Anyone with any tips for a novice traveller with limited experience with a camera. Hi I would appreciate advice for taking photos in low light areas around Egypt such as tombs
I own a Panasonic DMC-TZ1 Lumix 10x Optical Zoom
whatever that means
Thanks

Clean Skin, I haven't taken any photos in tombs and I don't have the DMC-TZ1, but my first suggestion is that you read the manual - it may well have a specific setting for low light settings (possibly the "Night Scenery" scenic mode that I've seen mentioned in the camera's reviews).

Other forum members who've travelled to Egypt will be able to tell you whether flashes are allowed in tombs (?) I would think not, so find out how to turn the flash off so you don't have any 'accidents'.

From what I've read, the camera has a max ISO (light sensitivity) of 800, so if you have no other option, possibly try for a manual ISO setting, but the rest on normal 'Program' setting.

I got into the habit when I was trying to shoot in lower light settings on tour (e.g. interior shots with lower light levels) of trying to find a spot so that I could brace the camera (e.g. against a wall, column, etc.) to minimise camera shake. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Key is to practice with the camera in advance, so that you can get it to do what you want when it's important.

Cheers,
Jeanie

Thanks Jeanie
The manual, ISO 800, and brace myself

When we were there in2006 photography was not permitted in the tombs in the Valley of the Kings or inside the temples at Abu Simbel. I would be very surprised if things have changed.

Hello, Clean Skin! You will love your camera in the temples! We just returned from the Grand Tour of Egypt on Sat. night and have looked over our photos. We have two versions of the DMC Lumix - DMC LZ5 & DMC TZ1 cameras -and they were awesome. If there is already some sort of light source, turn off your flash and fire away. Your camera should have the anti-shake setting so be sure to have it turned on. You can experiment indoors at home to see what works best for you. I took a tiny tripod and did not use it once. More than 90% of the photos are superb. We even took photos at the two sound and light shows (pyramid and Karnak). We liked the Karnak show the most and there were several photo ops which turned out very well. The contrast was better at night than in the daytime. In the Valley of the Kings, no photos are allowed inside the tombs as is true at Abu Simbel. I did see a tourist bribing a guard to photograph in one of the tombs. I was concerned about my camera being confiscated, so I played by the rules. I made a point of purchasing the cheap-o postcards that are hawked everywhere to be sure of some sort of record of what we saw (your TD will tell you a fair price at each location). Late in the tour, a CD was made available for purchase of all of the various sites at around US$12. I felt that it was a good buy.

With your camera, experiment using the night scenery setting versus the regular setting. I had better luck with the regular setting. Most of the time, I was able to hold the camera without blurry results. The macro (little flower on the wheel) worked well for close up shots of hieroglyphics in many spots. It is a swell feeling to have the photos come out well, too.

Is your battery rechargeable or AA? If it uses AA, I had super luck with the lithium AA batteries. My hubby's is rechargeable and he made sure to have his spare battery along for the day. I did not see lithium batteries for sale in Egypt but did see SD cards. Each of us used almost 3 2Gb. cards. We did shoot some videos and that took up some space. We need to have both cameras professionally cleaned from the dust and sand, so take care.

Have a super time!

plantlady095 Thank you very much for your wonderful advice it's so nice to hear from someone with the same camera and to find out that it acutely works well, it would be sad to come home and find out the pictures were poor. I have 2 X 4 Gb cards and a spare rechargeable battery, once again thanks

Clean Skin - You might wish to check to see if the 4Gb cards will work correctly with your camera. The largest card for my LZ5 is 2Gb. I am not sure if that limit is true with the newer LZ1. Just be sure to take a few dozen practice shots at night and indoors to see what works best for you.

I am so excited for your trip but still a tad jetlagged.

Big kiss for you plantlady095 your blooming marvellous, exchanged my 4Gb cards for 2Gb that will work Thanks