European River Cruise (Page 3): I will be wary. Thank you for reminding me that Germany is no longer safe.

desperante

orguy wrote:

I did the Rhine cruise last year. One thing no one has mentioned is to be wary of pickpockets and thieves. On our smallish river cruise two(!)people lost their wallets in Cologne. If you're one of those people who insist on carrying your passport with you, the implications are awful. This is a real threat.

I will be wary. Thank you for reminding me that Germany is no longer safe.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

desperante wrote:

Planning on using Canon Sl1 with 18-55 mm lens and 75-300 mm lens. Also bringing a tripod. Budapest to Amsterdam route. If anyone has been on a tour such as this, I could use some pointers and tips. Thank you.

i've not gone on river cruises, but mostly sailing in the atlantic. while a tripod onboard is not particularly useful, a monopod may be. the tripod came in handy onshore for night photography. so all you ocean sailors may want to use one when coming into port.

desperante

johneccles wrote:

I have been on few river cruises and the advice I would give you is to take all that camera and kit but leave the tripod at home it will just get in the way.
Most tripods occupy enough floor space for two or three people and could easily get knocked by other people looking at the same thing that you are.

We have been upgraded to a balcony room. I guess I can use the tripod exclusively there. Thank you.

desperante

wj cody wrote:

i've not gone on river cruises, but mostly sailing in the atlantic. while a tripod onboard is not particularly useful, a monopod may be. the tripod came in handy onshore for night photography. so all you ocean sailors may want to use one when coming into port.

Night photography, any suggestions for night settings. I'm still learning. Thank you.

MtnMan Loc: ID

desperante wrote:

Planning on using Canon Sl1 with 18-55 mm lens and 75-300 mm lens. Also bringing a tripod. Budapest to Amsterdam route. If anyone has been on a tour such as this, I could use some pointers and tips. Thank you.

You can leave the 75-300 and tripod home.

desperante

dsnoke wrote:

I did that same itinerary in 2015. My camera was ... (show quote)

desperante

Buildrt wrote:

We took the viking cruise and there was no room for a tripid most of the time, even at 5:00 in the morning. I took my little Nikon P510 and it served me very well. I did use the long lens extensively as we moved along the river taking shots of people working the vineyards and of castles etc. on the hills.

I may have to give up on the tripod. Thank you.

desperante

Mdh wrote:

Went from Prague to Budapest. Caught ship at Linz, Austria. Did not take a tripod...would have just gotten in the way. The ship on the Danube cruised smoothly enough not to need one. Most of the museums we went to allowed no photography at all.

A lot of folks are suggesting no tripod. Might have to give it up even if we have a room balcony. Would a room balcony be useful for a tripod? Thank you.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

desperante wrote:

Night photography, any suggestions for night settings. I'm still learning. Thank you.

hi and thanks for your query. unfortunately i'm the last person to ask this question as i use only film, and on ocean voyages, medium format (hasselblad). for my night photography, when using colour transparency film i pust the asa to 3200 and make time exposures at f8 or f11. this is using mostly ektachrome film. i then increase my development time accordingly. i also enjoy making 2-3 hour exposures pushing the film into reciprocity which often gives unintended results, as the dyes in the film base shift.

for black and white, my asa may go from 1600 to 3200 and again, i make the adjustment during development.

you will get better advice, i'm sure, from other members of this site who are digital users.
one aside, i also used a minolta xe-5 body with the 16mm f2.8 rokkor lens for onboard photographs of the ships, themselves. great fun sailing on 12 meter boats!

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

desperante wrote:

Planning on using Canon Sl1 with 18-55 mm lens and 75-300 mm lens. Also bringing a tripod. Budapest to Amsterdam route. If anyone has been on a tour such as this, I could use some pointers and tips. Thank you.

We took the same trip two years ago, and it's a photographer's dream! I didn't get a lot of use out of my tripod, except from the top deck, as most of our forays into the various cities involved guided tours, cobblestone streets, and lots of other people. Shooting on the top deck, the tripod was great to have. If you go to my website, you'll see some of the shots I took. It's a great trip, so enjoy. One down note: Unless you've bought the trip extension for Amsterdam, don't expect to get much time there. We arrived in Amsterdam around 3:00 a.m. and they put us on a bus for the airport at around 7:00 a.m. For me, that was a bit disappointing.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

desperante wrote:

I'm planning to use the tripod on the boat. Not sure how safe it'll be in the crowded towns. Thank you.

But that's exactly where the tripod will maximize vibrations! When there is something spectacular to see and photograph from the deck, the area will be crowded with other passengers and the space most limited. Other passengers will generally give you enough room to get a picture with a long lens, but aren't too sympathetic when you want extra space to set up & use a tripod.

I took a tripod on our Panama Canal cruise and found it just too difficult to use in the limited space available. I ended up leaving it in the cabin.

peterg Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

PacSafe ( http://www.pacsafe.com ) carries lots of "anti-theft" gear including camera bags and straps. Example: They're "Slashguard" straps have two stainless steel wires embedded, also attachment hooks that require extra actions to unhook.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

desperante wrote:

Planning on using Canon Sl1 with 18-55 mm lens and 75-300 mm lens. Also bringing a tripod. Budapest to Amsterdam route. If anyone has been on a tour such as this, I could use some pointers and tips. Thank you.

I'm green! Have fun and bring home some excellent photos. Oh, and share a few with us will you please? Thanks

Magicman

Took that cruise in November. Biggest disappointment was darkness arriving at 4pm. Missed so much when we left ports at that time. Do not bring Tri or monopod. Prepare for humid wet weather. Bring layers. I Remember walking thru Vienna freezing. Prep for low light. Need 300mm from ship to shore shots. Wide angle for inside ship. No flash in many castle tours Enjoy!

Newsbob Loc: SF Bay Area

I did a time-lapse of our Viking boat going through the locks that turned out well. I wrapped a Gorilla-pod around the railing and started the shots about 10 minutes before entering the lock. Remember to turn off all the automatic stuff like focus, stabilization and aperture.