Im off to New York - kit advice

[stevieh59]

After getting into photography and slowly feeling restricted by the PASM dial on my fujifilm compact I've just purchased a canon 450d with a kit lens.

Basically I'm (me and wife) are off to New York New York soon and I was wondering what to take for nailing those shots. I imagine it will be the only chance I get to go there so am looking for a bit of kit advice.

I'm able to borrow a essential wide and angle lens and a tripod. Is there anything else like filters that would be advisable. Polarizing filters for day building shots etc

Any help greatly appreciated. Also good vantage points for shots etc

[matt wilson]

batteries ,media cards,a cable release for use when you have the tripod.and yes to the polarizer (be aware though that on really wide angle shots you can get areas of an image responding differently to polarizer e.g where there's a lot of sky )

Regarding locations I have not been but try searching something like google images or flickr and some locations are bound to stand out.

take loads of pics and don't delete because the lcd screen looks poor .You may be surprised when shots are reviewed back home.

Shoot raw rather than jpeg .(if it's your only chance to go you will have more latitude later in getting the best from your shots.

[ap4a]

How wide is your wide angle? On a 450D I'd aim for a 10-20mm or similar. For street shots a fast 30mm or similar and a fast 50mm, or a fast standard zoom (17-55 f/2.8 or similar). A circular polariser would be handy, possibly an ND grad and, if you want to slow the shutter for moving water shots (eg fountains in Central Park), a ND non-graduated filter might come in handy too. I'd maybe consider where you will want to use a tripod, as there are a lot of restrictions on tripod use in Manhattan and you don't want to carry unnecessary weight on a trans-Atlantic flight. If it was me I'd maybe look at taking a different type of support, such as a Gorillapod, instead of a tripod, and then if I found I wanted/needed one while there I'd just buy a cheap one for short term use. That said, you can get some lovely night shots across Manhattan island from the top of the Rockefeller tower, and a tripod will help with that if you can get access and tripod permission.

[the3dge]

Its a great city for photography but I wouldn't burden myself with lots of gear. I take it you have the EF-S 18-55mm Canon kit lens. This should be fine for most shots, if you want added flexability you could add the EF-S 55-250 which should cover most bases and at around £170 is great value. I would carry them all in a small rucksac - I used a Tamrac but have since changed to a Kata. The tripod should be good for night shots if you get the chance but may be cumbersome to carry around during the day, particularly around Manhattan. Polarising filter will be useful and if you're on top of the Rock or Empire State an ND grad will be uesful for controlling the balance between sky and ground, but that should be it. I recommend a good pair of walking shoes :-) Hope you have a great time.

[stevieh59]

Thanks for all the great advice people. I'm still awaiting for play.com to get in the 8gb sdhc card I want, only 27.99 if you looking for a bargain and use the same media. Not sure what range the Wide angle is

I though a polarizer would be a good idea, so glad to know Im thinking along the right lines.
I've got a great little bean bag camera support (cam-pod), which Im hoping to use on top of bins and stuff to get steady shots, long exposures.

THanks for the advice once again

[nikonian]

Originally Posted by stevieh59

After getting into photography and slowly feeling restricted by the PASM dial on my fujifilm compact I've just purchased a canon 450d with a kit lens.

Basically I'm (me and wife) are off to New York New York soon and I was wondering what to take for nailing those shots. I imagine it will be the only chance I get to go there so am looking for a bit of kit advice.

I'm able to borrow a essential wide and angle lens and a tripod. Is there anything else like filters that would be advisable. Polarizing filters for day building shots etc

Any help greatly appreciated. Also good vantage points for shots etc

Well naff off then

[chris-p]

I wouldn't bother with the tripod. You're not going to want to take it through an airport or lug it around a city amd it'll only get in the way. If you want/need to take long exposures then rest the camera on something or buy a small portable thing like a Gorillapod.

The 18-55 and perhaps a 10-20/10-24 type lens would be more than enough. You could use a telephoto lens perhaps but it depends on how much kit you want to carry around and how much money you want to spend before you go! If I had to take 2 lenses only it would be my standard zoom and a wide angle, no question.

A polariser is a good idea and (as has already been said) batteries and memory cards.

One useful tip if you want shots of the Statue of Liberty and the south Manhattan skyline is get on the Staten Island ferry. It's free and not usually full of tourists as there's nothing to see on Staten Island itself but you get some stonking views of the southern tip of Manhattan and you go right past the Statue of Liberty without having to pay to get out there.
The only downside is that there really is nothing but houses on Staten Island so just get the next ferry back again. Certainly beats paying for a boat trip when you can do it for nowt!

[stevieh59]

Originally Posted by chris-p

I wouldn't bother with the tripod. You're not going to want to take it through an airport or lug it around a city amd it'll only get in the way. If you want/need to take long exposures then rest the camera on something or buy a small portable thing like a Gorillapod.

The 18-55 and perhaps a 10-20/10-24 type lens would be more than enough. You could use a telephoto lens perhaps but it depends on how much kit you want to carry around and how much money you want to spend before you go! If I had to take 2 lenses only it would be my standard zoom and a wide angle, no question.

A polariser is a good idea and (as has already been said) batteries and memory cards.

One useful tip if you want shots of the Statue of Liberty and the south Manhattan skyline is get on the Staten Island ferry. It's free and not usually full of tourists as there's nothing to see on Staten Island itself but you get some stonking views of the southern tip of Manhattan and you go right past the Statue of Liberty without having to pay to get out there.
The only downside is that there really is nothing but houses on Staten Island so just get the next ferry back again. Certainly beats paying for a boat trip when you can do it for nowt!

Thanks for the Staten island ferry tip, free and good views sounds great. You sound like you have done this. Any idea how long this ferry ride took?

Our hotel is overlooking times square, so if I need a tripod I can always run back and get it I suppose.

Saw a video of a Gorillapod and unless the bloke really was inept - it kep falling over all the time. So I'll stick with my bean bag I think.

Quick question. Will a lens hood go in front of Polarizing filter. Or is it one or the other?

[chris-p]

I was in New York in 2003, so it was a while ago, but I think the Staten Island ferry took about 45 minutes each way and we had to wait for 15 mins or so on Staten Island to get the return boat (for some reason you can't stay on it and just wait for it to go back - they make everyone get off).

I've not used a Gorillapod but I've heard good things about them - I suppose if you can use it properly then it's fine but if you can't then its useless!

With a polariser, they screw onto the lens thread and the lens hood will still fit. The only problem you get is that, depending on the depth of the hood, you can't always reach the polariser very easily with the hood attached.