6 Awesome Winter Vacations and the Right Cameras to Preserve Every Exciting Moment

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1. As a parent, you know where your kids want to vacation this winter—Florida! They are already practicing their poses with Mickey, Goofy and the whole gang at Disneyworld^™. Their list also includes Universal Orlando Resort^™, Seaworld^™, Busch Gardens^™and as many waterparks, zoos and aquariums as possible, for even more family fun.

The new Nikon 1 J1is a perfect match with all that activity. It is Nikon’s most compact mirror-less camera with an interchangeable lens system. The J1 was built with the fastest auto-focus system for a camera at this price point, especially so you could track, focus and capture sharper images of your joyous, always-in-motion children. The Nikon J1 has numerous features for your casual photography, including 1080p full HD video in stereo sound. You can spend more time participating in your children’s fun instead of watching it from behind the camera.

2. Arizona is an excellent winter vacation for the photographer serious about recording spectacular landscapes. Within this one state, you can photograph the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Just think of the many ways you can capture these magical places: at sunrise and sunset; in bright, harsh sunlight; and the muted tones of a cloudy day.

The Canon EOS 7D is designed and built for an Arizona landscape photography adventure. It’s tightly constructed with magnesium parts and features an excellent grip, making it easy to hold, even during a long day in the desert. The 7D’s 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor produces excellent images with great depth of field, making it much superior to any compact camera and many DSLRs. With its top quality processor, auto-focus system, full feature video and many other capabilities, the Canon EOS 7D is the right choice for landscape photography in Arizona.

3. San Diego is a nearly perfect winter vacation destination for adults—sun, sea, sand and romantic Pacific sunsets. Each is the perfect backdrop for the days and nights you’ll never forget. After sundown, the Gaslight Quarter is THE place for dining, shopping, theatergoing and clubbing. It’s trendy, tasty, entertaining and filled with many days and nights of adult fun.

Compact in size and weight, but packed with many DSLR features, the Sony NEX 5 camera will never intrude on all the adult activities you’ll enjoy in San Diego. It fits in a pocket when paired with the 16mm f/2.8 “pancake” lens and feels as if you’re carrying nothing at all. The NEX 5, with its all-metal body, shares the solid and durable construction of the better DSLRs. This Sony model produces nothing short of spectacularly sharp images, given its 14MP APS-C sensor. Make it easy to capture your time together in high quality photos with the Sony NEX 5.

4. Skiing and snowboarding the slopes of Colorado may be your favorite winter getaway at Breckenridge, Vail and Telluride or any of the state’s other hot spots for cold-weather fun. Don’t overlook the variety of shredding at Arapahoe Basin, for example. Treeline is an advanced terrain park located at the highest altitude in North America while the High Divide is an excellent learning experience for beginners.

Your camera must be as rad as your adventure, which is why you shouldn’t head for the mountains until you have a new GoPro HD Hero2. This is the camera that goes where you go, with its time-lapse mode, a very wide 170-degree field of view and 1080p HD video at 30fps. Go for the Outdoor version that attaches to your headgear and capture every awesome move of you and your friends.

5. It’s time to book your scuba or snorkeling trip to paradise in the Hawaiian Islands. After a 45-minute boat ride from Lahaina Harbor on Maui, intermediate and advanced divers plunge into the huge underwater caverns known as the First and Second Cathedral. For some less-strenuous snorkeling, head to Hanauma Bay on the southeast coast of Oahu.

To capture the scenery of the Cathedrals and the bright colors of the tang, parrotfish, butterfly fish, Moorish idols and tropical species In Hanauma Bay, pack the Olympus Stylus Tough TG-810. It’s an adventure camera that likes to play rough. Waterproof to 33 feet (10m) and shockproof from 6.6 feet (2m), the TG-810 is also fully loaded with exceptional features, including 720p HD video and 4 underwater photography modes that make it easy to shoot with just one hand.

6. Spain’s Mediterranean, Atlantic and Cantabrian seashores are major warm-weather destination for mid-winter. Don’t spend all your time on the beach, however; head inland into Andalusia, for example, to experience and photograph the Moorish influence on Spanish culture. You’ll come face to face with one of the world’s greatest architectural wonders, The Alhambra in Granada.

When you’re traveling to a place with so much history, culture and natural beauty, you need a camera equal to the task, and that’s a Nikon D5100 DSLR. It’s an excellent balance of value and capabilities and picture sharpness that approach professional-grade. You won’t miss a fascinating Spanish scene or subject with the side-hinged, 3-inch LCD screen. Record all you do in 1080p full HD video and use the highly rated night vision mode to bring home the magic of a languid Spanish evening.

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Photo by PhotographyTalk.com member, Chasrich