Best compact camera for travelling with zoom

The trip is booked, the flight tickets are printed, the Passport is ready. Now, what is the best compact camera for travelling within the available budget?

First great news, there’s never been as much competition in the pocket cameras as today. This translates in better quality and lower price for the customers, which is great.

One of my first digital cameras was actually a small Canon, a compact camera that I paid over 1,000 Pounds. It had a 4MP sensor, great quality for that years, 1998 or 1999.

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• Reference Guide to Travel Photography

Why did I spend that much money for a pocket camera? 

Probably for exactly the same reason as I would do now, convenience.

Having a Mirrorless or a DSLR is great however it’s not really as practical in some cases, it does not really fit in my pockets, it weights way too much, it attracts attention from people around. 

Moreover, my partner wanted to have a good starter camera, step up from the mobile world.

In 2000 the mobile cameras were, well, let’s say in the experimental phase. It was easier to justify the money.

Nowadays the mobiles have great cameras. They lack however in a few things as the limited zoom capability.

They are good for general use, especially when there is lots of light, but they have their own limits.

Another reason I bought a compact camera for travel was, in true honesty, also the price, still reasonable compared to the first digital SLR!!

I have been reviewing photography gear for more than 4 years now and I came across some interesting small cameras.

I was actually surprised myself of how good they are.

Last year I started a monthly comparison list of the great cameras for travel photography including Mirrorless. It was time to concentrate on the compact camera segment.

Admittedly I was a bit ignorant. Practice, testing, reviewing made me understand a lot of these point and shoot cameras!

In my last holiday, I even decided to leave at home my DSLR and take only a compact with me.

How did it go?

Read on for the lessons I learnt and what you should focus on when selecting your best small camera for travelling

If you are after travel photography tips, compositions, tutorials and much more then why not reading and downloading for FREE (no need to pass your email, no worries) this ultimate guide for travel photography. Over 70 pages that may change your way to make (not just take) photos when travelling.

FREE (no email required) Reference Guide to Travel Photography

Essential things to know for a point and shoot camera

What I like the most of today’s travel compact cameras is that they can be used in auto mode (as point and shoot, in a similar way to the mobile), in semi and in full manual mode, like I would do with my DSLR, adding so much more creativity.

Now, how can you select the pocket cameras based on your budget and vacation?

What are the most important things?

These are some of the characteristics I check before buying any camera, especially if I plan to take it with me when travelling.

Sensor Size and Resolution

There was a time when photography manufacturers, especially the ones that produce mobiles, started increasing the resolution to unprecedented levels.

I still remember mobiles with a higher Megapixel resolution than professional cameras, and I am talking of just a few years ago. 

The more the better, that was the popular demand. But did it really help? Did it make sense?

The simple answer is NO and let me explain why.

In a very simplistic way, inside your digital camera, there is a sensor which basically takes the place of the old film.

The sensor captures the reflected light that comes through the lens and sends this information to the internal processor (which is the computer of your camera).

The photo is created and it is sent to the Memory Card.

Of course, there are many variables in this workflow however this is not the place to go into the details. You may read more on this tutorial if interested to go deeper.

It comes naturally to think that a bigger sensor captures more light than a smaller sensor and in general terms it is true.

The sensor, however, is made of photosites (analog devices) that collect the colours/light intensity and record that in the pixel as digital information. 

The larger the photosites the more light they capture and therefore more information can be stored in the pixel. Also, in this case, I suggest a technical tutorial for more information.

Now let’s take two cameras with exactly the same sensor.

The first one has a resolution of 12MP meanwhile the other one is 18MP. In the first case, the pixel is going to be “bigger” and will record more information.

What is that more information by the way?

The better dynamic range for example, where your camera can capture more details from the shadow areas even in the middle of the day. Or better low light performance.

What is the best choice when you look for a compact camera to buy?

It all depends on the available budget of course however ideally the bigger the sensor the better.

If two cameras have exactly the same sensor size then I would probably go for the smaller resolution. 

There are however at least two drawbacks on the smaller resolution:

1. you will be limited in cropping (I sometimes crop action photos otherwise it’s rare in my case)
2. you will not be able to print in very big format (as an example, with 16MP you can print in perfect quality till 11×14″ and good quality till 30×40″ which is honestly very big). If you don’t print then this is not a big limit of course.

Usually, point and shoot cameras have sensors at 1″ size or below. There are however few exceptions with a bigger sensor. In the review below I will list also the sensor size for your reference.

Just keep in mind that bigger means also heavier and more voluminous.

Sensor size and resolution are important characteristics. I hope that above information will help you in the selection of your compact camera for travel.

Please, leave a message in the comments below if you still have questions 😉

Zoom capacity suggested for a compact camera for travelling

This is an easier characteristic to check.

The question is more what is a good zoom for a point and shoot when travelling (much more information here)?

The obvious answer would be to have it as big as possible. For example, a focal length range of 14-600mm would cover all of the needs, from super wide to super zoom, just perfect.

There are at least three issues with really wide ranges:

1. usually, the cameras are more expensive
2. the “glass” quality may not be as good as in the small range zoom (when the cameras are in the same price category)
3. quite often the camera size is bulky (the “glass” has to go somewhere)

My preference goes to a 24-70mm zoom for travelling or even better 24-100mm.

This is a focal range I use also on my DSLR or mirrorless when travelling.

Keep in mind that, with compact cameras, the manufacturers talk always in equivalent focal length terms (as it used to be with the 35mm film or today the professional full-frame cameras).

If you want to go deeper on this concept you can explore this page.

There are nowadays in the market pocket cameras with a fixed lens (no zoom). Usually, they have a bigger sensor. Basically better photo quality however no zooming capability.

Would I suggest them?

Probably not. I would consider them only if you are planning to use the camera for street photography

Size and weight

The size and weight are, in my opinion, two important characteristics for any camera you are going to buy for travelling.

The less you carry around the better it is for your back.

The less voluminous is you gear the less eye-catching you will be.

When travelling, looking like a professional photographer working with big gear is something you do not really want.

You are going to intimidate your subjects and, even worst, someone may try to steal your expensive stuff.

It would be awesome if you could store your compact camera in your trousers pocket, however, this may be hard.

Surely it should fit in your jacket pocket. If bigger then you may be limited during your trip because it will be mostly in your bag.

I think that around 300 grams is a reasonable weight for a point and shoot.

The dimension can be around 105 x 60 x 40mm (this is just a guideline, 2-3mm more or less do not make a huge impact)

Weather sealing

It is really useful to have a weather-sealed camera when travelling.

Unfortunately most of the compact cameras are not environmentally sealed.

The main reason is cost. The camera would become too expensive.

In the list below I will highlight when the camera is weather-sealed otherwise you can assume it is not

Video

Is video an important factor for you?

It is very subjective of course.

If video is not essential then HD is enough, otherwise, 4K becomes essential as well as timelapse or a tilting LCD for self videos.

USB charge

This can be quite useful on a trip.

Most of the modern aeroplanes have today a USB charger.

Moreover, it’s quite common to find USB chargers in airports and sometimes in hotels and this is great, especially when travelling overseas (you do not need plugs adaptor).

Basically, you can charge your camera in lots of places with a simple and light cable.

And nowadays things get even better. You can travel with a multi-port USB charger for your mobile, tablet and camera gears.

My favourite is the RAVPower with iSmart Technology for a faster charge.

Wi-Fi or wireless

This may be really important if you are a social addicted, otherwise not an issue.

Without Wi-Fi, or any wireless connection with your mobile, you will not be able to move instantly the photo to your mobile, make some post-production (check my favourite apps here) and post it straight to Facebook or Instagram.

In think that the wireless connection is more of a nice to have.

In saying that, most of the new compact cameras have some sort of wireless connection, which is great.

My experience with a compact camera for travelling with zoom

This is what I would personally check before buying any compact camera for travelling:

• Sensor: 1″ in size, at least 12MP. Bigger sensors would be ideal however cameras may be not that compact anymore
• Zoom: 24-70mm covers most of travel photography opportunities. 100mm would be a bonus.
• Weather sealing: great to have but not essential
• Video: possibly 4K
• USB Charge: great to have
• Wireless: nice to have

Here below I have examined the pros and cons of the present small cameras for travel in the market.

Want to know the best part?

It’s all been updated to the latest models of 2020

Now let’s start

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 II

I start with one of the cameras I loved the most in my reviews, the Panasonic LX100. 

This point and shoot has most of the characteristics I listed except the weather sealing, which is a real pity.

Anything else is there with a 24-75mm zoom. It would have been great if it was 24-100mm but, hey, we can’t have everything in life.

And now comes the best. It has the biggest sensor size of all the compact cameras for travelling with zoom. It is an MFT sensor, at least two if not even three times as big as most of the other compact.

It’s small but a bit overweight to be a compact (390gr instead of 300gr).

Still, it’s easy to put it in a jacket and forget about, till needed. It can be used in full-auto or full manual mode. 

Another feature that takes this camera apart from the competition is the maximum aperture of the lens, down to F1.7 (the other cameras have F/1.8 or above).

What does it mean?

It simply means that this lens can open up wider and therefore capture more light which is great when shooting in low light or at night without a tripod.

I loved to have the aperture ring on the lens (it makes things quicker and easier).

This camera also implements 4K photography which allows extracting, very very easily, a frame from a 4k video.

Perfect feature when the subject keeps moving, think children or sport/action.

The Panasonic Lumix LX100 II  is probably the best compact camera for travelling with zoom and I would not hesitate to suggest it. 

The prise is not the cheapest, however, the value for money is really amazing.

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Sony DSC-RX100 VI

This is another amazing compact camera you can easily take in any trip.

It has a similar focal zoom as the Panasonic (24-70), smaller in size and weight, but it has a smaller sensor (half the size, 1″ BSI-CMOS).

Previously I described how important is the sensor size. I should have added that also the construction plays a role.

There are at least two technologies of which CMOS is the most popular.

The BSI-CMOS (Sony) is a variation with backside-illuminated sensor (BSI is for backside illumination) which increases the amount of captured light. You can read more information on this article (Sony is definitely very advanced in sensor technology)

The RX100 VI has two spectacular unique features:

• a very high continuous shooting, up to 24fps (most of the competitors go up to 10fps)
• an amazing number of focus points, 315!! (most of the compact cameras go up to 50, when lucky)

Having so many focal points will help you to focus on your subject wherever he/she is in your frame, without the need to re-compose.

Both features become really important when shooting action or sports events.

If this is your ultimate goal I would probably stop reading here and buy the Sony DSC-RX100 VI.

These two characteristics set the camera apart from any other in this category, however, it comes at a price, and I mean budget here.

Best deal on Amazon    Price in Australia

If you are not really interested in action and sports photography you may actually save some money and buy the Sony RX100 IV which has much fewer focus points (just 25) and 16fps continuous shooting (quite good).

This is honestly more than enough for the day to day photography.

You will be saving 30% or more on the price and still get an amazing camera

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Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III

The strength of this camera is the wider focal length range, 24-100mm (instead of 24-75mm in the previous 2 cameras).

This means more photo opportunities, although in travel photography I always prefer to use my legs before any optical zoom.

The Powershot G7X M3 is still a small and light camera and in this respect similar to the Sony for both weight and size.

Video is also good at 4k/30fps but you cannot do slow motion in 4K (most of the people do not really need it, it’s more for YouTubers)

 

It’s a lovely camera, based on the successful predecessor.

Unfortunately, it does not have an EVF (Electronic View Finder) however the LCD is tilting and touchscreen.

Price-wise it is well-positioned with the other models.

Best deal on Amazon    Price in Australia

Panasonic Lumix TZ220/ZS200

The most complicated thing about this camera is the Panasonic naming convention.

Somehow it has 3 names based on the market it is advertised: TZ220, TZ210 or ZS200

This camera has a feature that the other cameras offer only in a limited way. It has a superzoom, a super-wide focal range of 24-360mm, which is huge.

Basically you are covered on any kind of trips (probably except the safari although I did as you see below).

It comes with a drawback though, a smaller aperture of f/3.3, basically 4 times smaller than the other cameras.

This means that if you take these two cameras to make exactly the same shot then the other compacts can capture 4 times more light.

In this respect, the TZ220 is more challenging in a low light environment.

Surprisingly enough the size and weight are similar to the others, although offering a focal length as big as 360mm, which is good news for any traveller.

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The price is really competitive, probably the best of all, keeping in mind that 24-360mm zoom.

Verdict on the top compact camera for travelling

In this post, I did not include compact cameras that do not have zoom capability as the Fujifilm X100F or the Leica Q or the old, but still outstanding Fujifilm X70.

These are great cameras, however, more for street photography than travel photography where you need a bit of zoom

Having a compact camera for travelling without zoom is a bit like having an iPhone or an Android mobile. And in this respect, I would suggest sticking with it and not buying any camera at all.

Now, back to the best compact camera for travelling with zoom

Let me say that I considered the viewfinder to be essential in my cameras…..till I tried to work only with the tilting LCD and I now love it, especially when I take photos of people.

The viewfinder, in my opinion, is like a wall between me and my subject.

I prefer now to keep the camera a bit lower so that my eyes and face are visible and I can have a direct conversation with my subject.

If you are stepping up from a mobile camera you can choose between Sony, Canon or Panasonic. My choice would be for:

• Panasonic TZ220, if I want a really long zoom (25-360), best travel zoom camera
• Sony RX100 VI, if I am planning to do sport and action photography during my trip
• Panasonic LX100 II if I do not want to compromise on the photo quality, simply the best in this category

Do you still have questions or doubts? 

Leave a message in the comment section. Believe you me, I have never missed a reply.

If you think that this post has helped and you want to know much more about travel photography then you should read and download the FREE Ultimate Guide to Travel Photography (no emails required), a 70 pages PDF file.

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