Decided you’re coming abroad with us this summer? Fantastic! We can’t wait to show you the experience of a lifetime with beautiful scenery, great new friends, and thrill-seeking adventures…
…but these are all things that you’ll want to document! Taking pictures (and videos!) is a great way to do this. To help you out, I did my research by asking our very own Go Global Community Leaders what kinds of cameras they brought with them on their study abroad experiences. Pros, cons, and all… let’s take a look at what they recommend:
1. Canon Rebel, SLR
“I really liked the neck strap because it allows you to use your hands more than smaller cameras, but it’s definitely not something that you can bring when you’re doing something really active. For days that we were walking around a lot, I just used my phone because it allowed me to engage more in what we were doing and not worry about carrying around something bulky. Also, it takes awesome, high-quality pictures which is great because obviously when traveling abroad you’re seeing so many beautiful things!”
Emily Hauben
University of Virginia
LEAD Cape Town
Click here to purchase!
As for me …
2. Canon 5×50 HS, Power Shot
I absolutely loved this camera! There were two things about it that I especially loved. The first is that the lens is not removable, so I didn’t need to deal with the hassle of lugging around different lenses like you would with an SLR. The second is that this camera has an INCREDIBLE zoom. The pictures that I got on the safari were absolutely unreal. I was able to zoom so far, and I probably got the best pictures of animals out of everyone in my Land Rover. Of course, an SLR probably takes better pictures, but this camera really does have excellent picture quality and is a much cheaper option compared to an SLR!
Click here to purchase!
A PICTURE I TOOK ON THE SAFARI WITH MY CANON POWER SHOT!
Drumroll please…our big winner…
3. THE GOPRO!
To be honest, I had never heard of a GoPro until I studied abroad. It seemed like everyone had one! If I had one regret on my study abroad experience, it would be that I didn’t have a GoPro.
“They don’t hold battery well, and they don’t have a flash, but they take amaaaaazing video footage and pictures outside. They’re great for anything outside — the quality is unreal. I would also definitely recommend getting the pole it attaches to. It makes it SO much easier to take pictures, videos, selfies, everything… AND it floats, so perfect for cliff jumping, etc. It was hard for me to learn to use it at first, but I watched some YouTube video tutorials, and that helped! I bought the GoPro for the trip, and I was deciding between it and the Nikon SLR. I think I would have rather had the SLR because the pictures on it are better… BUT the GoPro just makes you feel like you’re reliving the experience when you watch the videos… It’s a tough call deciding between the two, so I guess it depends on if you’re doing more sightseeing or adventure!”
Randi Hines
Louisiana State University
GO: Rome
“I loved that it was so small and you could take it anywhere with you, but that also was hard because I thought I would lose it. I bought it when I got to Cape Town because of all the adventure stuff we were doing. I got great shark pictures and bungee videos. I also didn’t like that I couldn’t see the pictures, but you can get a screen, so not really a big deal. I loved that you could just take a bunch of pictures of everything and it was easy to carry around!”
Courtney Ergen
Wake Forest University
LEAD Cape Town
Click here to purchase!
To check out some awesome GoPro videos from all of our trips, be sure to visit our Facebook page! Ashton is working diligently to showcase our summer experiences for everyone to see, and the GoPro is the perfect aid!
Well, folks, there you have it! The honest truth about some of our most popular cameras our students brought abroad. Although different from each other, each of these cameras did a great job doing something really important — capturing memories! Students — after reading this article and doing your own research…a camera would be a great thing to put on your Christmas list 🙂
Say “cheese!”
-Anna and the Go Global team