Inglese

I know Venice very well although I stay on the mainland with friends. Staying in Venice itself can be very expensive so you might want to investigate hotels in Marghera or Mestre both of which are at the other end of the ponte della Liberta which connects Venice to the mainland. Both of these are very well connected with regular bus and tram services. I usually take several cameras to cope with different situations that I know I will meet. In fact, the one I use most is probably a tiny Nikon V1 followed by Fuji X-Pro1 or Nikon D7000. I haven't been to the Carnivale but I know that it becomes insanely crowded so minimum equipment is probably sensible.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Venice is one of the cities in the world that has become too congested with PEOPLE. It is very difficult to get around, not like back in the day. With Carnival they will drop off a couple thousand at a time into the city alone with several other cruise lines on a daily basis. Gondola rides are still nice IF they take you on some narrow back canals.
I look for the back canals, the narrow side streets, I like to ride the Water Taxi, (cheap and you get to see a lot of the city and be about normal Venetians going about their daily commute). Note all of the specialty boats, private taxis, police, fire, water, sewer, freight, etc. etc.
My favorite camera again is my pocket Sony HX90, now the HX99, it has a 24-750 mm Zeiss lens, with pop up viewfinder, that I have in a belt pouch so it is always ready to shoot. Be aware of what is around you, when riding the water taxi I noticed a bride and groom in a gondola, I raised my HX90, zoomed out for all it was worth and got the shot below. Also be aware of all of the love locks on the bridges and the churches are also worth a visit.

J690

Also note that the first floor is the second floor and so on,most B&B’s have no elevators,so drop your luggage down to one bag if possible

denis.fr

Bonjour, je vais au Carnaval depuis une quinzaine d'années, voici mes conseils:
1/ si possible, logez près de San Marco ou pont du Rialto, entre les deux est parfait.
2/ peu d'utilisation de longues focales, sauf du haut du Campanile ou de Dan Giorgio.
3/ pied pour photos de nuit
4/ beaucoup d'intérieurs avec des lumières diverses (attention à la balance des blancs)
5/ mon objectif favori : Nikon 24/70 2,8 ou Sigma Art 24/105 bien réglé il est top !
6/ J'ai acheté un 1.4 Sigma 20 mm l'an dernier pour limiter mes isos et augmenter ma dynamique : ce que j'ai gagné par rapport au 24/105, je l'ai perdu en recadrant assez sévèrement car l'angle de champ est vraiment large ! je ne fais que peu de paysages, plutôt des portraits et costumes + les canaux, églises, etc... et puis si mon 24 ne couvre pas le sujet, je fais l'assemblage de plusieurs photos avec Image Composite Editor qui est offert avec Windows 10 et qui fonctionne très bien.
7/ pour info, je tire environ 1300 photos lors du Carnaval, et je fais un tirage papier des 300 à 350 meilleures en 13x19 (pour bien en profiter), que je mets en album (fait chez un artisan Vénitien)
8/ etc... c'est le paradis des photographes, on se croisera peut-être au Florian, c'est le lieu de rencontre des costumés pour un chocolat chaud et le soir avant le départ pour les soirées...
Pour me reconnaître : Nikon D 850 et 24/105 sigma art, ou Z 6 ou 7 avec 24/70 2.8 S si mes finances me le permettent ! Amicalement, Denis

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

OH, where is my translator software when I need it.

Satman Loc: Indy

Buy the pass for the water taxi, hop on and off...

One bag enjoy,,

early morning and late night best times,

Inglese

The 'water taxi' is not cheap, far from it. I suspect that what you refer to is a vaporetto, the equivalent of a bus. It is very important to use the correct terms when giving advice or there could be a nasty, expensive, surprise.

Inglese

You don't 'hop on, hop off' on taxis. They take you where you want to go and relieve you of lots of cash. You are clearly referring to the vaporetti. It is no use giving advice that uses the incorrect terms.

repleo Loc: Boston

Even the vaparettos are not cheap. When I was there last year it was 9 Euro for a single ride or 30 Euro for a 48-hour pass. The vaparettos are the best way to see the canal but they are not quick transportation. The trip from the train station to St Mark's takes nearly as long as walking. I think the water taxis start at 90-100 Euro for the whole boat. Water taxi fares and gondolas are regulated by the city.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

It would be very hard to beat the Sony RX 100 series or RX10 III or IV !
.

Satman Loc: Indy

You are correct, we enjoyed riding, and would get off at a stop, and visit a new area, of the city.

Clearly, we were not talking about the gondola, or the private taxi,

Sorry for joining this conversation, never been to Venice, or the local airport and the Marco Polo Lounge, AA715. 1A..
,,

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

Get reservations now. We were satisfied with our AirB&B but we are not fussy. Pack light. There are bridges that require manhandling you luggage up and down no matter where you go. We were able to travel for 5 weeks with carryon luggage without missing a thing. Read as many articles as you can about the city. I like Rick Steves books and try to follow his advice. On the advice of a fellow hogger I took the battery grip and L bracket off my Canon 6D and took a single lens, a 24-105 and it did everything I needed. Sure I could have used other lenses but I find that if I have too much stuff it detracts from the enjoyment of the place or event. We took a tour into the Dolomites but in February it is skiing country. You will thank me for each ounce you leave behind when you pack. Take your eye off the viewfinder occasionally to really enjoy the culture and location. You can’t photograph everything so enjoy what you are immersed in. Did I mention pack light? Enjoy and we expect a full report with photos upon your return. Enjoy.

MoT Loc: Barrington, IL

I have used a Panasonic FZ-1000 in some European travels and got great results. It has the equivalent of a 25mm to 400mm f2.8-f4.0 Leica lens which gave me very sharp results even in a church with available light. The FZ-1000 II is now out but has the same lens but I am not sure about the sensor. The earlier one has a BSI-CMOS sensor that is very good. That said I have sold my Nikons due to the weight and bought an Olympus OM D -E M1 MkII with a 12mm-100mm highly rated zoom (24-200mm equivalent to Full Frame. The Olympus has in body stabilization and works with the Lens IS for about 6.5 EV compensation. I think Pana MFT has a similar camera but Olympus seems to be better for stills and the Panasonic for video. Happy hunting.

Jbat Loc: Charleston, SC

I have a Sony RX100M5 for exactly the uses you mention. They also have out now two later versions. This camera is light, has a viewfinder, small flash, goes down to f1.8. The version 5 or later should be great for you The version 5 is 24-70. The later versions I believe are 24-200.

Joel

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

If you'd like to remain Nikon, so you can use (some of) your lenses, May I suggest a Z6. Best of luck.