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Best Body Cameras in 2024 (Personal or Professional Use)

Our top picks for the best body cameras of 2024. Use them on the job, on the road, and whenever you need to document what's going on around you.

Camera Gear Guides | Camera Guides | By Jeff Collier

This is a guide to the best body cameras for recording interactions, evidence collection and protection.

You might also just want a body camera for fun, due to the unique first-person point of view they provide.

Body-worn cameras (BWC) were introduced in 2019 here in Australia to NSWA paramedics to record audio and video.

The best body camera needs to be small unobtrusive, easily attached to clothing and have great video and audio quality.

Ideally, it will have good low-light performance too, and if it’s to be used in law enforcement, it needs to be rugged and weather-resistant.

Capture up to 16 hours of high quality 4k video footage with this compact and robust GPS enabled body camera.

While action cameras may seem like a handy body-mountable alternative, a dedicated body camera is much better

(You’ll discover why in the guide below, along with some other FAQs.)

So whether you’re a police officer, civilian, or simply a content creator wanting some stealthy video footage, here’s a list of the best body cameras this year.

Table of Contents

What is the Best Body Camera in 2024?

1. boblov b4k2 (our top pick).

• Small and lightweight
• Easy to set up and use
• Sturdy design
• Infrared camera
• GPS capabilities
• No image stabilization
• Relatively expensive

This is one of, if not, the best body cameras for civilians on this list.

The BOBLOV B4K2 is our top pick among the best body cameras because of its great range of features.

First of all, it can record at 4K, so you’ll be able to capture high-quality, high-resolution footage.

The device locks onto moving targets quickly, too, using a red laser light.

You can record at night, either with its powerful, in-built flashlight or with its infrared night vision camera. That’s good up to 50ft, and can be set up to engage automatically.

One particularly useful feature, especially for those who might be recording in volatile or quickly-changing situations is the quick start function.

When the device is off, you just need to press a single button, and the BOBLOV turns on and immediately starts recording.

It’s GPS-enabled, can stamp your footage or photos with map coordinates in real-time (at no additional cost), and track your video route.

You might think that with this many features, the body camera might not last for too long. But you’d be wrong. It can last for up to 16 hours on a single charge.

That’s more than enough continuous recording to take it through, for example, a 12-hour shift as a police body camera.

And it comes with two of those batteries, plus a micro SD card. No need to buy accessories, you’ll be good to go out of the box.

All in all, this is an excellent, robust, feature-packed choice for law enforcement, security professionals, and first responders.

2. BOBLOV M5 (Runner Up)

• Robust build
• Dual-use dashcam and bodycam
• High resolution
• Great battery life and memory capacity
• No 4K video
• Not particularly stable on the body without an accessory

These personal body cameras are police body cameras. Specifically designed for law enforcement use.

With that in mind, you can expect certain things from it (plus other perhaps more surprising things).

First off, it’s a tough device with excellent build quality. It can withstand drops of up to 2 metres and is waterproof to IP67.

It has GPS, so can record the exact position of your footage or images.

The footage is 2K (and can also be set to automatically record infrared for low light and nighttime), and the camera gives you a resolution of 48 megapixels.

Like the BOBLOV B4K2, it has a red laser that quickly locks onto moving targets, very useful for crime scenes , and unlike the B4K2, it has red and blue flashing alarm lights, which can be used as a warning, or to signal for backup.

You have the option of up to 256GB of internal memory and, whatever amount of memory you choose, the battery life is excellent, up to 15 hours of continuous recording.

So, whatever situation you’re called to, you won’t need to worry about your device letting you down.

This device is also dual-use. That is, you can attach it to your body, or use the suction cup to make it a dash cam. If you do decide to use it as a bodycam, though, it’s best to buy the magnetic clip to go with it, as it’s not stable enough without it.

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3. BOBLOV KJ21 (Best Entry-Level Body Cam)

• Good battery life
• Dashcam option

Very similar in look and design to the BOBLOV B4K2 body-worn camera, but at around half the cost, the BOBLOV KJ21 is best for budget-conscious users looking for a reputable bodycam.

Although you won’t get the ability to record in 4K for up to 16 hours at a time, this entry-level option allows you to record in 1080p for up to 10 hours.

Which is probably more than enough for most civilian and even professional users.

You have an infrared camera (for up to 30ft away), a flashlight, a siren, a quick start function, and the possibility to have up to 256GB of memory using a microSD card .

It’s got a nice and secure clip to attach it to your clothing or a bag strap, and you can also use it as a dashcam.

It’s small, lightweight, robust, and has the basic features of its more expensive cousins.

But if you don’t need GPS and 4K video, and want a high-quality bodycam at a low cost, this could be your best choice.

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4. Transcend DrivePro Body 10 (Best for Windows Users)

• Sharp footage
• Quick Snapshot function
• Lower battery life than competitors
• LEDs can’t be turned off, so cannot be unobtrusive

The Transcend DrivePro Body 10 is made in Taiwan by a reputable, established company, and sold at an excellent price point for its features.

It’s our choice as best for Windows users as the latest model is Windows only, with no Mac compatibility.

It uses a 360-degree rotating mount and clip to attach itself to your body (or for you to attach it to your body), and its body is lightweight, with a small, sleek design. It’s tough too, both shock and water-resistant.

The footage quality is great. It uses a Sony sensor (well-known for their delicious images) and records crystal-clear 1080p footage.

A particularly handy feature is the Quick Snapshot function. If you need to take a photo, you can do it without interrupting your recording.

Just press the button and the device will snatch a frame and save it in a separate folder as a jpeg.

It can record in the night too, thanks to four infrared LEDs that surround the main camera. One thing to be aware of, though, is that these operate automatically, and can’t be turned off.

That means your daytime footage can have a slightly purple tint in low light, as there’s no infrared cutout filter in the camera.

That shouldn’t be a problem most (or any) of the time though, and certainly not if you’re using this for creative purposes.

Battery life is 5 hours. Although that doesn’t sound like much, you can record and charge at the same time. So put a charger pack in your pocket and you can record for as long as you want.

• What’s the cheapest video camera?

5. Boblov C18 1296P (Best Mini Cam/Spy Camera)

• Lightweight
• Recording light can be switched off
• Can control from an app
• Buttons are a bit weak
• Menu can be difficult to navigate

This is our pick for the best mini cam or spy camera .

It’s just over four inches in length so, smaller than a pen, and can slip easily into a pocket and be securely attached there with its removable clip.

It’s discreet in another way, too, as its flashing LED recording light can be switched off. Something other body-worn cameras on the market don’t do.

It has surprisingly good picture quality for its size and price (don’t expect miracles – it has a tiny sensor), and can record at 1080p.

Memory size is not massive (32 or 64 GB), but that’s to be expected for both the size and amount of use its target market would get out of it – which is mainly you and I, the average consumer.

You can also control it directly from an app, as it can be connected to WiFi.

Connecting it to the internet will reduce its battery life by a bit though. And that battery life is between 3 and 4 hours of recording at 1080p with the WiFi turned off.

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6. MIUFLY 1296P 

• Built-in GPS
• Rugged design
• Water-resistant
• Password protected
• Heavier than competitors
• Audio can be muffled

The MIUFLY 1296P is a rugged option for those in the market for a body cam.

The ability to record up to 1296p gives you good quality, high-resolution footage and pictures. And you can start recording video and audio with one touch.

It has good battery life, up to ten hours of continuous recording, and that can be stored in internal memory of 32GB, all the way up to 128GB .

There’s built-in GPS, and infrared sensors for night recording. And, if you want to be discreet at night (or during the day), it also has a Covert Mode which turns off the blinking LED recording light.

All in all, it’s a no-nonsense piece of kit, that has a decent amount of features for the price.

• What’s the best thermal imaging camera?

22 Factors to Consider Before Buying a Body Camera

Choosing a body camera is a decision that should take several factors into account, especially when the primary goal is to enhance personal safety or collect video evidence:

• Video Quality : A good body camera should offer high-definition (HD) video recording. Look for cameras that can record in at least 1080p resolution. Higher resolution can provide clearer images which can be essential for evidence.
• Audio Quality : Clear audio can also serve as crucial evidence. Look for a device with a high-quality microphone.
• Battery Life : Depending on your needs, you might require a camera that can record for an entire shift or outing. Check the device’s battery life to ensure it’s suitable for your needs.
• Storage : Check how much internal memory the camera has and if it’s expandable. Video, especially HD video, can consume a lot of storage space quickly.
• Durability : The camera should be durable and resistant to elements like dust and water, especially if you’ll be using it outdoors.
• Size and Weight : Choose a camera that is compact and lightweight for comfort and convenience. It should be easy to wear without causing discomfort.
• Ease of Use : It should be simple to operate, with easily accessible controls.
• Night Vision : If you’ll be using the camera in low-light conditions, look for a model that includes infrared or night vision capabilities.
• Wide-Angle Lens : A wider field of view can capture more in the frame, which could be important in volatile situations.
• Security Features : Look for models that prevent tampering or unauthorized access to the recordings. Some cameras offer password protection and secure file formats that can’t be altered.
• Mounting Options : Depending on your needs, you might want to consider what kind of mounting options are available – chest mount, shoulder mount, etc.
• Pre-Record Function : Some body cameras have a feature that continuously buffers video and can include a certain amount of footage from before the record button was pressed. This can be extremely helpful in capturing unexpected events.
• GPS Tagging : Certain body cameras come with GPS functionality which allows the video to be tagged with location data. This can provide valuable context to the recorded footage.
• Field of View Adjustment : While a wide field of view is generally beneficial, there can be cases where a narrower field of view may be preferable to avoid distortion. Cameras that allow adjusting this can offer more flexibility.
• Stealth Mode : Some cameras have a stealth or covert mode, which allows recording without noticeable signs like LED indicators. This might be important in certain situations where you don’t want to draw attention to the recording process.
• Data Transfer and Storage Options : Depending on your needs, you might prefer a camera that can automatically upload its footage to cloud storage, or one that allows easy transfer to a computer via USB.
• Automatic Activation : Some body cameras can be set to automatically start recording under certain conditions, such as when the police vehicle’s emergency lights are activated.
• Battery Saving Features : Look for features that help to conserve battery life when not actively recording, such as motion activation or a sleep mode.
• Resolution Settings : Some cameras allow you to change the resolution settings . Lower resolution video uses less storage space and battery, which might be useful in situations where high-resolution video isn’t necessary.
• Image Stabilization : Some body cameras have image stabilization to help keep the video footage smooth even if the camera is moving.
• Durability Standards : Beyond general durability, it can be useful to check if a camera meets specific standards, such as military or industrial standards for shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures.
• Price : Finally, cost is an important factor. Ensure the camera provides the features you need at a price point that fits your budget.

Which is Better: a GoPro or a Body Camera?

It may be tempting to choose one of the best GoPros or a GoPro alternative instead of a dedicated body camera.

Take a look at this table to settle the GoPro vs Body Camera debate when it comes to protection, security and fun:

Are body cameras legal for civilians?

Anyone can use a body camera anywhere they’d be able to use a standard camera, as long as they’re not breaking any privacy laws.

As for those laws, they change depending on where you are, so you’ll need to check for your region.

What is the best body camera for civilians?

It really depends on what you need a body cam for.

I think for civilian use you need an unobtrusive body camera, so I’d go with either the Boblov C18 1296P or the BOBLOV KJ21 from this guide. Another option is the Transcend, although only for Windows users obviously.

What brand body cameras do police use?

Out of those in this guide, I’d say the BOBLOV M5, as they’re designed specifically as police body cameras, and has all the features they’d need in their work.

How much does a personal body cam cost?

Those in this guide range from $80 – $200. You can pay less for a body camera, although I wouldn’t recommend it, and you can pay more, $500, $600. But you can always pay more, can’t you?

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Jeff Collier is an experienced film photographer who enjoys experimenting with modern digital photography equipment, software and apps. He’s also an ex-world champion triathlete and avid cyclist, clocking hundreds of km each week in the beautiful Tweed Valley of northern NSW, Australia.

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The Best Body Cams of 2024

Wearable technology to record all that's happening around you

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While body cameras have become more commonplace among law enforcement, plenty of good options are available for the civilian market.

Many states and cities have laws allowing body camera footage to be admissible in court, making them popular among anyone needing to document their version of events.

Body cameras can also be used for generic recording and live streaming.

What to Look For in Body Cams

Best overall, miufly body camera.

Robust design

5MP CMOS sensor

16x digital zoom

Motion detection feature

Not optimized for police and security guards

With a robust design, powerful audio-visual data recording capabilities, and many other features, MIUFLY 1296P is the best body-worn camera. Equipped with a 5MP CMOS sensor , MIUFLY allows high video capture in a variety of resolutions, ranging from 848 x 480p (30/60fps) to 2304 x 1296p (30fps).

The camera lens has a 140-degree viewing angle and up to 16x digital zoom. Videos are encoded using the H.264 compression standard and saved in MP4 format.

The camera utilizes its integrated microphone to record audio in WAV format and can even capture photos while recording video. MIUFLY 1296P can embed useful information like User ID, Time & Date stamp, and GPS coordinates (as a watermark) into recorded videos.

Thanks to a motion-detection feature, the wearable camera can automatically start video capture on detecting activity. A two-inch (240 x 320 pixels resolution) LCD lets you view captured videos, and you can set a password to prevent recorded data from being stolen/deleted.

The device has four infrared LEDs for capturing videos in dark environments. MIUFLY 1296P comes with a 2,900mAh rechargeable battery, allowing up to 10 hours of footage to be captured in one go.

Resolution : 5MP |  Video Resolution : 480p, 1304x1296 |  Waterproof : IP65 |  Zoom : 16x |  Connectivity : Cable

Best Resolution

Akaso ek7000.

Sharp photos and video

Easy to use in action settings

Wi-Fi control through the mobile app

Questions about long-term durability

Hot USB ports after prolonged use

The body cam category is similar to the more general action cam category. Both buyers want good performance no matter what activity they're participating in — whether for safety or just for documenting a hike.

Of the budget action body cams that exist, the AKASO EK7000 is one of the most affordable, and best of all, it doesn't require you to sacrifice a whole lot of functionality in the process.

At 4K, for instance, it can shoot video at 25fps and up to 30fps at 2.7K (still a formidable resolution). These numbers are leaps and bounds ahead of hyper-specific body cams.

Lifewire / Scott Gercken

The EK7000 also has electronic image stabilization built-in, and it can still shoot while submerged up to 131 feet underwater, meaning it doesn't have to be relegated to landscapes.

However, one drawback for body cam users is its roughly 90-minute footage cap. Anything over that, and you'll be reaching for the charger. But because it only weighs about two ounces, it has many accessories in the box.

And when you consider its Wi-Fi streaming and sharing integrations, it turns out to be a leading contender for the title of best body cam.

Resolution : 5MP |  Video Resolution : 4K, 2.7K |  Waterproof : To 131 feet |  Zoom : 16x |  Connectivity : Cable, Wi-Fi, SD card, Bluetooth

Best for Law Enforcement

1080p video recording

21x optical zoom

Long-lasting battery

Some quality control issues

The Rexing P1 is a durable body camera ideal for law enforcement. It boasts a 1080p FHD camera and 21x optical zoom that supports night vision capabilities. It can capture crisp footage up to 50 feet in the way, even in dark conditions. It has 64GB of built-in storage for recording video, photos, and audio.

Battery life is solid, with a 3,000mAh battery that should allow 10 hours of video recording, more than 11 hours of audio, or 20 hours of standby time. It should let you use the camera for the average workday without recharging.

Other features include password protection, which encrypts files so they can't be stolen or deleted. The only way to delete files is by connecting through a computer with a USB cable.

Perhaps the most significant selling point is the IP67 waterproof rating, meaning the camera can survive complete submersion underwater. It's also shock-resistant to withstand drops, bumps, and scrapes.

Resolution : N/A |  Video Resolution : 1080p |  Waterproof : IP67 |  Zoom : 21x |  Connectivity : Cable

The best body cam should have a durable, compact design, good video resolution, and long battery life, so it doesn't need to be frequently recharged. Since body cameras are commonly used by outdoor adventurers, sports enthusiasts, and law enforcement, durability and a waterproof and shock resistance rating are essential to consider.

Resolution & Video Quality

The key things you'll want to have in a body cam are a resolution and video quality that's crisp and smooth. The most standard resolution is 1080p at 30fps, which should give you smooth recording without breaking the budget. You can step up to 60fps if you want smoother recording (or slow down to 24fps for slow-motion effects). Above that, you get 4K, usually at 30fps, which is much sharper, resulting in a corresponding price increase.

Durability & Waterproofing

As with anything that gets worn and carried around with you all the time, durability is hugely important for a body cam. If you're in law enforcement, you'll want MIL-STD 810G, a certification that promises lab-tested shock resistance, drop resistance, and more. A waterproof rating is also essential, with IP65 meaning the device is protected against submersion in water up to 5m and also resistant to dust. There are higher and lower IP ratings, with IPX ratings meaning no dust resistance and just water.

Battery Life

If you wear it all day, a body cam can't be easily recharged, so battery life is essential. The size of the built-in cell can vary, with 1,000mAh to 3,000mAh being standard. Ideally, you'll want a device to take you through an 8-hour workday. Most body cams likely won't be able to last 24 hours since the battery size needs to be balanced against the compact and lightweight design. One option is to get a body cam with more than one battery so you can swap them out when one runs out of juice.

While there isn't anything stopping you technically, it's often better to ask permission before capturing video of anyone. However, if you are in a public area, you can take photos or videos of your surroundings. Laws surrounding body cameras can vary by state, so if you are concerned about the legalities of constantly recording video, we recommend checking out the  NCSL Body-Worn Camera Laws Database .

Things become more muddled when using body cameras to record law enforcement. While you are technically allowed to record law enforcement, some states have tried to regulate audio recording under wiretapping laws. We recommend checking out this  ACLU primer  for shooting videos of the police before going further.

While an increasing number of police departments are required to wear and use body cameras, those body cameras aren't continuously filming. In most cases, police officers can decide when they have a body camera on. Officers can turn on the body camera before an encounter (or, conversely, turn it off). Moreover, even if the body camera is on, the footage isn't readily accessible to civilians.

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The 7 Best Body Cams for Live Streaming

Body cameras are useful tools for novices and professionals, whether you're capturing a crime or streaming your outdoor adventure.

• Brand Transcend
• Video Resolution 1080p
• Photo Resolution 20MP
• Brand Miufly
• Video Resolution 2304x1296
• Battery 3,200mAh
• Brand Ehomful
• Battery 240mAh
• Brand Insta360
• Video Resolution 1440p
• Photo Resolution 9MP
• Photo Resolution 36MP
• 8.40 /10 1. Premium pick: Transcend DrivePro Body 30
• 9.00 /10 2. Editors choice: Miufly Camera
• 8.20 /10 3. Best value: Ehomful Mini Camera
• 8.80 /10 4. Insta360 GO 2 Camera
• 8.40 /10 5. Pyle PPBCM6 Camera
• 7.80 /10 6. Boblov PD70 Camera
• 7.60 /10 7. Rexing P1 Camera

Body cameras ensure a special delivery in effortless video and audio recording with an increasingly high demand for novel and original videos captured in real-time. They can be used in law enforcement, security personnel, and civilian vloggers.

A good number of them are also wearable on your clothing with minimal detection, providing stealth to the user.

They are light, portable, durable, and easy to use. The best body cameras mainly differ in video resolution, battery life, storage space, and angle lens width, but ultimately allow you to stream live content on the go.

Here are the best body cams for live streaming available today.

1. Transcend DrivePro Body 30

The Transcend DrivePro Body 30 is a reliable choice for indoor and outdoor use as it is packed with advanced features. With a resolution of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second (fps), the body camera can capture and record 1080p videos in an impressively fluid manner. A massive 64GB of internal storage is available to store your recorded video and audio files.

It boasts a fantastic night vision sensor powered by infrared LEDs and image enhancement technologies. This feature, coupled with a 130-degree field of view, gives you an impressive recording range while using the device at night. A high sensitivity Starvis image sensor and a 360-degree rotating clip fine-tune your recording experience with ease

This body camera is reliable, with its built-in camera offering up to 12 hours of recording time. It also has an IP67 rating, a weather-proof rating, meaning it can withstand snow and water. It is also shock-resistant, so it can withstand some accidental knocks and drops.

• 1920x1080 resolution at 30 fps
• 130 degrees field of view
• 64GB internal storage
• IP67 rating for all-weather use
• Brand: Transcend
• Video Resolution: 1080p
• Photo Resolution: 20MP
• Battery: Lithium polymer
• Connection: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
• Size: 3.78 x 2.06 x 1.09 inches
• Weight: 0.2875 pounds
• Water Resistance: Yes
• Records high quality videos
• Large storage capacity
• Long battery life
• A little heavy

2. Miufly Camera

The Miufly is convenient and user-friendly, making it one of the best security gadgets. This surveillance-based device is best suited for a police officer, security guard, or janitor in your upcoming shift. It comes with a built-in GPS to enable you to track GPS movement on the GPS player.

It is a full-HD body-worn camera with a resolution of 2304x1296 at 30 fps, making it suitable for capturing video footage even when you are walking fast or running. This shows its high capability in delivering image stability throughout the recording period. It also comes with a two-inch LCD monitor that enables you to watch back previous recordings instantly.

The body camera includes an extra safety feature that allows you to set a password to prevent data loss through deletion or theft. A 64GB built-in storage means there will be plenty of space to store upcoming video and audio footage for future reference. The body cam has a 3,200mAh Li-polymer battery that provides up to 10 hours of recording without having to worry about your device going off.

• 3,200mAh battery
• Password protection feature
• Two-inch LCD monitor
• GPS tracker
• Brand: Miufly
• Video Resolution: 2304x1296
• Battery: 3,200mAh
• Connection: USB 2.0
• Size: 3.66 x 1.18 x 2.17 inches
• Weight: 0.4 pounds
• Easy to use
• Great picture and sound quality
• Long-lasting battery
• Average quality clip rotator

3. Ehomful Mini Camera

If you want a sleek and high-performing body camera, the Ehomful Mini is the go-to product. With its compact size that makes it look like a USB flash drive, this cop spy camera serves as a convenient security gadget since it's hardly noticeable while giving you maximum portability. The camera offers a 1080p resolution at 30ps, a good feature that ensures no blurry video coverage.

The device also features a 120-degree field of view for delivering quality surveillance in a fixed position. The audio recording is brilliant as it picks up the whole room clearly. This body camera boasts a fully functioning flash drive, which allows you to directly plug into your computer and transfer file content or charge the device.

The body camera is also capable of charging while recording. It comes with a 32GB microSD card which can store up to eight hours of recorded content. The battery can last for three hours without going off and recharges quickly, making it reliable for outdoor use.

• 1080p at 30fps
• USB flash drive
• LED indicator
• 120-degree field of view
• Brand: Ehomful
• Battery: 240mAh
• Connection: Wi-Fi, USB 2.0
• Size: 4.4 x 1 x 0.6 inches
• Weight: 0.01 pounds
• Water Resistance: No
• Lightweight
• Recharges quickly
• MicroSD storage
• Fragile buttons

4. Insta360 GO 2 Camera

The Insta360 GO 2 is a state-of-the-art body camera, which is a great pick for recording high-quality footage. This is made possible by the outstanding 1440p resolution and a powerful 1/2.3 inch image sensor. It comes packed with a FlowState Image stabilization algorithm technology, an absolute problem solver in image stabilization and horizon leveling during travel and sports activities.

The camera’s sleek and thumb-sized design includes a magnetic in-the-box accessory that helps you mount the Inta360 GO 2 anywhere and shoot completely hands-free The body camera comes with a multi-purpose charge case, which includes a pocket-sized case that serves as a charger that helps extend your battery life by 150 minutes. The case also serves as a remote control.

The camera is relatively light, weighing less than 0.06 pounds, making it a comfortable fit on your clothing. This camera is waterproof, so you can record your film underwater without worrying about water damage.

• 1440p video resolution
• FlowState stabilization technology
• IPX8 waterproof
• Multi-use charge case
• Brand: Insta360
• Video Resolution: 1440p
• Photo Resolution: 9MP
• Connection: Wireless
• Size: ‎2.08 x 0.93 x 0.81 inches
• Weight: 0.06 pounds
• No screen for screen composition

5. Pyle PPBCM6 Camera

If you are looking for a durable and easy-to-operate body camera, consider the Pyle PPBBCM6. With a full HD 2304x1296p resolution, the camera offers you excellent security in your day-to-day shift as a law enforcement officer or security guard. This is further made possible by the impressive 36MP camera that produces brilliant image snaps.

It contains a two-inch digital LCD with the date and time settings, giving you incredible ways of keeping up with the video and audio footage you have been recording. The USB 2.0 enables you to easily share and transfer files since the body camera is compatible with Windows OS.

What makes the Pyle PPBCM6 stand out is the 130-degree field of view that allows you to capture more details. It is also shockproof, making it great for sporting activities. It thrives in efficiency as it combines a camera, camcorder, and voice recorder, all in the same device.

• Full HD 1296p resolution
• 36MP camera
• Two-inch digital LCD
• Brand: Pyle
• Photo Resolution: 36MP
• Battery: 2,650mAh
• Size: 3.2 x 2.3 x 1 inches
• Weight: 1.01 pounds
• Good night vision
• Easy file sharing
• Average battery life

6. Boblov PD70 Camera

The Boblov PD70 delivers a high-speed video recording, making it a versatile solution for law enforcement and leisure use. The portable 1296p body-worn camera provides a stable video frame rate per second. It also includes a two-inch LCD for HD viewing any time you want to recap previously-stored videos.

This camera features a high-intensity infrared LED for night vision with face detection up to 30 feet away in shallow light. This allows you to capture detailed information around you at night. The Boblov PD70 also has an impressively wide view angle of 170 degrees for a comfortable frontal field with pure image stability.

The body camera boasts a built-in Wi-Fi system with a downloadable Wi-Fi app developed by Boblov. Due to this, the camera delivers a seamless experience while viewing videos on the app. The device boasts an impressive five hours of recording time and three hours of fast charging. You can connect it to a power bank to boost the recording time.

• Built-in Wi-Fi
• HD 1296p resolution
• A 170-degree wide-angle
• 32GB internal storage
• Brand: Boblov
• Battery: 2,300mAh
• Connection: Wi-Fi
• Size: 7.7 x 6 x 2.8 inches
• Weight: 0.14 pounds
• Wi-Fi connection support
• Wonderful night vision
• Low sound quality

7. Rexing P1 Camera

The Rexing P1 is easily one of the best body cameras to buy as it is convenient and has ample built-in storage. It boasts 64GB for all your picture, audio, and video recording. This is plenty of space to store your upcoming work in your line of duty or travel.

The Rexing P1 consists of a 1080p UHD resolution with high-intensity night vision. These two features make it easy for you to record clear videos up to 50 feet away. The 170-degree wide-angle lens makes it ideal for law enforcement activities in all terrains. For safety, the body camera has password protection to prevent you from losing data through deletion or theft.

With an IP67 rating, the device has both waterproof and shockproof. This makes the device ideal in wet environments and heavy-duty outdoor use. A powerful 3,000mAh battery allows you to use the body camera for 10hrs for video recording, making it dependable.

• Infrared night vision
• Password protection system
• 170 degrees wide-angle lens
• Brand: Rexing
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Connection: USB
• Size: 3 x 2 x 1 inches
• Weight: 0.25 pounds
• Large storage space
• Password protection
• The USB connector is a bit fragile

Q: What Should I Consider When Buying a Body Cam?

It’s advisable to check the size and comfort of the camera. A lightweight cam offers maximum comfort if you are always on the move. However, it’s crucial to balance the size and durability of the device. If the camera is too light, it might end up breaking easily, especially when it drops accidentally.

Consider the picture quality of the cam because you’ll want a camera that shoots crisp images. Sound quality is another essential factor since you want your footage free of unwanted external noise. You can check other aspects such as waterproof resistance, night vision, battery capacity, and anti-fall design.

Q: Can I Wear a Body Cam if I’m a Civilian?

Yes, you can wear a body cam as long as you follow all the rules concerning using such devices in public. For example, in some states, you can’t record private conversations without proper consent. It’s legal for civilians to wear a body cam in public.

Taking videos with a body camera is similar to filming with your smartphone or camera. The only thing you need to keep in mind is not to violate any privacy laws. Ensure you familiarize yourself with the laws in your respective state to be on the safer side.

Q: Can I Use My Body Cam To Protect Myself?

Individuals who work in security firms can benefit from wearing a body cam. For non-police use, ensure you let the other party know you’re recording. It’s advisable to record at the start of an incident and continue until the end.

Ensure all recordings are safe, and you’re the only one with access to the footage. If any dispute arises, you can use the footage as evidence. The correct use of body cameras can dramatically enhance the safety and performance of the security personnel and the public.

Q: Can I Repair My Body Camera for Live Streaming?

Yes you can. One of the main problems is when you plug the camera into your laptop to download videos only to damage the USB port. In this case, you may need to seek professional help to replace the port.

Always check connection cables to ensure they work properly. Recharge batteries or replace them depending on whether they are rechargeable or not.

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Best Body Cams

One of the best police-quality cameras on the market with a durable design and lots of useful features.

The 64GB of onboard storage records for hours on end. Leave nothing to the imagination; the night vision alone captures clear details up to 50 feet away. The 2-inch LCD monitor makes it easy to rewatch footage as soon as it records.

The screen is easy to scratch if you're not careful.

Get 8-10 hours of clear day and night vision alike in an affordable, police-quality body camera.

You get 64GB of 1296p video storage with space for an external SD card of up to 128GB. Lightweight and easy to rotate 360 degrees around. Buyers appreciated how easy it is to set up and use out of the box. It's a high-functioning camera.

Some report the cameras failed too soon (with excellent support from Boblov, to boot).

This high-quality, waterproof, and shockproof body camera is constantly recording to its built-in 64GB hard drive.

Battery lasts up to 11 hours. Super-infrared night-vision and HDR technology make all the details as clear as can be. The included screen makes replaying footage simple and clear. Loop recording and motion detection help keep it running when necessary.

Some issues with screen tearing.

This rugged little body camera is a reliable option for recording 8 hours of detailed footage per use.

Rugged and water-resistant. LCD display. Up to 8 hours of battery life. Full HD 1080p resolution. Extra-wide viewing angle. Compatible with micro SD cards up to 32GB. Sharp night vision.

Charges slowly.

Sporting a finer level of video quality than you’d expect for the price, it’s a sturdy and well-rounded body camera.

Offers fantastic 1296p HD video quality. Impressive 10-hour battery life. Two-inch display monitor. Includes charger and clothing clip. Waterproof. Features a mute function.

Comes bundled with 32GB of internal memory, but there is no option to add more storage with an SD card.

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

Table of Contents

Buying guide for best body cams.

Until relatively recently, the body cam, or BWC (body-worn camera), was almost exclusively used in law enforcement, the military, or by security personnel. Now there’s a huge choice of very affordable models for personal and leisure use, too. Their big advantage over traditional cameras is that, because they’re designed to attach to clothing or a harness, they leave your hands free.

Why not use an action camera? You can, and some offer mounting options. However, they tend to be bulkier, and quality models can be considerably more expensive. Many body cams also have one particular feature that really sets them apart: infrared night vision.

Wearable cameras come in numerous forms, including discreet minicams, the type you see on a police officer’s pocket, and video sunglasses. However, with different resolutions, frame rates, and memory capacities, deciding which one is best can be quite a challenge.

Key considerations

Intended use.

It’s tempting to jump straight to image quality and recording abilities, but there’s a definite reason for buying a body cam over other types of camera, so how you intend to use it has a considerable impact on your choice.

Does it need to be discreet? There’s physical size to consider, as well as exactly how it will be worn. Video sunglasses often go unnoticed. A close inspection will give away the fact that they are more substantial, but many people never notice them. Mini body cams clip easily to a pocket or other clothing. While a bit more obvious, they might still go unnoticed.

What is the operating environment? How tough does your body cam need to be? Will it get dusty, dropped, rained on, or even submerged? There’s a big difference between water-resistant and waterproof . Equally, while most are reasonably durable — you can expect them to cope with the occasional bump in the great outdoors — there are some that are designed to military specifications.

How easy is it to operate? One of the main reasons for buying a BWC is so that your hands are free to do other things. That benefit is going to largely be negated if you have to keep pressing multiple combinations of buttons to start, stop, or perform other functions. Ease of use can be a bigger issue with this type of camera than it might be otherwise.

What other features do you need? Many body cams have infrared (IR) night vision , usually indicated by IR LEDs around the lens. How far they can see depends on the strength of these LEDs, so you’ll want to check the effective range.

Some BWCs can be motion activated, giving you the opportunity to use one off the body for security purposes. Some can also double as a dash cam or nanny cam. They may not be the main reason you buy a body cam, but it’s always worth exploring all the options available.

Choosing the right body cam isn’t just about how good the picture is. Although that’s important, it’s just one of the parameters you need to think about. Aside from image quality, you also want to know about lenses, audio, video duration, battery, memory, and sharing and saving capabilities.

Image quality

Video: Video resolution gets a lot of attention, perhaps because big numbers always sound impressive. The lowest resolution likely is 1080p, which would have been considered high just a few years ago. With body cams, 1296p is common (also called Super HD) and a few offer 1440p.

Stills: Most people use these cameras to take video, but you can also take stills. If it’s a feature that’s important to you, you’ll want to check that resolution as well. Bear in mind that figures are in megapixels (MP), and higher numbers are better.

Wide-angle lenses are often provided, anywhere from 120° to 170°. While useful for panoramic shots, there can be significant distortion around the edges of the image. Again, intended use is a factor. If you’re just shooting person to person or relatively close up, it’s not something that’s really necessary.

As with any image recording, lens quality and focal length make a difference. However, the distances body cams are generally used for, and the type of recording being made, mean these are usually less important than for people who are doing creative photography . Nevertheless, the information should be available if you need it. If it isn’t, you should probably look at a different model.

Audio is another issue. Don’t assume that because you’re getting video, you’re also getting sound. It’s often not the case.

Video duration

There’s often confusion between standby time, which is the length of time the body cam can be on between charges, and actual recording time, which is usually a lot less. Unfortunately, it’s not always clear from product descriptions (particularly those where English isn’t the manufacturer’s first language).

Standby vs. recording time: Battery run time between charges is a major issue here. It’s not unusual for standby times to be 8 hours or more, though recording time can be anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours. If you’re not sure of the figures, try checking user feedback. Real-world results are often very informative.

Recording length is usually given at the highest resolution and fastest frame rate, but it’s often possible to choose lower settings. Stepping down to 720p, for example, can give you twice the length of recording time, or more, while still maintaining sufficient quality for many purposes. Some body cams go down to 480p, though video at that resolution won’t be very sharp.

Recharging: You’ll also want to look at the time it takes for the battery to recharge, which can be several hours. If you’re using a body cam for security work, that might mean you need to get a spare battery. That’s not usually a problem, but some BWCs have built-in batteries that can’t be swapped out: the whole unit has to be recharged. That will be an important point for some users.

Memory card size is another factor. How efficient each body cam is with storage varies from one model to another, with 32 gigabytes as the minimum and 128 gigabytes the maximum. SD cards may or may not be supplied, and you might have a choice of size. It can be worth comparing the cost of buying the card separately. It might save you a few bucks.

Video saving and sharing

While most body cams have a screen, it’s likely you’ll either want to share video with friends or archive it for security purposes, so the file type can have an impact. Although there’s a lot of cross compatibility between different devices, they don’t all play well together. For example, some Windows machines struggle with MOV files. There are software workarounds, but finding and using the relevant program or app can be frustrating. Check before you buy.

Plugging a USB cable into a laptop is probably the easiest way to transfer files, but wireless may be possible. Additionally, you can upload to cloud services, though a subscription may be required.

Body cam prices

Inexpensive: The cheapest body cams are the mini models, with several under $40. Even at that low price you still have lots of choices. While you can’t expect the image quality of high-end cameras, the main drawback is usually battery size and shorter run times. You can find video sunglasses that cost about $60 and up.

Mid-range: Full-size body cams, commonly known as police body cameras, start at around $90, with the greatest choice in the $120 to $200 range. Within that bracket, you’ll find just about every feature we’ve mentioned. It’s just a question of picking which combination suits your needs best.

Expensive: While few BWCs exceed $250, some of the highest-quality and most robust models can reach $400. If you go for a full-on action cam with a harness, it can add another $100, depending on the model.

Other products we considered

If you don’t see what you need in our matrix, we have a few more options for you. The Kamre Sunglasses Camera must rate as one of the most discreet models on the market, yet it offers 1080p and takes a 32 GB card (not included). It runs for 1.5 hours between charges and is very reasonably priced.

The Boblov Body Wearable Camera is another that offers good value. There’s 1296p resolution, a 140° wide-angle lens, and infrared night vision. Maximum memory is 128 GB, and a 32 GB card is included.

At first glance, the PatrolEyes Police Body Camera seems impressive, but it’s no more so than many similar models. However, the image quality is excellent in both day and infrared night vision. It can be motion activated, and it’s lightweight, tough, and waterproof to the IP67 standard. However, it is among the most expensive body cams we looked at.

Q. How do I know if a body cam is really waterproof? A. It can be difficult to tell. The only sure sign is an IP or IPX rating (IP67, for example), which means the device has passed independent testing. The number signifies things like depth of water and duration of exposure. Full details can be found online. Unfortunately, many manufacturers, even some of the top brands, don’t submit their products for testing because of the cost involved. In that case, you can either trust the reputation of the maker or look at user feedback.  

Q. Why aren’t night vision images in color? A. They’re captured using infrared light and, in theory, can display a color image. However, the low light levels result in poor differentiation, so the images are very blurred. The solution is to use a monochrome filter. The human eye can see more detail in black and white than it can in color, so the picture is much clearer.  

Q. Does it have to be used by law enforcement to be called a “police” body cam? A. No. It might be — after all, these devices are used all over the world — but unless it specifically states a national, state, or local force, we’d assume the manufacturer is using the term for descriptive purposes.

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The best travel camera in 2024: compact and portable cameras to take anywhere

The best travel cameras are small, lightweight, easy to use and offer a range of features – here are the ones to look at

The Quick List

• Best compact
• Best budget full frame
• Best hybrid
• Best for size
• Best budget
• Best waterproof
• Best action cam
• Best for 360º
• Best for vloggers
• How to choose
• How we test

The Quick List ↩ 1. Best compact 2. Best budget full frame 3. Best hybrid 4. Best for size 5. Best budget 6. Best waterproof 7. Best action cam 8. Best for 360º 9. Best for vloggers How to choose How we test

The best travel cameras have to do one crucial thing: be better than your phone. After all, your phone is almost certainly going to be in your pocket anyway – and it's almost certainly got a great camera. 

That means the best travel cameras need to combine compactness with image quality, advanced features with simple operation, and ideally the ability to get your files onto your phone, tablet, or laptop quickly, to share your holiday photos and vacation videos. Having a camera that's safe to take on the beach, in the snow, or even in the sea could be another key consideration!

Even though the best camera phones can produce great images, you just don't get the same quality as you would if shooting with one of the best point-and-shoots or best mirrorless cameras . Smartphones are restricted by smaller sensors offering lower still and video quality, reduced low light performance, and minimal control over depth of field (for those blurry backgrounds). 

The type of camera you pick comes down to personal preference and budget. To help you decide which is best, we'll look at mirrorless cameras that offer better image quality and more versatility than compact systems but at the cost of increased size and weight. Compact cameras, perfect for keeping on you at all times, won't weigh you down, and are really simple to use – although they have smaller sensors and fixed lenses. And finally, action cameras that are robust cameras made for wild adventuring!

Gareth is the Reviews Editor at Digital Camera World, and the person in charge of approving all the latest camera-related tech. He never misses an opportunity to travel, or an excuse to take photos while traveling, so is best placed to judge what are the best travel cameras for all sorts of different vacations and adventures.

Travel cameras should be small and light, but not lacking in features for amazing photos and video. The Fujifilm X100VI ticks all of those boxes, with a diminutive size, but 40MP images and 6.2K video. And does all this while looking great, with some stunning retro charm.

Read more below ↓

Despite aging a little, the Sony A7 III still offers some features that are competitive with new models like IBIS, auto-tracking, and 4K video. Best of all, the camera is incredibly well-priced, making it the best option for traveling without worrying too much about eye-wateringly expensive kit.

The Fujifilm X-S20 is a camera for everyone, with great quality stills, but is set apart by its deceptively powerful video skills. This makes the X-S20 the perfect travel camera for any hybrid creator who is a versatile and lightweight camera, all in a price tag that won't break the bank. 

When picking the best travel camera, we're focusing on portability. If you want to fit a whole photographic kit – that's a camera and several lenses into a bag, then the dinky but mighty Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is one of the best portable cameras around.

If you want a small camera that shoots great stills and video, and cost costs the earth the Panasonic Lumix G100 is the best budget option out there for travel. There is also the slightly newer G100D, which is much the same, but with a USB-C port and upgraded EVF.

If you're planning on a coastal adventure then you need a camera that is fully waterproof and rugged enough to take on the most challenging adventures. This camera offers better stills than your average action cam, so if photos are your main priority  – the Tough TG-7 is for you.

View the full list ⇩

If you are looking for a camera that can withstand some serious adventuring, then look no further than action cameras, the best of the bunch being the Osmo Action 4. The Osmo 4 offers an incredibly wide field of view, image stabilization, and waterproofing for action-packed vacations.

If you want to remember every little bit of your vacation, then you can't go wrong with a 360º camera to capture not what only is going on in front of you, but all around you. The Insta360 X3 is the best all-encompassing camera you can buy, best of all it is easy to slip into a pocket or bag for travel.

If you are looking for a small yet mighty all-in-one camera with quality video and audio made to go straight on social media or YouTube then the Sony ZV-E10 is the best choice. It does take decent pictures, but if you are looking for something more hybrid, check out the X-S20 above.

The best travel camera in 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Best compact travel camera

1. Fujifilm X100VI

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

✅ You want a pocketable camera:  the Fujifilm X100VI is a compact camera, the camera, and lens are so small that you can easily slip this into a jacket pocket. ✅ You want a camera that looks good:  This is one of the best-looking cameras you can buy with the beautiful retro looks of old-school film cameras.

❌ You want to change lenses:  the lens is fixed on the X100VI, so you are stuck with the 23mm focal length, although its digital cropping modes give the illusion of more focal lengths ❌ You want a cheap travel camera:  the X100VI does not come cheap, and there are options that produce similar quality if you don't mind a different style of camera.

If you are looking for a camera for traveling, then one of the major things to look out for is something small and lightweight that can easily slip into a bag or a jacket pocket and won't be a drag to carry around for long periods – enter the Fujifilm 's X100VI. The X100VI is the latest in Fujifilm's line of premium compact cameras, hallmarked for their brilliant image quality, vintage looks, and pocketable size.

The X100VI is a fixed-lens camera, which means that it has a single lens that can't be changed. The lens is 23mm, or equivalent to a 35mm length lens on on a full-frame camera,  a perfect length for travel photography as it is wide enough to get in landscapes and street scenes, but narrow enough for portraits and family shots. While there are converters available for the X100V to change the length of the lens, I find these are not worth the money. 

The camera is beautiful to hold, made with premium materials, and with a wonderful hybrid optical viewfinder that shows either the real picture or how it looks through the sensor with a flick of a button. This premium camera comes at a premium cost though, and it is not the cheapest on this list, but for the build quality and features, it justifies its higher price.

The X100V packs in some lovely 40.2MP photos, and has a clever lens to digitally zoom and crop before taking a photo, cutting some of the work out if you are keen to share online quickly. The camera also has 6.2K, 4K, or HD video with 240 frames per second, so you can get creative with high-quality or slow-motion video on your travels. There is also human, animal, bird, and vehicle autofocus tracking, so you can snap away with confidence at anything you come across. Finally, image stabilization helps cut out hand jitters in low light or shooting video, for more stable footage.

And for those who want to share travel snaps as you go, you get access to Fujifilm's awesome film simulations and custom recipes, taking some of the work out of editing, and with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and the Fujifilm X App, you can quickly share ready to post photos and video to social from your phone.

The main downside is the Fujifilm X100VI's slick design however for traveling is the camera is not fully water resistant unless you buy an additional filter ring and filter, in fact you can't use any filters on this lens without the extra purchase, but for the price of this camera, I feel this should really come in the box.

Read our full Fujifilm X100VI review

• Back to the top ⇪

Best full frame on a budget

2. Sony A7 III

✅ You want full frame quality:  full frame cameras can produce more focus separation and are better in low light, the A7 III is the most affordable step into full frame. ✅ You want a camera to use outside of traveling:  the A7 III is a pro-level camera that is not just for travel, you can shoot brilliant photos all year round with a multitude of lenses available for different subjects.

❌ You don't want the expense of lenses:  the cost of lenses can add up, especially ones for full-frame cameras, if you want to keep costs low, choose a fixed lens camera or an option with smaller cheaper lenses. ❌ You want a small camera:  the A7 III isn't huge, but it also isn't small. With a lens attached, it is going to take up quite a bit of room in a bag, and won't be sliding in any pocket.

The Sony A7 III might be one of the oldest Sony cameras still around, it has even been replaced by a newer Sony A7 VI, but it more than holds its own today. Any photographer looking for an excellent full-frame hybrid camera for traveling should seriously consider this camera as an option.

The camera still has a very competitive 24.2MP back-illuminated image sensor, which is paired with an image processor, delivers stunning tonal range, and makes high ISO settings possible, which anyone who is shooting a lot in low light on their travels will really appreciate. A 5-axis image stabilization system also delivers less shake when shooting at night, or capturing video. If you are also looking to capture video footage then the camera has very capable 4K video.

While not the latest algorithms, the A7 III also has solid human face and eye tracking, coupled with a 696-point AF system, you can take reliably focused photos of your friends, family, or any interesting folk you see out on the streets. 

Whilst handing on the camera is very good, it is a little off balance with big pro lenses, although Sony's lens range is extensive and there are lots of smaller primes that suit this camera perfectly for those who don't want to carry a lot while traveling. If size is less of a concern then superzoom lenses like the Sony FE 24-240mm will empower you to capture everything from near to far.

The best thing about this option I think is the price. It’s the best-value full-frame camera out there – and if you are traveling then often how much your camera costs is not something you want playing on your mind.

Read our full Sony A7 III review

Best hybrid travel camera

3. Fujifilm X-S20

✅ You shoot video and photos:  the Fujifilm X-S20 is the best of both worlds, with great-looking photos, but frankly awesome video skills too! ✅ You want to balance price and features:  the X-S20 offers a lot for its price, and it is one of the best-value cameras around, you will especially struggle to find matching video specs at this price point.

❌ You don't really care about video:  there are other options that might suit photographers more than the X-S20 with higher megapixel counts. ❌ You need weather sealing:  the X-S20 is not weather-sealed, so if you plan to get adventurous, a camera that can handle dust and water might be a better choice.

When I tested the Fujifilm X-S20 I was just so impressed at the amount of features that Fujifilm had managed to squeeze into its petite body – it's not just a stills camera, it also one of the best video cameras available, and best of all, it is really well priced! I think this is the best camera for any traveler looking to shoot a mix of stills and videos on the market right now. 

Fujifilm chose not to update the X-Trans IV sensor from the X-S10, but this sensor despite its age still holds up very well today when it comes to stills. The X-S20 is also able to use Fujifilm's excellent film simulations and programmable film recipes to create ready-to-use images straight from the camera, which makes any regular social media posting that much easier.  The new X-Processor 5 also brings brand new subject recognition and tracking autofocus, making taking photos on the fly quicker and easier.

But despite its compact size, the X-S20 is a deceptively powerful video camera. The new processor combined with the modest resolution sensor means the X-S20 is capable of 6K video using the entire sensor (open-gate). The camera is also capable of numerous codecs for getting in-depth with color grading. The subject recognition and tracking also carries through into videos and the X-S20 also has dedicated vlogging features.

Some might prefer the classic retro style like the X-T5 or X-T30 II, but the X-S20 is a much more user-friendly camera, with useful features like a fully articulating screen. Handling is great, and the camera pairs really well with Fujifilm's small zoom and prime lenses, making traveling light with a kitted-out X-S20 a little easier. While the price is a little higher than the X-S10 that preceded it, I think the price bump is justified as this is one capable camera for traveling.

Read more: Fujifilm X-S20 review

Best travel camera for size

4. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV

✅ You want a small system:  the whole OM Micro Four Thirds system is tiny, with small cameras and lenses, so you can take a lot more gear to cover more subjects. ✅ You want a good-looking camera:  with a cool vintage style based on Olympus's OM film cameras, the E-M10 IV looks as good as the footage it shoots.

❌ You shoot a lot in low light:  the Micro Four Thirds sensor in the E-M10 IV doesn't handle low light as well as larger sensors, not good for frequent nighttime shooters. ❌ You won't use the retro dials:  if you are looking for just fast auto controls then the dials on the top of the E-M10 IV will be largely redundant for your needs.

When picking the best travel camera, we're focusing on portability, and the dinky but mighty Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is one of the best portable cameras around if you are looking for a whole system including lenses that can easily slip into a bag. The best Olympus lenses include positively tiny optics that can go a long way for travel photography, helping you keep your kit and weight size down. So if you are the type of carry-on-only travel photographer but with big photography ambitions then this is for you.

Not only does it have an incredibly lightweight body, but the camera will look great on your travels too, with a cool retro design that harks back to Olympus's long pedigree in film cameras. The camera has tactile dial-led controls for anyone who wants to get creative with manual photography, although don't let that fool you into thinking the camera is complicated, as there are lots of automatic modes and helpful features built into the camera.

The OM-D E-M10 Mark IV uses the smaller but still powerful Micro Four Thirds sensor. This has some slight disadvantages in terms of low-light capabilities, so if you like to go out a lot at night when you travel, then a larger sensor might be better for you. 

But Micro Four Thirds does have one big advantage, it effectively doubles the focal length of any lens mounted to the camera; so a 50mm will behave like a 100mm, so if you are about to head off on safari, then this could make all the difference to getting up close to wildlife. Its snappy burst shooting, its accurate autofocus, and its impressive 4K video will also all assist you with creating amazing content. It's a terrific all-around camera. 

Read our full Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV review

Best travel camera on a budget

5. Panasonic Lumix G100

✅ You want an affordable camera:  the Lumix G100 is a great deal for the features it offers, and an affordable way to get great travel snaps. ✅ You want a range of small lenses:  there are a lot of Micro Four Thirds lenses, so there is something for every occasion, and best of all, they tend to be on the smaller side for easy travel.

❌ You want the very latest tech:  the G100 is a little on the older side and doesn't have Panasonic's latest autofocus, which puts it a little behind the competition. ❌ You want more serious creative video:  intended as a hybrid camera, there are lots of video-focused features, but the camera lacks IBIS and a headphone jack/USB-C found in rivals.

Sometimes, you just want to create quality images and video while you are traveling, but you don't want to pay a small fortune for a camera to do so, or risk carrying around an expensive camera. The Panasonic Lumix G100 is the best camera you can get for traveling that offers all the quality features you will need but at an affordable price.

The G100 is a super-small, super-cute camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor. It is still easy to capture high-quality video and stills with simple controls, menus, and its approachable button layout. The camera can be paired with numerous dinky Micro Four Thirds lenses too, especially small pancake lenses to keep the overall size down. Micro Four Thirds also has the benefit of doubling the focal length, so 100mm becomes 200mm, so you can pair the G100 camera with telephoto lenses for capturing far away subjects like wildlife without having to carry huge lenses.

A downside though is there is some compromise for the low price, and the G100 is not the most technically advanced camera on this list, and its autofocus uses Panasonic's cruder contrast-detect technology, which is a little slower than other cameras and is notorious for "pulsing" and "hunting" during video. 

Despite this, the G100 is also a perfect camera for vloggers, with an articulating screen and ready to share footage. But while there’s an inherent risk of dumbing things down too much when creating a camera for social media creatives, Panasonic has avoided that pitfall with the Lumix G100, and this is a great camera if you're just as interested in vlogging as you are in travel photography. 

Read our full Panasonic Lumix G100 review

Best waterproof compact travel camera

6. OM System Tough TG-7

✅ You want a rugged adventure camera:  the TG-7 can certainly withstand some serious adventuring with a rugged water/dust/freeze/drop-proof build. ✅ You want a photography-first adventure camera:  the TG-7 puts photography first and foremost, offering a better experience than smaller fiddly action cameras.

❌ You want to strap the camera to things:  while action cameras have numerous accessories to strap to your sports equipment, there is far less for the bigger TG-7. ❌ You only care about video:  if you are just looking for the best rugged video camera for travel, then action cameras have you covered (see below).

Following the acquisition of Olympus's camera division, the OM System TG-7 is essentially an update to the much-loved Olympus Tough TG-6 under a new brand name. Although that camera has long been the top-regarded travel compact for adventurers who are as invested in photos as video. Action cameras might be smaller and just as hardy, but can't compete with the TG-7 for photography experience.

The TG-7 is ready for any travel adventure and is water-proof, dust-proof, crush-proof, drop-proof, and freeze-proof, so whether your hiking, climbing, swimming, or otherwise take you to the hottest deserts to the coldest tundras, the camera should come out the other side unscathed.

The TG-7 might have a relatively conservative 12MP resolution, although this helps dramatically when it comes to low-light images, as each pixel is larger allowing it to capture more light. Why is this important? Well if you are shooting in darker underwater environments, in gloomy forests, or at night, then you will get higher-quality images. 

The Touch also has RAW images, so you can get even more creative control over the final edit of your images. The camera also has a pretty incredible macro mode as well if you find some small details on your travels that you have to capture.

While it might not be up to the same standard as the best action cameras for video (see below for that), the Tough can capture decent 4K video, and will get some perfectly serviceable footage for social and YouTube of your wild adventures!

Read our full OM System Tough TG-7 review

Best action camera for travel

7. DJI Osmo Action 4

✅ You want a camera that can keep up with your travel adventures:  the Osmo 4 is hardy enough for whatever conditions you throw at it, weather-sealed and fantastic stabilized footage. ✅ You want a tiny camera:  action cameras like the Osmo 4 are great as they are so small they are effortless to travel with.

❌ You want to shoot high quality photos:  the 12MP photos from the Osmo 4 can't compete with more dedicated cameras, and the wide angle lens needs lots of corrections. ❌ You need accessories:  the market for DJI accessories isn't as big as the more famous GoPro, so if you need niche or cheaper accessories, that might be the brand to choose.

For most adventurer-creators, the Osmo Action 4 is the perfect balance of quality and price. Stabilized 4K video looks great and the camera can take a lot – not just rough and tumble but temperature extremes and it's waterproof to 16m without a case. Best of all, it has a larger image sensor than any other camera on the list, so it is better in lower light, making it more flexible.

DJI did have an interesting experiment with modular design, now seemingly abandoned, with the Action 2, but they do retain powerful magnetic mounts which can even partially survive the heat of an oven (we tried accidentally – see our full review). 

Like the more famous competition, DJI has high-quality horizon balancing and image stabilization, which has improved on the Action 3. The resolution limit is 4K, but in practice, this is the ideal resolution for action (and the limit of almost all TVs). More useful is the 120fps capability (or 240fps at 1080P).

The fact that Action 4’s isn’t interwoven with subscription software is one we wholeheartedly appreciate, too, but GoPro seem to finally growing out of this.

Read our full DJI Osmo Action 4 review

Best 360º camera for travel

8. Insta360 X3

✅ You want to capture everything:  the Insta360 X3 can capture all that goes on around you, perfect for capturing immersive travel content. ✅ You want to travel light:  the Insta360 X3 is very small and lightweight, and won't trouble your carry-on bag limits.

❌ You want a versatile camera:  the Insta360 X3 is made for one thing, and that is great 360º footage, if you want to capture more, you might need to bring a second camera. ❌ You want artistic images:  the Insta360 X3 has big 72MP images but the small sensor means they aren't as creative as a bigger camera.

There are times when handling even an action camera's wide-angle lens becomes a problem, and that's where a 360-degree action camera can step in. With two back-to-back lenses and enough smarts to eliminate a selfie stick from the footage, this almost magic camera can capture an image from a point within reach looking any direction you see fit.

I tried it with the bike attachment – which holds the camera a little way in front of the bike, over the front wheel – and was amazed at the footage which makes it look like I'm cycling toward a perfectly controlled drone. Better still, by syncing with my phone I could draw GPS data and have it overlaid, in the form of a speedometer, by the Insta360 app before sharing.

The only real worry is how naked those glass lenses are when the camera is in use; the joy of re-positioning the camera angle after the fact can be hours of fun. 5.7K is good enough for sharing, but more resolution would help pro work.

Read our full Insta 360 X3 review for more details

Best for travel vloggers

9. Sony ZV-E10

✅ You want ready-to-share footage:  this Sony is made for capturing footage with minimal editing to get up on YouTube and social media straight away. ✅ You want excellent audio:  the ZV-E10 has built-in stereo microphones that capture some of the best audio possible on a camera without external mics.

❌ You are more interested in photos:  the ZV-E10 is not a bad photography camera, but its video focused build means other cameras are better for stills shooters. ❌ You want a viewfinder for framing:  if you love a viewfinder for framing shots, then the Sony A6400 is almost the same camera, but with an EVF. 

The ZV-E10 makes for an excellent traveler's camera and is one of the cheapest vlogging-focused cameras yet. Combined with its slim dimensions, and wide choice of lenses, this makes it a perfect choice for travelers who want to shoot a lot of video. 

The big selling point of the ZV-E10 over other cameras capable of similar video is that the ZV-E10 comes with sophisticated built-in mics and a clip-on windshield for noise reduction, making it much easier to get clean audio on your vlogs even outdoors – which works excellently. Sony has put its years of audio experience into this camera and it shows.

The ZV-E10's 4K UHD video is of excellent quality too, and as we've come to expect from Sony, the autofocus is best in class, whether shooting video or stills. The camera has tracking modes for easy autofocus and digital image stabilization that crops your footage slightly but attempts to iron out any shake, which works well except for in very heavy movement.

And a point worth mentioning is that, while the ZV-E10 may be optimized for vlogging, it's still a capable stills camera with a 24MP sensor, and 11fps burst shooting, so photographers needed worry about restricting themselves with it. 

However, if you are more keen on photography than video, cameras in the Sony a6xxx range (like the Sony a6400 ) offer almost the same specs, but with a viewfinder, but you do lose the built-in stereo mics. Making it a tough choice for a hybrid shooter that might want the best of both worlds. 

Read our full Sony ZV-E10 review

How to choose the right travel camera

These are five key things to look out for when choosing the right travel camera for your needs.

1) Image quality: Ask yourself how you will use any photos or videos you capture. If you only plan to share content online on social media then any of the above cameras will be suitable. If you plan to print your pictures, though, then mirrorless cameras with larger sensors and higher megapixel counts will produce better-quality results.

2) Focal range: What kind of range do you need for your traveling activities? Compact cameras can have impressive zoom ranges, but to achieve their tiny size they often lack quality compared to mirrorless cameras. For mirrorless cameras, what lenses are available? So-called standard zooms are a great option for all types of travel, but they can also be large and heavy. A wide-angle lens might be best for capturing cities and landscapes, or if you are going to see wildlife or a sporting event then a compact telephoto lens might be best.

3) Size and weight: If you're going on vacation then the last thing you want to take is a heavy kit – especially given things like baggage restrictions when traveling. With that in mind, both your camera and lens(es) need to be small and light. If you want something that can fit in your pocket, get a compact camera – but if you don't mind taking a bag, a mirrorless system with one or two lenses could be more versatile. 

4) Simplicity: Don't want to get bogged down with camera settings? Most modern cameras have a range of auto modes – especially compact cameras, which take away the stress. Advanced modes and complicated controls don't usually mix with spur-of-the-moment snaps, so decide what is important to you and pick your camera based on that.

5) Price: The cameras in our list have a range of prices, and we try to include cameras that suit every budget. The price of a camera usually reflects its capabilities, although all the options listed here will take great images and video – so try to strike the right balance between what you need in a camera and what you can afford.

Is it better to use phone or camera for travel?

We covered this a little bit at the start of the article, but the answer is that it is always better to use a camera for stills or video when possible. So the question really becomes, "Do your travel plans make using a camera possible?" Phones are so small and quick to use that they go where cameras are too bulky and slow to shoot. A great compromise is a compact camera – or the Olympus Tough TG-6 , which is a weather-proof camera that goes the places that you wouldn't dare to use your phone! 

Is a DSLR or mirrorless camera better for travel photography?

As a travel camera, mirrorless cameras are usually the better choice for most people. They are much small and lighter than DSLRs, and also usually have a selection of smaller and lighter lenses to match. This makes traveling easier as it takes up less space and weight in increasingly restricted carry-on bags. Mirrorless cameras also are generally newer than DSLRs and most likely have more modern technology, making photography and video easier to capture and of better quality.

What size camera lens is best for travel?

Again, this comes down to what your travel plans entail and what you plan to shoot. The kit lens that comes bundled with many cameras will cover the most commonly used focal ranges, so that's a good place to start (though kit lenses do not deliver the best image quality). We recommend checking out the best lenses for travel photography to see what's right for you.

How we test travel cameras

When we are reviewing cameras, we carefully think about what scenarios each camera could be used for. When considering which cameras would make ideal travel cameras, we judge each camera on how small and lightweight it is for easy packing and transport, as well as carrying for long periods of the day while out exploring. 

We also consider the technical capabilities of each camera, and how suitable they are specifically for travel photography scenarios from beach vacations to safaris, to city breaks. Finally, we consider the price of the cameras to select options that cover a range of budgets and requirements.

We use our real-world experience with each camera and our in-depth camera knowledge to determine a final selection of top cameras that we would recommend as the ideal camera traveling companions.

Want to find out how we test and review DSLR and mirrorless cameras? We trial cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. Our lab tests will generally measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio, which gives us a benchmark by which to compare cameras. 

Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts, dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range. Our compact camera evaluations are based on real-world testing alone.

For our real-world testing, our reviewers spend time with each camera, testing it in a variety of shooting situations and providing their qualitative thoughts on how the camera was to use and evaluating the images and video it produced. Here's an example of how we literally take a camera on vacation to evaluate it!

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Gareth is a photographer based in London, working as a freelance photographer and videographer for the past several years, having the privilege to shoot for some household names. With work focusing on fashion, portrait and lifestyle content creation, he has developed a range of skills covering everything from editorial shoots to social media videos. Outside of work, he has a personal passion for travel and nature photography, with a devotion to sustainability and environmental causes.

• James Artaius Editor

Related articles

The best travel camera for 2024: the finest choices for your adventures

The best travel cameras for your next big trip

• Best overall
• Best-looking
• Best action cam
• Best tough camera
• Best premium compact
• Best small full-frame
• Best hybrid vlogger

Best for moving subjects

• Best superzoom

How to choose

• How we test

1. The list in brief 2. Best for most people 3. Best value 4. Best-looking 5. Best action 6. Best tough 7. Best premium compact 8. Best small full-frame 9. Best hybrid travel vlogger 10. Best for moving subjects 11. Best superzoom bridge 12. How to choose 13. How we test

Road trip or flyaway vacation, the best travel cameras let you capture incredible images of your holiday adventures. From action cameras to compact mirrorless models, we've extensively reviewed the top travel-friendly cameras and rounded up our recommendations in the expert guide below. Whatever your itinerary, this is list is your ticket to the ideal travel camera.

Based on our tests, we think the best travel camera overall is the OM System OM-5. A portable, weatherproof Micro Four Thirds model, it shoots higher quality images than a smartphone while offering the useful flexibility of interchangeable lenses.

Whatever your expectations and budget, you'll find a travel camera to fit the bill below. Our list includes some of the best mirrorless cameras , as well as some of the top compact cameras . Our expert reviewers have spent many hours testing the best options, using them in the real world to assess how well they perform when traveling. You'll find the results distilled in the list below, together with buying advice to consider when choosing a travel camera.

Tim is TechRadar's Cameras editor, with over 15 years in the photo video industry and most of those in the world of tech journalism, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with all things camera related. He’s also worked in video production with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi.

The quick list

If you don’t have time to read our full list of the best travel cameras, you can read the round-up below for a shortcut to the top options for your needs and budget. If you find one that takes your fancy, use the links to jump to our full write-up.

The best travel camera overall

Squeezing a host of features into a compact, weatherproof body that’s compatible with a range of lenses, the OM-5 is the ideal travel camera.

Read more below

The best value travel camera

With a large 1-inch sensor and useful 15x optical zoom, the Panasonic TZ200 puts smartphone-beating performance in your pocket.

The best-looking travel camera

Don’t be fooled by its lovely retro looks: the Nikon Z fc is every bit the modern travel camera, with a useful touchscreen and top image quality.

The best action camera for travel

The GoPro Hero 12 Black is the best all-round action camera available ideal for capturing your adrenaline-filled travels, with 8:9 sensor ideal for sharing travel videos to social.

The best tough travel camera

For rough and tumble travels you'll want a tough camera and they don't come much better than the OM System Tough TG-7.

The best premium compact

With a large sensor, fixed 23mm focal length, small form factor, retro design and film simulations, the X100VI is a powerful tool for street photography and documenting your travels.

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The best small full-frame camera

Combining a small form factor with a high-res 61MP sensor and fantastic autofocus, the Sony A7C R is the best full-frame camera for travel photography.

The best hybrid for travel vlogging

A capable sensor and automated settings, including a Vlogging mode, make the Fujifilm X-S20 an accessible tool for stills and video on the go.

The best for moving subjects

The compact A6700 uses AI-powered autofocus to reliably snap on to animals, insects, cars and more. The Fuji X-S20 is better for video, though.

The best superzoom camera

Even with a 1-inch sensor, the Sony RX10 IV delivers sharp stills and video, with the added versatility of a generous 24-600mm zoom range.

The best travel cameras in 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best travel cameras in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

1. OM System OM-5

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

✅ You want a robust travel camera: Light enough to travel with but tough enough to deal with bad weather, the OM-5 is a ruggedly dependable camera. ✅ You shoot handheld a lot: The OM-5 has excellent image stabilization for stills, meaning you can cross a tripod off your packing list.

❌ You want the best image quality: Its Micro Four Thirds sensor is decent enough, but some rivals offer more pixels and better low light performance. ❌ You have large hands: Handling is surprisingly good for a small camera, but the grip is not very deep, especially for those with bigger hands.

The OM-5 is only a relatively minor update of the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III , but its combination of talents make it an ideal travel camera in our book – particularly if you want the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. It shoehorns a lot of features into a compact, weatherproof body that's compatible with a wealth of equally small lenses. Most of its skills, including excellent in-body image stabilization and computational photography modes, are also designed with travelers and adventurers in mind.

Our tests found that the OM-5 delivers excellent video and stills quality for its size, helped by a stabilization system (good for 6.5-stops of compensation) that gives you a high hit-rate of keepers. We also enjoyed the high-quality feel of the camera's dials, as well as in-camera software tricks, like Live ND and in-camera focus stacking, which are ideal for macro shots or blurring skies for an ethereal effect. Less good are the fairly average EVF resolution, 4K /30p limit for video and relative limitations of its smaller sensor, but these are all acceptable trade-offs considering this camera's size and price.

Read our in-depth OM System OM-5 review

• ^ Back to the top

The best-value travel camera

2. Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200

✅ You want an all-in-one compact: You can’t beat the TZ200 for portability, but it’s also a feature-packed option with a useful zoom range and 1.0-inch sensor. ✅ You want a large zoom range: At 15x optical zoom, the TZ200 offers the versatility to shoot all sorts of subjects on your travels.

❌ You like an ergonomic grip: The Lumix TZ200 has plenty of manual controls on the metal body, but there’s not much of a grip to get your fingers around. ❌ You want a cheap camera: Its generous feature set makes the TZ200 excellent value, but its still pretty pricey for a premium compact.

With smartphones now raising the bar for point-and-shoot photography, compact cameras have to offer something special to justify their place in your travel bag. The ZS200 / TZ200 does that with its large 1-inch sensor and versatile 15x optical zoom. It might be towards the upper end of the compact camera market, but Panasonic 's travel zoom continues to offer great value.

Its large 1in sensor produces better natural image quality than most smartphones, despite the latter's advances in multi-frame processing. Our tests found colors to be nice and punchy, with the dynamic range allowing you to recover lost shadow detail with post-processing if needed. Even at 24mm, vignetting and distortion is nicely controlled. There's also a handy built-in electronic viewfinder, which makes it easier to compose images in bright light. It's still quite pricey, but this is still the best travel zoom compact camera available right now.

Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 review

3. Nikon Z fc

✅ You care about camera design: From the retro dials to the circular viewfinder, the Nikon Z fc channels classic style to fantastic effect. ✅ You like manual exposure control: Dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed and exposure, complemented by a lens control ring, give excellent manual control.

❌ You need a wide choice of lenses: There are only a handful of Z-series kit lenses designed for the APS-C format, limiting your options for expansion. ❌ You want a rugged camera: Although it looks like the sturdy FM2, the Z fc isn’t weather-sealed, so it’s not one to take on rainy adventures.

Travel photography is all about capturing memories and Nikon’s Z fc fully embraces the concept of nostalgia: it’s a stunning homage to the 30-year-old Nikon FM2 – complete with retro styling, dimensions and dials. Despite the throwback design, it’s a very modern camera inside, sharing many of its specs with the capable Nikon Z50. While some photographers might wish for a full-frame sensor, the Z fc’s APS-C number does a stellar job of capturing stills and 4K video, aided by reliable tracking autofocus. Our tests found that its 20.9MP sensor had an excellent handle on noise, especially under ISO 800, while dynamic range was impressive.

Its vari-angle touchscreen is also a brilliant addition, making it easy to frame travel selfies – or folding away completely for a leather-back look that lets you pretend it's the Eighties. The Nikon Z fc isn’t as sturdy as the camera that inspired it (there’s no weatherproofing, for example), but it’s still a beautifully unique camera for casual use. And with dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed and exposure, plus a customizable lens ring, it’s also an easy one to control on the go.

Read our in-depth Nikon Z fc review

4. GoPro Hero 12 Black

✅ You want a rugged travel camera: Waterproof down to 10m, the GoPro Hero 12 Black is a great choice for capturing action-packed travels. ✅ You plan to share on social: The 8:7 aspect ratio of its sensor gives you lots of flexibility to crop footage for social, including vertical videos.

❌ You plan to shoot in low light: Its 1/1.9in sensor shoots sharp footage, but it still struggles with noise handling in lower lighting conditions. ❌ You want a hybrid for stills: While the sensor can shoot 27MP stills, you’ll get a better photography experience from a standard alternative.

If you're looking for a high resolution action camera for your travels that's as comfortable shooting smooth videos as it is crisp photos, then the GoPro Hero 12 Black tops the bill. It was an underwhelming update of the Hero 11 Black, but that's not necessarily a bad thing because that camera was already highly capable. There's the same 1/1.9in sensor with versatile 8:9 aspect ratio – you can reframe footage for different social channels without sacrificing quality, and its max resolution of 5.3K/60p beats the DJI Osmo Action 4. You can capture dramatic TimeWarps at the full 5.3K resolution, shoot photo sequences as a rapid 30fps, and pull 24.7MP stills from 5.3K video.

Design-wise, there's no change to the Hero 11 Black, the two rugged models are physically identical and come with a large Enduro battery as standard, giving more time between recharges on the road. The same interface lets you tweak the user experience, with ‘Easy’ and ‘Pro’ modes to suit your skill level. Superior Horizon Lock and HyperSmooth 5.0 smarts do a remarkable job of stabilizing handheld video. Minor updates from the Hero 11 Black are mainly for pros, including flat Log color profiles, 10-bit video, and multi-channel audio capabilities. For most people however, there's little reason to upgrade or to pick the Hero 12 Black over its predecessor which could save you a little money. 

Read our in-depth hands-on GoPro Hero 12 Black review

5. OM System Tough TG-7

✅ You want a hardcore camera: With a case that’s waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof, the OM System Tough TG-7 is built to take a beating. ✅ You like a simple interface: Premium features include RAW shooting and 4K video, but the camera itself is easy to operate, even in tricky conditions.

❌ You want the best image quality: Results from the 1/2.3in sensor are fine, but the TG-7 tends to overexpose, and detail is lost at the telephoto end. ❌ You like using a viewfinder: The Tough TG-7 doesn’t have a viewfinder, and the 3-inch LCD screen has limited visibility in bright sunlight.

The biggest change in the OM System Tough TG-7 and the camera it replaces is in the name – since OM System acquired Olympus, it has wrought extremely minor upgrades to key models from the Olympus range, including the TG-6. None-the-less, we haven't seen another tough camera to better the TG-6 in that time, and so if you want the best tough camera available today, the TG-7 now tops the list. 

Tough cameras like the TG-6 are freeze-proof, shockproof and waterproof and can therefore be used in scenarios that you simply wouldn't consider with your phone or expensive camera, and for that reason the TG-7 is still one of the best travel cameras you can buy. Its industrial design feels reassuringly rugged, while large buttons make it convenient to operate beneath the waves or while wearing gloves, plus its 3-inch LCD display offers decent visibility in most conditions. 

We found image quality to be reasonable for a camera with a 1/2.3-inch sensor, with nice, rich colors – although there was a tendency to overexpose and blow out highlights. An equivalent zoom range of 25-100mm is fair, plus the inclusion of 4K video and raw shooting enhance flexibility. Its image quality might not match your phone for regular photos, but the TG-7 will allow you to be capturing extreme travel memories when you otherwise couldn't, plus there's a range of useful accessories such as a ring light for close up photography. 

Read our in-depth OM System Tough TG-7 review

6. Fujifilm X100VI

✅ You're exploring the city: With a fixed 23mm f/2 lens, Fujifilm's best autofocus, tilt screen and hybrid viewfinder, the X100V is a fantastic choice for street photography. ✅ You want a premium camera: From its retro design to its metal body, the X100V feels well-made and looks the business.

❌ You don’t want a fixed focal length: The 23mm lens is fantastic, but some users will find it limiting, especially if you value the ability to zoom. ❌ You’re on a tight budget: The X100VI is a popular but niche premium camera, and its increased price will put it out of budget for many.

We'd class the Fujifilm X100VI as a niche premium compact camera, but the range has grown in popularity since its inception in 2010 and is more popular than ever. The sixth generation model keeps the fixed 23mm f/2 lens and retro design that's been inspired by 1950s analogue cameras and despite its single focal length and no zoom it is one of the best travel cameras you can buy if it's in your price range.

The X100VI keeps all that users have grown to love about the X100-series; sharp fixed lens, large sensor, retro design, and unique hybrid viewfinder, but then builds on the X100V with a higher-resolution 40MP sensor and in-body image stabilization. The result is a significantly more versatile camera, for example the digital teleconverter can crop into the full image for 50mm (at 20MP) and 70mm (at 10MP) focal length looks, while stablization lets you shoot slower shutter speeds in low light.  

Other key improvements over the X100V include more detailed 6K video and Fujifilm's best-ever autofocus that includes advanced subject detection for photo and video. You can rely on the X100VI as a discreet everyday camera to document the world around, especially your travels, and it comes with 20 film simulation color profiles inspired by actual Fujifilm 35mm film that you can customize with recipes to develop your own style. 

Read our in-depth Fujifilm X100VI review

7. Sony A7C R

✅ You want the sharpest stills: With a 61MP full-frame sensor, you won’t get sharper travel snaps from any other camera in this list. ✅ You want a small, powerful camera: Despite the full-frame sensor inside, the A7C R is very compact and fits neatly in the hand.

❌ You value good handling: The small design has drawbacks, including a compromised viewfinder and absent AF joystick. ❌ You plan to use big lenses: Its compact proportions mean the Sony A7C R is mismatched with larger telephoto lenses.

By combining a small, travel-friendly form factor with a 61MP full frame sensor and fantastic autofocus, Sony has created arguably the ultimate travel camera. Successor to the Sony A7C – already one of our favorite travel photography tools – and announced alongside the A7C II , the A7C R fits nicely in the hand, while a flip screen and new dials offer welcome control.

Equipped with Sony’s top-grade autofocus and AI-powered subject tracking, the A7C R can cleverly and reliably track a broad range of subjects. You won’t find a better full frame sensor, either: borrowed from the A7R V , it captures stunning, pin-sharp stills in all conditions. Cropping potential is vast, and video footage is decent too.

There are trade-offs, though. In testing, we found that the A7C R’s compact proportions come with handling compromises, especially compared to the traditional design of the A7R V. The viewfinder feels small and fiddly, and we wish Sony had included an AF joystick. It’s also not a camera to pair with large telephoto lenses. But the real kicker is the cost: it’s significantly more expensive than the A7C II. That premium means it’s only a camera to consider if you need absolutely the best possible image quality on your travels.

Read our in-depth Sony A7C R review

8. Fujifilm X-S20

✅ You value longevity: The X-S20 has double the battery life of the X-S10, making it a great choice for long days of travel photography. ✅ You shoot video, too: Capturing sharp 26MP stills and 6K/30p open gate video, the Fujifilm X-S20 is a true mirrorless hybrid.

❌ You need weather proofing: Build quality of the X-S20 is good, but you’re better off with the Sony A6700 if you need a weatherproof camera. ❌ You have a limited budget: Its additional features come at the cost of a steep price hike compared to the Fujifilm X-S10, which makes it a harder sell.

Channelling everything we liked about the X-S10 – including a compact, well-balanced body – the Fujifilm X-S20 cements its position as a fantastic mirrorless cameras for travel. It handles comfortably, with simplified dials making it accessible for beginners. In testing, we found new novice-friendly features – such as a dedicated Vlogging mode – also make the X-S20 a forgiving camera for touring first-timers.

The X-S20 is blessed with a proven shooting system, utilising the same 26.1MP sensor as the X-S10 and X-T4 to produce quality stills. It also eases the way for beginners with an automatic scene detection mode, which harnesses the power of Fuji’s latest X-Processor 5 to reliably choose the correct settings. From our first impressions, it works better than the automatic subject tracking, which was a little hit and miss.

With 6K/30p 4:2:2 10-bit internal video recording also on offer, plus in-body image stabilization that worked well in testing, the Fujifilm X-S20 is a solid option for content creators on the move. The lack of weather-sealing will discourage adventurous travellers, while the price tag means it isn’t one to leave in an unattended bag. But at just 26g heavier than its predecessor, the X-S20 is a very capable all-rounder for travel.

Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-S20 review

9. Sony A6700

✅ You want a capable travel hybrid: A sharp APS-C sensor, five-axis stabilization and AI autofocus make the A6700 a great all-rounder to take on the road. ✅ You like to get hands-on: A more ergonomic grip and lots of direct-access buttons make the A6700 a nice camera to handle and use.

❌ You shoot mostly video: The A6700 can record sharp video, but there’s a heavy 1.6x crop on 4K/120p slow-mo and Active SteadyShot stabilization isn’t the best. ❌ You like simple menus: The interface on the A6700 has quite a learning curve, and it can be tricky to navigate when shooting out and about.

It's a close-run thing between the Sony A6700 and the Fujifilm X-S20 above, but if you shoot a lot of moving subjects then the Sony should be your choice. Like the Fuji, it has a 26MP APS-C sensor and comes in a compact, travel-friendly form. And like the Fuji, it's a genuine hybrid, offering decent video options to go with its stills prowess. But there are some key differences.

First, the good: the A6700 has the same AI-powered chipset as the far more expensive Sony A7R V , and this helps it deliver incredible subject tracking; seriously, this camera will lock on to humans, animals, insects, cars, trains, aircraft and more, then follow them unerringly around the frame. However, its video chops aren't as impressive as those of the Fuji. 4K 120p slow-mo footage is subjected to a heavy 1.6x crop, while the five-axis stabilization doesn't work as well when filming as it does when shooting stills. The complex menu system also leaves something to be desired.

Still, it handles well, has a great battery and would make an excellent all-rounder for your next trip - so long as you're slightly more focused on images than video.

Read our in-depth Sony A6700 review

10. Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV

✅ You like to zoom in: With a sharp, fast 24-600mm, the RX100 IV offers fantastic versatility to capture a range of subjects on your travels. ✅ You want an all-in-one option: The RX100 IV is a high-end bridge camera with a big zoom range, high-quality EVF and capable AF system.

❌ You want a small camera: While it ticks most of the boxes for travel photography, the RX100 IV is bigger and heavier than many rivals. ❌ You like a slick touchscreen: Its tilting touchscreen is a useful addition, but you can’t use it to navigate menus or swipe through images.

In terms of offering something for everybody, the RX10 IV ticks a lot of boxes. It's like having a bag full of lenses, but with the benefit of never having to change them. There's a very long zoom (going all the way from 24-600mm), while the maximum aperture is pretty wide throughout the lens. 

The RX10 IV's sensor might not be as a large as the ones you'll find on a mirrorless camera or DSLR, but Sony's 20.1MP one-inch chip proved itself to be very capable in our tests. Noise was well-controlled, and you'd have no problem making an A3 print from one of its files (particularly if you shoot at under ISO 800). 

You also get 24fps shooting, cracking 4K video quality and handling to rival a DSLR. The major downside? The high price – if your budget is tighter, don't forget about this camera's predecessor, the RX10 III .

Read our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV review

How to choose the best travel camera for you

Picking the right travel camera can be trickier than finding affordable flights. You’ll want a shooting tool that’s compact enough to conveniently carry on your travels, yet still capable of capturing sharp stills and stable video of your jet-setting adventures.

There are a few key things to keep in mind when choosing your ideal travel camera. Among the most important is size. While pocketable compacts offer convenience, the quality of your travel snaps will be boosted by the bigger sensors of larger mirrorless models.

If your adventures are likely to involve going off the beaten track, it’s worth considering a travel camera with rugged credentials. This could be one of the best action cameras , such as the GoPro Hero 11 Black – perfect if you plan to shoot quick, slick travel clips. Or it could be a sturdy compact such as the Olympic TG-6, which is one of the best waterproof cameras .

It’s also worth thinking about what subjects you might be shooting on your trip. A long zoom range will be handy on safari , while something light and fast is better for capturing street snaps on a city break. Travel compacts, such as the Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200, usually use a zoom lens to cover a range of shooting scenarios. Interchangeable lens cameras like the Fujifilm X-T30 II can similarly offer the flexibility of both worlds, but only if you’re happy to travel with extra barrels in your backpack.

Which type of camera is best for traveling?

Travel cameras come in a range of shapes and sizes. Which style is best for you will depend on how you like to travel, what you like to shoot and how much gear you’re willing to cart around.

Travel zoom compacts such as the Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 are pocket friendly, yet offer a broad scope for capturing a range of subjects. Thanks to generous zoom ranges, they give you the opportunity to get close to the action, or to shoot wide. The trade-off for having all of this flexibility in a compact body is generally a smaller sensor, which is less useful for shooting in low light.

If you’d like neat proportions but don’t need the versatility of a zoom lens, premium compact cameras could be worth considering. Models such as the Fujifilm X100V sacrifice zoom range in favour of larger sensors that are better at gathering light – usually a one-inch or, in the case of the X100V, an APS-C chip.

Between compacts and mirrorless cameras is where you’ll find bridge cameras. Bulkier than a standard compact, they offer more comfortable handling and a large zoom range, but without the need to carry different lenses. New bridge cameras are increasingly rare, but the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 IV remains a great example.

If you don’t mind traveling with multiple lenses, many of the best mirrorless cameras have been specifically designed with travel in mind. In the case of models like the OM System OM-5 , that means a portable, weatherproof body, useful image stabilization for shooting on the move, plus a versatile Micro Four Thirds sensor that balances size and performance. And with lots of different lenses to choose from, you can pack different optics depending on the type of trip you’re taking – or opt for a reliable all-round option.

Is a DSLR or mirrorless camera better for travel photography?

When it comes to travel photography, most photographers look for a balance between portability and performance. If this is the combination you’re after, mirrorless cameras will almost aways have the edge over their DSLR rivals. Mirrorless models are generally smaller and lighter than DSLRs, making them easier to wield and travel with.

Despite their more compact proportions, many of the best mirrorless travel cameras can also match or outclass DSLR cameras when it comes to image quality, as well as autofocus abilities and video features. This makes them versatile tools for shooting on the move, especially if you choose a model with in-body image stabilization for sharp handheld results. If you pick a mirrorless camera with an established lens mount system, you’ll also find no shortage of glass to pack for your trip.

That said, there are reasons why you might still want to consider a DSLR camera for travel. Some photographers prefer the chunkier ergonomic grip for which the DSLR format is famous, especially if they plan on shooting for hours on end. The best DSLR cameras also offer superlative battery life, which can be useful if your travel plans include days away from electricity.

Budget might also be a factor, especially if you’re concerned about taking an expensive camera on your travels. Older DSLR cameras can offer great value, as can second-hand mirrorless models. It’s also worth looking at our round-up of the best cheap cameras , which includes some options that are a good fit for travel photography.

• Read our in-depth DSLR vs Mirrorless comparison

How we test travel cameras

Buying a camera these days is a big investment, and travel cameras are no different – so every camera in this guide has been tested extensively by us. For travel cameras in particular, real-world tests are the most revealing way to understand a camera's performance and character, so we focus heavily on those, along with standardized tests for factors like ISO performance.

To start with, we look at the camera's design, handling and controls to get a sense of how suitable it is for life on the road, and any particular features that might be particularly useful for globe-trotters. When we take it out on a shoot, we'll use it both handheld and on a tripod to get a sense of where its strengths lie, and test its startup speed.

When it comes to performance, we use a formatted SD card and shoot in both raw and JPEG (if available). For burst shooting tests, we dial in our regular test settings (1/250 sec, ISO 200, continuous AF) and shoot a series of frames in front of a stopwatch to see if it lives up to its claimed speeds. We'll also look at how quickly the buffers clears and repeat the test for both raw and JPEG files.

In various lighting conditions, we also test the camera's different autofocus modes (including Face and Eye AF) in single point, area and continuous modes. We also shoot a range of photos of different styles (portrait, landscape, low light, macro/close-up) in raw and JPEG to get a sense of metering and its sensor's ability to handle noise and resolve fine detail.

If the camera's raw files are supported by Adobe Camera Raw, we'll also process some test images to see how we can push areas like shadow recovery. And we'll also test its ISO performance across the whole range to get a sense of the levels we'd be happy to push the camera to.

Battery life is tested in a real-world fashion, as we use the camera over the course of the day with the screen set to the default settings. Once the battery has reached zero, we'll then count the number of shots to see how it compares to the camera's CIPA rating. Finally, we test the camera's video skills by shooting some test footage at different frame-rates and resolutions, along with its companion app.

We then take everything we've learned about the camera and factor in its price to get a sense of the value-for-money it offers, before reaching our final verdict.

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Tim is the Cameras editor at TechRadar. He has enjoyed more than 15 years in the photo video industry with most of those in the world of tech journalism. During his time as Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and consequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He’s also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to enjoy and learn from each other. 

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The Best Body Cameras

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The perfect body cam can increase your level of individual safety - from risk and aggressive litigators.

Bodycams can also be useful for creators, as content constantly requires a close-up personal touch.

The ideal body camera must have a decent battery capacity, a robust, petite structure, and high-quality video resolution, so it doesn't need to be recharged frequently. As outdoor explorers, sports enthusiasts, and law enforcement regularly use these cameras, durability is crucial, and a waterproof and damage resistance rating should be considered.

DJI Action 2

The DJI Action 2 is not designed to function as a body cam, although in some circumstances it can because of its small size and magnetic mount. The camera module of the Action 2 can be fastened to a magnetic grip on a lanyard underneath the fabric if you only need to record video for a short time and don't want to wear anything more than a T-shirt or tank top. This is much more covert than a body belt or head mount but still produces high-quality first-person footage.

SereneLife Clip-on

The SereneLife clip-on wearable camera is the solution if you're seeking a small camera that you can attach to your body. This body camera is unquestionably little, measuring just 2 x 0.6 x 2 inches and weighing 1.44 ounces. Thankfully, its small stature doesn't match its feature set.

Boblov PD70 1296P

The PD70 records video at 1296px 30 fps with a 170 lens and includes a built-in 2-inch LCD. It is available with 32 or 64GB of internal memory, which can be downloaded using the Mini-USB port. In terms of physical characteristics, there is an IR night mode with illumination and a switchable laser light that projects where the lens is looking. Options for the camera include a driving mode, customizable video lengths, and stealth mode.

The 8 best body cameras

Premium, smart modular design

Smaller than rival action cams

Fantastic audio recording capability

Overheating limits clip length

Muted default color profile

Image quality isn't quite as crisp as GoPro

39×39×22.3 mm

1/1.7” CMOS

Touchscreen

1.76 inches 350 ppi 500±50 cd/m² 446×424

Photo: 100-6400 Video: 100-6400

FOV: 155° Aperture: f/2.8 35mm Format Equivalent: 12.7 mm Focus Range: 0.3 m to

Image sensor and video specs

With only 12MP, the DJI Action 2's sensor has a lower resolution than the Hero10 Black's. The camera can take pictures at that resolution and record videos at 120 frames per second in up to 4K. (fps). For genuine slow-motion capture, you'll need to shoot in 1080p (Full HD), which allows framerates to reach as high as 240fps. If you wish to use the full sensor to record video, you can even capture 4:3 4K footage at up to 60fps.

Timelapse videos and Pro Mode

The camera can also shoot photographs and films in Pro Mode, which offers you control over a few manual parameters, and timelapse videos in 4K, 2.7K, and 1080p at intervals between 0.5 and 40 seconds. The UI is simple to use. Swipe up to change the resolution, left or right to change the mode, and down to access more choices.

Final Verdict

When it comes to portability and luxury aesthetics, the DJI Action 2's design is unrivaled. It is a startlingly compact, rich-looking action camera. It can't match the video quality or functionality of the GoPro Hero10 Black, but it's still a nice addition to the action camera market and a great option for someone who prioritizes style and compactness over all else. While it’s not flawless—the camera overheats and falls short of the Hero10 Black in terms of clarity and robustness—it could nevertheless be superior for a particular user.

Best Value for Money

2. SereneLife Clip-on Wearable Camera

Good Design

1080p Footage

12 Megapixel Photos

Below-average build quality

Microphone quality is average

Product Dimensions

2 x 0.6 x 2 inches

Video Capture Resolution

Effective Still Resolution

Has Image Stabilization

Compact design and good usability

The SereneLife clip-on wearable camera is the solution if you're seeking a small camera that you can attach to your body. This body camera is unquestionably little, measuring just 2 x 0.6 x 2 inches and weighing 1.44 ounces. Thankfully, its small stature doesn't match its feature set. A 1.8-inch monitor will allow you to view real-time pictures and videos for speedy replay. On a mobile device that you can download, you can also watch videos. Simply use the provided clip to fasten the camera to your shirt and begin filming.

Video recording

The camera records Full HD 1080p video with exceptional quality. Although its primary use may be for video, there is a capacity for 12-megapixel photos as well. A separate microSD card is used to store both photos and videos. The size of the card determines the length of each recording, although the camera supports AVI formatting, which reduces the size of the video for maximum storage.

This is a wearable camera that is worth your consideration if you're on a tight budget. The SereneLife is small enough to attach to your shirt and is available in black, red, white, and blue. It doesn't record 4K video like some of the better, more costly cameras, but it can still record 1080p Full HD video and take 12MP photos. However, it isn't water-resistant, doesn't have stabilization, and doesn't come with a MicroSD card.

3. Boblov PD70 1296P

Based upon 3 reviews from Wedio members

Effectiveness

Value for money

Overall rating

What creators like

Battery life

What creators don't like

I was disappointed that the camera would not pair with my Android phone.

See all reviews

Sensible balance of battery life and weight

Good quality menu

Records good sound

On-device playback option

Night Vision

Wi-Fi app didn’t work for us

Package Dimensions

7.7 x 6 x 2.8 inches

1 Lithium Polymer batteries required.

PD70 WiFi 64G

The PD70 records video at 1296px 30 fps with a 170 lens and includes a built-in 2-inch LCD. It is available with 32 or 64GB of internal memory, which can be downloaded using the Mini-USB port. In terms of physical characteristics, there is an IR night mode with illumination and a switchable laser light that projects where the lens is looking. Options for the camera include a driving mode, customizable video lengths, and stealth mode. The PD70 has buttons on the sides and below the screen on the back of a sturdy black plastic enclosure. There are shoe-like mounts for a pocket clip rather than a flash in the plastic molding. When installed, this somewhat blocks the screen, but it can be taken off rather simply. Included are two clips: a shoulder clip and a pocket clip.

Performance

Given that the bitrate hovers around 12kbps, the video is of quite acceptable quality and captures an unexpected amount of detail. The requirement for increased resolution is debatable as long as the lens is pointed in the desired direction and you get meaningful data. The lens has a broad 170° angle of view, and there is an infrared night vision mode that turns on automatically in the dark and can recognize faces at a distance of 30 feet. A rotating clip is used for attachment to clothing, and your smartphone can broadcast video from the device in 1296P, 1080P, or 720P.

The PD70 is a device intended to deter dishonesty, not to record stunning videos. Given this, it takes videos of more than acceptable quality, with the host's vibrations being the main limitation. We consider this to be an acceptable value given that a body cam can cost substantially more while offering fewer functions.

Although the PD70 doesn't have the best resolution camera currently on the market, it does have all the essential features, placing it in the same category as a prosumer. Even though the look and shape suggest a classic uniform chest, it also includes a wi-fi download app and a mini-HDMI port, extending the offering beyond the basic.

Read on to learn about the best body cameras for various uses.

Interest in more than body cameras? Discover all the fundamental gear you need when getting started.

4. Transcend DrivePro Body 20

Robust, wearable camera format.

IPX4 splashproof rating.

3.5-hour battery life.

32GB of storage built in.

Very limited configuration options.

Previewing recordings requires PC or smartphone

Doesn't double as an action camera for extreme sports due to lack of configuration.

88.4mm × 52.2mm × 19.4mm

F/2.8, 160° wide angle

Connection Interface

Operating Temperature

-20°C (-4°F) ~ 65°C (149°F)

Battery Type

Li-Polymer 1530mAh

Security-centric body camera

The DrivePro Body 20 by Transcend is a body-worn camera that records high-definition video in 1920 x 1080 resolution at up to 30 frames per second. It is intended for security applications. Users of iOS and Android devices can live-stream from a distant location using built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. For capturing what's in front of you, its 160° field of view offers a huge coverage area.

The DrivePro Body 20 is really simple to operate; all it needs is one button press to get everything going. The recording can be started and stopped by pushing the central power button once. The 3-minute videos of the continuous, 160-degree wide-angle recordings are broken up to facilitate scanning. Additionally, you may quickly take pictures by simply hitting the Wi-Fi button, which is useful if you need to quickly take note of something.

Companion app

It's simple to pair with a smartphone to see the captured video or live feed. The app allows you to live broadcast, browse through footage, and see previously captured photos and videos (record while you watch the video on your smartphone). The only method to watch the films right away is on your phone using the DrivePro smartphone app; pairing is rapid, so it's convenient to show someone the recorded footage.

The DrivePro 20 can produce great recording quality, which ought to be its main selling point. Additionally, we like how it connects to mobile devices. Even if it's not flawless, having a live stream option within a few clicks is a useful addition if you want to keep track of someone's whereabouts. The camera is ready at the press of a button and will continue to work seamlessly ensuring that you don't miss anything.

5. Transcend DrivePro Body 10B

Reasonable cost

HD Video resolution

Less battery capacity

Video resolution

Field of view

32GB microSD card

Operating time

Up to 3.5 hours

88.4x52.2x19.6mm

Hands-free recording

With Transcend's DrivePro Body 10 1080p Body Camera with Night Vision, you can comfortably film hands-free. This body camera records videos at 30 frames per second in 1920 x 1080 resolution using a Sony sensor. For night vision functionality in total darkness, four no-glow IR LEDs automatically turn on in low light. You can catch anything in front of you thanks to the camera's 130° diagonal field of view.

Functional recoding handling

Transcend's DrivePro Body range of body cameras is specifically built for the DrivePro Body Toolbox, which enables users to handle recorded videos and screenshots on Windows PCs. Users can format the internal storage, upgrade the firmware for the body camera, and change settings for both the Toolbox and the DrivePro Body camera using the Toolbox, which has an intuitive user interface.

Although this camera is primarily made for law enforcement officers, casual users can also benefit from its features and use this body cam for other applications. Its capable image sensor by Sony offers crisp image quality and an action-camera level viewing angle. Its low-light performance is also stellar, so in terms of image and video capabilities, this camera is definitely a go-to.

6. Pyle PPBCM9

Infrared shooting

Shock and waterproof

Long battery life and recording time

The wearable camera by Pyle has a built-in 16GB memory and a rechargeable battery that will provide you with hours of recording time, enabling you to record audio for more than 6 hours or more than 10,000 photos. The body action camera has a speaker that can immediately play back your recorded files and a 2.0-inch LCD display screen that can assist you to monitor any circumstance.

Resolutions and night mode

The camera has three different resolutions, 1080P, 720P, and 480P, allowing you to record at different distances. It also features a night vision mode, but it is not very good; when filming in total darkness, you should see multiple blind areas. A second speech recorder is also present, ensuring that the voice in the video capture is audible.

Easy file transfer

As soon as a recording is complete, the small body camera may quickly download and exchange files to your computer using the USB connection cable that is included, or you can use the Micro SD memory card slot.

This body camera is the ideal complement to almost any occasion and can be attached to the dashboard of your car or placed onto your clothes. The camera is portable and small, yet it records in HD for high-quality resolution and output. If you work, fish, or hunt at night, this camera includes infrared night vision. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery, so you never have to take it out to charge.

7. AKASO EK7000 Pro 4K

Photo and video quality are excellent.

In action settings, it's simple to use.

Controlling wifi through a mobile app

The affordable price

Concerns concerning long-term sturdiness

After a lengthy period of use, USB ports become hot

Wifi streaming

Battery Life

2.36 x 1.57 x 1.3 inches

Minimum Focal Length

35 Millimeters

Design and build

Its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to wear affixed to a helmet or slide into a pocket, which is precisely what you want from an action camera. Using the touchscreen or the four on-body buttons, you can traverse the menus. It takes some practice to use the touchscreen; for example, to access the menu and adjust your video settings, you must touch the bottom of the screen. You'll succeed around 50% of the time you try; the other 50%, you'll just end up getting rid of the screen furniture.

Image quality and video specs

The Akaso EK7000 Pro boasts a ton of functionality on the box despite being a low-cost action camera. You can utilize the burst mode to capture still images with a resolution of up to 20MP and a frame rate of roughly 3fps. The highest video resolution is 4K at 30 fps, with 2.7K at 30 fps, Full HD at up to 60 fps, and HD 720p at up to 120 fps as further resolution options.

Recording modes

Time-lapse and loop recording, which continuously records clips of 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes, are additional filming modes. When the card is full, it simply begins to replace older entries and keeps going. Additionally, the Akaso EK7000 provides electronic image stabilization for video, although as we'll discover, this has a big downside.

The AKASO EK7000 is one of the least expensive options, and best of all, it doesn't need you to give up a lot of features. It can record video at up to 30 frames per second in 2.7K and 4K, respectively (still a formidable resolution). These figures much surpass those of very precise body cams.

However, a disadvantage for body cam users is the approximately 90-minute footage limit. Anything more than that will cause you to go for the charger. However, it comes with a ton of accessories right in the package despite just weighing approximately two ounces. It becomes a strong contender for the title of finest body cam 2019 has to offer when you take into account its Wi-Fi streaming and sharing capabilities.

8. GoPro Fusion

5.2K at 30fps and 3K at 60fps immersive 360-degree video

Playback in virtual reality is supported.

Audio that is crystal clear

Point of View

Still resolution

5.2K (30fps) resolution

3K resolution videos at 60fps, as well as take 18MP spherical photos (at up to 30fps in burst mode)

2xMicroSD up to 128GB

360 "Spherical Audio"

GPS, Acclerometer

Impressive video capabilities

GoPro Fusion enables you to record breathtaking 5.2K (30fps) definition 360-degree immersive films. You can take 18MP spherical photographs and 3K HD films at 60 frames per second at up to 30fps in burst mode. The spherical recordings may be seen in virtual reality, and the GoPro companion app's "Overcapture" feature enables 360-degree material to be converted to regular 1080p videos from any angle.

Speaking of the app, you can use it to update the firmware of the Fusion, publish your favorite images and videos directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as cut short clips from the video you've taken. GoPro Fusion has a total of four microphones, allowing it to record audio that is extremely clear. Additionally, it features sophisticated video stabilization skills. GoPro Fusion has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for communication. The mix also includes GPS.

One of the greatest action/body cameras available, the Fusion GoPro will let you capture amazing 360-degree video. It produces breathtaking images and has excellent image and video quality. The best part is that the images may be modified with Adobe Premiere Pro or the desktop application Fusion Studio. It can definitely join the best GoPro cameras list as it maintains the same level of build quality as the GoPro Hero line.

Featured Cameras

The DJI Action 2 is a modular action camera with a very compact body and impressive 4K video capabilities. It's a reimagined version of DJI's Osmo Action camera and features a variety of magnetic modules so users can customize it to their shooting needs.

SereneLife Clip-on Wearable Camera

This SereneLife ultralight clip-on wearable camera is less than two inches across and can be attached to any backpack strap or article of clothing, yet records full HD 1080p video and can seamlessly capture important moments, special memories and high-value interactions all without any special input or need to manually adjust settings.

The PD70 isn’t a device designed to capture amazing video, but one to protect against dishonesty. Given that, it captures more than adequate quality video, subject only to the vibrations imposed by the host. Given it is possible to spend significantly more on a body cam without gaining much in terms of features, we see this as good value.

Transcend DrivePro Body 20

DrivePro 20 is tailor-made for motorcycle/scooter riders. Its simple and compact design gives you solid security on the road. Embedded with a STARVIS™ image sensor, the dashcam offers Full HD 1080P recording at 60fps for crystal clear sharpness and night images even in low light. IP68 rated, it is designed to withstand various weather conditions, and resistant to water, dust, heat, and shocks, suitable for outdoor recording.

Transcend DrivePro Body 10B

Transcend's DrivePro Body 10 is the best companion for police officers, security guards and other professionals. The camera uses STARVIS™ high-sensitivity image sensor, high-quality lens, and automatic infrared illumination that ensure all the important details of actions are clearly recorded. The DrivePro Body 10 also features a built-in battery and excellent water and shock resistance, making it ideal for indoor and outdoor use.

Pyle PPBCM9 Body Camera

The Pyle Body Camera provides compact, portable and hi-resolution recording ability. This Wireless person-worn camera attaches to your clothing and provides crisp audio and video recording, in Full HD 1080p. The system combines a camera, camcorder and voice recorder. It's perfect for security guards and enforcement officers who want to provide the visual evidence when necessary.

AKASO EK7000 Pro 4K

The AKASO EK7000 is middling for action video. This small, lightweight camera can easily be mounted on a helmet rig. With its included case, it has a solid build, and it's even rated for water resistance when used with its case, though we don't currently test for this. It also does a good job smoothing out camera shake. That said, its video quality in 4k and FHD is poor, and it doesn't offer a lot of frame rate options for recording slow-motion footage.

GoPro Fusion

The GoPro Fusion is a spherical video action camera designed to take on the Garmin Virb and the Insta360 One. It takes incredible 360-degree shots that can be split into regular shots using the innovative overcapture feature that’s part of the Fusion Studio software. The software comes in the form of a desktop app and a mobile app. Also, why not take a look at our review of the 10 must have GoPro camera accessories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are body cameras legal UK?

What is pre record in body camera?

The body-worn cameras feature a 90 second pre-record buffer that can include up to 90 seconds of recorded content prior to the officer hitting the “Record” button or starting the recording based on up to 8 pre-configured automatic triggers.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of body cameras?

PRO: Footage can be used as evidence. This is probably one of the biggest benefits of body cameras for law enforcement — the ability to use the footage later on in a court of law if necessary. ... CON: Restricted privacy. ... PRO: Violence prevention. ... CON: Video quality.

Rent or subscribe to a camera

A body cam's resolution and video quality are the most essential features to look for – 1080p at 30 frames per second is the most common resolution, and it should provide you with an excellent, smooth recording without breaking the bank.

Durability is critical for a body cam, as it is for anything worn and carried around with you all the time.

Want to discover more cameras? Explore more cameras at Wedio .

How we picked the best

Resolution and image quality.

A good body camera should have a high resolution and smooth, clear video quality. The most common resolution, 1080p at 30 frames per second, should provide you with a nice, smooth recording without going overboard on your spending. If you want an even smoother recording, increase the frame rate to 60fps. Above that, you typically get 4K at 30 frames per second, which is sharper, but that raises the cost respectively.

Durability and weather-sealing are crucial for a body cam, as it is for anything that is worn and carried with you all the time. A device's ability to withstand water immersion up to 5 meters and dust resistance is determined by its IP65 rating, which is equally significant. There are different IP ratings, with IPX denoting only water resistance and no dust resistance.

Battery life is crucial since a body cam can't be easily recharged if you wear it all day. The built-in cell's capacity can range from 1,000mAh to 3,000mAh, with the former being the norm. Your ideal device should be able to last you an entire 8-hour workday. Since the size of the battery must be matched against the compact and lightweight design, the majority of body cams probably won't be able to survive a complete 24 hours. One solution is to purchase a body camera with many batteries so you can switch them out when one runs out of power.

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• Best Budget
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Notable Mentions

Recent updates, all reviews, the 5 best compact cameras for travel - spring 2024 reviews.

Point-and-shoot cameras are a natural choice for travel thanks to their compact sizes and built-in zoom lenses, making it a breeze to capture all your memories abroad without having to lug around a bulky kit with multiple lenses. While smartphone cameras have continued to improve, and they're usually the camera you've already got on you, some point-and-shoots offer improved image quality with larger sensors than the ones typically found in phones, while others offer longer zoom ranges that you simply can't get with the physically limited lenses on your smartphone.

We've bought and tested over 100 cameras in our lab, and below, you'll find the best small travel cameras we've tested. If you don't mind carrying a larger kit with interchangeable lenses, check out our picks for the  best mirrorless cameras for travel . If you want to capture beautiful images of destination vistas, you might also want to check out our  best cameras for landscape photography . Alternatively, if you're less interested in snapping places and more interested in the people that populate them, see our picks for the  best street photography cameras .

Best Compact Camera For Travel

It isn't cheap, but the Sony RX100 VII is the best small travel camera that we've tested. Sony has perfected the formula for compact zoom cameras with its RX100 series. This latest model features a stacked 1-inch sensor that delivers blazing-fast burst rates and great image quality for its class, along with a pop-up viewfinder and flash, a large tilting screen, and a zoom lens—all packed into an incredibly portable camera.

While it doesn't have the widest zoom range on this list, its 24–200mm full-frame equivalent focal length still gives you a fair amount of range, offering some flexibility for framing and composition. The camera also has a highly effective autofocus system, ensuring your subjects stay in focus, even in busier settings. That said, like most compact cameras, it has a pretty short battery life, though you can always pack a spare battery or portable power bank to charge it on the go.

See our review

Best Mid-Range Compact Camera For Travel

The Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II is a great mid-range option if you don't want to spend as much on a travel camera. It's easily one of the most comfortable point-and-shoots we've tested, thanks to a nicely designed grip and thumb rest. On top of that, its user interface is highly intuitive. It also has a nearly identical pop-up viewfinder as the one found on the Sony RX100 VII , which is great for sunny days when it's harder to see the screen.

The built-in lens here has a fairly wide max aperture, making it decently well-suited to dimmer lighting conditions. However, it has a slightly shorter zoom range than the Sony, with a 24–120mm equivalent focal length. The camera's autofocus system can also struggle to track subjects quickly and accurately, so keep that in mind if you plan on shooting faster subjects in busier settings. Otherwise, this camera has plenty to offer for travelers who want something compact and comfortable to shoot with.

Best Budget Compact Camera For Travel

The Canon PowerShot SX740 is one of the best point-and-shoot cameras to get if you're on a tighter budget. It uses a smaller sensor than the more premium options above, so there's a slight trade-off in image quality. On the upside, its built-in lens has a 40x optical zoom range, giving you a remarkably wide focal length range of 24–960mm. Though it doesn't have a viewfinder like the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II , the camera's tilt screen can flip up for selfies or waist-level shots, and it's incredibly portable.

Of course, the most cost-effective choice if your budget is really tight is to simply use your smartphone! Most smartphone cameras these days feature pretty impressive processing to compensate for their smaller sensors, which means you can still get great results despite some hardware limitations. The best part is that you've likely already got a smartphone on you, so it won't cost you anything extra or take up more space in your luggage. Still, if you want the shooting experience of a dedicated point-and-shoot camera, the PowerShot SX740 has quite a bit of value for its price.

Best Compact Vlogging Camera For Travel

While the previous picks are more photography-oriented, travel vloggers should take note of the Sony ZV-1, the best point-and-shoot camera for travel vlogging. Though it doesn't have a viewfinder, it's the only option on this list to feature a fully articulated screen, making it easy to monitor yourself while recording or to take the odd selfie. On top of that, it has vlogging-specific features like a detachable windscreen to reduce ambient noise when recording outside.

The Sony ZV-1 II has since replaced it and features a wider-angle lens that's a good fit for walk-and-talk vlogs. However, the newer model doesn't have optical stabilization, and its digital stabilization feature crops in some of that wider field of view. For those reasons, the original ZV-1 is still our top pick here, especially since you can get it for cheaper. It checks all the boxes for a compact, all-in-one vlogging camera for travel.

Best Large Sensor Compact Camera For Travel

The RICOH GR III is a fantastic option if image quality is your top priority. While you'll still get great images from 1-inch sensor cameras like the Sony RX100 VII or the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II , the RICOH boasts a larger APS-C sensor that delivers excellent image quality and better noise handling in low light. Its sleek, minimalist design makes it the most pocketable camera on this list, too, so you can bring it with you wherever your travels take you.

Of course, this isn't the travel camera for everyone. If you want the flexibility to zoom in on farther subjects or you like to shoot video on the side, you're out of luck here since the camera has a fixed 28mm equivalent focal length and has poor video capabilities. If 28mm is too wide for you, you can opt for the RICOH GR IIIx instead, which has a 40mm equivalent lens. Though it lacks a viewfinder or zoom lens, this is one of the best options if you want something super portable that doesn't compromise on image quality.

• Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III: The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a good compact vlogging camera. Unlike the Sony ZV-1, it has a built-in livestreaming feature that some travel vloggers may find appealing. However, its autofocus isn't as effective, and the camera doesn't have a fully articulated screen. See our review
• Fujifilm X100V: The Fujifilm X100V is a beautifully designed point-and-shoot with an APS-C sensor. Unlike the RICOH GR III, it has a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and a tilting screen, making it more versatile. However, it isn't as compact as other options here, and the manufacturer has since replaced it with the in-demand Fujifilm X100VI. See our review
• Panasonic LUMIX ZS80: The Panasonic LUMIX ZS80 is one of the best budget options you can get, offering a ton of value for its price, and unlike the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II, it even has a viewfinder. However, it's been discontinued and is harder to find. See our review

Apr 10, 2024: We brushed up some of the text throughout the article for clarity and added a mention of the Fujifilm X100VI to ensure the article is up to date with the current market.

Mar 14, 2024: We've reviewed the article to ensure the text and recommendations are up to date.

Feb 14, 2024: Moved the Panasonic LUMIX ZS80 to the Notable Mentions because it's been discontinued and is hard to find in stock, and replaced it with the Canon PowerShot SX740 as the main budget pick.

Dec 18, 2023: Reviewed accuracy of picks with no change to recommendations.

Oct 19, 2023: Moved the Fujifilm X100V to Notable Mentions.

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best compact cameras for most people to buy for travel, according to their needs. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability (no cameras that are difficult to find or almost out of stock in the U.S.).

If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our compact fixed-lens camera reviews. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There is no single perfect camera. Personal taste, preference, and shooting habits will matter more in your selection.

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The 12 Best Travel Cameras of 2024

Whether you’re shooting landscapes or cityscapes, these are the best travel cameras for capturing your memories.

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Travel + Leisure / Brian Kopinski

Cameras let us snap scenes that inspire, places that take our breath away, and simple moments that make up the fabric of a destination through a single shot. Hefty camera bodies with giant lenses might seem like the obvious choice for top-notch photos, but for travel, they can be a bulky hindrance taking up too much packing space. Instead, consider your specific needs as a jumping off point when you're ready to shop for a new camera. Are you a hardcore adventurer? Are most of your travels long-haul trips? Are you a beginner or advanced photographer? These are all questions you should ask yourself to help narrow it down.

Whether you purchase a budget-friendly camera or something pricier, it'll be an investment — not only financially, but also in trusting your pick to properly capture once-in-a-lifetime experiences that don't come with do-overs. To help with your travel camera search, we also spoke to professional photographers Jonathan Pozniak and Viktoria North, as well as Nikon senior product manager Mark Cruz, to get some expert advice on how to choose the best camera for you.

Best Overall

Sony alpha a7cr.

It’s compact in size but a powerhorse.

There’s only one SD card slot.

A full frame mirrorless camera with incredibly high resolution, the Sony Alpha 7CR is our top pick for a travel camera. The compact size makes it very portable, and the interchangeable lenses give you a lot of versatility for shooting everything from landscape or wildlife to portraits and city scenes. As a photographer, I love the intuitive design of the Sony Alpha series cameras and this one is no exception; auto-focus tracking is impressive, in-body image stabilization does not disappoint, and the battery life has improved significantly from earlier models. Track your subject with the smart eye detection, for humans and wildlife, including a special bird option. I also appreciate how customizable the settings and buttons are, making your photography shoots more efficient. In addition to having the capability of capturing high-quality photographs in both RAW and JPG files, this camera takes video in 4K too. Built-in WiFi and bluetooth capabilities make it easy to share photos or connect to a remote as well. For a professional quality camera that won’t take up too much space or weigh you down when traveling, this is our top choice.

The Details: Full frame CMOS (35.7mm x 23.8mm) sensor | 61 megapixels | 1/8000 to 30 seconds shutter speed | 4K video | 1.1 pounds

Best Action Camera

Gopro hero12 black.

It’s waterproof and weatherproof.

It doesn’t include a GPS component.

The rough and tumble GoPro Hero12 Black has long been one of the top action cameras, with its pocket-sized and durable design. With improved image stabilization and battery life, as well as the ability to handle hotter temperatures, this newest version is no exception. With so many accessories that can be purchased separately, this camera can be equipped for any adventure, big or small, cold or hot, wet or dry. I especially love the bite mount for capturing POV, hands-free shots, with my dog. This camera is so compact and portable, it’s perfect for travel. Anything you find yourself doing, from mountain biking or skiing, to snorkeling, or taking a sunrise timelapse, will be captured so vibrantly. Customize the frame rate and settings when capturing video, with the option for 5.3K video quality. You have the option to shoot in RAW or JPEG, though you can only use the wide angle when shooting RAW. Other cool features include the ability to use voice commands to take a photo or start video, and modes like HDR, sup slow motion movie, and star trails.

The Details: Size-unspecified CMOS sensor | 27 megapixels | 1/8 to 30 seconds in photo mode, 1/480 to 1/30 seconds in video mode shutter speeds | 5.3K + 4K video | 5.4 ounces

Best Budget DSLR

Canon eos rebel t7.

It's super affordable and user-friendly.

It's best suited for entry-level photographers.

With the Canon EOS Rebel T7, you can save your dollars without skimping on image quality, and there's not much more you can ask for in the DSLR world. Although there is a newer version of this camera ( EOS Rebel T8i ), the T7 is still the most budget-friendly device with features perfect for someone ready to branch out and learn the ins and outs of DSLRs. That being said, it's more suited for a beginner photographer who wants to amp up their game past smartphone photography . It's a fantastic camera to practice manual mode and learn how to adjust ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings. Eventually, it's likely that you'll be ready to graduate to a more complex camera — but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Canon is well known for having a straightforward, easy-to-use system, which is a huge bonus for beginners. The LCD screen is helpful for navigating the menu and setting up images, though it does lack the luxury of touchscreen capabilities. Built-in WiFi allows for quick sharing between devices, so your amazing shots can be posted to social media platforms in a jiffy.

The Details: Cropped CMOS sensor | 24 megapixels | 1/4000 to 30 seconds bulb shutter​​ | Full HD video | 15.06 ounces (body only)

Best Budget Mirrorless

Canon eos r50.

B&H Photo

It’s compact and lightweight, offering great value for its features.

Advanced photographers might prefer a camera with more bells and whistles.

The brand new Canon EOS R50 snags the spot for best budget mirrorless and doesn’t only promise great photo quality, but its video capabilities are fantastic as well. With 4K uncropped video and stellar subject detection and tracking at a friendly price point, this mirrorless model is a great everyday camera that’s ideal for everything from social media video captures to portrait and landscape shooting. Interchangeable lenses give you flexibility, and the compact design won’t weigh you down. Excellent auto-focus that can be tailored to detect humans, animals, and even vehicles is a major highlight, as is the 12fps (frames per second) burst mode. The touchscreen and creative assist mode make this a beginner-friendly camera as well as one that won’t break the bank.

The Details: Cropped CMOS (APS-C) sensor | 24.2 megapixels | 1/4000th sec - 30 seconds, in 1/3-step increments shutter speed | 4K video | 11.52 ounces

Best Retro Look

Fujifilm x100vi camera.

It has a timeless look with modern features.

Since it’s a limited edition model, there are only a certain number available for purchase.

We love how compact and sleek the limited edition FUJIFILM X100VI is, with the nod to nostalgia symbolized by the engraved original brand logo. This is our top pick for best retro-inspired camera, but if you can’t get your hands on one of these limited edition models, the FUJIFILM X-T5 is our next best bet. That being said, this model has fantastic low-light capabilities, in-body stabilization, 6.2K video capture, and improved in-body stabilization to minimize shaky shots. It has a tilting LCD touchscreen display, which I find makes it easier to snag those artistic selfies in the midst of epic landscapes or to get a solid group photo. The lens is a fixed 35mm lens. With the camera’s WiFi, it also uses an intuitive camera-to-cloud (c-2-c) system which automatically uploads content to the cloud-based platform. For a small camera with a "throwback" look that has amazing capabilities, this one is perfect for travelers as an everyday use tool.

The Details: APS-C X-trans CMOS 5 HR sensor | 40.2 megapixels | 1/4000 to 15 Minutes in manual mode shutter speed (mechanical), 1/180000 to 15 minutes in manual mode shutter speed (electronic) | 4K + 6K video | 1.1 pounds

Best Mirrorless for Beginners

The user-friendly design makes learning photography with this model much easier.

The flip screen tends to get in the way of a tripod attachment if you're using one.

We love how the Nikon Z50 is small enough to fit in your pocket, but don't be fooled by its size: it produces big-time quality images. "For those new to photography and video, this camera provides an exciting entry point. It's small enough to carry with you, but offers higher-quality images than your phone. This model is great to learn with as it incorporates many easy-to-use features, plus offers an automatic mode that senses different shooting scenarios and automatically adjusts the camera's settings (e.g., ISO range, exposure compensation) to deliver stunning results," Nikon's Cruz says.

The flip-down LCD screen is ideal for travel photographers and creators that want to take selfies, vlog, or include themselves for scale. The Z50 is also designed to save settings for both photo and video separately, so you don't have to worry about changing everything when you switch modes. With low-light capabilities, an easy-to-navigate menu, a sleek design, and 11 frames per second at full resolution, a beginner travel photographer will be hard pressed to find a better mirrorless camera.

The Details: Cropped APS-C CMOS sensor | 20.9 megapixels | 1/4000 to 30 seconds, bulb, time shutter ​| 4K video | 14 ounces

Best DSLR for Beginners

Pentax pentax kf dslr.

It produces high-quality images at a more affordable price than most competitors.

The video capabilities aren’t that impressive.

For those interested in getting their feet wet with photography, the Pentax KF DSLR Camera is our top choice for its durable, weather-resistant body, vari-angle screen, and compact size despite DSLR cameras’ reputation for being hefty in general. It offers a solid grip, and longer battery life, as most DSLR’s do. Start learning the camera in automatic and make use of the manual controls as you learn photography. The large viewfinder is fantastic, and this particular model mixes modern mirrorless technology with the classic DSLR viewfinder by offering a live view in addition to the optical viewfinder. You’ll be able to mix and match your preferred focal lengths with this model as well, since it’s equipped for interchangeable lenses. For the price point, this newbie from Pentax is a solid entry level DSLR for travel that won’t take up a ton of space in your bag.

The Details: Cropped APS-C CMOS sensor | 24.2 megapixels | 1/6000 to 30 seconds shutter in auto mode, 1/6000 to 30 seconds shutter in manual mode | 1080p HD video | 2.73 pounds

Best Mirrorless for Outdoor Photography

Om system om system mark ii.

The autofocus is fast.

The video capabilities aren’t as fast as other models.

The newest OM SYSTEM camera, the OM-1 Mark II Mirrorless model is a lightweight and compact, high-performing camera with durable construction and IP53 weatherproofing. This means it can withstand the elements when shooting landscapes or wildlife outdoors, including some rain, wind, and snowflakes. In fact, the camera is freezeproof, dust and splash-resistant, and can handle temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The built-in stabilization is another key factor for outdoor and wildlife photographers, helping you to get the sharp image and assisting with longer exposures to minimize shake. The rubber control dials give you a little more grippy control when shooting, which is a nice additional feature that can go a long way. For a workhorse mirrorless travel camera that can hack it outdoors, this is a fantastic choice.

The Details: Cropped 17.4 x 13 mm (four-thirds) BSI MOS sensor | 20.4 megapixels | 1/8000 to 60 seconds shutter (mechanical), 1/32000 to 60 seconds shutter (electronic) | 4K video ​| 1.1 pounds

Best Splurge

Leica q3 digital camera.

It’s fast and performs well in most lighting conditions.

The front of the camera has a flat design, making it tricky to grip at times.

This pick is an upgrade to the Leica Q2 version of the company’s classic rangefinder camera, and we love how easy to use and versatile the Leica Q3 is across a wide array of shooting conditions. This fresh model allows for in-camera charging, which is a worthy upgrade from the previous one. The same full-frame capabilities are now paired with a powerhouse 60MP high-resolution sensor, hybrid AF (autofocus) system, and 8K video recording ability. The processing is speedy for both shooting stills and video, and boasts continuous shooting up to 15 frames per second. The fixed 28mm f/1.7 prime lens is impressive even in low light conditions, and a full battery charge will score you approximately 350 shots. The Leica Q3 is a great choice for intermediate to advanced photographers seeking high-end equipment for everyday purposes and professional jobs.

The Details: Full-frame BSI CMOS Sensor | 60 megapixels | 1/2000 to 1/2 second shutter speed, 1/2000 to 4 seconds in auto mode | 8K video at 30 frames per second, 4K video ​| 8.8 ounces

Best Underwater

Om system tough tg-7 black underwater camera.

It's tough and effective.

Divers should be aware that the waterproofing level only goes to 50 feet.

The upgraded Olympus Tough TG-7 is exactly what it claims to be: tough, rugged, and capable of taking superb underwater photos and videos. The solid handgrip does a great job giving you that extra security as you swim around and shoot the underwater world . New features added from the TG-6 include vertical video support, interval shooting, exposure smoothing, and USB-C connectivity for uploading content.

With a unique internal zoom mechanism, the 25–100-millimeter lens doesn't stick out from the camera body, keeping it watertight while you capture macro details of marine life from a safe distance. RAW shooting and 4K video make this not just any old underwater camera, but one with impressive capabilities. The super slow-motion mode is another favorite. It's rated as waterproof to 50 feet, making it the perfect companion for your snorkeling or free diving adventures . It's not just waterproof either; the shockproof design makes this camera perfect for ventures outside of the water as well. Bring it hiking, mountain biking, or just for a day at the beach without having to worry.

The camera is also easy to use, which is exactly what you want when you're shooting underwater. "I had fun with the Olympus TG-6 on assignment in Bora Bora. I'm a terrible swimmer so all I could do was click away and hope for the best. Thankfully it worked!" Jonathan Pozniak shares.

The Details: Cropped BSI CMOS sensor | 12 megapixels | 1/2000 to 1/2 second shutter, 1/2000 to 4 seconds shutter in auto mode | 4K video ​​| 8.8 ounces

Best Phone Lens

Moment tele lens.

It gives you 2x and 4x zoom capabilities when attached to single and multi-lens smartphones.

To achieve the 6x closer shot, you’ll need the Moment Pro Camera app.

Our top pick for a stand-alone extra lens to attach to your smartphone is the Moment T-series Tele 58mm lens, which allows you to zoom up to six times closer to your subject. As a standard, it also sits twice as close to the main camera lens of your phone. This allows for sharper shots versus using the zoom on your smartphone, which diminishes the resolution. Fantastic for landscape, wildlife, and portrait photography, this lens definitely elevates your smartphone photo game by offering more flexibility without sacrificing quality. Video will also benefit thanks to a beautiful bokeh effect and an overall cinematic vibe. This lens is easy to use, as it features a straightforward mounting process and quickly twists off. This lens is compatible with most phones, but it’s wise to consult the description before purchasing.

"For most people, a smartphone is all you need, but that may vary for each trip. If I'm out hiking for the day, my iPhone 12 Pro in my pocket is all I need, and the fact that it shoots RAW and video is a huge plus." Pozniak explains.

The Details: 58 millimeter | 300 line pairs per millimeter (axis), 200 line pairs per millimeter (edge) | 39.5 millimeter lens | 2.6 ounces

Best Pocket-Sized

Ricoh ricoh street edition.

B & H Photo

It’s very lightweight and portable.

There is no viewfinder.

We love the pocket-sized, travel-friendly Ricoh GR III Street Edition Digital camera for everyday use and portability. It’s easy to use with straightforward settings, menu, and customization. I really appreciate a camera that starts up quickly so you don’t miss the shot, and this one fits the bill. It has the capability to capture both JPEG and RAW files and you can get creative with the built-in filters like monochrome, HDR tone, and negative film. A fixed 28mm equivalent lens makes it versatile enough for portraits as well as landscape and street photography. This camera lacks a built-in flash but it does come with a hot shoe so you can attach a compatible external flash to it, if you’re taking night shots. Image stabilzation and an impressive auto-focus help produce sharper images, and a decent battery life makes it possible to explore a new city all day without having to worry that you’ll run out of juice. Bluetooth and WiFi make it easy to share photos as well. 

The Details: Cropped APS-C CMOS sensor | 24.2 megapixels | 1/4000 to 30 seconds shutter, 0.17 to 20 minutes shutter in time mode ​​| 1080p video ​​| 9.07 ounces

Tips for Buying a Travel Camera

Understand the specs.

"When you're thinking about buying a camera, it's important to understand what features and specifications complement your shooting style as well as the content you are looking to capture, whether it be still images, video content, or both," says Nikon's Mark Cruz. These are some of the specs you should consider before making a purchase.

Sensor size: Your camera's sensor is the rectangle that reads the image from your lens and dictates how much light and detail you're able to capture. The main sensor sizes to decide upon are cropped or full-frame, with full-frame cameras having larger sensors and the ability to produce higher image quality. Cropped frame sensors will get you a tighter frame, with magnification cropping the actual lens focal length by anywhere between 1.5x and 2x. This means that a 70-millimeter lens would be magnified to a 105-millimeter focal length with a crop factor of 1.5x. Common crop sensor sizes are APS-C and micro four thirds (1.6x and 1.5x).

There are advantages to purchasing a full-frame (35 millimeter) camera, though it will come with a heftier price tag. You'll experience sharper images with more crisp details, as well as less noise. Additionally, a full-frame sensor has excellent low-light capabilities, making it the ideal aspect for astrophotography . For landscape photography, the wider field of view is a major advantage of the full-frame sensor as well. If you're interested in professional photography, selling prints, or turning your shots into custom photo gifts , the full-frame sensor will be a good fit since it produces the highest possible quality images.

Megapixels: This is a measurement of the number of pixels the camera sensor has, with "mega" meaning "millions." Usually anything over 12 megapixels will get the job done. However, if you're planning on printing large-scale versions of your images for personal or professional use, the higher the megapixel count, the better. Most cropped sensor cameras have somewhere around 20–24 megapixels while full-frame cameras tend to have between 40 and 50 megapixels.

Shutter speed: This dictates the amount of time that your camera's sensor will be exposed to the light coming in. Faster shutter speeds such as fractions of a second are usually used for quickly moving subjects in order to freeze the motion in the photograph, while slower shutter speeds are typically used to capture things like the flow of a waterfall or the stars in the night sky by having it open and exposed for a longer period of time. When buying a camera, it's a good idea to purchase one with a wider range of shutter speeds to give you the most versatility. Typically, the range is between 1/4000 to 30 seconds. "Bulb" is available on some models and offers more than 30 seconds of exposure to light, usually for photographing the night sky.

Video shooting: The highest quality video on most cameras is 4K, which will give you superb quality. However, many still have full HD video at 1080p or 720p. If video is high on your priority list, 4K is certainly the way to go.

Weight: For travel cameras, this is one of the most important factors to consider. Most travelers want a camera that is lightweight for packing purposes and easy to carry around for the day. Think about if you are willing to lug a bigger DSLR or even a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses in order to have the option for high-quality images that can be printed at a larger scale. If that's more than you need, then a compact, point-and-shoot, or your own smartphone with extra lenses might be the best fit for you.

Buy for your skill level and purpose

While browsing for a travel camera, first assessing your skill level and main purpose for shooting will help narrow down your search considerably. If you're a professional photographer doing brand work with a hotel in a far-flung destination that will be used in marketing campaigns or billboards, your purchase will most likely look a lot different than if your goal is to get images for your travel-focused Instagram page or to simply share with friends and family via digital picture frames . As a beginner, you should purchase a camera aimed at that level of photography with some room to grow, so you can learn effectively without being overwhelmed.

Choose a camera that fits your life and travel style

Do you spend a lot of time outdoors or doing water-based activities, or are you mostly interested in food photography when you travel? All of these aspects will help you determine the right fit for you. As photographer Jonathan Pozniak shares, it's also about comfort. "All cameras are good nowadays, and all have fantastic features. So here's my rule of thumb: go to a camera store, and hold each one in your hand. Listen to the sound it makes, feel what the clicking of the shutter is like," he says. "How do your fingers glide across the buttons? It should feel like an extension of your arm. Be intuitive with it!"

The art of packing a camera involves cushioning and protection against the elements (rain, dust, dirt, etc.). A backpack designed for camera use with a rain cover is always a good idea, particularly if you're someone who will be exploring the outdoors. Camera cubes are great accessories that provide an affordable way to turn a bag you already have into a camera bag.

"When I'm not bringing a lot of gear/cameras, I love the camera cubes by Mountainsmith for the airport and plane. I usually keep the cube in my room with extra lenses and if I am doing a lot of walking, just pick one lens to use for the day (usually a 50 millimeter)," says North.

"While today's mirrorless cameras are rugged, it is best to pack them in a camera bag to ensure as much safety as possible and avoid any potential damage. You should also make sure to put the body cap on the camera to protect the sensor from getting dirty, scratched, or damaged while traveling," she adds.

"Circular Polarizer and a UV filter, a comfortable strap like the Peak Design SL-BK-3 Slide , a backpack clip like Peak Design Capture Camera Clip V3 , and if you're heading somewhere with rain or snow in the forecast, Peak Design's shell ," says North.

You'll also definitely want something to backup all the incredible footage you'll be getting. "A portable hard drive for backups is essential! My heart crumbles when I hear stories of cameras and laptops getting stolen on the road. I've certainly experienced that myself. I make multiple backups each day and put each portable drive or thumb drive in a different bag just in case one gets lost or stolen," Pozniak shares.

Our experts also recommend making sure your batteries are fully charged before stepping out each day and bringing along a couple extras just in case.

Our experts had a lot to say when it came to the camera versus lens debate. "The camera and lenses are equally important, but it depends on what a person wants to capture," says Nikon senior product manager Mark Cruz. "The lens is what creates a gorgeous blurred background or lets you get close to the action from far away, but the camera provides the autofocus performance and speed to get there. The most important factor for the quality of photos is how you, as the photographer, make the most of your equipment. Combining photography knowledge with a powerful, capable camera and sharp, versatile lenses will allow you to get the best content."

Meanwhile, professional photographer Jonathan Pozniak argues that they're equally important, and emphasizes keeping your lenses clean: "Both! But what's even more important is how you use it, how it feels in your hand, and I've gotta say it, how clean your lens is!"

Fellow photographer Viktoria North was adamant that lenses are her highest priority, and she has very good reasons for putting them at the top of her must list. "With even the most basic of digital cameras now having impressive MP counts and full size sensors becoming more common, good quality glass is most important for me," she says. "This is because I can achieve a specific feel to my images dependent on the lens. For example, a fixed 50 millimeter is going to allow me to capture my urban travels as my own eyes see things. If I also go fast on it, say F1.8, that means the background is going to be nice and blurred and keep the focus on my subjects. But if I'm traveling in some beautiful vast landscapes, I'd grab a zoom lens. This will allow me to compress the different levels of the landscape and or subject and create a lot of depth. You don't always have to go with a big lens like a 70–200mm. I hike and backpack with a 24–105mm F4 most often and when it's at 105mm, I can achieve some really great compression with it."

The main difference between mirrorless and DSLR cameras is the tool or technology used to capture the image. A DSLR uses a mirror to reflect light onto the image sensor, but this makes a DSLR heavier and clunkier to carry around. They also usually only have an optical viewfinder which portrays more closely what the eye sees versus an electronic viewfinder on the screen. A mirrorless camera lets light directly hit the sensor, and typically has a live, electronic viewfinder so you can see the real time settings. Mirrorless cameras are more lightweight, therefore making them more portable and travel-friendly. They’re also quieter and faster due to the mechanism they use to capture light. DSLR cameras typically have a longer battery life and a wider array of lenses available, though with recent gains in technology for the mirrorless camera world, that’s changing.

Yes! They usually don’t have the highest megapixels and have a crop sensor, but you can still capture great photos. You may be limited to producing large scale prints, but, depending on the capabilities, you’ll be able to have prints made that are good quality in a fair amount of sizes. For online and social media, a point-and-shoot camera is perfect.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

A travel photographer herself, Lauren Breedlove used her personal experience with finding the right cameras and shooting in various conditions around the world. She also scoured the internet, researching and selecting the best cameras for travel, and interviewed professional photographers Viktoria North and Jonathan Pozniak , as well as Nikon senior product manager Mark Cruz , to gather expert insights. Using all of these factors, she curated this list of the best travel cameras.

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

The Best Travel Camera: Compact, DSLR, Mirrorless & Phone!

Last updated: April 7, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 167 Comments

I’m a professional travel photographer, and one of the most popular questions I’m asked by readers and students on my travel photography course is what the best travel camera is.

With that in mind, I wanted to put together a definitive (and regularly updated) guide to the best travel camera out there.

This guide covers everything you need to know to help you choose the best camera for travel, based on your needs and budget, as well as a guide to all my favourite cameras.

This is a detailed post, in which I’m going to cover my top picks for the best camera across a range of categories, including smartphones, compact cameras, mirrorless cameras and DSLR cameras, to name just some of the options.

These travel camera picks will suit a wide range of budgets, needs, and expertise levels. Our picks are ordered in approximate order of budget, from lower budget models through to higher end models.

I’m also going to go through in detail what you need to look for when buying a camera for travelling, and why each specification is important, so you can make the best choice for you.

Remember, the best camera for travel is going to be very dependent on your needs and situation, but after reading this post you should be able to pick the right camera for you – even if it’s not one we suggest!

I also have a guide to the best cameras for hiking and backpacking which contains some different options specific to those requirements, as well as a guide to the best action cameras .

This guide will also work if you are looking to buy a camera for someone else, and I recommend taking a look at our photography gift guide for more ideas of what to buy a photographer too.

Now, before we dive into individual travel camera recommendations, let’s get started by looking at what you need to think about when picking a camera for travel.

I think this is essential reading, as understanding what you are looking for when buying a camera will help you make a truly informed decision.

What To Consider When Picking A Travel Camera

Budget – how much do you have to spend on a travel camera.

This is an important one. Cameras vary wildly in price, from a couple of hundred dollars up to thousands of dollars. So you definitely need to think about how much you want to spend.

Also, this is a travel camera. Whilst you want to get the best shots, travel can expose you to risks, from loss to theft. Obviously, these are things that can be mitigated against with insurance, but it’s something to bear in mind when making an investment – the more pricey the camera, the higher the insurance premium.

Finally, don’t forget that the camera is only a part of the puzzle. You will also need things like memory cards, spare batteries, lenses – as well as possibly a tripod and filters. Your needs will vary, but don’t forget to include them in your overall budget – I’ve written a post on travel photography accessories to give you some pointers, as well as a guide to picking the best lens for travel photography .

Weight – How much are you willing to carry around?

This is a really important question. If you’re the kind of person who likes to travel light, then you’re not going to want a bulky DSLR. Having the best travel camera that sits in your hotel room while you’re out having fun isn’t going to be much use.

Even a mirrorless system might be too much for you if you want something that will truly fit in your pocket or purse, and your best bet is probably a smartphone or compact camera.

On the other hand, if image quality and low-light performance are more important to you than weight, and you’re happy carrying spare lenses, filters, and other accessories, then you’ll likely be looking at a mirrorless or DSLR system.

Remember, as a general rule of thumb, the bigger the camera, the more room it has for a larger sensor. A larger sensor means the camera can capture more light, which means you’ll get sharper, cleaner images even when shooting in darker situations.

Use – What are you going to be taking pictures of?

The type of photography you’re going to be doing makes a big different to the type of travel camera you will be buying. If your main goal is to take nice travel photos for your albums, social media, and to post to friends and family online, then any of the camera types will likely do the job.

However, if you’re going to be doing a lot of action photography, or need the camera to be fully waterproof, then something like a GoPro is going to be the best option.

If you like astrophotography, you’re going to need a camera with a big sensor to let in plenty of light and you might want to invest in a DSLR. Conversely, if you just want a general purpose camera with plenty of flexibility for a variety of travel scenes, from food to landscapes to people, then something like a mirrorless system will most likely be best, offering the best performance for the weight.

Extra features to look for in a Travel Camera

A lot of cameras these days come with extra features that you may or may not care about. I’m talking about touchscreen interfaces, built-in GPS, WiFi, weather resistance, pivoting screens, and so on.

The main features you should be looking at in terms of actual image quality are the sensor size, aperture range, level of manual control, and, for cameras without an interchangeable lens, the optical zoom. Beyond that, which features you are interested in depend on your needs.

For example, you may also want to take videos with your camera. Some cameras are much better at video than others – notably Panasonic’s range of Lumix cameras are known for their video performance.

Personally, I love having a camera with GPS and WiFi capabilities so I can easily remember where my shots were taken, plus I can remote control my camera from my smartphone. On the other hand, a touchable, pivoting screen isn’t a deal breaker for me.

What works for me might not work for you though, so think about which features are important to you when making a purchasing decision. The best camera for travel photography definitely varies from person to person, but hopefully the information in this post will help you make the right decision.

Photography Terminology to Know When Buying a Camera for Travel

Like any subject, photography brings with it a raft of terminology – some of it is important to know about, other things are manufacturer buzzwords that don’t really make any difference to your photography. Here are the important terms to look for when buying a camera for travel, and what they mean.

Aperture. The aperture is the hole in the lens that lets light in, and is one side of the exposure triangle . Aperture is measured in numbers, with an “f” preceding the number, for example, f/1.8, f/2.2. The smaller the number after the “f”, the bigger the hole, and the more light that gets in. Look for smaller numbers, which will let you get better pictures even when there is less light available, and also allow you to better control depth of field .

Optical zoom. This represents the difference between the smallest and largest magnification that the camera’s lens can achieve. So a camera with a 10x optical zoom can make objects seem 10x bigger in the image compared to when the camera is zoomed out.

Digital zoom. A totally pointless feature that some manufacturers add to their cameras. It’s basically a software zoom – the same effect you get if you zoom in on your PC or smartphone when you have an image. Avoid using it.

Focal length. Focal length is the proper photography term for optical zoom, and is a standard across lenses and manufactures. Optical zoom is an easy to understand number that you will find in point and shoot cameras. Focal length, measured in mm, is the number you will find on cameras with interchangeable lenses. The bigger the focal length, the more magnification the lens offers.

EVF. An electronic viewfinder. This means that the camera has a viewfinder, but rather than being a glass based version that shows the scene in front of you as your eye sees it, instead there’s a small electronic screen which shows what the camera sensor is seeing – the same as the display on the back of the camera. You generally only find these on high end mirrorless cameras.

Megapixels. Megapixels just refers to the number of pixels the camera’s sensor has. Mega means million. So 12 megapixels is 12 million pixels, and would be an image 4000 pixels wide and 3000 pixels high. 4000 * 3000 = 12 million.

Thankfully, manufacturers are nearly over the megapixel war, which is a good thing, because as long as you have over about 12 megapixels, you’re good to go. In some cases, such as smartphones, less megapixels is actually better, as you’ll probably get better low-light performance as each pixel on the sensor might be bigger. But yes, unless you’re planning on printing out your images on billboard sized canvases, you can essentially ignore the megapixel marketing.

OIS / EIS. These are image stabilisation technologies, either Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) or Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS). OIS is found in a number of camera and lens systems, and a small number of smartphones, and is a mechanical system that compensates for small movements of the camera system, such as your hand. EIS is generally only found in smartphones, and is a software solution for motion compensation. OIS generally achieves better results.

Sensor size. The size of the sensor inside a camera is one of the most important specifications to be aware of. The bigger the sensor, the more light it can capture, and so the better it will perform in conditions where there is less light.

Sensor sizes range from tiny, such as those found in smartphones, and generally increase in size as the size of the camera increases. Here’s a diagram to show different sensor sizes, and you can read more about different formats here .

Do be aware that manufactures can be a bit sneaky when it comes to describing sensor sizes, particularly in compact cameras. They might for example, talk about having a “1-inch” sensor.

This refers to the type of sensor, rather than it’s physical size. So whilst a 1/2.3 inch sensor is smaller than a 1-inch sensor, neither sensor is actually close to 1/2.3 inch or 1 inch. See more on how physical sensor sizes map to actual sensor sizes here .

RAW. RAW is a file format that more advanced cameras use, allowing you to save the unmodified image data that the camera has captured, rather than the edited JPG version.

This gives you much greater control over the final look of your images, with the downside that file sizes are much bigger, and you have to edit them on your computer in an image editing program before you can use them anywhere.

Many cameras give you the option to shoot in RAW, JPEG/JPG, or to shoot in both. We recommend shooting in both even if you plan only to use the JPG version for now – in the future as your photography skills develop, you’ll be pleased to have the option to go back and edit the original RAW files. You can find out more about RAW in my guide to RAW in photography .

If you are interested in learning more about photography and understanding in detail all the terms above and how they affect your shots, check out my travel photography course , which has all the photography answers you need.

The Best Travel Camera

I’ve divided this list into the different types of camera for travel, with some information on what to look for in each category. I will keep this post updated with the latest travel camera options as they are released. You can see the last date of update at the top of the post.

Each section has a series of the best travel camera recommendations ordered approximately by price, from lowest to highest. Note that prices change and sales occur, which is why we link you to the relevant pages on Amazon and other camera retailers for up to date pricing information.

This should give you everything you need to know to help you make a decision on which would be the best travel camera for you to buy, based on your budget, usage scenario and luggage space.

Best Smartphones for Photography

Why pick a smartphone for travel photography.

If you care about portability, ease of use, and not having to carry another device around with you, then my advice is to get a smartphone with a decent camera, and just use that.

A smartphone can certainly make for a good travel camera, and the latest smartphones take excellent photos in a wide variety of situations.

They also have more features than your average small travel camera – you can share the images directly from the smartphone to your favourite social media platforms, plus have them automatically back up to the cloud as you go using something like the Google Photos app.

In addition, since a smartphone is a device that nearly all of us will be travelling with anyway, choosing one which takes good photos is a cost-effective way of buying a camera.

The main disadvantages are the lack of lens options, reduced manual controls, and generally poor performance in low-light due to the small sensor. But if you want something you’re always going to have on you, a smartphone is hard to beat.

Finally, I’d also add that it’s worth picking a smartphone with a good camera even if you plan on buying a standalone camera. It will serve as a good backup, and you are likely to always have it on you.

What to Look for When Buying a Smartphone for Travel Photography

Manufacturers are fairly inventive when it comes to squeezing tech into tiny smartphone bodies, but obviously there’s a limit to what can be achieved in such a small form factor.

Features to look out for include a wide aperture, which will let more light in, and let you capture shots in low light conditions. Another good feature is an optical zoom, which will let you capture images of further away subjects. This is usually achieved either with a clever nifty periscope zoom, or through the use of multiple cameras as different focal lengths.

Some smartphone manufacturers talk about having bigger pixel sizes. This relates to the physical size of the pixels on the sensor, a number measured in µm, or micrometers. Larger pixel sizes are good as they are more light sensitive and help low light performance.

Speaking of pixels, be wary of high megapixel numbers. In my opinion, anything above 16MP is a warning sign that the manufacturer is trying to win you over with high numbers – you really want less megapixels, as each pixel can then be bigger to capture more light.

Other features to look out for are some form of stabilisation, either optical or electronic, which will let you get photos in lower light and compensate for your hand movement. Better smartphones will have more manual controls to give you more options for your photos. There are different types of focusing system, but I’ve never found a lot of variation between them. Waterproofing can be a benefit, meaning you can get photos in the rain or at the beach.

Also if you plan to travel internationally with your phone a lot, try to choose an unlocked phone so you can put a foreign SIM card in, and that works on multiple frequencies so you still get 3G, LTE/4G and 5G (for more recent phones). That means you can still easily use it to call, text, and get online when travelling internationally. Here’s an excellent resource for finding out which phones work on which networks in which countries.

The Best Smartphone for Travel Photography

Here are five suggestions for current phones which I think are some of the best smartphones for travel photography and should definitely at least get you started in your search. Prices are for the unlocked version of the phones, you might be able to get a better deal through a carrier on a contract.

1. Google Pixel 8

Launched in late 2023, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro offer a combination of reasonable price and excellent camera performance. They can take great pictures in the majority of lighting situations, including in low light, when it switches into a low light mode.

Most users will likely be happy with the Pixel 8 version. This comes with a 50MP wide angle camera (which outputs 12.5MP images) and a 12MP ultrawide camera, as well as an 8MP front facing camera. It comes with a 1/1.31” sensor and a f/1.7 aperture. The wide-angle camera has 1.2µm pixels, whilst the ultrawide uses 1.25µm pixels

You also get 4K video support as well as built-in image stabilization. The standard Pixel has no optical zoom, but it does support shooting in RAW. Being a smartphone, it has a touchscreen, and it’s also water resistant.

You can also upgrade to the Pixel 8 Pro if you want an additional 5x telephoto lens, although it does cost a bit more.

This would be our pick for the best reasonably priced smartphone for travel photography.

Check latest price here .

2. Fairphone 5

Since 2013, Fairphone have been manufacturing smartphones that are fairly made. What does that mean? Well, the idea is that the production of their devices is made in a sustainable way, with practices that benefit everyone involved.

That includes the people involved in everything from the mining of the materials that go into the phone, through to you, the consumer. Over the years, smartphones have become increasingly hard for consumers to repair, with the industry moving towards a more disposable model.

Fairphone wants to change that, with phones that are user repairable and upgradeable, as well as relatively affordable.

Now, to be honest, the first few phones from FairPhone weren’t class leading. Building a device that meets all their requirements is tough. But they have continued, and the latest iteration, the Fairphone 5, is actually solid performer when it comes to general use, and also as a camera.

You get two main cameras. The first is a 50MP f/1.9 aperture camera with a 1/1.56″ sensor, 1 μm pixels and optical image stabilization. The second is an ultrawide 50MP with an f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixels and a 1/2.51″ sensor.

Now, the image quality from other phones on our list will be marginally better, but the green and environmental credentials of the Fairphone are world leading for smartphones.

3. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones are known for their superior photography capabilities, and the 2023 Galaxy S23 Ultra is no exception.

You get four rear mounted lenses, a boggling 200MP f/1.7 wide angle, a telephoto 10MP f/4.9, a second telephoto 10MP f/2.4 and an ultrawide 12MP f/2.2.

This range of lenses gives you a 10x optical zoom, as well as impressive digital zoom capabilities which go all the way up to 100x! The front facing camera is no slouch either, offering a 12MP f/2.2 wide angle.

Pair that with pixel sizes from 0.6µm-1.4µm pixels and OIS – all packaged in a water-resistant smartphone, it’s no wonder that it is usually found at the top of the pile when people review cameras for smartphones. This is the smartphone I currently own and use for my mobile travel photography needs. Check latest price here .

4. iPhone 15 Pro Max

The latest iPhone Max model offers a range of photography focused features that make it a worthwhile upgrade over previous iPhone models. You get 3 cameras in total.

There’s a main 48MP camera which also offers a 2x 12MP zoom. Then there are 2 12-megapixel cameras, one which offers an ultra-wide lens, and one with a 5x telephoto zoom. This latter is the biggest optical zoom of any iPhone to date.

There’s also a built in LIDAR scanner, which makes for wonderful night photos, as well as a RAW mode. A great choice if you’re an Apple person.  Check latest price here .

Best Compact Camera for Travel Photography

Why pick a compact camera for travel photography.

A compact travel camera offers a number of advantages. First, they offer larger sensors than most smartphones, so image quality and performance is usually improved. They are pocketable, so easy to take with you.

Compact cameras also tend to be designed to be more user friendly (hence the nickname point-and-shoot cameras) and are generally much less expensive than mirrorless and DSLR camera systems. Many models offer manual controls, and having a separate device means you can keep on taking photos even if your smartphone battery is on the way out.

One of the biggest advantages though, and the reason to pick a compact travel camera over a smartphone, is the optical zoom. All the compact travel cameras we feature have an optical zoom (except the GoPros), letting you get shots of distant objects that you wouldn’t be able to get with a smartphone.

The main disadvantages are the smaller sensor sizes compared to a mirrorless or DSLR and the lack of interchangeable lenses.

If you’re interested in buying a compact camera, see our detailed guide to getting the most out of a compact camera here for some tips and advice.

What to look for when buying a Compact Travel Camera for Travel Photography

There are a variety of features that compact travel cameras offer for travel photography. Key features to look for are the optical zoom, and specifically, how much optical zoom the camera offers.

Other features include the size of the sensor – the bigger the sensor, the better the performance – the maximum aperture, and whether or not there is some form of image stabilisation technology built in.

Any camera with a long optical zoom needs excellent image stabilisation, as the more you zoom in, the more exacerbated tiny movements become.

Other features to consider depending on your needs include GPS, WiFi and touchscreen capabilities. Some more advanced compact travel cameras also include manual modes, which can really help you get the most out of them, and some even shoot in RAW. Let’s take a look at our pick of the best compact travel cameras.

The Best Compact Camera for Travel Photography

Here are a number of my top suggestions for compact travel cameras which I think are some of the best options for travel photography.

Note, many manufacturers have ramped down production of their compact cameras and new models are not being released. This is largely due to the popularity of smartphones.

The main impact is that many of the models I recommend are now older models.

This means stock and availability of some compact camera models can be very low. This is especially the case at the lower price points.

I’d suggest checking used camera sites like KEH or MPB if you are struggling to find a specific model.

1. Panasonic Lumix ZS70 / (TZ90 in UK)

With a 30x optical zoom lens, a 20.3MP 1/2.3 inch sensor, OIS, full manual controls and RAW support, this camera puts out some great shots at an excellent price for what you get. It even has an electronic viewfinder, which is rare in a compact camera and can make composing images in bright sunlight easier.

A newer model was released in 2019 – the ZS80 . This adds Bluetooth and a higher resolution EVF but not much else. We’re not sure that is a sufficient upgrade to justify the price difference, but it’s up to you. If you find them at the same price, then you might as well get the ZS80, otherwise the ZS70 remains our pick while it’s still available.

Check price on Amazon here , B&H here and Adorama here

2. Sony RX100

It also has a fast f/1.8 aperture and a 3x optical zoom. It’s a little long in the tooth now, but you can pick one up for a great price, hence the inclusion in this list. You can also get newer models with newer features at increasing price points.

We use and love the RX100 version V , which offers a number of upgrades over this model and is available at a reasonable price. You can see the bottom of this section for the latest and greatest version as well.

Check price on Amazon here

3. Canon Powershot SX740

At 1/2.3in, the sensor is similar to other cameras at this price point. Also, as with other cameras with a long zoom, it comes with the tradeoff that the maximum aperture only goes to f3.3, and at maximum zoom, is all the way down at f/6.9.

Still, it’s one of the best zoom cameras in our list of point and shoot travel cameras, especially at this price point, and the price is excellent for what you get.

4. Olympus TG-7 Waterproof Camera

If you need a camera that will survive nearly everything you throw at it, including drops and being submerged in water, then this Olympus is a great option.

It’s particularly focused on those looking for underwater photography, and unlike the GoPro mentioned below, it features a 4x optical zoom lens. This is also optically stabilized.

This camera also has RAW shooting, 4K video support, a fast f/2 lens and built in GPS, as well as a variety of dust, shock and waterproof features. Of all the cameras in our list, this is probably the one with the most survivability!

5. Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II

It has more manual controls, allows for RAW shooting, and an aperture that starts at f/2. The optical zoom isn’t too impressive at 3x, but you definitely get improved image quality from that larger sensor.

6. Sony Cybershot HX99

With an excellent 28x optical zoom packed into a small body, the camera offers an 18.2-megapixel 1/2.3in sensor, flipping touch screen, 4K video support, electronic viewfinder, manual modes, RAW support, Bluetooth and 10fps shooting support.

It’s an excellent choice for a compact zoom camera, with good image quality and solid features. It’s also reasonably priced for what it offers.

Check price on Amazon here , B&H here and Adorama here .

7. Panasonic Lumix ZS100 (TZ100 in UK)

Panasonic’s 1-inch sensor camera model is no slouch, with an f/2.8 aperture lens and an impressive 10x optical zoom. It also has full manual controls, a touchscreen interface, EVF, OIS and RAW shooting.

It’s a little more pricey than other options in our list, but that optical zoom is a definite bonus in the 1-inch sensor category. There is also a newer model, the ZS200 , which costs a bit more and also has a 15x optical lens, although it has a narrower aperture as a result.

8. Panasonic Lumix LX100 II

We’re moving up a price point now with the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II. This is unique amongst the compact cameras in our lineup, as it uses a micro four thirds sensor.

This larger sensor results in better low light performance, but does mean the camera is larger and heavier. The sensor offers 17MP of resolution in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The camera comes with a 24-75mm equivalent lens (approximately 3x optical zoom) which offers a variable aperture of f/1.7 – f/2.8.

You also get a touch screen, electronic viewfinder, optical image stabilization, full manual controls, and RAW support. The screen however doesn’t flip out.

Overall, this is an excellent option for those who don’t mind trading absolutely portability for improved image quality. If you fall within this category, you may also consider the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III , which has an even larger APS-C sized sensor in an even larger body.

9. Sony RX100 VII

There’s a big jump in price to Sony’s latest RX100 model, the RX100 VII. Released in August 2019, in our opinion this is one of the best compact travel cameras money can buy. If your budget can stretch to it then this would be our pick for the best compact camera for travel.

Like the previous model in the lineup, the VI, this camera is a leap over previous cameras in the RX100 lineup as it has a far more impressive optical zoom, equivalent to 8x, with a 24mm – 200mm lens.

This compares very favourably to the previous optical zoom of models in the range (versions I – V), at 3x.

It still retains the 1-inch sensor, so you get better image quality than your average compact camera. It’s also the first in the series to feature a variable aperture which is slightly slower – however we feel this is a reasonable trade-off due to the zoom capability. It also has image stabilisation, a tilting screen and an electronic viewfinder.

We would argue that this is the best small camera for travel photography, if you have the budget for it, although the improvements over the VI are not too significant, so if you can find that for a lower price, that might be the one to go for. We personally have the version V model which we got for a great price during a sale event.

The Best Action Camera for Travel Photography

Why pick an action camera for travel photography.

If you are going to be spending time doing any kind of adventure activities, from snorkelling and swimming to skiing or snowboarding, an action camera is likely going to be the best option for you.

These tiny cameras are designed for use in more extreme environments, including total water immersion, and are perfect for capturing moments that other cameras simply wouldn’t survive.

That survivability does come with a trade-off of course – most action cameras don’t have manual controls, optical zoom or the ability to change aperture settings. However, when you’re catching the perfect wave you are unlikely to be wanting to fiddle with that sort of thing anyway – you just want something that works.

We’d generally say that an action camera is going to be best as a secondary camera or if you plan on making a lot of video. It can work as your primary camera, if you are happy to live with the restrictions.

What to look for when buying an Action Camera for Travel Photography

Most action cameras are fairly similar in size and features, although there are a few things to look out for.

Obviously, the environments the camera can survive in are important to consider. Some action cameras are totally waterproof for example, whilst others will need a special housing.

The interface is also important. These cameras are very small, so having a simple interface is key so you aren’t fumbling with setting when trying to get the shot.

Other features to look out for are image or video stabilization, size of the screen, if it has a touchscreen for control, additional features like voice commands and the resolution of the video and photo files. Support for 4K video for example should be the default for any action camera you buy for travel.

It’s also worth checking to see what accessories the camera comes with, as this can add a lot to the price. Some cameras come with a lot of accessories out of the box, whilst others will require you to spend quite a bit on additional accessories to meet your needs.

Best Action Camera for Travel Photography

Here are some of our suggestions for the best action cameras for travel photography. We also have a more complete guide to the best action cameras if you want some more suggestions.

1. Akaso Brave 7 LE

Despite the lower price, this camera doesn’t skimp on features. It supports video at up to 4K at 30 frames per second, 20MP still image capture, voice commands, electronic image stabilization, a large touch screen for control, and a second front facing screen which is perfect for selfies. It’s even water resistant without the case down to a metre, or 40 metres with the case.

Check price on Amazon here .

2. GoPro Hero

The most well-known brand in action cameras has to be GoPro, and specifically the GoPro Hero range of action cameras. Whilst they tend to be the more expensive option, they excel at action photography and video.

If you need something that’s going to survive water and action, then the GoPro line is the best option out there.

Advantages of the GoPro are that it is waterproof without a housing down to 10 metres (with housings available deeper than this), and they have fantastic image stabilization. It also has voice activated commands.

The disadvantage is that to get the best shots you are going to need to buy a number of accessories so you can mount the GoPro wherever you want. These can add up a bit. You’re also likely to need additional batteries.

Still, if you want the best action camera out there for image quality and features, the GoPro series is the one to go for!

Check price on Amazon here and  B&H here  

3. Insta360 Go 3

If you can’t decide between an ultraportable action camera and one with a screen, then we’d highly recommend checking out the Insta360 Go 3, which offers the best of both worlds, and is one of the action cameras we currently use.

The camera itself is tiny, weighing around 35g (1.2oz). Despite the diminutive size it’s still fully featured though, supporting 2.7K video. It’s also waterproof without a housing and features a powerful magnet system which allows you to mount and attach it almost anywhere.

If you use the camera on its own then there’s no screen. However, pop it into the “action pod” and it turns into a more traditional looking action camera with a full size tiling touchscreen, control buttons and additional battery life.

4. Insta360 X3

Most cameras on the market today shoot what’s in front of you. However, if you want to capture all the action, then you might consider a 360-degree action camera.

If that’s the case, then the brand we recommend is Insta360. They’ve been making 360-degree cameras for a number of years, and we have used a number of their cameras on trips around the world.

Their latest 360 action camera is the Insta360 X3 . It comes with two cameras, meaning it can capture a 360-degree view of the world at 5.7K. It’s no slouch at photography either, able to capture a 72MP 360 degree photo.

That means that you can get the shot and then crop down as you wish to frame the exact action moment you want. Alternatively, you can shoot with a single lens if you want. Both front and rear facing cameras are equipped with a 1/2″ 48MP sensor. It also supports HDR mode and is waterproof to 33ft (10 metres).

Check price on Amazon here and  B&H here 

Best Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography

Why pick a mirrorless travel camera for travel photography.

A mirrorless travel camera is a relatively new development in the travel camera space. They are similar to DSLR cameras; however they do not have an internal mirror to reflect light from the lens to the optical viewfinder.

This means that they can be smaller, lighter and more portable – making them a top contender for the best camera for travel.

Mirrorless cameras also have all the other benefits of a DSLR – larger sensors, manual controls, excellent image quality and interchangeable lenses.

In terms of disadvantages, they are of course larger and heavier than smartphones or compact travel cameras and are more expensive, especially when you factor in one or two good lenses.

Compared to DSLRs, they generally have poorer battery life, and less lens choice – although this latter is improving as mirrorless systems mature.

What to look for when buying a Mirrorless Travel Camera for Travel Photography

Mirrorless cameras come with different sensor sizes, from the micro 4/3 format up to full frame. All of these are larger than those you will find in compact travel cameras or smartphones, and again, the larger the sensor, the more light the camera can capture in any given situation.

Another key factor to consider is the lens selection. Different manufacturers offer different lens systems, so it’s worth investigating to be sure there are sufficient lens choices for the kind of photography you want to be doing. Also be aware that whilst most mirrorless cameras ship with a kit lens, you can also buy them without a kit lens and then buy a more suitable lens for your needs.

Other considerations include the screen type, if the camera has an EVF, WiFi, water resistance, type of focus system and so on.

Also be aware that all of the camera manufacturer’s below have a range of mirrorless options – I’ve done my best to highlight those that offer the best combination of price and features for travel photography.

Based on a few years of experience shooting with a variety of different mirrorless camera systems, and feedback from fellow travel photographers, we’re put together our list of the best mirrorless cameras for travel.

If you choose one of these, we also recommend reading our guide to how to use a mirrorless camera to get you started!

1. Canon EOS R100

With a large APS-C size sensor as found in their consumer DSLRs, the Canon EOS R100 is one of the best budget travel camera options to consider. It took Canon a while to get into the mirrorless camera game, but their “R” series is now a serious line-up of excellent cameras.

The R100 is the entry level model, launched in July 2023. You get an APS-C sized 24.1MP sensor, a superb autofocus system, support for a wide range of lenses as well as built in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth. The relatively large sensor offers good performance, and I’ve personally always found the Canon menu system to be the most intuitive to use.

There’s no touchscreen, which is a logical omission at this price point, but other than that you are looking at perhaps the best entry-level mirrorless camera for beginners.

Check price on Amazon here and B&H here .

2. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV

The Olympus has an excellent in-camera stabilisation system, an EVF, a (fixed) touchscreen and WiFi connectivity. There’s also a wide range of micro 4/3 lenses available.

3. Sony a6100

Sony have been making mirrorless cameras for a long time, and the a6000 was our model of choice for a long time. However, the camera was released in 2014, and is now getting a bit long in the tooth.

Today, we recommend the a6100 which was released in 2019. This features an APS-C sized sensor (the same as you find in most DSLR’s), fast autofocus, a tilting touch screen, EVF, and a wide range of lenses, plus WiFi, and is an excellent bit of kit for the price. The main omission is weather sealing, for which you’d want to consider the a6400 or a6600 .

Sony have a number of models in the a6xxx range. These include the a6000 (2014, discontinued), a6300 (2016, discontinued), a6500 (2016, discontinued), a6600 (2019), a6400 (2019) our current recommendation, the a6100 (2019) and the a6700 (2023).

Each of these offers different features and capabilities over the a6100. Differences include battery life, autofocus, touch screen capabilities and image stabilization.

Depending on your budget, you might find one of these suits your needs better. The a6600 in particular is an excellent choice as it offers in camera image stabilization as well as a touch screen, weather sealing and much improved battery life.

However, as of writing we think the a6100 is one of the best budget mirrorless cameras for travel.

4. Nikon Z50

Nikon was late to the mirrorless camera game, but they’ve now released a number of mirrorless camera models including full frame and DX sensor models.

The Z50 is their more entry level mirrorless camera, which features a DX sized sensor, similar to the APS-C sensor in other cameras.

It has a 20.9MP sensor, 11fps burst shooting, 4K video support, a tilting touchscreen display and an OLED viewfinder.  You also get Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, with battery life rated to around 300 shots.

If you are an existing Nikon user looking to make the leap to mirrorless, this is an excellent option. It’s a great lightweight alternative to something like the D7500, and has compatibility with most of Nikon’s lenses via an adaptor.

If you’d prefer a full frame option, consider the Nikon Z6 II or Z7 II .

Price: Check price on Amazon here , B&H here , and Adorama here

5. Panasonic Lumix GX9

To start with, Panasonic cameras are known for excellent video performance, and if this was a round-up of the best travel video camera, it would have many more Panasonic cameras in!

The GX9 also has the advantages of a fully tilting touchscreen, 4K video, excellent sensor based optical stabilisation, a wide lens choice (most micro 4/3 lenses will work). Unfortunately, unlike the GX8, this doesn’t have a weather sealed body.

6. Fujifilm X-T30 II

The X-T30 II features an APS-C sized 26.1MP sensor, excellent build quality and a reputation for taking superb, sharp photos.

You also get an EVF, a tilting touch screen and WiFi.

If you want a more traditional mode dial interface, check out the Fuji X-S10 which offers similar specifications but with the addition of in-body stabilization.

7. Canon EOS RP

This is the first full frame option in our list. I wanted to include full frame cameras in this list, despite them being a little larger and often more expensive than cameras with smaller sensors.

A full frame camera has a sensor that is approximately equivalent to a frame of 35mm film, and they generally offer the best image quality and low-light performance, at the downside of a higher price and larger physical size.

Canon’s full frame mirrorless range launched in 2018 with the Canon EOS R , and the RP is the more budget friendly offering, which has an excellent feature set in a very compact offering.

For your money you get a full frame sensor in a lightweight, weather-resistant body. There’s a flipping touchscreen, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a 26.2-megapixel sensor.

The best news though is that if you are an existing Canon user, there’s a lens adaptor. This will let you use all your existing EF and EF-S Canon lenses with the camera, meaning you don’t have to re-invest in all new lenses.

There are a few omissions – there’s no in-body image stabilization, and burst rates max out at 5fps. However we think this is an excellent option, especially if you already have some Canon lenses.

If your budget stretches to it you might instead consider the more recent Canon EOS R8 , but for the money I think the RP is a bargain full frame option.

8. Canon EOS R7

Launched in 2022, this APS-C camera is packed with the latest technology. In fact, a lot of the technology in this camera, especially around autofocus, is borrowed from Canon’s high-end EOS R3, a camera which retails in excess of $6,000 USD.

At the heart of this camera is a 32.5MP APS-C sized sensor. That is fully image stabilized, and it supports shooting at 15 frames per second (mechanical) and a staggering 30 frames per second (electronic).

Perhaps the most impressive feature though is the autofocus. This can identify and track a range of subjects, including animals and birds. I have used this system extensively and it is amazing how well it can lock onto even a fast moving subject to enable you to get sharp shots every time.

You also get a touch-enabled flip screen, weather sealing, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and compatibility with a massive selection of Canon lenses. Battery life is reasonable at 660 shots, and the weight without a lens is also good at 612g/ 21.58oz.

If the price is a bit much, consider instead the Canon EOS R10 . The sensor has fewer megapixels and you lose image stabilization and weather sealing. However, it weighs a lot less and you still get a very powerful camera for your money.

Price on B&H here  and  Adorama here

9. Sony Alpha 7c II

If you like the look of the Sony A6xxx line but want something with a full frame sensor, look no further than the Sony A7C.

Somehow, Sony has managed to fit a full frame sensor into a body that is almost identical in size and weight to the A6600, making it one of the smallest full frame mirrorless cameras on the market today.

They haven’t cut corners in terms of features either. You get a 33MP sensor, 10fps shooting, in body image stabilization, 4K video, WiFi, bluetooth, vari-angle touchscreen and weather proofing.

It even manages 540 shots on a charge. A fantastic option if you want something with a full frame sensor but in a relatively compact size.

Check latest price on Amazon here , B&H here , and Adorama here

10. Canon EOS R6 Mark II

In 2020, Canon launched two spectacular mirrorless camera options, namely the Canon EOS R6 and the Canon EOS R5 .

These were the first full frame mirrorless cameras from Canon featuring in-body image stabilization, offering an amazing 8 stops of stabilization when used with a compatible lens.

In 2022, a new model of the R6 was released, the R6 Mark II. This features improved battery life, a slightly larger sensor, and a much faster burst shooting speed compared to the original R6. It also retails at the same original MSRP of the R6, so would be the camera we recommend.

Compared to the R5, the R6 Mark II is the lower priced version, and the one we would recommend for most travel photographers. The R5 is an amazing bit of kit, with 8K video support and a higher megapixel sensor. We personally use the R5 (see our full Canon EOS R5 review here ), and love it.

However, the R6 Mark II offers a very similar experience with a much-improved price point, so unless you really need the 8K video support or higher megapixel count, we think the R6 Mark II is a great option.

Specs wise the Canon EOS R6 gives you a 24.2MP full frame sensor, autofocus that can track people, animals, and vehicles, up to a staggering 40 frames per second burst shooting, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, 4K video, as well as a flip-out touchscreen. It’s also dust and drip-proof.

As with the Canon EOS RP above, there’s a lens adaptor which will let you use all your existing EF and EF-S Canon lenses with the camera, meaning you don’t have to re-invest in all new lenses. If you have the budget, this would definitely be my camera of choice for travel photography.

You can see our full Canon EOS R5 review here , which covers a lot of the features of the R6 Mark II, to see if it might be the camera for you.

Check price on Amazon here , B&H here  and Adorama here .

11. Sony Alpha a7 IV

Sony effectively started the mirrorless camera revolution, and the Sony a7 IV, as the name suggests, is the fourth iteration in the excellent a7 range.

It comes with a full frame 33MP back side illuminated sensor, flip out LCD display, a high refresh rate EVF, WiFi, 10fps burst shooting and a fast autofocus system that includes animal and people eye tracking.

It also has excellent battery life at 610 shots per full charge, and includes weather sealing.

Of course, all these features do mean the price is relatively high. The good news is that you can still pick up previous models in the range, including the A7 III and A7 II . You lose some of the latest technology, but you still get great performance at a much lower price.

Check price on B&H here and Adorama here .

Best DSLR Cameras for Travel Photography

Why pick a dslr travel camera for travel photography.

Honestly, if this is your first travel camera purchase, then I suggest that a mirrorless camera is a better choice for most travel photography use compared to a DSLR. They offer all the control you need in a smaller, lighter package, with an ideal balance of portability and image quality.

For a time DSLR’s had a better choice of lenses and improved battery life over their mirrorless counterparts, but those areas have been significantly improved with modern mirrorless cameras and so this is no longer a good reason.

The main disadvantage of a DSLR is the weight – the weight in particular, especially when you add in some high quality lenses, is a real issue for many users.

That said, at the entry level especially, you can pick up some real bargain DSLR cameras. So if you are just starting out and want something to learn photography with, a DSLR can be a solid budget option, giving you full manual control over your photography.

Just be aware that the main manufacturers are almost exclusively focusing on mirrorless cameras going forward, which would appear to be the future of photography.

What to look for when buying a DSLR Travel Camera for Travel Photography

DSLRs tend to be the largest type of camera, so one thing that is important to look for is that the camera is comfortable in your hand. My suggestion is to visit a store and try the camera in hand, with a variety of lenses attached, to see how they perform before making a purchase. Canon and Nikon still rule the cameras in this category.

Features are fairly similar across most DSLR’s in terms of capability. They’ll either offer an APS-C sized sensor, or, more expensively, a full frame sensor.

Other features to look for include the ISO range, lens selection, weather resistance, GPS, WiFi, touch screen, autofocus system and number of control dials. More dials can be a good thing – letting you quickly set the camera up for different needs without having to dive into menu options.

If you do purchase a DSLR camera, do also take a look at our guide to using a DSLR camera to help you get the most out of it.

Best DSLR Camera for Travel Photography

We personally travel with both mirrorless camera’s and DSLR’s – for our work as travel photographers we still love our full frame DSLR – the image quality and lens selection still make these a great choice for us. Based on our experiences, here are the top five DSLR travel cameras available at the moment:

1. Nikon D3500

For the money you get a 24.2 APS-C sized sensor, solid performance and an excellent selection of lenses. To be honest, there’s not much between this and the more expensive Canon below other than this doesn’t offer 4K video support. It really depends what works for you and your budget.

2. Canon Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D in Europe)

The Canon Rebel line is an excellent series of good value entry-level DSLR cameras (my first DSLR was a Rebel), and the SL3 is no exception.

It’s one of the smaller SLR cameras Canon has made, and offers great performance for an excellent price. Specs include a touchscreen, 24.2MP sensor, WiFi, 1070 shot battery capacity, 4K video support, and compatibility with all of Canon’s lenses (and a great many third party lenses.).

The SL3 was released in April 2019, and it’s predecessor (and our previous pick), the Rebel SL2 , is likely to be available at a good price as a result. It’s a very similar camera, featuring the same sensor, but has around half the battery life and doesn’t support 4K video.

3. Nikon D7500

Moving up into the “prosumer” category of DSLR camera’s, and Nikon’s version is the D7500. This is Nikon’s high end APS-C camera, with a 20.9MP sensor, fast autofocus, a weather sealed body, and Wi-Fi. It also has a tilting 3.2″ touchscreen.

If you’re looking to upgrade from an existing consumer focused Nikon to something a bit more professional from the Nikon range, this is a good choice. However, you might prefer the lighter and just as fully featured Nikon Z50 instead.

4. Canon EOS 90D

5. Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Compared to its predecessor, and our previous favourite travel camera the Canon EOS 6D, the Mark II adds a touchscreen which swivels.

It’s solidly built, and well priced, having seen some great discounts since it launched at $1800. For a full-frame travel DSLR, we think this is a great bit of kit.

Just be aware that it’s only compatible with “EF” mount lenses – any “EF-S” mount lenses from other Canon bodies won’t work. If it’s a bit pricey, do consider the original 6D, which is still a fantastic travel camera and is very competitively priced nowadays.

What is the Best Budget Travel Camera?

As a bonus section – this is one of the most popular questions I’m asked when people ask me to help them choose the best travel camera, so I thought a section to help those of you with a fixed budget would help.

My suggestion for the best budget travel camera is one of the following cameras. Note that some of these are older and may no longer be in stock. As a result, you might want to pick them up second hand, see my guide to buying used cameras for tips on how and where to do that.

1.  Nikon D3500

It also comes with the advantage that you get access to all the Nikon and Nikon compatible lenses, which is a huge choice. If you’re keen on an SLR, this is a great option at a fantastic price point.

2. Olympus OM-D EM-M10 III

It’s also cheaper since the launch of the Mark 4, meaning you can pick it up with a lens and be right on budget!

3.  Sony RX100

With full manual controls and the ability to shoot in RAW, plus a 1-inch sensor and excellent image quality, this is far more than “just” a point and shoot.

As mentioned in the compact camera section above, there are various iterations of this model available, and you can pick up one of the earlier versions for a great price.

If you’re looking for a quick summary of the best travel camera on the market today, these would be our picks, ordered by camera type.

• Sony RX100 range : If you’re just looking for a point and shoot camera that will take great photos with minimal input, then I’d suggest this range as a great option.
• Panasonic Lumix ZS70 : If you are constrained by budget but want a good zoom, this is the best budget compact travel camera with a decent zoom.
• Sony a6600 : If you want a great compact mirrorless camera, the Sony a6xxx range is the one to go for. The entry level model is the Sony a6100 , (discontinued in late 2021 but stock is still available) but if you can stretch to the a6600 that’s a better option as it has image stabilization and a touch screen.
• Sony Alpha 7c II – if you want all the benefits of a full frame camera but in a compact package, this is the camera to go for. I think it’s the ideal camera for hiking or backpacking .
• Sony Alpha a7 II – for a budget full frame mirrorless camera, this would be our choice. It’s also fantastic value. Note this is a bit older now, so the A7 III or A7 IV might be a better option depending on your budget.
• Nikon D3500 : If you are looking for a DSLR for travel photography, I’d recommend this Nikon at the entry level
• Canon EOS 6D Mark II : This is our pick for our favourite high end DSLR for travel photography, although we’d recommend a mirrorless camera to most users
• Canon EOS R6 Mark II – An excellent compact full frame mirrorless camera with all the features you need. If your budget will stretch to it, also consider the Canon EOS R5 which is the camera I currently use

Hopefully this summary helps with your purchasing decision! If I was purchasing a camera today with no previous lenses, I would likely go with the Sony Alpha 7c if I wanted something lightweight.

As a Canon user with lots of lenses though, I’d go with the Canon EOS R6 Mark II or Canon EOS R5 . If you are a Nikon user with existing lenses, then I’d suggest the Nikon Z50 , the Nikon Z6 II or Z7 II .

When upgrading, it’s often easier to stay with the same manufacturer as the menu systems are usually going to be familiar, and your existing lenses might carry over.

Accessories for your Travel Camera

When budgeting for your travel camera, don’t forget to think about any accessories you might need.

If you’re planning to buy an interchangeable lens camera like a mirrorless or DSLR system, then you will obviously need a lens. Check out our guide to the best travel lenses here for some recommendations across a range of systems.

We’d also recommend considering some of the following accessories.

Travel can be rough on your photography gear, and so I recommend investing in a good photography bag.

Camera bags are specially designed to provide padding and protection for your gear, and many of them also come with rain covers. This means that you have somewhere safe, protected and padded to put your gear.

Personally, I use Vanguard photography bags and I’ve been an ambassador for Vanguard for many years now. If you see something on their store that works for your equipment, you can save money using our exclusive Vanguard discount code. This will give you 20% off everything in the  Vanguard store.

Just use the code  FindingTheUniverse for your discount! This code works in the Vanguard USA, UK, Australia, Spain, and Germany stores.

There are of course a range of other camera bags available, you can see the options on Amazon here and B&H Photo here .

External Hard Drive

When you travel, it’s important to be able to store your photos somewhere safe. To do this, we recommend investing in an external SSD.

The price of external SSDs has come down in recent years, so we would recommend one of these over a mechanical version as they are much faster, smaller, as well as being far less prone to losing data.

The external SSD we currently use by Adata is ruggedized and dust and water resistant. It also supports both Mac and PC users.

Photo Editing Software

To get the best out of your photos you are going to want to edit them, and to do that you’ll need a photo editing application!

There are a number to choose from, including paid options like Adobe Lightroom Classic CC , Skylum Luminar AI , and ON1 Photo RAW , as well as free options like Darktable and Fotor .

Deciding which to go for is a whole other decision. To help you out, I’ve put together a guide to the best photo editing applications , which has both paid and free options.

Accident Protection

A camera is a significant investment, and as such you might want to protect yourself from accidental damage.

The price of this varies depending on the cost of your camera gear, but a relatively small investment can provide peace of mind against a variety of common accidents, from liquid spills, to accidentally dropping it.

For some examples, here’s a 3 year accident protection plan for electronics valued between $1500 and $1999.99, whilst this one covers products between $800 and $899.

Note that both of these are only valid for qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. If you are shopping elsewhere, or direct from the manufacturer, check what they have available before purchasing if this is important to you.

It’s also possible to take out separate insurance, or that your homeowners insurance for example covers such things.

Backup Software

If you aren’t already backing up your photos, now is the time to change that. There’s no point having an awesome laptop to edit your photos on if you lose them all!

We have a complete guide to how to back up photos , which has a range of options and covers what to look for.

However, if you want an easy to use option with unlimited backups, then we use and recommend Backblaze . It’s well priced and in our experience is just works. You can try it out for free here .

Further travel photography reading and resources

And that summarizes my guide to the best travel camera for travel photography! Hopefully you found it useful. I’ll be keeping it up to date as new camera models come out and prices change.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more resources to help you make the most out of your travel photography, check out the following resources I’ve put together:

• My guide to picking the best lens for travel photography , which will be useful if you have a camera with interchangeable lenses.
• My always expanding series of Photography Location Guides , to help you get the best shot in locations around the world.
• Photos need editing to get the best out of them. See our guide to the best photo editing software for our suggestions. If you’re looking for something to edit your photos on, see our guide to the best laptops for photo editing
• An overview of my Travel Photography Gear , in case you wondered what a professional photographer has in his bag
• Our guide to what to buy a photographer , which has gift ideas at every price point and experience level. For more general gift ideas, see our gift guide for travelers , and our tech gift buying guide .
• A  Beginners’ Guide to Improving your Travel Photos
• My series of Photography Tips , which I am always expanding and updating with posts like this one. See our guides to northern lights photography , lens compression ,  back button focus ,  fireworks photography ,  taking photos of stars ,  cold weather photography ,  long exposure photography ,  RAW in photography , use of  ND filters ,  depth of field  and  photography composition , which should get you going
• If you like the photos on this blog, you’ll be pleased to hear they are all available for sale. Head on over to our photography sales page to place an order.

Looking to Improve Your Photography?

If you found this post helpful, and you want to improve your photography overall, you might want to check out my online travel photography course .

Since launching the course in 2016, I’ve already helped over 2,000+ students learn how to take better photos. The course covers pretty much everything you need to know, from the basics of how a camera works, through to composition, light, and photo editing.

It also covers more advanced topics, including astrophotography, long exposure photography, flash photography and HDR photography.

You get feedback from me as you progress, access to webinars, interviews and videos, as well as exclusive membership of a facebook group where you can get feedback on your work and take part in regular challenges.

It’s available for an amazing one-off price for lifetime access, and I think you should check it out. Which you can do by clicking here .

And we’re done! Thanks for reading – if you’ve got any comments, feedback or suggestions, just let me know in the comments below.

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Ian Andersen says

28th January 2024 at 10:29 am

Thanks for great and thorough reviews. I did not read through all of them and I was wondering if you could say which travel (super zoom) camera WITH GPS is better.

Laurence Norah says

28th January 2024 at 5:58 pm

Unfortunately, the majority of newer cameras don’t come with built-in GPS tagging functionality on the camera. Instead, if you find a camera which has WiFi and a companion smartphone app, they tend to pull the GPS info from the companion app. So really what you want is one of the travel cameras which has this feature. The Sony cameras in this list such as the RX100 do support this, and I believe the Panasonic ones do. However I’d recommend doing a search for each camera to ensure it does meet your requirements. Do you have a short list of cameras you like already, and I can look at trying to help.

29th January 2024 at 6:29 am

Thanks Laurence, I was a satisfied Lumix TZ user for many years up to – was it TZ 60 or 70 that still had the GPS built in. The argument for losing it was saving battery power but I found that carrying extra batteries was way simpler than using their clunky iPhone app. My latest is a TZ 202. Great pictures but annoying not to gave them tagged. I tried to switch to the SONY DSC-HX90V hoping for easier operation of the phone connection. Again, great photos but clunky GPS solution. So I am really hoping for a small (belt-carried) camera with GPS so I can get away from almost exclusively using my iPhone 15 pro.

29th January 2024 at 4:05 pm

I assure you, I feel your pain. I shot on a Canon 6D for a very long time and one of the features I loved was the built-in GPS tagging. Now I have an R5, and I have to use the Canon companion smartphone app for GPS tagging. Whilst it works pretty well, it’s another step I have to remember to do. It also eats up my smartphone battery if I forget to shut it off after shooting. About the only system I know of that still has built in GPS on a relatively compact camera is the Olympus Tough TG6, but that doesn’t have much of a zoom and is more designed as a rugged camera. So I’m not sure it will meet your needs, but one to look at.

Happy shooting 🙂

Farhana Farid says

29th September 2023 at 6:22 am

This guide on the best travel cameras is a game-changer for wanderlust enthusiasts like me! The detailed reviews and recommendations provide a clear understanding of which cameras are most suitable for capturing those breathtaking moments on the go. The consideration of factors like portability, image quality, and versatility is spot on. Thanks for making my travel photography decisions so much easier!

1st October 2023 at 10:13 am

My pleasure Farhana, I hope you find a great camera for your travels 🙂

Kevin Nalty says

15th October 2023 at 1:43 am

Hi. Agree- this is really thorough and didn’t overwhelm me. I’m curious what you think of the Canon EOS R50. I did a review of it in my blog (Willvideoforfood) but I’m not even remotely as informed. -Kevin

15th October 2023 at 12:14 pm

Thanks very much! So I think Canon has been hitting it out of the park recently with their mirrorless camera options and to be honest it’s almost hard to go wrong with whatever recent mirrorless model you pick up. The R50 specifically offers tremendous value and you get a lot of features, especially the autofocus system, which has the same features as you would find on their super high-end models like the R5 (which is what I use). In the old days of Canon they arbitrarily kept some features for their higher end models only, but that approach seems to be changing for the better which is good news for us consumers. The main downside with the R50 as you note in your review is a lack of optical image stabilization. I would also add that I don’t create video, so those areas of a camera are something I don’t review or use.

For anyone else reading this, now is honestly a great time to be buying a camera. The vast majority of recent releases have been excellent, with superb image quality and a solid range of features. As I said, it’s almost hard to go wrong 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

Gurshabad Bakshi says

9th September 2023 at 6:02 am

Hi, awesome post. Very thoughtful and comprehensive. I have been reading your bogs and planned a visit to Bali based on your suggestions. I want to carry a leisure photography budget camera, that can click good photos and underwater videos and stuff. I have some questions for that. For what all activities and where all do you use Akaso Brave 7 camera? Is its image quality good enough? And if you could share some sample pics and viseos, it would be so very wonderful and helpful.

10th September 2023 at 3:02 pm

Hi Gurshabad!

So we honestly only use the Akaso (and any other action camera for that matter) for specific situations like underwater photography. The reason is that we personally have other cameras that are better for things like landscapes, and wildlife photography, but the Akaso is the only camera we have for underwater photography. So whilst it definitely works for that, we wouldn’t personally use it for everything just because we have other camera gear. However, if you are happy with the limitations, like not being able to zoom or adjust many settings, it could certainly work. I’m on a trip right now so don’t have access to all my images, so I can’t share samples unfortunately.

Hopefully this helps a bit. Have a great time in Bali 🙂

William says

22nd August 2023 at 11:10 pm

Great review and suggestions!. Thank you.

23rd August 2023 at 10:35 am

Thanks William!

Rachel says

3rd June 2023 at 8:47 pm

Thank you for this great article! I’m going to be traveling for my honeymoon soon, and decided I should upgrade from using my smartphone for all my photos to using an actual camera so I can get some printable quality photos. I’ve read a few lists like this one, but yours is the only one I’ve read that doesn’t just feel like a paid advertisement. I appreciate all the tips and advice you listed here. I now have a camera on my wishlist, thank you!

4th June 2023 at 7:03 pm

Hey Rachel! I’m so glad you found my article helpful, and many thanks for taking the time to let me know. I hope you enjoy your new camera, and if you have any questions as you continue your photography adventure feel free to reach out!

Claude AYMARD says

31st January 2023 at 8:15 pm

Hello, for you which can be the best safari travel camera easy to used for good photo quality -canon sx70 hs -canon m200 with 55-200mm -lumix tz100 -Lumix GX9 with 14-140mm thank’s in advance

1st February 2023 at 10:40 am

I do have a guide to the best safari cameras here which might help. However, from your list I would probably lean towards the Canon SX70HS for ease of use and also the great zoom means you can get good shots of further away subjects. My dad actually has the SX60 and he really likes it, we’re on safari right now and he is using it with good results.

Let me know if you have any more questions and bon voyage 🙂

9th August 2022 at 2:04 pm

10th August 2022 at 12:38 pm

Thanks Tanis!

9th July 2022 at 8:13 pm

Hello! I am so happy that I stumbled upon your website when researching for a trip to Iceland. I fell in love with photography when I was on my high school’s yearbook staff, a long long time ago. I have collected many SLR cameras over the years, manual and digital along with lenses (Nikon and Canon). Sadly, none of them have been used for several years and when I recently pulled them out, I realized how outdated they are. So…I am looking to sell everything (thanks for your amazing article on how to do that!) and start fresh. If you were me, with a budget of $2k-$4k, looking for a very high quality, relatively light weight camera system with the latest and best technology, what would you recommend? I would like one camera with two lenses at the most. Light weight enough that it’s easy to carry and use, without sacrificing image quality. Something that I can ‘grow into’ as a I renew my love of photography. Many thanks for sharing your expertise. Cheers!

10th July 2022 at 9:59 am

It’s great to hear from you, and I’m so pleased you have been finding the site useful so far!

With your requirement for something lightweight but that also has great image quality (and within budget of course) I would probably suggest the Sony Alpha 7c . Excellent autofocus, in body image stabilization, a full frame sensor and a weather sealed design, somehow all in a body that weighs about a 1lb.

If you wanted lighter, the Canon EOS RP is another full frame option which is fractionally lighter and also significantly cheaper, however you lose in body image stabilization and the focus tracking system isn’t quite as accomplished as the Sony in this model. It’s also slightly larger, despite being less heavy.

Both cameras have an excellent selection of lenses to choose from depending on what you want to photograph 🙂

Let me know if I can help any more!

17th April 2022 at 12:56 am

Hello Laurence, First off let me say thank you for such great articles, guides, advice and overview for someone who’s never been to Scotland and interested in touring the NC500. With that said, there are many great choices concerning camera & lens combinations in your article. Getting specific addressing the NC500 route, just what would be your best advice for focal lengths in reference to 35mm full frame? I see many wide to ultra wide images in the article, so inquiring about specific needs. Want to pack a 1-2 lens kit for this specific trip, and of course I’m thinking a tripod will be handy also!

17th April 2022 at 10:21 am

It’s our pleasure, I am pleased to have been of help. So I primarily travel with two lenses, a 16-35mm and a 70-200mm. Most of the landscape shots I take are with the wide angle, although there are sometimes nice opportunities to use the longer lens for isolating a subject. But if I was going to only take one lens it would be the wide-angle all the way.

Hopefully this answers your question! Let me know if I can offer any further input, I’m happy to help.

Edward says

31st January 2021 at 9:50 am

Hi, I was happy to read where you wrote “Personally, I love having a camera with GPS”. So do I, or rather so would I, but I am having trouble finding one that I like the look of. All I want is a compact camera with GPS and a viewfinder, with a useable zoom (say up to 200mm equivalent) and good image quality (which today would imply a sensor of 1″ or bigger). There is no such unicorn.

So what do you use, please, that gives you GPS? Or do you use an “add-on later” method like recording a GPS track and geotagging your photos later? I personally am reluctant to do that for a number of reasons, mainly that I travel for 3-6 months at a time (or at least I did when I could) without carrying a computer, so I would not only have a lot of geotagging to do later, but the on-the-road backup to Dropbox would not be geotagged.

31st January 2021 at 2:11 pm

I currently use a Canon 6D, which is a full frame DSLR. For a while Canon added GPS units to a number of their cameras, but unfortunately this useful feature has been missing from their newer models. For me it’s one of the most useful features to have, so I don’t like the omission. The reasoning is to do with battery life I suspect. GPS units take up power, and newer mirrorless cameras are already battery hungry. So leaving off the GPS is done in an effort to conserve battery power I suspect.

The good news is that many cameras today include the ability to pair with a smartphone app over Bluetooth or Wifi. When the camera takes a picture, it polls the smartphone app for location data, and embeds that in the photo. This of course does require extra setup, remembering to connect the camera to the phone before every shoot, and can drain your smartphone battery too. So it’s not amazing as an alternative, but it does at least work.

I believe that the Sony Image link app supports this for the Sony RX100 series, so with your requirements of a 200mm zoom and a 1″ sensor, the Sony RX100 VI or higher would be an option. Another option I believe would be the Panasonic ZS200.

Finally, another option, as you mention, is to use a third party GPS logger, either a standalone device or an app on your phone, that records the data and saves it, which you can then manually sync later. Again, it’s more work.

Overall, I would much prefer that manufacturers just add the GPS device and let us as users decide for ourselves if we want to use it and use up battery life. Hopefully it makes a reappearance as a standard feature!

1st March 2021 at 5:06 pm

Hello, thanks for the well thought-out response. It gives me a lot to think about, and if I do have to give up one or more of my checkboxes (or at least half of one, by needing to use a separate app), I may rethink them all – take a step back and ask myself what I really want to do, rather than ask what equipment will satisfy what I think are my wants. I suspect that the RX100 VI plus the app would be the nearest I could get. Or the Panasonic SZ200/TZ200 (or SZ100) plus its app. It is ironic that it seems that 1-inch sensor compacts really took off in the mid-2010s, just as manufacturers were deciding to drop GPS.

2nd March 2021 at 4:37 pm

My pleasure Edward! I would say that one of those would be the best option. It is certainly disappointing that this is no longer a standard feature!

Kyle O'Donnell says

16th December 2020 at 8:30 am

awesome list, you put it together very well 🙂 i got a Sony A6400 from amazon, it’s absolutely amazing, it really show in my vlogs.

16th December 2020 at 11:12 am

Thanks Kyle!

Charles Haskins says

29th April 2020 at 10:19 am

I have been reading through your responses to questions and I am astonished by the detail and the thoughtfulness of your answers. Quite apart from the photography info, it is a great lesson in human decency – great “customer service” for people who aren’t even customers really. I will definitely be following you in the future! Thank you!

29th April 2020 at 10:21 am

Hi Charlie,

Thanks very much, that’s kind of you to say. We do our best to try and answer everyone’s questions, be it photography or travel related 🙂 If folks have taken the time to read and leave a comment, then we feel it’s only right to answer if we can!

Thanks again for your comment, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions of your own!

All the best

29th February 2020 at 11:15 pm

I am quite new to photography. I purchased the M50 last summer (my first non-compact). I don’t know if it is my skills, the camera, or that I need better lenses, but so far I haven’t had much success getting sharp images.

1st March 2020 at 10:52 am

Sorry to hear about your issues. There are so many variables that go into what could make an image less sharp, from incorrect focus through to a lens issue. It’s hard to diagnose without seeing an image – do you have one somewhere online you can link to that I can take a look and provide some more insight? It would be best if it also shows the camera settings at the time – usually a site like flickr will save this info.

1st March 2020 at 4:27 pm

These aren’t all from the M50, but several of them are. Also, these happen to be the better ones: https://www.flickr.com/photos/me77777 . I feel like I have to sort through so many that aren’t as sharp as these to find a good one, but even some of the ones I’ve posted could certainly be sharper.

1st March 2020 at 4:41 pm

Thanks for sharing. So, some initial thoughts:

On this image of the lighthouse: https://www.flickr.com/photos/me77777/49596740501/in/photostream/

The camera is set to f/29. This is a super narrow aperture. Most lenses produce their sharpest images at around f/8, with sharpness falling off towards the edges wider than f/8 (i.e. f/5.6, f/4 etc). Above f/16, sharpness dramatically reduces due to an effect known as diffraction. It’s generally not advisable to go above f/16 for this reason. Performance will vary by lens, but as a general rule, f/8 – f/12 is a good range.

Of course, this doesn’t consider depth of field for composition. For landscapes, a wider depth of field is usually preferable, so you’d be looking at f/8 – f/16 in most cases. For portraits, a shallow depth of field would be preferable. Softness in portraits is less of an issue as you wouldn’t normally have the subject on the edge of the shot, so the softness wouldn’t be too noticeable.

Now, here’s another image of a church in a city: https://www.flickr.com/photos/me77777/49503917028/in/photostream/

So this was shot a 1/40th of a second at 200mm focal length. The longer the zoom, the harder it is to hold a camera steady. As a general rule of thumb, shutter speed should not be lower than the inverse of the focal length. So if you are shooting at 200mm, you would not use a shutter speed slower than 1/200th of a second. A 50mm focal length would be 1/50th of a second.

The file format you are shooting in will also make a difference. If you’re shooting in JPG, then the compression setting and sharpness setting in camera will make a big difference to the final image sharpness. Ideally you’d want to shoot in RAW, so you can edit sharpness after the fact.

These are just some ideas to start with. Something like this shot looks wonderfully sharp to me: https://www.flickr.com/photos/me77777/49498974486/in/photostream/

Happy to provide any more feedback if you have more specific images of course 🙂

https://www.flickr.com/photos/me77777/49503917028/in/photostream/

2nd March 2020 at 4:34 am

Thanks for taking the time to give feedback. You have an amazing site.

2nd March 2020 at 11:19 am

Thanks Craig – my pleasure 🙂

Natalie says

24th December 2019 at 1:05 pm

Thank you very much for collating all this information together- I do not feel nearly as overwhelmed as I did before!

I am going away travelling to India and South East Asia, and would like to both take great pictures in low light, and film a short documentary (so stability is also key without lugging a tripod around (Oof).

I am looking into purchasing a DSLR, budget however is a concern. This will be my first time camera, however I have a little experience in film cameras (mostly SonyPMW200).

I am currently looking at the Nikon D750…can you recommend something cheaper and still great for filming? I guess the Nikon D5300?

Nikon also seems to be cheaper for lenses than Canon- what would you reccomend?

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks so much

24th December 2019 at 2:53 pm

Hi Natalie,

Thanks very much!

So I have to be honest, video is not an area of expertise for me. However, if you want to shoot stable video without a tripod, you are going to need to think about how you are going to stabilize your camera. Without a tripod, your best bet is going to be some kind of camera stabilization. Currently, the Canon and Nikon DSLR’s don’t offer this in camera, so you would need to rely on a lens with image stabilization built in.

Alternatively, you could look for a camera with image stabilization built in. I’m not sure what your budget is all in, but one of the micro four thirds cameras from Olympus or Panasonic might be a good option. These are notable for producing great video, have a wide choice of lenses, and most importantly, have built in image-stabilization in the camera body. The Olympus Om-D E-M10 Mark 3 is currently on sale all over the place with a lens. For video and low light, you will benefit from a wide aperture prime lens, such as the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 .

I appreciate this might not be the answer you were looking for, but if video is important, I think this might be a better direction to go in than a DSLR. All the capabilities are the same, the only disadvantages are a reduced battery life and a slightly smaller sensor. However, by using a wide aperture lens you can make up for the reduced low light performance.

I hope this helps – I’m happy to discuss further of course!

20th December 2019 at 1:17 am

Sorry I visited your site but couldn’t read a thing. Please fix the site. Best regards

20th December 2019 at 10:46 am

Thanks for your comment. Could you clarify perhaps what you couldn’t read and what i need to fix? The site loads ok on all our devices, but if you can let me know what device and browser you are using, and what specifically is not working, then I will be happy to take a look,

Martha Dobson says

3rd November 2021 at 4:02 pm

Website was beautiful, I think that this man is lying to you about the website not being legible.

3rd November 2021 at 6:07 pm

Thanks Martha!

Marije says

17th December 2019 at 8:47 am

Hi Laurence,

Thank you so much for this very insight- and helpful review. I’m looking to buy a compact camera with good optical zoom possibilities for photographing people, landscapes and wildlife during my holidays. As I’ll be visiting Swedish Lapland for a week of winterfun, I would like a camera that will also be Able to capture the northern light (autora). Which compact camera will be a good or even the best choice. Was Leaning towards a Sony Cybershot DSC-RX 100 series but found vi and vii quite expensive anD not shure about optical zoom of v. Love to hear your opinion.

17th December 2019 at 9:14 pm

So I would say probably the next best option after the RX100 would be the Panasonic Lumix ZS100 or ZS200. The Canon Powershot G3X is another good option as it has a 1 inch sensor and a 25x zoom lens. I have to say, northern lights photography is a challenge for any camera though, even a full frame DSLR. So while you will definitely be able to get photos with a compact camera, just be aware of its limitations. I have some tips on taking taking photos of the northern lights here , which might be worth a read.

Otherwise, let me know if you have any more questions – and have a great trip!

22nd October 2019 at 8:36 am

How about the Panasonic G90/95? It has all bells and whistles of GX9 and much more (like UHS-II support, stronger IS and focus stacking). It has a comfortable grip and a rugged body, a swivel touch screen, unlimited video shooting, mic and headphones port (hello vloggers!). Similar to GX9 it can be charged via usb but comes with an external charger and both can be charged via a powerbank with 2 ports! I’m almost happy with my gx9 but miss the weather sealing and the mic port. If Pana doesn’t release a gx10 with these 2 features I’ll go for the G90.

24th October 2019 at 12:51 pm

The G90/95 is certainly an excellent camera, although is at a bit of a price premium compared to the GX9 so isn’t directly comparable in my mind. However, if it fits what you are looking for you should definitely go for it – this list is by no means definitive (hence the long section at the beginning to help people decide).

Enjoy your new camera, whatever it turns out to be!

lalan kalansooriya says

15th September 2019 at 12:36 pm

Hi I am bigginer to the photography and i wish to buy a camera. I love to travel photography. My budjet is about 300$. So I would like to know what are the recomended cameras for me

15th September 2019 at 2:25 pm

At $300 you will definitely be looking at either a mid-range compact camera or a lower end DSLR. There aren’t many mirrorless cameras at that price point unfortunately, unless you go second hand. In terms of compact cameras, I’d suggest either the Lumix DC-ZS70 or the Sony RX100 .

For DSLRs, consider the Nikon D3400 or the EOS Rebel T6 .

10th August 2019 at 8:23 am

Hi Laurence and Jessica, Just a quick thank you message to say that this is the first article I read (and I ‘ve read quite a few!) that really explains things about cameras in a clear way! Im new to travel photography and was looking for info on how and where to start from. Thanks a lot!

11th August 2019 at 11:38 am

Our pleasure! We’re always happy to hear that we’ve been able to help people, and believe me, I know that photography is not the easiest topic to get to grips with 🙂 Let us know if you ever have any questions!

Stuart Svoboda says

21st July 2019 at 6:03 pm

Thanks for your thoughtful and comprehensive advice. Obviously, budget plays a big role in most people’s decisions and there are few aspects of photography that don’t involve some compromise. However, for those who are willing to part with a bit more cash in pursuit of a supremely capable yet practical alternative, you missed at least one significant choice and that’s the Lumix G9. My G9, battery grip, lenses (mostly Leica, covering the 35mm-eq range from 16-800mm), spare batteries, flash/soft box, filters, etc. (including an Olympus TG-5, which I agree is a great, bomb-proof, go-anywhere camera) all fit into a small pack that weighs 6400) ISO noise with moving subjects. Big deal (looks more like film anyway). A much more compact (although not pocket-sized) and far cheaper alternative that still produces great IQ (stills and 4K video–much better than a 1/2.3) is the Lumix FZ1000. The first-gen (which I got for c.US$600) is still available and a great bargain (IMHO, the best price/performance value currently available). The Mk II adds some nice features but has the same great 1″ sensor and 25-400mm-eq Leica lens. If you can’t get great images under most conditions with that, it’s not the camera… And no, I don’t work for Panny–they just make great cameras (performance and ergonomics). Bottom line: the IQ achievable in most conditions from even “mid level” cameras these days is more than enough for most purposes–much beyond that is overkill (but some of us like overkill on occasion).

Thanks for your blog.

21st July 2019 at 6:32 pm

Thanks Stuart! We also like the Panasonic gear, I’ve had a G6 and still use the GX8 on a regular basis. There just wasn’t room for every camera on the list, but we certainly appreciate your recommendation and no doubt folks reading the post will find your input useful as well 🙂

Sandra says

11th July 2019 at 7:50 pm

Thanks for such a great article! I am wondering what you think of the new Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II which was announced July 9th and is due in stores August 1st. How do you think it compares to others in your compact camera list? I am taking a 3-week trip to China in September and want a great travel camera. Looked at the Sony RX100 VI but it felt very small in my 73-year-old hands and I missed it not having a grip. I am replacing a very old Canon G16. Thanks for any input you can share!

12th July 2019 at 4:19 am

I’ve been reading up on these two cameras and they both look very promising. I would say that they would probably be excellent, but I’ve not been able to personally try them out as yet. However, if you are used to Canon, it would be a logical step to buy one of these two, and I am confident you will be happy with the performance. I’ll be updating this post in the near future, but likely after your trip. In the meantime though, I am still happy to recommend them on spec as the price / specifications are great.

Candy Luong says

24th June 2019 at 8:45 pm

Thank you for the well-written review! I am on the market to purchase an upgrade from a 2011 Canon Rebel T3i with a couple of EF lens. I am conflicted between upgrading to a DSLR or mirrorless camera for travel and leisure photography. What I look for in an upgrade is WIFI, GPS, lightweight, adaptability to the canon lens, and does not break the bank (max $1500) for a full kit. Is there a mirrorless camera that has a proven adapter for canon lens? I’ve looked into the Canon EOS RP but the price point for a full kit is insanely expensive. What would you recommend?

25th June 2019 at 1:38 am

So the Canon EOS RP would be my recommendation – with the adaptor the body only should come in under your budget, and it will work great with the Canon lenses you have. If you move to another manufacturer, I think you will struggle to get a full frame camera for any less money, and the adaptors are not so good as they have to do a conversion between the electronic systems, which usually results in slower performance. The only thing missing from the EOS R is built in GPS, however the low energy bluetooth capabilities mean you can sync GPS from your phone without too much battery drain.

If it’s still too much, you might consider a second hand Canon 6D or 6D Mark 2, which are both great cameras. I still shoot full time with the original 6D and have no complaints. GPS is one of my favourite features on it, and I wish more cameras had it as a default!

I hope this helps!

Kathy Golden says

17th June 2019 at 11:27 pm

I just happened upon your website while researching DSLR cameras and I found a treasure-trove of information! Thank you so much for this thorough and informative blog. It is very helpful. I hope to compare mirrorless and DSLRs for both travel and “family” photography.

19th June 2019 at 4:18 pm

My pleasure, let me know if you have any questions!

6th June 2019 at 11:50 am

Really found this article useful – thanks!

Soon, I am quitting my job and going travelling for the ‘foreseeable future’ – yay fun!

I love taking pictures generally (e.g., smartphones or on friends cameras). But knowing I am going travelling, I would love to capture some great quality shots and edit them myself etc along the way. Although a ‘first purchase’, I need it to be high quality so that it is worthwhile over a smartphone, worth the financial investment, and worth carrying around. I am very likely to take a look into some of your courses too before I go (so that I actually CAN capture some good moments) – with this in mind, what would you recommend?

Many thanks in advance!! Flo

6th June 2019 at 12:02 pm

My pleasure! So it will depend on how much you want to carry with you. If it’s a minimal amount, then you’d be better off with a high end point and shoot, like the Lumix ZS200 or the Sony RX100 series. These both take excellent photos, have full manual controls and even shoot in RAW.

If you want to step up above that there are many choices. For travel, I’d recommend probably a mirrorless camera to keep the weight down, paired with one or two lenses. At this point it will come down to your budget – all the mirrorless cameras on this list will do a great job, but they are at different price points, starting with less expensive and then getting more expensive! At the higher end, I’d suggest perhaps the Canon EOS RP, whilst at the lower end, the Sony a6000 or Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III.

Let me know if I can help any more 🙂

6th June 2019 at 7:32 am

Hi thank you for such wonderful tips. Im no expert. I would really appreciate some guidance. I own iphone x and photos are great. But for travel I d also need a solid zoom for vast landscapes. I ve been looking into Panasonic, I like idea of Leica lens… what I d like is what can i get up to 1000 usd ( preferabbly less) that would make sense to get better photography then iphone x, a good zoom and still a nice looking not too big camera. Thank you 🙂

6th June 2019 at 11:40 am

So based on your requirements for a smaller camera, I’d say either the Sony RX 100 VI or the Lumix ZS200. They both offer a good zoom range and good image quality, as well as manual controls.

You could look into mirrorless cameras too, but to get a good zoom you’d need a larger lens, and it wouldn’t be so compact!

Let me know if you need any more information, I’m happy to help 🙂

12th May 2019 at 10:46 am

Hi .. I am a Nikon d5300 (with two lenses 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses) user and I need to buy a compact camera with dslr quality lesser in weight .. please suggest

12th May 2019 at 7:16 pm

So if you want something really compact then the Sony RX100 range is a good option. The quality is great for a compact camera, and you also get full manual controls. If you just want something a bit smaller, then you might consider one of the mirrorless options, but they aren’t always a lot smaller, so a compact is likely to be a better option.

Thomas Mygind says

1st June 2019 at 7:38 am

If you want the smallest Full Frame option – then this basis option weighs 450 gram + EF-lenses. Cannon M100 + Viltrox 0.71x adapter makes your APS-C into a full frame eqvivalent.

Then add any EF-lens you like -for example: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens 33.5 oz (950g) 3.3 x 4.9″ (83 x 124mm) 77mm 2002 Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens 13.4 oz (380g) 2.9 x 2.8″ (73 x 70mm) 67mm 1996 Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens 23.7 oz (670g) 3.3 x 4.2″ (83.5 x 107mm) 77mm 2005 Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens 13.2 oz (375g) 2.8 x 3.0″ (72 x 75mm) 58mm 2000 Canon EF 28-105mm f/4.0-5.6 USM Lens 7.4 oz (210g) 2.6 x 2.7″ (67 x 68mm) 58mm 2002 Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens 19.1 oz (540g) 3.1 x 3.8″ (78 x 97mm) 72mm 1998 Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens 17.6 oz (500g) 3.1 x 3.5″ (78 x 90mm) 72mm 2000

9th May 2019 at 11:20 am

Hi, I’m relatively new to serious photography, but I’ve long had an interest in photo editing and am now wanting to learn more about the actual photography part of it. As it is, you’ve pretty much sold me on the Nikon D3500 since it sounds like an excellent option to learn from without being too expensive, though I’m also considering the D5300 for its video capabilities (from what I’ve found) and the GPS option. Can you recommend a few additional lenses, ideally at least one for further away shots? Particularly for some darker areas.

Whatever the case, this guide has taught me quite a bit and given me a lot to think about. Thank you for that.

11th May 2019 at 9:03 pm

Delighted to have been of assistance. So my first recommendation would be to check out our guide to the best travel lenses, which has a number of options for Nikon. You can see that here:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/best-lenses-for-travel-photography/

The criteria you have (long lens that is good in low light) does unfortunately bring you into the more costly type of lens – you need a wide aperture to capture more light, and all the glass ends up costing more. I’d suggest looking for a lens with a f/4 or faster aperture (f/2.8 would be ideal), and 200mm to 400mm focal length.

Happy to provide some more specific suggestions if my linked post doesn’t do it for you 🙂

13th May 2019 at 9:39 am

Hey Laurence,

You make a compelling point, as did the price tags once I looked into what you suggested. I’ll add that to my “eventual” list once I’ve gotten good enough to justify the cash.

I ordered a D3500 bundle “w/AF-P DX 18-55mm & 70-300mm Zoom Lens” and “55mm Wide Angle & Telephoto Lens”. Seemed like a fair way to start (though I wish I’d have ordered it a few hours prior because I missed a nice sale, haha).

I’m keeping this page bookmarked, there’s so much to learn and I appreciate the help. I had to check out your guide on San Francisco since that’s part of why I wanted a new camera: I’m taking a trip up that way later this year and am planning on making the most of it – I live in California, but I’ve never spent much time that way since it gets expensive fast – including a few museums, Grace Cathedral, Chinatown, and several other areas. Now I’ve just got to practice a lot in the next 3 1/2 months so that I can manage something awesome by then.

Thanks again, this has been incredibly helpful.

13th May 2019 at 6:34 pm

It’s absolutely my pleasure, and please do reach out if you ever have any more questions about photography or travel, and I’ll do my best to help out. Enjoy your new gear, I’m sure you’ll be very happy with it!

4th May 2019 at 10:06 pm

Great website!

I will be going to Europe this summer and I intend to take many HDR pics. I currently have a Nikon D3400. (I prefer the APS-C cameras to the full frame cameras because I like the lighter weight, especially for travel.). I like the camera except for the fact that it has no exposure bracketing at all. This makes HDR photography, especially of tourist sites that might have people walking in the distance, slightly difficult. My question is: Should I take the D3400 to Europe or purchase the latest Canon Rebel, with which I can do 3 quick shots continuously?

Please consider: I have compared my Nikon to my old Canon T3i. Using the same settings for both, the Nikon seems to take better pictures when I compare the exact same shots side by side. Is that just my imagination or is that due to the very slightly larger sensor?

So, again, the choice is: 1) take the Nikon, which seems to take good pics, and be forced to take all my HDR shots manually? (The advantage there is that I could take 5 or more.); OR 2) buy a new Canon T7 or T7i and be able to take 3 quick shots at different exposures? (I don’t mind the extra cost if you find it is the best choice.)

I would appreciate any advice you can provide.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration to this matter.

5th May 2019 at 9:48 am

Thanks! So the sensor size probably doesn’t make that much difference, but the sensor technology likely will. The T3i was released in 2011, and it’s hard to really compare that against a much newer camera, as sensor technology moves on every year. I would say that the newer Canon would likely be comparable. It’s definitely frustrating that the Nikon cameras in the D3xxx range don’t have exposure bracketing, that’s a real omission by Nikon. I would say that if this is something that is important to you, and you don’t have a wide selection of Nikon lenses, that you might find the Canon more suited to your specific needs. I also can’t speak for the T7i, but on my Canon 6D, I can set it to take 3 or 5 shots for the exposure bracketing 🙂

Best of luck, and have a great trip!

22nd April 2019 at 7:03 am

Thank you for your great article. It is well-written and informative. I notice in your picture comparing sensor size, that Nikon’s aps-c is larger than the Canon aps-c. Is Nikon’s significantly better than Canon’s in terms of the final picture? What is the measurable difference between the two, in terms of pixels and/or quality? Should I base my decision on that? Thanks again

22nd April 2019 at 10:30 am

There is not a big difference between the two to be honest, the small size difference is not big enough to make a real world difference in my opinion, certainly not enough to make a purchase decision on 🙂

Mohit Chupra says

21st April 2019 at 9:57 am

Hi , after read the content i understand that there a lot of good value entry -level DSLR cammers .

21st April 2019 at 11:22 am

That is correct, DSLR cameras are great value for sure 🙂

20th April 2019 at 2:27 pm

Hi, I currently have galaxy s10 and thinking of buying Famon g7x for travelling. The main purpose of the trip is the northern lights. Would g7x worth buying? Or would s10 do the trick? Thanks

20th April 2019 at 3:25 pm

So the Canon G7x does have a larger sensor than a smartphone, and will therefore be better for northern lights photography. Smartphones are capable of taking pictures of the northern lights, but they won’t produce the best results. Either way, you will definitely want a tripod as otherwise you will get blurry pictures. I have a full guide to taking pictures of the northern lights you might want to check out too.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sanjeev Rai says

12th April 2019 at 7:34 pm

I am going on a family trip to Europe covering Italy Switzerland and Paris . Looking into various videos of gopro I am inclined to buy go pro but not sure how much I will utilize as I am not into adventure sports. Although I feel a good family video covering mountains and beach will be cool. Also thinking of buying Nikon D3500 or May be both . Totally confused . I am not a photography enthusiast but regularly travel and wants to keep memories of my trips . Pleas guide

12th April 2019 at 7:44 pm

Hey Sanjeev,

So a GoPro is good as a general point and shoot action camera that will survive most situations. It’s also great for video. However, it has limitations – you can’t zoom, and it takes very wide angle photos. So things will seem further away. This is great for action sports and so on, but not really ideal for landscape photography.

If you want something pocketable that does great quality, I’d probably suggest one of the compact cameras on our list, or a mirrorless cameras. Most of these also do good video as well 🙂

Sanjeev says

13th April 2019 at 11:50 am

Thanks Laurence

I have budget of USD 500 . Will see which one fits the budget. Also may be GOPro + IPhone 7

13th April 2019 at 2:18 pm

Best of luck 😀

7th April 2019 at 7:18 pm

Hi – I’ve been a portrait photographer for too many years to say 🙂 and have always used Canon. At the moment we have 2 5d mark iii and one 7d at the studio with multiple lenses. I have finally made a decision to follow my passion and start traveling to shoot more landscapes and small towns. Weight is the biggest issue for me, however, quality of camera and lens is too. I’ll be headed for Europe then Asia this fall so I have some time but I’m trying to figure it out now. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

7th April 2019 at 7:27 pm

Ah, the old conundrum – weight vs quality! Personally, we travel with a pair of Canon 6D’s and usually three lenses, a wide angle, a 70-200 (plus 2x convertor for wildlife) and a fast prime.

The key is a good strap for the camera (we love the Peak Design straps) and a good bag.

If I was you, and used to the Canon system (which I am), I would stay with it. I’d probably also suggest sticking with full frame. If size is the predominant issue, mirrorless cameras can help a bit, but not as much as folks might make out, because often so much of the weight is in the lens anyway.

I would probably be tempted by the Canon EOS RP. It’s a full frame mirrorless camera that, with a mount, will be compatible with all your EF (and even EF-S) lenses. It’s very compact for a full frame mirrorless camera.

If you want to just start over, and don’t mind investing in new lenses, then I might suggest something like the Fuji X-T30, which produces really lovely images. My only concern with shifting to a new system is that Canon is really great and colour, and other camera systems may not be as good as you used to (this is a reason many photographers I know have not shifted to the Sony mirrorless system for example).

I hope this response helps a bit! Let me know your thoughts 🙂

7th April 2019 at 10:04 pm

Hi Laurence, Thank you for your quick reply. I agree about the Sony, as we are so invested in all Canon lenses it makes it hard to change. I have, however, been very interested in the mirrorless camera and now with Canon’s out I have contemplated it but don’t see it being so much better than the 5diii except of course the weight, (which is what I need) I also worry that the battery doesn’t last long and even if I use an attachment won’t it slow down my lens? Deb

7th April 2019 at 11:38 pm

Canon has designed the mount adaptor so it just works like a passthrough. There’s no impact on the lenses. I know this has been an issue with other systems, like using the Canon lenses on Sony cameras, you lose autofocus speed and sometimes stops of light, but Canon didn’t want that to happen so the lenses should work just as well as if they are native.

To be honest, the performance won’t be massively improved over the 5D Mark III which is a great camera. If you are happy travelling with that, then go for it. But if size is a consideration, I’d say it’s the best option that would also let you use your existing lenses.

Carrie says

4th April 2019 at 9:16 pm

Thanks for the reply.

It’s a little difficult for me to describe how looking through a viewfinder on a non-DSLR camera affects my eyes. For many photos I prefer using the viewfinder, but for other photos I really like having the articulated screen.

I’m leaning toward the Canon EOS Rebel SL2 or one of the Nikon’s with an articulated screen (the good thing about a Nikon is my boyfriend has Nikon cameras and we might be able to share lenses). It’s just a matter of finding the right Nikon.

5th April 2019 at 12:04 pm

My pleasure. So it sounds like a DSLR is the right kind of camera for you. I would definitely recommend Nikon if your boyfriend has Nikon already, as this will save you the hassle of multiple lenses. When Jess and I got together, she had Nikon and I had Canon, and we just decided we’d merge everything to Canon to make life easier.

In terms of cameras, the Nikon D5600 is probably the best option as it comes with the tilting screen. You could also pick up the D5500 for a lower price if budget is a concern.

3rd April 2019 at 10:09 pm

The current camera I’m using is a Nikon B700, which I like for its small size, articulated screen, and super-zoom. However, the image quality seems to have deteriorated a lot in the two years I’ve had it and I now am having issues with using the viewfinder (my dry eyes are making it difficult to see what I’m trying to focus on because I’m looking at a tiny screen). So I think it’s time to switch to a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Mirrorless might be better because of the smaller size, but having never used one I don’t know how my eyes will handle it.

Any recommendations for a good, smaller DSLR or mirrorless with a good zoom and an articulated screen? My father has been using Panasonic Lumix cameras for years and has been very happy with his results.

4th April 2019 at 12:12 pm

So for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, these don’t come with a fixed lens, meaning you can change the lens to something that meets your requirements. However, there are not many lenses out there that would offer the sort of zoom you might be used to with the B700, that would also be smaller. So even if the camera body ends up being smaller, the overall package would be fairly large. Bridge cameras like the one you have are a fairly specific product and the main way they have been able to differentiate from all the other types of camera out there is by offering these pretty incredible zoom lenses.

I am a little confused though – the B700 has a screen, so I am wondering why you would not be using that for the focus? If the viewfinder is too small, this will be a similar problem with viewfinders on other cameras too I think.

I just don’t want to recommend a camera that doesn’t actually solve the problem!

2nd April 2019 at 6:52 pm

Hi, I have been looking into the Sony RX100 VÍ and the brand new Lumix FZ 1000 II. I want zoom, big sensor, tilting LCD, and low light capability. My only concern is size of the Lumix since my primary use will be for travel. Please help! What are your thoughts?

2nd April 2019 at 7:12 pm

So both cameras actually have the same size sensor, which is the 1″ sensor. The FZ1000 II definitely has more zoom, but it is much less compact. However, it also has a longer battery life and a tilting / swivel screen.

Personally if a compact camera is what you want, I would go for the Sony as it will slip into a pocket or purse. The Lumix definitely won’t. I don’t think image quality will be much different, although there are not many reviews on the FZ1000 II as it’s so new.

I hope this helps 🙂

2nd April 2019 at 7:24 pm

Thank you so much. It definitely helps.

Donna F. says

26th March 2019 at 1:43 am

This article is super! And, so is findingtheuniverse.com – I’ve learned so much as I am researching what camera to purchase. Any recommendations would be welcomed. I want a compact camera to travel with me on my motorcycle. It will need to endure a lot of vibration. I’d like for it to fit in a jacket pocket or tank bag. And, I’ll be taking pictures of landscapes, awesome views and interesting people.

26th March 2019 at 1:53 pm

Thanks very much Donna – delighted to be able to help!

So if you think the camera is going to be subjected to a pretty rough time, you might consider the Olympus TG-5 Waterproof Camera . It’s a good camera, although the 4x optical zoom, whilst good, may not be perfect for everything. It’s certainly the toughest camera in our list though.

If image quality and more zoom is more important, and you think you can trade off a bit of the survivability factor, I might consider either the Panasonic Lumix ZS100 or the Sony RX100 VI . These both have more manual controls as well as a larger image sensor, so the image quality will be higher. The Sony is at quite a premium price point though, so you would definitely want a good case to protect it!

I hope this helps a bit 🙂

Let me know if I can help out any further!

Nowshad Rahman says

24th March 2019 at 4:18 pm

I was looking for features the basic travel camera and this helped a lot. Thanks for the insightful article. Sony RX100 VI is good for travel?

24th March 2019 at 4:24 pm

It certainly is. It is definitely a premium compact camera, but the combination of image quality, manual controls, and the impressive zoom and autofocus performance make it probably the best compact camera for travel on the market today 🙂

Mallory J says

20th March 2019 at 4:42 am

Looking for some input… I have a Nikon D80. I used to do newborn photography some years ago. It worked fine for me then. Had my own kids, moved on in my career and on the side we travel a ton. The Nikon is clearly older and the whole set up is too heavy to travel with (I have 4 lenses total for it, however only use the my 24mm and 50mm. Rarely the 125 as I felt the quality was bad and never the telephoto that I bought with it. Anyhow, years later I know nothing about photography anymore and am looking for something other than my phone (iPhone xsmax). I want better, easier and more convenient than the D80. I like the blurry backgrounds (see I can’t even remember the correct terminology for this) and clear photos for nature and sports. My questions is, right off the bat, is there a camera that stands out? Do I go Nikon and continue to use my lenses and forgo the weight? Do I get something new, compact, same brand, different brand?

20th March 2019 at 10:22 am

Hi Mallory,

The word you are looking for is bokeh 😉

Ok, so this is a bit of a challenging question. SInce you already have lenses, my initial response would be to consider maybe the Nikon Z6 . Whilst this is pretty much identical in size to the D80, it’s a mirrorless camera with a full frame sensor, so you will be getting a marked step up in image quality and capability in a camera that is the same size. There’s also a Nikon adaptor so your existing lenses should work, although you’ll want to check compatibility. You should also find it easier to pick up as the menu system will be similar.

If size / cost is more of a consideration, then I think you would want to consider a mirrorless camera and look to invest in a couple of lenses. If you are happy with prime lenses then this is great because they tend to be cheaper and higher quality.

I’d say perhaps the Canon RP, or the Fujifilm X-T30 would be a great starting point, depending on budget 🙂

Happy to answer any follow up questions of course!

5th March 2019 at 9:33 am

Hi, thanks for you great article about various compact/travel cameras. I am planning to buy a new camera. I am trying to decide between Canon m50, Canon 200d, Nikon d5600 as well as Canon g3x. I live in humid area & that’s why I am concerned & also bit worried about that. I don’t have budget to buy expensive camera that have weather sealing. Canon g3x. does have weather sealing but then it have only 1 inch sensor (I do need camera which takes great quality images, video making is not my priority). Moreover, I also want to have a touchscreen. Kindly help me in this regard. Thanking you for the same

5th March 2019 at 12:09 pm

So based on your requirements and budget (I am assuming your budget based on the cameras you are looking at), I am going to suggest a totally different camera to those which you have been looking at.

My suggestion is either the Pentax KS-2, the Pentax K70 or the Pentax KP.

These are all APS-C sized sensor SLR camera which are weather sealed. They are also great value for a weather sealed camera.

The only disadvantage is that they do not come with touchscreens. I know this is something you want, but it might be a decision between weather sealing and a touchscreen at this price point. If the touchscreen is more important, I would suggest the Canon m50.

8th March 2019 at 11:35 am

Thanks for your reply. Kindly let me know why you suggested Canon m50 and also are mirrorless camera more sensitive to moisture/dust than DSLR? Thanks

8th March 2019 at 2:13 pm

So a mirrorless camera is more sensitive to dust than a DSLR. This is because there’s no mirror protecting the sensor, and every time you change lenses the sensor is exposed to the elements. In terms of moisture, I would not say there is a significant difference. A mirrorless camera has more electronic parts if you include the screen, so in theory more could go wrong, but I would say in the real world this isn’t likely to be a big issue.

I recommended the M50 as it’s a great compact mirrorless camera that is easy to use and produces quality results. However, a compact DSLR from Canon or Nikon would also be a good choice. Honestly, most cameras these days will take great photos in the right hands, the technology has come along very far. It’s just question of what has the specific specifications you need.

8th March 2019 at 2:26 pm

Thank you sooo much for your swift response. And thank you for clearing my doubts too. Actually I had almost decided to buy canon m50 but due to doubt about absence of mirror may make it more sensitive, I have narrowed down my choices to Nikon D5600 and Canon 200d. But still confused cause Nikon D5600 have 39 AF points whereas Canon 200d have just 9 and canon have dual pixal Autofocus. My priority is for stills. Kindly let me know if more Autofocus points are really that important. And please help me to decide between these two models. Thank you soo much for helping me out.

8th March 2019 at 7:49 pm

A lot of autofocus points can be useful if you are shooting fast action or wildlife photography. Otherwise it’s not too critical. I have a Canon 6D which is my primary camera, which I think has 9 autofocus points, and I’ve never found I needed more!

4th March 2019 at 8:24 pm

Hello, hope you’re doing well. I love your web page ❤️ I have some months suffering and searching information about a digital camera. I am interested for full frame & Mirrorless Camera for my work as a Aesthetician , and for travel also , I have considered Canon G7 X Mark II but im not pretty sure if it good for photography. Suggest me one good camera or good lenses for travel, fashion, makeup . Good bless you and thankful if you wanna respond

5th March 2019 at 3:03 pm

If you’re interested in a full frame mirrorless camera, I’d say that the Sony A7II would be a good option. The G7X Mark II is a lighter and more compact camera, but you can’t change the lenses, and it doesn’t have a full frame sensor.

Other options include the Canon EOS RP, Canon EOS R, Nikon Z series, and the more recent Sony A7 III, although this is somewhat more expensive now than the version 2.

For lenses, there’s a huge choice. I’d suggest a walk around lens for general travel photography, and then a fast prime lens for portrait work. A 50mm f/1.8 lens would be good for that. I have a guide to travel lenses you can see here:

Mick England says

3rd March 2019 at 3:53 pm

This may have been written before the D7500 came out as you state: “This is Nikon’s high end APS-C camera, with a 20.9MP sensor, fast autofocus, a weather sealed body, dual SD card slots and Wi-Fi.” In fact Nikon actually dropped the dual card slot that was present in the 7200 but the D7500 is nevertheless an excellent camera and I have never had a card fail on me.

3rd March 2019 at 4:05 pm

Hi Mick! Thanks for the catch 🙂 I’ve updated the description of the D7500. I too have never had an SD card fail on me in any camera, although I appreciate some folks like the peace of mind – especially for critical work like weddings and other event photography.

22nd February 2019 at 12:54 am

Hi, I have come across your website while I am searching for best travel camera. I am very limited knowledge about camera and planning to get my first ever camera. Thinking of getting either sony or canon. I am going to visit Euroup in 2 months and need travel camera for both photo and video capturing. May I request for your recommendation please? Thanks in advance ~

23rd February 2019 at 7:27 am

I would likely recommend a mirrorless camera like the EOS M100 as they are easy to pick up and use, and also easy to learn. However, I don’t know your budget – the M100 is at the low end of the budget (although it’s still a great choice). However, if you have more money to spend, there are other options too 🙂

12th February 2019 at 9:36 am

Hey there, I want to buy a travel system camera because my DSLR is just too heavy to carry around all the time. I‘m currently trying to decide between the sony a6000 and sony a63000. So far, from what i‘ve heard it seems like there‘s no big difference between the two cameras that justifies the much higher price of the newer model. However, since i‘m planning to go to south east asia, i‘m not sure how important it is for me to have a camera that‘s water and dust resistant (as the a6300 is). What‘s your experience? Is the a6000 likely to survive rainy season (pf course i‘m going to put my camera in the rain either way) or is worth investing 300€ more for that feature? Thank you!

12th February 2019 at 5:31 pm

I would probably lean towards the a6000 – it’s less costly, and weather sealing won’t make a camera waterproof unfortunately – you’re better off just trying to keep it dry 🙂 The a6300 is a decent camera, but I think for the price difference it’s not that much better.

Have a great trip!

11th February 2019 at 6:38 am

hi, thanks for your such informative blog. I am considering to purchase Fujifilm X-T20 with 18-55mm lens or Canon M50. And, my usage is more to photo shoots instead of video shoot.

I appreciate if you could give advise on this,

13th February 2019 at 9:17 pm

Both are excellent cameras, so it is hard to really decide between them. The Canon is slightly better for videos, and the Fuji might give slightly better photo performance, but the difference is very small. The main difference is the lens options – I would say there are more better value lenses for the Canon than the Fuji, but to be honest, both are really great cameras and I don’t think you will be disappointed with either choice!

Roxanne says

5th February 2019 at 6:58 am

What camera would you recommend for the following.. Indoor for a convention I will be attending Site seeing photos Novice photographer Selfies Price isn’t a deal breaker, so as long as it’s going to last me Captures my memories Ease of grab and shot Social posting Printing

Also considering a upgrade on cell too. To have both a camera and cell phone handy for just in case. I currently have a iPhone 7plus. But open to a smartphone that offers better photo capabilities.

Thanks in advance for your help!

5th February 2019 at 11:44 am

Hi Roxanne!

So the most challenging scene you’ll be looking at shooting will be the indoor scenes, which is where many cameras will struggle due to a lack of light.

If you wanted a capable smartphone, I currently use the Google Pixel 3 which is excellent for a wide range of shooting scenarios, including low light. I’ve not tried out the latest iPhone though.

In terms of a camera, for point and shoot I’d have to suggest either the ZS100 / ZS200, or one of the Sony RX100 options. However, the smaller sensor might not give the best results for indoor work.

So if you don’t mind a slightly bigger camera, I’d probably recommend the Fujifilm X-A5. This has a flipping screen for selfies, a large sensor that performs well in low light, and is still quite portable and easy to use.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂

Ranjeet Kaur says

19th January 2019 at 6:47 pm

Hi guys, thanks so much for creating this page its an amazing read… i had a dslr camera for 10 years but it has now broken i also have a small canonn camera very small.brought in 2005 takes a card of 2gb but thats givent up as well. I i belive its time to up grade…. i use the camera for travling, gathering and amy social events. I also use it with work when i go and look at properties… so with this in mind im strugling to decide which camera to buy as i would like to get a small compact one…. what would you recommend?

19th January 2019 at 6:55 pm

Hi Ranjeet!

Our pleasure. So if it’s a small compact camera you are after, that is the section of the post to look at. We also have an expanded version of suggested compact cameras here . It’s hard to recommend without knowing your budget, but that page should give you lots more options!

4th January 2019 at 1:05 am

I’m hoping you can help as I am probably comparing apples to oranges. I’m looking for a travel camera for an amateur that is fairly compact, has an auto function, can take selfies, and takes bright, crisp pictures. Deciding between the Canon EOS M50 and the Sony RX100 iii. Any advice?

4th January 2019 at 9:47 am

Sure thing! So the RX100 will be more compact than the M50, but my personal preference would be the M50. It has a larger sensor, meaning images will be higher quality in a variety of shooting situations, has the full auto function, and also has a fully articulating screen for selfies. So that would be my preference of the two.

Another option is the EOS M100, which is a bit smaller, but has similar features. It’s also less expensive. It might be a good balance between the two options 🙂

26th December 2018 at 9:41 pm

What would your opinion be with getting the 200d with a 35mm prime and an ultrwide zoom? Do you have any suggestions as to which lenses I should look at? Total budget would only be around 700 I think at this stage. It would be used for travelling (cities and mountains) as well as a little bit of filming in the woods, but this is very much a secondary use

Many thanks

26th December 2018 at 10:01 pm

So that would be a great combination. Assuming a total budget of $700 to include the 200d, which is around $400 body only, then my suggestion would be the Canon 10-18 ultrawide angle , and the Canon 50mm f/1.8 , which is an amazing lens for the price.

That will take you to $794 all in, which is pretty decent for what you are getting 🙂

26th December 2018 at 10:06 pm

Sounds just about perfect, thanks for the speedy reply

If I remember I’ll try to post how I get on with them, such a good thread I’ll probably have a read over in a few months again XD

Thanks for the help, Flo

26th December 2018 at 10:17 pm

My pleasure 🙂 I’d love to hear how that combination works for you, so do pop back and let me know 🙂

We keep this post up to date as newer models come along, we also have a guide to travel lenses if you want another post to read 🙂 https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/best-lenses-for-travel-photography/

Have a wonderful 2019!

26th December 2018 at 7:23 am

Thanks for your article, it was really helpful. I was already considering the Nikon D3500 with an 18- 140mm lens as an alround in-expensive travel camera for an upcoming trip where we really only want to travel with the bare minimum. We can get this as a kit lens in Aus. However, I was wondering about the comparison between the D3500 and the D5600 with the 18-140 mm which is also available as a kit?

26th December 2018 at 11:09 am

Hi Helen, and thanks!

So there is not a great deal of difference between the two. They have pretty much the same specification, the main difference is that the D5600 has a moveable touchscreen and the D3500 has a fixed, non touch-screen. The D5600 is a bit heavier too, but they are otherwise dimensionally identical.

So really it comes down to whether or not the moving touchscreen is something you would want, as otherwise these two cameras are pretty much identical.

Hope this helps!

valina1981 says

11th December 2018 at 6:03 am

Absolutely love this post! Thank you. I’ve spent the last few weeks drowning in information and agonizing over which camera will be the best for me. As a complete beginner who wants to capture great images but wouldn’t have the slightest idea where to start with changeable lens this guide is ideal. Thank you

11th December 2018 at 10:06 am

My pleasure!

9th December 2018 at 7:21 am

I found this very helpful and an now as subscriber. I was going to sign up for your course, but got confused (my constant state) when I was about to pay and was greeted by a different instructor (‘Nomatic” Matt, or something like that). I now have a little over and hour experience reading your material and felt there was a good match, so didn’t sign up with Matt, if that is what I was doing. May be I missed something. Please let me know if you are in fact the instructor. Thanks

9th December 2018 at 10:31 am

Sorry about that confusion, I should probably try to make it clearer. So the course that you are talking about is my course, I wrote the whole thing, and all the homework / feedback comes to me. The course is just hosted at the Nomadic Matt site as he has a number of courses that compliment each other, plus it means I don’t have to worry about server hosting and the technology of the course – I just run it 🙂

But yes, that’s the one to sign up for to get to me 🙂

9th December 2018 at 5:06 pm

Thanks for the quick response and clarification. I will be signing up.

9th December 2018 at 7:11 pm

Thanks Steve, looking forward to helping you out 😀

Shirzad says

27th November 2018 at 1:13 am

You are a star!! Thank you, very informative.

27th November 2018 at 11:21 am

My pleasure! let us know which one you chose 🙂

David Stepenberg says

19th November 2018 at 1:56 am

Outstanding publication that was informative and easily understood. I appreciate your sharing your experience and expertise.

I’m interested in a digital camera that produces extremely high quality photos for canvas enlargement, has a large sensor, image stabilization, and is compatible with a high quality long range zoom lense. Based on this publication I’m assuming a DSLR is best, but I’m not sure which one and would appreciate your feedback.

19th November 2018 at 10:13 am

Thanks very much 🙂

So based on your requirements, you’d be looking at a fairly high end camera. You have a few options, depending on your budget:

The Canon 5D Mark IV The Sony A7r III The Nikon D850

These are all roughly the same price. For your specific needs, I would probably lean towards the Sony a7 rIII, which is a mirrorless full frame camera, with in body image stabilization and a high megapixel sensor which means you’ll be able to get those high quality images you’re after.

The 5D is a great camera, but the sensor doesn’t have so many megapixels. The Nikon is also excellent, with a fantastic (Sony made) sensor, but has no in body stablization.

Of course, both Nikon and Canon offer stabilised lenses, so you can get the same effect with a lens.

I hope this helps. There are other options at lower (and higher!) budgets, but this would me my starting point without knowing your exact budget 🙂

26th October 2018 at 4:13 pm

Nice article..! Any reason to choose D3300 over D3400?

26th October 2018 at 6:07 pm

In terms of the cameras under $500, I wanted to pick a great value camera, and the D3300 certainly fits that bill, especially since the D3400 and D3500 have since been released. However, if you have the budget, the newer models are definitely worth checking out 🙂

17th October 2018 at 9:22 pm

I feel you are missing a well known and loved travel camera. The Ricoh GR &/or GRii essentially the same, is ultra light, a somewhat fast 2.8 for low light, no AA filter that delivers sharp images and can be found used $350 or brand new $600. Yes, it has a fixed 28mm lens but it’s also so sharp with an aps-c sensor That cropping into a RAW image is still sharp after digital processing. Not the fastest auto focus but for those who focus on setting up their image or are patient for the scene to develop, it’s sufficient.

Great blog. Thanks for the work.

18th October 2018 at 5:43 pm

Thanks very much! There are a lot of great cameras out there for sure, and thanks for recommending your favourite. Hopefully someone finds your recommendation useful 😀

7th October 2018 at 2:10 pm

Absolutely brill article thankyou! I have a question for you . . . Im a land artist in the UK and currently looking to invest in a camera to capture my artwork. Been using a samsung galaxy phone up till now but seriously need to upgrade as Im being asked for large prints! Im good with light and composition but have very little tech knowledge! So looking for the smallest simplest camera that is not a phone! that shoots in RAW for high quality large prints that I can carry easily and not have to think about! Ive been looking at the Sony RX100 V and wondering if the image quality will be good enough . . friends saying Sony Alpha series is better! Help! Getting confused with so much choice! Would really appreciate your opinion or advice :)) *artwork ranges from small macro creations to much larger woodland or river work

10th October 2018 at 4:59 pm

So for something small the shoots in RAW, a higher end point and shoot should work fine for your specific needs 🙂 The Alpha series from Sony is a great choice too, but they are certainly bigger than a point and shoot, and also a bit more complicated to use. So I would advise something like the Panasonic or Sony in this post. We also have a more comprehensive Point and shoot camera guide here with even more choices 🙂 https://independenttravelcats.com/best-compact-camera-travel-point-and-shoot-cameras/

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Cecilia Lawrence says

11th September 2018 at 1:22 am

Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to write up this list! I was wondering if you could give me some camera recommendations. I’m an amateur photographer and I mostly use my camera for taking interior photos (like architecture or portraits) for art references. The things I’m looking for are:

1.) Long battery life (when traveling) 2.) Under $500 3.) Good in low-light settings

I’m trying to find either a good point-and-shoot or a mirrorless camera that fits in my budget. I was told that the Canon Rebel t6 is a good DSLR for what I’m looking for, but I’m wondering if it might not be a little too cumbersome when traveling. Any suggestions?

11th September 2018 at 10:34 am

Hi Cecilia!

My pleasure. So, your wishlist is quite a challenge I have to be honest 🙂

For a long battery life, your best option is going to be a DSLR, as mirrorless cameras use up more battery due to not having an optical viewfinder, which means you always need to be powering a screen.

Low light is the hardest environment for a camera to work in. My suggestion for the type of photography you are wanting to do would be to invest in a tripod, which can help get around some of the challenges of shooting in low light by letting you use longer exposures.

My suggestion would be perhaps the Canon M100 . This has the same sensor has the Canon DSLR cameras, but is in a smaller body, so it is quite compact. It comes in under budget including a lens. The only issue is that the battery life is not going to be as good as a DSLR.

let me know how that sounds!

11th September 2018 at 6:06 pm

Thank you so much for your quick response! This camera looks perfect–exactly what I was looking for. Thank you again!

11th September 2018 at 6:09 pm

My pleasure Cecilia 🙂 You inspired me to add it to the post as well, I think it’s an excellent option at this price point 🙂

Prashanth says

31st August 2018 at 9:17 am

Hello, thank you for an excellent article. I’ve got a tough one for you – my trusty Panasonic FZ300 has checked itself out after three terrific years. I can’t seem to find anything else that matches its set of amazing features. Can you help? Thanks!!

31st August 2018 at 10:31 am

Hi Prashanth,

I think the logical replacement would be the new Panasonic FZ330, which seems to have a similar set of features and upgraded technology 🙂

1st September 2018 at 6:00 am

Oh wow Laurence, thank you! I can’t believe I wasn’t able to find it myself. I kept searching for “FZ300 successor” but apart from a few forum postings on what a potential successor should look like, I only saw pages from four years ago that declared that the FZ300 was a successor to the FZ200! I noticed that you don’t have a section for bridge cameras on your blog – from my own experience, I found the FZ300 the most versatile cam I’ve used. I go on an annual 5500+ meter trek (Kailash Manasarovar yatra if you’re interested), and I’ve really put the weather sealing capabilities of the FZ300 to the ultimate test! The ultrazoom really comes in handy on the trek (to scope out far away features or wildlife) and the insane feature set (from 4 years ago!) – 4k video, timelapse, wifi, multiple zoom controls, touchscreen, etc. make this camera an absolute treat to use. If at all anything could be improved, it would be the sensor, because it isn’t good at all in low light (thats when the RX100 comes out of my pocket ;-)). I look forward to checking the FZ330 out – thanks again!

1st September 2018 at 6:04 am

Oops! I had just replied to your comment Laurence, but I’m afraid the FZ300 and the FZ330 are exactly the same 🙁 “There is no functional difference as far as I know. It is a brand / labeling thing. The FZ330 IS the FZ300.”

1st September 2018 at 10:54 am

You are right! I am so sorry, I just found that and figured it must be the latest version of it as that’s what Panasonic has on their website. They don’t seem to have anything newer with the same sort of features, and I can’t find anything else that is the same sort of bridge design with the same feature set. The FZ300 / 330 seems to still be the only option. So I’m not sure if you’ve considered just buying another one?

You are definitely correct that this guide is currently missing bridge cameras, the only reason being I don’t have personal experience with them so it’s hard for me to give good advice!

2nd April 2019 at 7:07 pm

Hi again Prashanth!

A bit of a delay, but I thought you’d be interested in the recently launched FZ-1000 II. It doesn’t have quite the zoom of the FZ330, but the sensor is both bigger and has higher megapixels, so when you crop the image you will likely end up with the same results. It’s also somewhat more expensive. But in case you were still looking, I thought you’d like to know 🙂

2nd August 2018 at 7:15 am

Thank you so so much for this. This helped me so much

2nd August 2018 at 10:00 am

My pleasure Rachel 😀

Techwhippet.com says

23rd May 2018 at 3:55 pm

Hi findingtheuniverse, This article is very much helpful. But still I have question on it should I ask here ?

23rd May 2018 at 7:36 pm

If you have a question you are welcome to ask it 🙂

nick esposito says

16th March 2018 at 4:23 pm

6D II has a swivel screen and a touchscreen..your info is wrong in the article.

16th March 2018 at 4:29 pm

Thanks Nick – I’ve fixed that in the article 🙂

Gezina Uys says

21st February 2018 at 12:59 pm

I have been looking for a travel camera for a long time now, but not one can can do everything I want it to do. 1. It must be lighter than my Canon EOS . 2. Must take superb photo’s because I print a lot and enlarge them. 3. Large sensor. 4. Good optical zoom lens. 5. Image stabilization. 6. Build in flash with range more than 10m. 7. Megapixels – more than 20.

Please advice me what to buy. I go on a holiday in August and must have the camera by then. My Canon is just to heavy to carry around.

21st February 2018 at 1:13 pm

That is quite a list 🙂

Getting everything you want in one camera is going to be quite hard – a large sensor will require a larger camera body, that’s just how it works. I’d also add that very few built in flashes are either that powerful or produce good results – this is why pretty much every professional level camera doesn’t even have a built-in flash.

It’s hard to give specific advice without a budget in mind. However, my advice to you would be to consider the Sony mirrorless systems, and in particular the Sony Alpha a7II ( http://amzn.to/2CbOehK ) for your requirements. This has nearly everything you have asked for:

1 – mirrorless, so smaller and lighter than EOS full frame cameras, weighs 1.32lbs 2 – takes great photos 3 – full frame sensor 4 – lots of lenses available 5 – built in 5-axis image stabilisation 6 – no flash (see above for why) 7 – 24.3MP

21st February 2018 at 1:37 pm

To follow on from your e-mail where you say that Sony are leaving the South African market (!). This is definitely a problem, as there aren’t any other full frame mirrorless cameras that I’m aware of, other than the Leica range, which are really expensive.

So my advice would be to look instead at the APS-C sized sensors on mirrorless cameras. These still produce great image quality and come in a smaller format. I’d specifically advise either the Fuji XT2 or the Fuji XT20, depending on your budget, both of which offer superb image quality. I know a number of professional photographers who love these cameras and use them as their main cameras day in and day out.

Techwhippet says

15th February 2018 at 7:22 am

Hi Mate! I just bought the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, and am curious, do you ever take prime lenses when travelling? I’ve seen some amazing travel pictures taken with Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Amazing blog, keep up the great work!

17th February 2018 at 8:36 pm

Thanks very much! I don’t usually take prime lenses, I usually have a wide angle and a telephoto, and find that is enough to carry!

Greg Kennon says

3rd February 2017 at 4:05 pm

Wow! Awesome in depth post! We recently bought a Sony point and shoot camera and we have loved it. We have used a DSLR before but they are so heavy to take on long walks/hikes! Thanks for the great post! I will definitely reference this when it’s time to upgrade:)

Laurence says

3rd February 2017 at 4:09 pm

Thanks Greg, pleased you find it useful!

Leslie Hoerwinkle says

24th January 2017 at 3:53 am

So, which camera is the best? ????

13th February 2018 at 10:23 pm

It really depends on what you want to do with it, and your budget! I’d suggest checking out the post and making a decision on the best travel camera for you 🙂

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TTC special constables, fare inspectors to use body cams in pilot

Transit commission approves pilot to get underway in the second quarter of this year.

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The TTC board is moving forward with a new use of force policy, which includes a nine-month pilot project where 20 special constables and 20 fare inspectors will use body-worn cameras. 

The pilot will get underway some time in the second quarter of this year. The TTC will also put in-car cameras onto 14 special constable vehicles.

The board approved the new policies six years after 26 recommendations were made by the city's ombudsman. Those recommendations stemmed from an incident where a Black teenager was tackled and pinned to the ground by three TTC fare inspectors on a streetcar platform in February 2018. 

The TTC board adopted the recommendations in that report, but continued to consider body-worn cameras as part of later reports.

The board says approving the updated use of force policy, which the TTC first began public consultations on last December, will emphasize the importance of de-escalation as an alternative to force for special constables.

• 'I deserve better:' Black man pinned by fare inspectors wants TTC to meet with him, apologize
• TTC creating new unit to investigate complaints against special constables, fare inspectors

According to the board's supplementary report, the TTC's use of force policy now mirrors the de-escalation policies used by Toronto police.

"We've worked with the Ombudsman's office as well as our external experts to restrict the application of use of force for fare inspectors," Angela Gibson, head of strategy and foresight at the TTC told board members. "That would mean we will not be using force to enforce fares."

Advocacy group concerned

It's something that still doesn't sit right with transit advocacy group, TTCriders, though. They're concerned about language that says fare inspectors can use force for self-defence and worry that could extend to an unruly passenger refusing to pay a fare.

"We want clarity that force is not acceptable when someone doesn't pay their fare," said Shelagh Pizey-Allen, director of TTCriders. "We do not want force to be the response when someone does not pay $3.30."

Gibson says the policy would allow for situations where a customer doesn't pay to be escalated to special constables or, in rare situations, police.

"The use of force policy removes any ability that a fare inspector could have to physically interact with a customer," she added.

The TTC's chair says the transit commission is not in the game of using force to collect fares.

"The policy is pretty distinct in that use of force is not permitted by fare inspectors to stop fare evaders," Jamaal Myers told CBC News. "The policy does state that. It doesn't say that explicitly but it is the intent of the policy."

"They can only use force for self-defence or to protect members of the public."

• Fare evasion cost TTC nearly $124M last year, staff report says
• Are TTC fare jumpers getting a raw deal? Councillor wants 'fine equity' with drivers who park illega

Earlier this year, the TTC said fare evasion cost them nearly $124 million last year, with most fare evasion happening on streetcars.

The board's report says cameras are intended to capture the entire duration of specific incidents and won't be recording 24/7. Special constables and fare inspectors are obligated to inform individuals during an interaction if they are being recorded.

The use of cameras concerns shelter and housing advocate Diana Chan McNally.

"The presence of body-worn cameras will inevitably, and by design, capture people in their worst moments, which contributes to the systemic over-surveillance of homeless people," she told board members during Thursday's meeting.

Funding for the body-worn camera and in-car camera systems are included in the TTC's 2023-2032 Capital Budget. It amounts to a cost of $1,243,000.

With files from Lounan Charpentier

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Customers are satisfied with the compactness of the camcorder. They mention that it is small and lightweight, and can fit in the palm of a woman's hand. Some say that it can be almost invisible while wearing.

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Customers find the camcorder easy to use, with clear instructions. They also say it's a great little machine and easy to download the video.

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Customers appreciate the camcorder's value, saying it's an excellent product for the price.

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Customers are mixed about the performance of the camcorder. Some mention that it works well, while others say that it didn't work even after following instructions. Some customers also mention that the screen quality is awesome, while other customers say that the SD cards and flash drive didn' t work.

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The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

• Sam Taylor-Johnson
• Matt Greenhalgh
• Marisa Abela
• Eddie Marsan
• Jack O'Connell
• 7 User reviews
• 22 Critic reviews
• 52 Metascore

• Amy Winehouse

• Mitch Winehouse

• Blake Fielder-Civil

• Cynthia Winehouse

• Janis Winehouse

• Raye Cosbert

• Nick Shymansky

• A & R Manager

• Aunt Melody

• Perfume Paul

• Island Records Senior Executive

• CID Officer

• Uncle Harold
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Marisa Abela did all the singing in this film herself. She trained extensively to mimic Amy Winehouse 's vocals.

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes

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