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Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students heading to Hogwarts
ISO 3200 | 1/250 sec | F3.3 | 24mm |
When I travel with my kids, a few things differ from my child-free traveling experiences:
- I can expect to carry a lot of things that don’t belong to me;
- Plans can and will change at the drop of a meltdown;
- I will see and do things that I might not normally choose; and
- My travel companions will have the attention span of a gnat combined with the impatience of a… well, a child.
As a photographer, this means I need a camera that is small enough to stash in my pocket or purse, versatile enough to handle everything from relaxing moments at a pool to all-day treks through a theme park to sleep-deprived shenanigans at a family restaurant, and “smart” enough to take the pictures I want with very little input from me. Not only are my kids less generous about waiting for me to take photos, but the other guests/tourists have absolutely no time for that nonsense.
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No patience
ISO 125 | 1/500 sec | F3.3 | 24mm |
For a recent trip to the Universal theme parks in Orlando, Florida, I decided to bring along the Panasonic Lumix ZS200. Its small size meant I could carry it in the purse I stashed at my feet on rides (or in a temporary locker for particularly aggressive rides). The 1”-type sensor meant it would likely outperform my iPhone in low light. And the 24-360mm equivalent 15x optical zoom gave me the flexibility to get the whole scene from the middle of the action or to step away to focus on details.
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Waiting for Gringott’s Dragon to breathe fire
ISO 125 | 1/320 sec | F6.3 | ~274mm |
Since there were other tourists vying for the same views and rushing to get to the same attractions, I didn’t have much time to frame shots or get my settings right. For the most part, I trusted the ZS200 to figure things out and set it to “P” mode (or “S” mode if I knew my subject was moving and I wanted to control for movement). I also used the touch screen almost exclusively, as it was easier, faster, and often safer to hold the camera up and quickly frame and take a shot rather than put the EVF to my eye and possibly run into a small child covered in ice cream.
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Days are long and hot at Orlando theme parks
ISO 125 | 1/1250 sec | F5.6 | 24mm |
A feature I did wish for on the ZS200 was an articulated LCD screen. One of the advantages of using the LCD screen is to frame shots from a vantage point I wouldn’t have with the EVF — holding the camera high over my head, low to the ground, or off the edge of a boat, for example. But without an articulated screen, I couldn’t see what I was framing and I had to guess and hope for the best.
In use, I was pretty happy with the Panasonic ZS200. Sure, the low-light performance wasn’t as good as I’d expect on a larger sensor camera, focus got a bit soft at the long end, and the JPEG conversion could be a little crunchy, but I was on vacation. This was a time for me to enjoy an experience with my family while getting a few photos to document the memories. For that purpose, it served me well – I carried it with me the entire trip and was always ready to capture a moment when it arose.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)