Best camera for travel

I agree with these writers. Almost any point and shoot digital camera will take good pictures once you learn how to use it. And I leave all my lenses at home making my load lighter.

Mine is the Canon PowerShot A560. 7.1 MegaPixels. Much better than all my film cameras.

I have the Canon Rebel XSi with all the whistles and bells that I use professionally.
I also have the Canon Power Shot SD850 Digital Elph that is superb. I'm traveling later this year and will just be taking the Power Shot.

Evelyn, Don't think there is such a thing as the best camera for travel. Everyone has a favorite. I have A Nikon N-80 and also a Nikon D-50 and the lens's are interchangeable but I would not want to carry either to Europe as they are heavy and bulky. For my trip next year, I just bought an Olympus SP-560 UZ. It is about half the weight and 1/3 the size of the SLR's. I found it on Home Shopping and they sold over 9000 of them in two hours. The camera has a built in 18x zoom which was the selling point for me. I see so many pictures that would be 100% better if you could actually see the focal point of the shot. A good camera without a powerful zoom lens will not give you the pictures you will like. Sounds like you know what I am talking about with the cameras you have. I'm not familiar with the P80. Just try to stay lighter, smaller but don't lose the chance to get close up when you actually can't. Just my opinion.

I've been happily carrying a point and shoot since a trip through Asia years ago. My wife and I traveled with a friend and his wife.

I packed my SLR, lenses, filters, tripod and carrying bag and lugged it on planes, trains and buses through multiple countries. When my pictures came back, I was really happy - they were great.

My friend carried a pocket size Canon all in one. When I saw his pictures, I wasn't so happy. His pictures were pretty much the same as mine.

I realized for the type of pictures I was taking, I really didn't need the extra load. It was also virtually impossible to snap a candid shot when you're carrying major equipment.

Since then, I carry the smallest, good quality, all-in-one camera I can find.

In my experience any Nikon or Canon will take great pictures. Sony also has Carl Zeiss optics now so is worth considering.

A good point & shoot will take good pics in most conditions and has the advantage of being smaller/lighter. Low light conditions, like inside a cathedral, is one of the few situations where the point & shoot will not take the best photo--but this distinction is only important if you're really picky about photo quality under low light conditions--is it worth it to lug around the extra weight/size?

We like the option to take a couple of lenses to get some shots unavailable with the point & shoot. We take our Canon Rebel Xsi and 2 lenses, and our tiny Canon Power Shot SD8890is. It works for us, but if it were just my decision, I'd just take the small one!

I have traveled with both. I love photography and for years had used a SLR film Canon Elan and an Olympus Point and Shoot. I was very frustrated by both of them on my last trip to Europe. Neither had the flexibility that I needed. The film camera was restricted by the film I had and the Olympus had little customization. Since then I've bought a Canon Rebel xti DSLR and I love it. I've not taken it to Europe, but I have traveled with it in the US. I find that the new DSLR's are so light that I don't mind having them around my neck. I don't know how much I'll play with lenses. I had a wonderful combo wide angle/ zoom with the film SLR, but haven't found a lens to match it yet. Pam

When we were taking our trip to Italy in Nov '07, I was trying to decide between the Nikon P-series and the Canon G9. I'm happy I went with the G9 and haven't looked back since.
It is a little bulky, but it's nothing compared to a dSLR. Being Nov is a little chilly, it went into a coat pocket easily. I plan on taking it to Spain/Portugal in the spring of 2009.

In my case the criteria isn't whether the Camera will "take almost as good pix", but rather whether it has the flexibility to get the photos I want.

I found during a trip in 2004, that even two P&S Cameras were a bit inadequate in getting photos under some conditions. The main limitations seemed to be wide angle range, zoom capability and ISO. Based on my experiences on that trip, I decided to travel with a compact dSLR from now on (initially a Rebel XT but now a 40D) with two extra Lenses & Flash. I've been thankful on more than one occasion during recent trips that I had the dSLR, as I was able to get shots that I would have missed with a P&S.

Although it's definitely more trouble to pack the dSLR and kit along, I doubt that I'll change anything in the near future. I also use a compact Canon SD-870IS, which is great for taking out in the evenings. However, often when I use it, I'm usually wishing I had the dSLR.

You may find it interesting to read this review of the Nikon P80 - www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/nikon_p80_pg5.html (I usually start with the "Conclusions" page and the "bottom line").

My suggestion would be to pack your 30D again, but I can certainly understand your reluctance to take it. I suppose it depends mostly on whether or not you'll mind the limitations of a P&S?

Happy travels!

I don't believe there is such a thing "best camera".
It depends what you want form a camera.
All digital cameras nowadays are pretty good, easy to use and have quiet of few features.
I personally prefer a camera that has manual settings besides the automatic ones, so I can take better pictures in low light conditions and at night.
I have a Canon A530 which has been very good for 3 years or so.

i have had 2 cameras go bad; always the telephoto lense jams. I dont care about photos that much so may go for cheaper fixed lense camera.

Panasonic, under the Lumix Brand name makes a series of TZ point and shoot cameras, where TZ stands for Travel Zoom. The TZ4 and TZ5 have 28mm equivalent wide angle to 10 times 280mm telephoto. The lenses are by Leica. Check out photos taken with Panasonic TZ cameras at flickr using their camera finder search. The TZ4 was recently available at Costco for a little over $200.

I saw that Lumix/Panasonic plans to release a new SLR that weighs about the same as a can of beer in October. That's still too heavy for me but might be good news for some.

I pack my Nikon DSLR and a small Canon point and shoot. Both get used at different times. Both get great photos. The Canon can also shoot video which is nice. Digital memory is so cheap now too. Don't mind the extra weight from the DSLR, the photos I get make it all worth it when the trip is finished and I am home. Plus getting a high quality big print (12x18 inches) is nice too!! When I'm old I'll leave the SLR at home and just take a point and shoot.

There's no right answer for everyone, as everyone's needs, desires, interests, budgets, and styles are different.

When my wife and I travel, we take 4 cameras between us: I have a DSLR with one versatile lens, plus a compact point & shoot. The point & shoot serves as my backup camera in case anything happens to the DSLR, plus has the added bonus of taking surprisingly good video, and I've got an underwater case for it, so it doubles as my underwater still and video camera for scuba diving (in warm water -- I don't dive on trips to Europe!). My wife has a full feature digital video camera, plus another compact point & shoot camera (and it does stills and videos).

I'm sure many people would consider that madness, but the photos/videos are important to us and we're willing to lug it along. And I know people who bringa LOT more (which helps me feel better).

David: We want to know the names of those people who bring a lot more cameras than you bring. We want those names listed right here. Those people should be exposed to public scrutiny.:) (yeah, I'm kidding)