Travel Camera

Todd, I love my Sony RX100. It's a little pricy, but it is extremely compact and really excels in low light photography. A wifi capable version was just introduced as well. It shoots RAW and JPEG or both, HD video, etc. PM me if you'd like to see some shots taken with it. Other good, less expensive options would be the Canon Power Shot line.

Todd - I have a Canon PowerShot SX280 and it meets my needs quiet well. I'm just a hack when it comes to taking pictures, but the Image Stablization feature of this camera amazes me when I look at the pictures I have taken. It also has a 20x Optical zoom and the WiFi capability.

You may like the Sony DSC-WX350. It was the best reviewed point and shoot camera I found. The key feature for me was the 20x optical zoom typically not found on point and shoot cameras. I also love it due to its small size. I have compared pictures side by side with my daughter's smartphone and found slightly better color and crisper pictures. The only downside is that it is difficult to keep the camera steady when zooming far out or in. This is due to the small size of the camera. I have found a technique that minimizes the problem: use 2 hands with your elbows cradled against your chest for stability.

Todd,

Although I always travel with a DSLR I also pack along a compact P&S camera, which now includes a new one that I bought last year. After exhaustive research, I decided to buy a Panasonic ZS30 / TZ40 travel zoom camera. As usual, I read numerous reviews including THIS ONE which is very extensive. One thing I liked about this particular review is that it compared the ZS30 to its nearest rivals, so that provided a good overview. You could also have a look at THIS review (there are others). So far I've been really pleased with it, and it will definitely be packed for my next trip.

One of my criteria for a travel camera is standard batteries. Choices are getting more limited. Last year bought a Canon Power Shot SX 160 IS. Does an excellent job - 16 mg pixels and 16x optical zoom. Be a little carefully of getting carried away with mg pixels. Ten to twelve is more than adequate unless you doing a lot of blow ups. Sixteen was more than I needed. Little advantage to high mg pixels other than to take up more room on the SD card. It is a little bulkier because it uses two AA batteries but I will never have a problem of being out of juice or forgetting the charger. The extra six batteries than I carry for month or more of shooting is smaller than a charger. And the price is right should something happen to the camera. My second criteria is a view point. That is getting very hard to get especially in P&S. My last Canon had it. The 160 does not.

I'm like Frank. When I bought a camera for a trip, I made sure it could use regular batteries. No need to carry a charger. I use lithiums, which last almost a week even though I take loads of pictures. In a pinch (like at the Forbidden City in Beijing), I can get by with regular alkaline batteries until I get back to my backup supply of lithiums. My camera is a Nikon Coolpix - one of the smaller ones. But I actually did take a number of really good pictures with my cellphone on this last trip, too.

I 2nd the first responder's recommendation of the Sony RX100. There are actually three versions. The original is now two years old, but still manufactured and still highly regarded. If you look around, you can sometimes find them for as little as $400 (they used to be $750 16 months ago). The "Mark II" version has a tilt screen and a hot shoe - both nice to have, but not critical. Otherwise it's basically the same, but it goes for $600+. In July the "Mark III" comes out with a wider angle lens and a pop-up EVF or electronic viewfinder, but that will cost you $800.

Here is the bottom line when choosing travel cameras. You have to decide;

1) Does it have to be pocketable? If yes, does that mean jeans pocket or jacket pocket. If jeans, the Canon S-series (100, 110, 120) are very good cameras. If jacket, the Sony RX100 is the best small camera made, period. If it does not have to be pocketable, then a whole range of larger cameras, including "bridge" cameras that look like mini dSLR's but have fixed zoom lenses, are good options. Also good options are "mirrorless" cameras like the Sony a6000 which is also jacket pocketable with the smallest of the variety of interchangeable lenses available for it - otherwise a small bag is necessary. There is also a large selection of "micro 4/3rds cameras" (which refers to the sensor size) that also delve into small interchangeable lenses.

2) Does it have to have RAW as an option? If you don't know what that means, you don't need it (it's a more malleable processing format that is useful if you would enjoy spending a lot of time tweaking your photos with computer software). Generally speaking, cameras that do RAW tend to be better cameras and more expensive, but those same cameras also take excellent JPEGs ("normal" format photos). My cameras can do RAW, but I choose not to bother.

3) What is your purpose in taking photos? If it is to take snapshots of places you visit in order to spur pleasant travel memories, then almost any camera can do that. You will want some zoom (which phones don't really do) but too much zoom usually makes for poor photos. But as long as the light is reasonably good, almost any $150+ camera will take good photos and most of them will take decent (if uninspiring) low-light photos as well. If you will never print larger than 8x10, those simpler cameras will be fine as well. However, if you aspire to be "artistic", to create subject isolation by having nice background blur ("bokeh"), or to print a poster-size image for your wall, then you need to go with a better camera with more control and a larger sensor.

With digital cameras today, the most important feature of the camera is the sensor size - from a rectangle the size of a small pencil eraser in the average low-end pocket camera to a sensor larger than a postage stamp in "full frame" cameras and several sizes in between. The larger the sensor, the more light it can take in, and the better "bokeh" possible. The close 2nd most important feature is the lens or the "glass". A distant 3rd are the ergonomics, or what it feels like to hold and control. Megapixels are not a big deal. I would want at least 12 and no more than 24, but that's probably 90% of cameras made today. Don't go crazy with zoom either. 50x zoom sounds cool, but makes for poor image quality unless your goal is to be a peeping tom :)

One more thing;

I get the logic of preferring standard batteries, but the trend is definitely moving away from those batteries in ALL devices. It's been about 5 years since I bought a standard battery for anything I own. For the price of a set of 8 good quality AA batteries you can go on Amazon and get a couple of generic duplicates for any special sized camera battery made. Three of those (including the original that comes with the camera) will last for 1000+ photos. Bring the little charger along for more. It weighs almost nothing. And you will never spend another cent for power for the life of the camera.

I have been debating on buying a dslr for the past year and I ended up getting the new samsung 2camera from costco. It's a point and shoot, but has serious zoom and editing capabilities. It also has wifi so I can upload to drop box or Facebook instantly. I like the idea of Dropbox so that I don't have to worry if I lose my camera. There are tons of apps that I haven't even explored yet. Also, it charges just like a cell phone so if you already have a adapter you can use that to charge.

I am still playing with the camera, but for the price point and picture quality I am really happy so far. I am hoping that I won't miss the dslr.

I asked this question last year and I followed Frank's advice of getting the Canon that operates on double AAs and I love it. It is a smidge wider than what I was using before but fits easily into my purse and takes great pictures. I had to change the batteries after about 6 days. But it definitely beats being somewhere, having your battery run out of juice, not having an alternative, and not being able to take pictures.

Spousal Unit teaches college photography and calls the Sony RX100 the best small camera in the world right now- great pictures, versatile, lets you use RAW format, and while it's not cheap, the performance level is high enough that he feels it's worth the price.

On the topic of batteries, I find that the rechargeable Lithium-Ion or Lithium Polymer batteries work well. Their power-to-weight ratio is excellent and most will last for a full day of shooting (but I always carry a spare). It's never been a problem recharging batteries in the evening when I'm back in the hotel room.

Alkaline batteries are not the best solution in many cameras as the discharge characteristics are different than rechargeable batteries, and they may indicate a "low battery" condition even though there's lots of power left. Some of the newer P&S cameras provide the option of setting the battery type, which helps with that issue.

I have an aversion to using disposable alkaline or especially Lithium batteries, as they often end up in a landfill somewhere. It's not a problem disposing of batteries here, as we have a good recycling program. However, from what I've seen in Europe they're not quite at the same level yet so used batteries will end up in the bin.

I use a little Canon point-and-shoot (SD1300IS), because it takes reasonably good photos (given my not-great skill level) and fits in my pants pocket. I'm not a serious enough photographer to lug a big expensive camera around, but I get better pictures with this than I would with an ordinary cellphone. So it's a good compromise.

I have a canon point-and-shoot (ELPH 130), which is cheap ($100ish) and takes good pictures, and a DSLR. The DSLR is a Nikon 3200, a beginner DSLR ($450ish), and I really like it. If you're interested in learning more about photography, settings, etc, then a basic DSLR is a good bet. If you just want better-than-smarthphone pictures, then a point and shoot like the Canon I have is more than adequate. It's 16MP which is more than I've needed even for 8x10 prints.

I enthusiastically recommend the Canon PowerShot S120. It is very manageable size-wise and takes excellent/sharp photos and HD video. You can use it in an auto setting, or can choose aperature-priority, shutterspeed-priority, completely manual, or choose from a 'scene setting' (beach, night stars, etc.). It has a focal range of 24-120 mm, so a little wide angle and a little zoom capability. I have taken it on two European trips in the past 3 months and shot approximately 2,000 photos/videos. Overall, I am very pleased with the photo quality and have found it to be a great travel camera. It also has a very good light sensor, so it takes excellent night shots and, in the case of Versailles, where many of the palace's rooms were somewhat dark, it actually made them appear brighter than they were, which brought out the richness of the many vivid colors in the upholsteries, curtains/tapestries, paintings, etc. If you go with this or a similar camera, be sure to purchase an additional battery, as I almost always ran out of juice toward the end of a full day's shooting.

I was a AA powered digital camera believer. A week or 10 days in the bush and no electric power is not a problem if you have a small brick of AA alkaline batteries. I've since gone to Lithium-ion for two reasons.

First, screening camera selection for AA powered cameras results in a pretty small list with minimal attributes.

Second, the lithium-ion batteries have significant energy density advantage over alkaline. In practice, I'm getting 3 or 4 times the number of photos on my Li-ion powered SX30IS as my A1200. Rather than carry a brick of throwaways, I carry spare fully charged Li-ions.

In the past I've tried NiMh rechargables that are suppose to be more energy dense than the alkalines. But the lower voltage output of the NiMhs seems to limit the number of shots in cold weather more than the denser Li-ions. The NiMhs also seem to have a higher self discharge rate than the Li-ions.

AA alkalines are no longer a decision factor. Just bring your charger with a back up battery (2 if you are heading out in the bush).

As a post script, I suspect the Greens would want you to take your spent Alkaline home to the States.

Robert's recommendation of the Canon PowerShot S120 is encouraging. I just ordered one and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

In addition to a pocket-sized point-and-shoot, I carry a GoPro Hero 2 for extreme wide angle shots. It's tiny and lightweight, and though famous as a video camera for extreme sports aficionados, it makes reasonably good stills (example here). Lower-quality, but passable, stills can be screen-captured from the GoPro's HD video, as well (example here).