Captain Hook

I have a camera that you might be interested in. Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS70. Briefly, it has a 30X optical zoom, 20.2 MP, 3" tilting screen plus a viewfinder. Do a Google search. My camera has been unused for a while since I have 2 DSLRs. I'm willing to sell it for a very attractive price. Give me a shout.





















tilting view finder plus

kufengler Loc: Meridian, Idaho 83646

I've been using a NIKON COOLPIX S9700 for quite some time now. It works out great for me. Here're a few shots taken with it on a river trip up the Salmon River. Your river trip wouldn't be as bouncy.

barrytex

We went on a similar river cruise and I believe you will enjoy it. There was one area where we passed several castles and that was the area where a long zoom would be necessary, at least 400mm.

Old Dutch

you may want to consider the Fuji HS-20-50 EXR series. 24-720mm lens, EXR engine for high speed capture and excellent color rendition. Lightweight, compact and cheap used on E-bay or wherever you shop for such things. The attached photo was taken handheld at 706 mm zoom, f/8 at 1/60th, from most of a football field away. It really is a remarkable little package.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

You are going to be just fine. Enjoy your trip!

Spuds Loc: Tx

Just got off Viking on the Rhine. Tripod was not a problem. If on the included tours a bit of a hassle but doable

hjkarten Loc: San Diego, California

I have a SONY A6500 mirrorless with an inexpensive 16-50 mm SONY lens. Total weight is about 600 grams (not including a Peak Design strap. Has In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), good View Finder. Much to my surprise, despite the marginal quality of this low priced lens, can print 20x30 inch scenics with excellent sharpness and very good color that "almost" match the quality of images taken with my A1 with GM lenses (well, that is certainly a bit of an exaggeration!). But for a lightweight travel camera when hiking it is excellent. Not as compact as a RX10 or RX100, but easier to brace, and allows interchangeable lenses. APS-C, 24 MP images.
It uses the smaller battery than a A6600, and is moderately tolerant of moisture. I have seen it listed on Craigslist for as little as ca. $625. Fits into a typical parka pocket or fanny pack.

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

Note: I AM NOT INTERESTED IN BUYING A NEW CAMERA!!

I was looking for advice on things like:
1. Travelling from Amsterdam to Budapest, is there a preferred side of the boat?
2. Will I need a mono/tripod or bean bag? Can I use it on the boat?
3. Will my FZ200 (600mm) be long enough to capture sites (castles, etc) on shore?
4. Are there any "surprises" on shore excursions where my S110 will not suffice? I do not want to carry my much heavier FZ200 unless absolutely necessary.
5. Do I need any filters (CPL or ???)?

Thanks to all who have offered this type of advice.

Once again, I DO NOT PLAN ON BUYING MORE PHOTO EQUIPMENT!

lenscap66

Regarding the Sony HX 99 you have endorsed for travel purposes. I'm interested to learn whether this camera shoots video? Are memory cards used in this camera restrictive? If so please advise make & model. The images you posted at this site are impressive. I'd like to find one used, if possible. Thanks!

Canisdirus

Lumix FZ200 will be fine...no worries.

Keep it simple...enjoy yourself.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You might find something useful here -

https://www.cameralabs.com/best-superzoom-camera/
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-enthusiast-long-zoom-cameras
https://www.apotelyt.com/camera-guide/best-superzoom
https://www.pocket-lint.com/cameras/buyers-guides/154934-best-compact-cameras
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-superzoom-camera/

https://www.t3.com/features/best-compact-cameras
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-travel-camera
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-superzoom-camera/

wcmoorejr Loc: Birmingham Alabama

I have not done a river cruise before. i did an alaska cruisetour last year. The ship had very little vibrations but I did see a number of folks with a monopod. for me, I upped the shutter a little to compensate and i got very nice pictures. i was using a 16-300 lens. i wish that had 600 at some points on the trip because the whales were not too close to the boat. I took a single light lens (left all of my L lens at home) because I did not want to carry all of the weight (I have a bad back). On my excursions in town, I mainly used the lower end of my zoom (16-50mm range). I only needed the 300 side when I was trying to zoom in on waterfalls that were on the other side of the gorges. On the trip, the bow is where all of the people stacked up. I went to the stern where there were far less people and I could walk from port to starboard without having to go around a lot of obstacles. When you embark the ship, take plenty of time to explore the ship to find places where it is easy to navigate. In addition to using my camera, I also shot a lot of photos with my cellphone. I did thast so I would have pics that I could share in the moment. The pano mode on the iPhone does a really good job without me having to do any stiching. The only piece of equipment i bought for the trip was a portable 1TB SSD. It has a built in AP and a USB port that you can plug in your SD card reader. at night I would hook up my card reader to it and back up my cards. Because of traveling light, I left my laptop at home and wanted a way to do backups from ship. It also allowed me to backup my cellphone pictures.

While I dont use any of your equipment, from what you have discribed, I am sure that it will work fo you.- I have shot a lot of castles in Germany and rarely needed my max zoom. The fun part with castles is to get the surrounding landscapes in additon to some with just the castle in frame. i hope that you enjoy your river cruise!!

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

1. Having made this trip (the Grand European), side of the boat is a potshot. There are sites worth seeing and capturing on both sides. The best to capture anything is normally topside on the sun deck. Anyone who tells you different hadn’t taken the trip. Haha! By the way, often Viking boats dock in tandem. Meaning you could look out your room and have someone’s room directly across you. That is unavoidable and doesn’t matter which side, port or starboard. Besides, it’s 99% of the time short lived.
2. I have never brought a tripod or monopod with me. Nor have I ever seen anyone else with one on any of the 7 Viking trips I’ve been on. Never. Actually, you may even be asked not to bring either on any excursion. They are a nuisance and by the time you setup with a tripod, you stand a chance of annoying someone and maybe holding up the group. Most consider a tripod or monopod a PITA for everyone including. A guide once told us that they were specifically not allowed. If you think you might need a bean bag, bring it. I’ve never seen one of those either.
3. 600mm should be plenty of range. But, a bridge like a Canon SX50, 60, 70 gives you an advantage of range.The FZ200 has a compact sensor so cropping to fill the frame with a subject castle high on a River back could be a challenge. I currently use a Canon G3x, which is 24-600 equiv with a 1” sensor. But, with the FZ200, if you think landscape that includes a castle, I think you’ll be satisfied….
4. The S110 is 24-120 equiv with f2.0 wide open. I don’t know what your interests will be, but assuming “sites,” you should be fine. Keep your ISO below 800. You will notice that a Viking rep will be walking around taking shots that they will sell you on a thumb drive toward the end of the cruise. The camera he/she will likely have will be their phone or a small compact like a Canon Elph series. For excursions of the last couple years, I’ve brought a Canon G1x iii on the excursions. Approx 75% of my shots were taken at a focal length of 50mm.
5. Do the S110 or FZ200 take filters? I personally think you don’t need anything other than the cameras.

When we first started taking Viking River cruises, there were quite a few DSLRs. The last couple years, they have been the exception. Most are using their phones and compacts including pocketables, bridge cameras, and small mirrorless. Unfortunately, we still see a few who use iPads, which is just as annoying as people who use them in concerts. Be courteous to others in the group. Be patient and enjoy your trip. Other thoughts, don’t miss the evening concert in Vienna. Buy your euros from the home bank in advance. Speaking of euros, always have single euros with you for the guides, drivers, and bathrooms (you WILL need them). The credit card most often accepted is Visa. But, often, cash is king in smaller shops. We always bring a debit card as well. However, one that is NOT linked to our main checking and savings accounts. We opened a separate account that is used for vacation trips with an absolute spending limit/deposit. That way, if the card is lost or stolen, our max lost is only from that account.

stevefrankel

My only suggestion is to use the FZ200 all the time; I used one on several ocean cruises in Asia with great success. The constant 2.8 aperture is what you want indoors or on land in relative darkness. My other all-time favorite is an Olympus Stylus 1S, which I wrote a manual for some years ago. I use a walker and on a trip to South Africa this Christmas, largely to shoot wildlife, I'll take a used Sony RX100-M7 and a Fuji X-5 with a Fujinon 50-240mm lens. The viewfinder image of the X-5 makes it -- at 200mm worth the extra weight (about ½ pound extra) and cost on this once-in-a-lifetime cruise. When I'm not in a 4x4 vehicle on a game drive, I'll probably carry the Sony RX100 with me most of the time. If I fill the frame with my images, I can get 20x30" prints most every time.

ggttc Loc: TN

I am liking this one. never heard of it