The best travel cameras for your next vacation
The best camera is the camera you have with you! It's not always the best image quality, but that's why in this article we show you the best cameras that should meet everyone's different requirements. That's why it's important to ask yourself in advance of your next vacation, what makes the trip special?
- Landscape or city?
- Flowers or birds?
- Portraits or still life?
- What is your budget?
These are just some of the questions we ask ourselves when we pack our bags for our next trip. As an example, I have also documented my own travel bag, which you can read about here:
The most important points in brief
The following criteria are very general and are aimed at the needs of most photographers:
- The camera should be as light as possible
- The cameras should be compact
- The lenses should cover a good focal length range or support macro
- It should offer good battery life
Sony Alpha 6700 (ILCE-6700) + Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
The top 5 travel cameras - all-rounders
Before we start with the specific recommendations, we want to show you the best cameras that fulfill almost all wishes and offer good image quality, a lot of flexibility and also score well in the most diverse areas!
#1 A highlight for all travel photographers
With the Sony Alpha 7 III and the Tamron 28 to 300 mm zoom lens, you are perfectly equipped for every trip. The 10.7x zoom, which is relatively compact for this focal length range, covers everything from wide mountain panoramas to details in the city and saves you having to change lenses on the go. Image stabilization in the camera and optics ensures razor-sharp hand-held shots even in low light. The Real Time Eye AF always keeps the subject in view and the long-lasting battery delivers reliable shots all day long. Thanks to the robust, weatherproof housing, you can take this bundle with you on everything from a desert hike to a walk on the beach.
#2 Every adventure firmly under control
With its compact magnesium body, the EOS R7 remains pleasantly light even on long trekking tours, while the integrated OLED viewfinder and tilting touch display ensure that you can get the right framing in city alleys as well as on rough coasts. Thanks to the in-body stabilization and high ISO performance, you can take razor-sharp pictures at sunrise and sunset without having to unpack the tripod. The dual card slots back up every moment twice, and with Wi-Fi or USB-C you can send photos directly to your companions or the network - ideal for spontaneous photo stops on the beach or in the mountains. The high frame rate of 15 fps (or 30 fps electronically) also captures fast street scenes or wild animal encounters, while robust sealing and long battery life reliably guide you through any weather and every day. In combination with the camera's internal 5-axis image stabilizer, the compact RF-S 18-150 mm zoom makes it possible to compensate for up to seven stops of camera shake, so that razor-sharp vacation shots are possible even on bumpy boat trips and dramatic mountain hikes.
#3 From a grain of sand to a mountain peak - everything in the picture
The combination of the versatile Panasonic Lumix DCâS5 II and the 28â200 mm f/4â7.1 Macro O.I.S. zoom, which is extremely compact for full-frame format, offers pure freedom of travel. Despite the large focal length range, the Lens remains pleasantly light at around 413 g - ideal for all vacation activities from beach walks to mountain tours. With the close-up limit of just 14 cm and thanks to the 1:2 macro capability, spontaneous detail shots that are often overlooked and enrich the travel album with special perspectives can also be taken on the go. Despite its compact dimensions, the Lens delivers high resolution, attractive background sharpness and a robust, dust and splash-proof design for all subjects
#4 Small camera, big zoom
The lightweight and compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ99 not only fits in every Hawaiian shirt pocket, but also provides enormous flexibility with its 30x Leica zoom, which is of course ideal for any vacation situation. The 20-megapixel MOS sensor ensures amazingly clear images and rich colors even in low light. Thanks to the 5-axis hybrid image stabilizer, the image remains steady when zooming - ideal for spontaneous moments on a city walk or an adventure in the wilderness. The camera films in 4K and offers a 4KâPHOTOâ function - so you never miss a moment of the sunset on the beach, as a perfect still image can be extracted from the video sequence. The 3-inch touch display, which can be folded forward by 180°, makes it easier to take selfies with the sound of waves or a view of the summit. USB charging rounds off the overall travel package: so you can stay flexible even away from the power socket!
#5 Compact size, maximum flexibility: OM SYSTEM OM-5
MFT sensors are often said to be dead, but MFT cameras are still an important part of the equipment of photographers who also shoot birds and want a compact solution for telephoto focal lengths in addition to the full format. The OM-5 offers high image quality and affordable lenses, which offers a wide variety of lenses thanks to the open MFT mount. The image format of 4:3 is also very good for social media, as the sensor is slightly higher than the APS-C or full-frame sensor, which has a 2:3 aspect ratio.
Particularly noteworthy is the robustness of the cameras from Olympus / OM SYSTEMS, which are tested to very high standards. These cameras can withstand the elements and let you work even in the rain if the Lens are weatherproof!
Specific cameras for different situations
We will now take a look at a few more specific models that are aimed at enthusiasts who are looking for one or two features or have special equipment requirements.
Fujifilm X-T5, if you want flexibility with Lens
Slightly heavier than the Panasonic TZ-99, but Fujifilm offers the option of changing the Lens. It has more buttons for setting the camera on the body itself, which can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, but it is a time saver for experienced users, as they can access the most important functions directly without menus.
Brief profile of the X-T5
- 40 megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5HR sensor
- Body weight: 557 grams
- 100 fps darkening-free viewfinder (EVF)
- 6.2K/30P, 4K/60P video recording
- Face/eye and scene recognition
- improved focusing accuracy for fine textures
- 19 different film simulations for nostalgics
Sony Alpha 6700 - photographing and vlogging with high standards
The Alpha 6700 combines outstanding image quality with a well-rounded video package! However, the camera offers quite good battery life, with a sensor that is very versatile and captures many details, which is particularly suitable for nature/landscape photography and wildlife photography, as the APS-C sensor extends the focal length of the Lens.
Brief profile of the 6700
- 26 megapixels - Exmor R sensor
- AI-supported autofocus system with advanced subject & tracking functions
- 4K/120p video recording (with 6k oversampling)
- 5-axis optical image stabilization
- compact and lightweight and suitable for any adventure
- tiltable touchscreen
- robust, dust and splash-proof construction
Ricoh GR III, the street photography legend for minimalists
We can imagine that this camera might make one or two photographers say a little "Huh", but the Ricoh GR III is the best choice for all photographers who want to limit themselves to one focal length, but want a very light and very compact camera in their pocket. One point of criticism here, however, is the battery life, because the compact size means that the battery life is not particularly noteworthy. However, this camera is perfect for street photography thanks to its compactness and solid autofocus performance.
Brief profile of the GR III
- 24.24 megapixels
- APS-C CMOS sensor with primary color filter
- 28 mm wide angle (with KB)
- sensor-based 3-axis Shake Reduction System (SR)
It doesn't always have to be the latest camera
We value sustainability, which is why we continue to focus more and more on our second-hand section and it's always worth taking a look. Modern cameras are very exciting and at Foto Koch we also offer good used cameras that can accompany a photographer for a long time to come. Modern cameras are very robustly built and offer a very long life expectancy, which is why you can usually purchase them without any worries.
Used cameras that we offer are checked for their condition and any damage or defects are recorded by us to the best of our knowledge and reported transparently. We are often offered very new models, which can be purchased for a good price difference to the new price.
Outstanding price-performance ratio: Sony Alpha 6400a
The Sony Alpha 6400a has been on the market for a little longer, but it offers a good number of megapixels that are completely sufficient for most trips. Its successor, the Sony Alpha 6700, offers a few more convenient functions such as mechanical image stabilization, a modern sensor and better autofocus. But if you're not shooting video, the Alpha 6400 is also very good.
The best accessories for travel photography
When it comes to travel photography, there are various camera accessories that can improve your travel shots.
Joby GorillaPod tripod - Thanks to the flexible legs of the GorillaPod, this tripod can be used almost anywhere and enables great shots from new perspectives.
Pocket mount for the camera such as the Capture Clip from Peak Design or the Clip from Ulanzi.
Peak Design's system with the universal anchor loops offers a lot of flexibility and gives the user the choice of whether he or she wants to travel with a hand strap (Peak Design) or a camera strap (Peak Design).
You can find the full selection here:
Does the sensor size play a role in travel photography?
That's a clear yes and no. It always depends on the individual requirements, but the technology in smaller cameras has become better and better and offers a high level of resolution, sharpness of detail and adverse lighting conditions. However, in most cases the sensor size determines the final price. Full-frame cameras are usually even more expensive than APS-C, MFT or smaller sensors.
However, APS-C cameras, especially from Fujifilm, now have a lot to offer. In addition to image stabilization and filters, they offer a very compact solution with their own lenses and, with the Viltrox lenses with a very strong open aperture of f1.2, they also offer the kind of free-viewing you love from the full-frame format.
MFT cameras are characterized by the design of the sensor, as well as by their form factor, which simply gives the cameras a raison d'être like no other system, as already mentioned, it is particularly suitable for social media and if you want to get very close to a distant object.
