BEST TRAVEL CAMERAS

A Quick Guide For Travel Photographers

New York, NY.  By Ken Faught.  How to choose the right camera is a question that people have been asking for nearly a century. There are literally hundreds of quality digital cameras on the market, and there is a variety of differences. Most shoot quality video, some have image stabilization, and some are more ergonomically friendly than others.
Because this is partially how I have made my living, I have stayed on top of this for the past 35 years. It’s what put me in a position at Petersen Publishing to help Canon and Kodak work on a joint camera venture that ultimately led to some of the original professional digital cameras.
Here’s a random fact about me that you probably don’t know – my great grandfather’s cousin, Philo T. Farnsworth, was the inventor of the first fully electronic television. and held 169 patents. He eventually sold the licensing rights to RCA for one million dollars.
Canon, along with Kodak, Nikon, Sony, Leica, Fujifilm, GoPro, DJI, Mamiya, Minolta, Olympus, and Pentax, are some of the main camera companies in the world.  There are several things that you really need to take into consideration when searching for the best digital camera.

Size & Weight – because you are travelling, this is going to be a consideration. Compact cameras are lightweight, but they don’t offer as much control over image quality as cameras with interchangeable lenses.
Even then, there are all sorts of camera platforms with different lens options, and the size and weight difference can be considerable.

Simplicity & Ease of Use – Some people want a camera that will take quality photos without a whole lot of knowledge, while others want full control over image creation.

Manual Controls – We prefer to shoot all of our photos in manual mode because it gives us so much more control over ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

Price - You have to take budget into play because you can literally spend tens of thousands of dollars for a high-end setup, but the results can be really impressive in the hands of a skilled photographer. 

Lens choice – No doubt you will want to look for a wide dynamic range for your lenses. Travel photography is typically shot mostly with wider lenses, but sometimes a telephoto lens is best suited. Pay attention to zoom
capability or lens options as you consider all your options.

Sensor size – Ideally you want to go with a full-frame sensor camera. Any sensors that are smaller will reduce image quality and add a crop factor to your lenses on cameras that use interchangeable lenses. For example, a
lens that would normally equal 100mm on a full frame camera could have a multiple factor of 1.6x on a small sensor camera which would turn that lens into 160mm. Full frame sensors cost more to produce, but they have
a larger area in which it can capture data which ultimate writes the info onto your memory card. Basically, full sensor good, small sensor bad.

Video – Does the camera shoot video? Most do, but the capabilities can vary radically, so pay attention during your search and ask yourself if this is really important. With all the Instagram and Facebook feed, video has
become increasingly important to tell your story and document your adventures.

Bluetooth / WiFi – Many cameras now offer the ability to transfer images to your cell phone or laptop wirelessly. It’s just something to think about in case this is important to you.

Weatherproofing – We have listed several cameras that are weather resistant and waterproof. There are also all kinds of protective gear for your camera if you shoot in extreme elements such as rain and snow.

Image Stabilization – Many cameras offer image stabilization to reduce or eliminate motion blur. These are extremely useful, but not necessarily a requirement if you plan to use a tripod most of the time. In other word,
image stabilization is a luxury, but not something you have to have.

File Format – We like to edit our photos in Raw format. This gives you much more control when editing in something like Adobe Lightroom over a traditional .jpeg format. Some camera companies also have
proprietary file formats, so take note, and make sure the camera won’t limit your post-production capabilities.

We are not just limiting this to cameras. We are also including the best drone, the best 360 camera, and best all-in-one gimble camera.

Best Mirrorless Travel Camera

Sony A7 III
Key Features
* 693-Point Hybrid Auto Focus System
* 10 Frames Per Second
* Shoots UHD 4k30p Video
* 1/250 Shutter sync
* Wi-Fe & Bluetooth
Megapixels - 24.2 MP
Crop Factor – Full Frame (1x)
Lens Mount – Sony E
Weight – 1.43 lbs
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Best Compact Travel Camera

Sony Cyber-shot DSC- RX100 VII
Key Features
* F2.8 – f4.5 Maximum Aperture
* Digital, Optical Image Stabilization
* 100-25600 ISO
* 1/2000 manual shutter 1/32000 Electronic Shutter
* 4k video at 23.976p
Megapixels – 20.1MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length -24-200mm with 8x optical zoom
Weight – 10.65 ounces

Best Budget Travel Camera

Panasonic Lumix DC-TS7
Key Features
* Water, Shock, Freeze and Crushproof
* UHD 4K30 and 20p Video Recording
* Optical Image Stabilization
* f/3.3-f/5.9 Maximum Aperture
* 80-6400 ISO
Megapixels – 20.4 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length -4.6x Zoom Lens, 28-128mm
Weight – 1.2 lbs

Best Value Travel Camera

Sony A6600
Key Features
* 1/4000 Shutter Speed
* 100-102400 ISO
* 11 Frames Per Second
* UHD 4k Video at 24p
* Electronic Viewfinder
Megapixels – 24.2 MB
Crop Factor – Full (1x)
Lens Mount – Sony E
Weight – 1.11 lbs.

Best Compact Portable Camera

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10K
Key Features
* 3.9-inch 180-degree Tilting Monitor
* Touchscreen Monitor
* Leica f/1.4 – f/2.8 lens
* UHD 4k video
* 125-25600 ISO
Megapixels – 20.1 MP
Crop Factor – Full (1x)
Lens length -24-72mm
Weight – 1.095 lbs.

Best Compact Travel Vlogging Camera

Canon G7X Mark II
Key Features
* Full HD Video (1920 x 1080) at 59.94p
* 24-100mm equivalent built-in lens
* 4.2 Optical Zoom
* 125-12800 ISO
* 180-Degree Tilting Touchscreen LCD
Megapixels – 20.1 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length - 24-100mm equivalent built-in lens
Weight – 1.485 lbs.

Best Travel & Sports Camera

Canon 1DX Mark III
Key Features
* JPEG, Raw, HEIF Image File Format
* 100-819200 ISO
* 5.5k Video at 24p Raw 12-Bit
* 1/250 th Flash Sync
* Bluetooth & Wi-Fi Wireless
Megapixels – 2-.1
Crop Factor – Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor)
Lens Mount – Canon EF
Weight – 3.17 lbs.

Best Entry-Level DSLR Travel Camera

Nikon D3500
Key Features
* 3.2-inch Tilting Touchscreen LCD
* UHD 4k Video Recording at 30 fps
* 100-1640000 ISO
* 8 Frames Per Second
* Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Wireless
Megapixels – 20.9 MP
Crop Factor – 1.5x
Lens Mount – Nikon F
Weight – 3.52 lbs.

Best Action Camera For Travel

GoPro Hero 11 Black
Key Features
* HyperSmooth 2.0 Video Stabilization
* Up to UHD 4k Video, Slow Motion
* TimeWarp 2.0 Stabilized Time-Lapse Video
* 12 MP stills with HDR Support
* Touchscreen Display
Megapixels – 12 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length – 24.4-15.1mm
Weight – 0.97 lbs

Best Waterproof Camera For Travel

Olympus Tough TG-6
Key Features
* Olympus 4x Optical Zoom f/2.0 lens
* 10-12800 ISO
* Includes Underwater White Balance
* Waterproof to 49.21 feet (15m)
* UHD 4k 25p Video
Megapixels – 12 MP
Crop Factor -
Lens length – 25-100mm
Weight – 1.115 lbs

Best Value Waterproof Camera For Travel

Fujifilm Finepix XP130
Key Features
* Fujinon 5x Optical Zoom Lens
* Water, Shock, Freeze and Dustproof
* Bluetooth & Wifi Wireless
* 3.0-inch LCD monitor
* Time-lapse movie feature
Megapixels – 16.4 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length – 28-140mm
Weight – 5.8 ounces

Best 360 Action Camera For Travel

GoPro Fusion
Key Features
* 5.2k Video up to 30 fps
* Waterproof To 16 Feet
* f/2.8 aperture
* 360-degree shooting range
* 100-6400 ISO
Megapixels – 18 MP Spherical Photos
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length – 3mm
Weight – 2.15 lbs/

Best Gimble Camera

DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal
Key Features
* Gimble Camera with 1.2.3” CMOS Sensor
* 4K Video at 60fps
* Connects to Smartphone
* Image Stabilization
* 100-3200 ISO
Megapixels – 12 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length – 80-Degree View
Weight – 4.1 ounces

Best Drone For Travel Photography

DJI Mavic Air 2
Key Features
* 8K Hyperlapse Time-Lapse Video
* Up to 34 Minutes of Flight Time
* Up to 4k 60p video
* 240 Frames Per Second Slow Motion at 1080p
* Gimble stabilized
Megapixels – 48 MP
Crop Factor – N/A
Lens length – 84-Degree View