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Pros & Cons of Bringing a Video Camera on Your Trip

by BootsnAll

As technology makes our electronic toys smaller and more compact, it becomes less far-fetched to not only bring a camera with you when you travel but also tote along a video camera as well. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should – so in this article we’re going to explore the question of whether or not you should bring a video camera on your trip.

First, we wanted to go over your video camera options these days. The video cameras of your youth (assuming you’re not currently a youth) are not the things you’ll find in electronics stores today. Nowadays, they’re compact little things that are often digital (so you can say goodbye to the mini-tapes of yore) or record directly onto DVDs. The ones that will give you movies worth showing on your big flat screen at home – as opposed to just uploading to YouTube – aren’t cheap, but if you’re only looking for enough quality to send your friends videos over the internet about their crazy drunken antics, then an entry-level machine should do the trick and not cost you a fortune.

This is a helpful article about choosing a camera. But should you even bother bringing a video camera in the first place?

Why You Should Bring a Video Camera

  • Suspended-in-time memories: What better way to re-live your trip than with images that move? Instead of having to write down your memories, or being satisfied with still photos, your experiences are recorded for you – complete with sound. Now you don’t have to tell the story, you can show it.
  • Make your millions: If you have any aspirations of being a filmmaker, why not turn your trip into your first commerical (ok, probably artistic) success? Meet a couple of hams on the road and you could even try for a short film!
  • In case you meet a hot guy/gal on the road and you want to make lasting memories: Oh, come on – don’t even pretend you weren’t thinking the exact same thing.

Why You Should Not Bring a Video Camera

  • Delicate/easy to break: Video cameras have LCD screens. Video cameras have lenses. Video cameras have a lot of little buttons and an intricate set of inner workings. Tapes are sensitive to heat and can easily break. Protecting your camera can be a stressful hassle.
  • Battery Issues: Video cameras require batteries and batteries have to be charged. This, in turn, requires a converter. Or, depending on where you are going, multiple converters. If you’re living out of a backpack, chances are there won’t be a lot of room in it anyway.
  • Mugging target/fear of loss: We’re sorry to say, but you scream “tourist with money” when you have a video camera. Like any other nice thing you take on the road, chances are, some people will try to get their hands on it if provided the opportunity.

Should you bring a video camera with you?

BootsnAll Sez: For most people, we think bringing along a separate video camera on your trip probably isn’t worth the trouble or extra space. However, if you’re even remotely saddened by our verdict, we suggest you upgrade your digital camera to one that takes good (if short) videos and bring along a few flash cards – then you’ve got one device that serves two purposes, which is always good in the effort to travel light.

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