. 500 mm is better. Think $2,000 for a good one, plus the camera. And then you need a good tripod or monopod, too—another $100 or more if you aren’t buying a toy. And then, when you have that lens on, you miss out on the wide angle shot. Instead, you stand at the deck rail with your expensive telephoto lens waiting for the right photo, then you miss it. Good wildlife photographers may wait for days for a good shot. You can’t do that. If you spend $2,500 on a decent quality camera and telephoto lens to take on this cruise, chances are you won’t get any amazing photos with it from the ship. Thus, I recommend that you stick to just your phone and don’t buy a camera. Just learn to edit your photos and improve them and stick to the big picture. If you see a bear a hundred yards away from the ship, just watch it and enjoy it and don’t waste your time trying to take a photo. Leave the astonishing wildlife photos to the pros.

You can find a book of my photos here. Forty year old slides taken with an Olympus OM1, but digitized, then edited on my iPad: Amazon.com

[Ealdrich]

I would go with the Nikon Coolpix P 900, 950 or 1000. Buy It used if you want to save a little. It has an amazing zoom, takes great photos and videos and is lightweight. Have a great trip!

[mntlblok]

Originally Posted by dtennent

The Rebel with the Tamron lens I described is fairly compact. A 40 year old film camera will never compare to a Rebel in terms of capabiity, ease of use, cost per picture (film and developing is costly on a per picture basis), and you don't have to carry around film cannisters. The digital SLR camera of today has so much more capability than a phone camera. To be clear, I do use my phone camera whenever I don't have my DSLR. I just realize what limitations are there.

While I am not a professional photographer, I am an avid amateur. I started with an Olympus OM1 in the seventies, had a first generation Canon EOS, moved to a Canon Rebel, and now my wife and I have Canon 80D and Canon 5D Mark 3. While we have a variety of lenses, I still use the Tamron 18-250 lens I bought 20+years ago in many situations.

It is true that people have taken some great pictures with a phone camera. However, a Rebel with the appropriate lens will dramatically increase your odds of getting that great picture.

Finally, the most important part of taking a great picture is the gray matter between your ears.

Good Luck

Would second all of that. On my fourth iteration of the Canon Digital Rebel. Considered them almost disposable as they were used primarily under water (when, not if, kind of thing). If you *really* want that long shot, this deal looks interesting. Amazon.com I have a similar "Bigma" and it is surprisingly "hand-holdable" with its image stabilization feature and a *lot* of fun. :-) About an order of magnitude less expensive than a long Canon lens yet with probably 80% of the result. From "outside the ropes". Flickr

I have no experience with this P1000 job but have seen what friends have pulled off with them and it's hard to believe - something like 3000mm?! Nikon Coolpix P1000 Review: Digital Photography Review

[mntlblok]

The bears could be back any day now to Brooks Falls. My summertime addiction.

Brown Bear Cam - Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park | Explore.org

[PersonOfInterest]

If you're looking for quality wildlife photos the lens you use will be the key factor. A 300mm lens at a minimum. Some high end point & shoot cameras may be satisfactory if they have 'optical' zoom in the 300mm range, but that will cost as much as a DSLR and Lens. Unless you're willing to invest $1500 or more I'd stick with your phone camera and not bother trying any distance shots of wildlife.

[larbud]

There are companies that rent DSLR Cameras and lenses..

[JRcorvette]

We have been to Alaska several times. I would as what are you going to do with all the photos you take? Share on the internet or make large framed prints. That makes a big difference. I do not recommend hauling around a big SLR and Lenses on your trip unless you are a photographer and I am guessing you are not. If you have a recent upper tier cell phone the cameras very good. If not I would look at a small camera with a good zoom lens and a good wide angle lens. I would also recommend a GoPro camera and selfie stick. The GoPro’s do great videos and still photo. One thing is for sure you are going to travel light. If it wouldn’t fit in a Fanny pack don’t take it.

[fireman50]

Got a nikon dslr for 2 hundo

[Notsocrates]

Originally Posted by tjdmlhw

My wife and I have an Alaska cruise tour scheduled in August and we think that we probably need a better camera than the ones on our phones. We have Samsung A13 5G phones which take fantastic pictures, but when you try to zoom in the shots become pixelated. Our daughter (who is going with us) has a Samsung S21 and the camera is better, but I'm not sure if it is good enough.

Do any of you have suggestions about what type of camera we should buy? Will a point and shoot be good enough or should we get a DSLR? I really hate the idea of paying a lot of money for a camera that will likely go in the box wih my 40 year old Nikon 35mm camera to never be used again, but Amazon has Canon Rebel camera kits for $400 which is cheaper than what I am paying for most of the excursions that we will be taking in Alaska.

I have ordered one of the monoculars which can attach to your phone and used as a zoom lense, so that might solve the problem. I'll test it tomorrow when it arrives from Amazon.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

2 birds--1stone.
Get a Pixel 6 Pro phone ($565 on Amazon) has 4x optical telephoto and best quality available today.

[evfan]

I did the Alaska cruise three or four years ago and I brought along several large lenses and a decent tripod in its own custom case just for the purposes of having all the options for getting great photos during the trip. I achieved what I wanted but I wished I could do it all over again having had that initial experience.

I would suggest making your equipment choice based on your itinerary and any excursions you plan to take. Are you planning for nature shots? Glaciers? Whale watching? All three can be achieved with a moderate camera investment. Whale watching generally requires a high-quality, high-speed lens. This may be a pain to lug around. However, if you call ahead to the excursion company, you check for ones that will offer their photos as an add-on for the excursion package. This will save you time, money, and the hassle of lugging heavy gear around on a small boat that will be at a safe distance away.

Most of the nature shots can be achieved with an average lens. I would usually keep a 70-200m lens ready for this purpose. Shooting glaciers I would recommend a good tripod to squeeze out maximum detail, especially if stitching together several frames for a panorama. This is my one regret, not getting enough frames in my field of view for the panorama – I was trying to get all of the glacier I could and missed getting shots in the foreground of the glacier and the little ‘burgs in front of me. Did manage to get some of the calving. Another reason why a tripod is helpful.

One last funny thing to share. On the nature hike/whale watching excursion we had the joy of this annoying, young Instagram California couple on our boat. They brought along this tiny plastic Polaroid Instamatic camera hoping to get their Instagram selfies with the whales. After repeated failures, they attempted to “hire” those of us who planned ahead with the right gear and proper clothing. No one agreed to offer our photos to them. By the end of the excursion the rest of us in the group were ready to feed this annoying couple to the bears so they could have all the close up selfies they wanted.

[Nancy@Pinellas]

I recently took a trip to Israel. I bought a new camera for the trip. On the first day the battery ran down half way through our adventure. I started using my iPhone. The iPhone pictures are just as good as the Minolta. I’d pass on getting a new camera.

[rsmurano]

Get an iPhone, it’s the 1st pro camera that you can also use as a phone and computer. We have a very nice point and shoot but the iPhone is much better.

For the best pictures, I use a new Nikon 35mm with 3 different lenses. The camera body cost $1000, the 3 lenses cost more than the camera.
If you get in this hobby, make sure you decide what brand you want to go with because levees are not interchangeable, a Nikon won’t work with canon or Sony, and lenses will probably cost you more than the camera itself.
When buying new lenses, make sure that they have VR capability for a blur free picture. You would hate to take 1 off pics and after reviewing the picture, you found out it was blurry.
Get multiple batteries, charger, and multiple SD cards. Get a couple 128G or a bunch of 64G cards, they are pretty cheap. Once you fill them up, put them in your bag, and put in a new card. When you get home, you can load these pictures into your computer from these cards.