What you can expect from this article…
- 1 The very best cameras for travel photography and videography in 2018
- 1.1 Questions to ask yourself before buying a camera
- 1.2 Camera Features to take note of when researching cameras
- 1.3 So now it’s time to ask those travel bloggers “Which is the best camera for travel photography?!”
- 1.4 The Best Budget Canon DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by David Angel from Travel With Little One.
- 1.5 The Canon 650D
- 1.6 The Best Budget Nikon DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by yours truly
- 1.7 The Nikon D5500
- 1.8 The Best Canon Mid Range DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by Longest Bus Rides
- 1.9 The Canon 70D DSLR Camera
- 1.10 The Best Fuji Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by The World Pursuit
- 1.11 The Fuji X series
- 2 The Best Sony Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by Travel Lemming
- 2.1 The Sony A6000 Mirrorless Camera
- 2.2
- 2.3 The Best Olympus Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by Tara Lets Anywhere
- 2.4 The Olympus OM-D-E-M10 Mark II
- 2.5 The Best Compact Camera for Travel Photography By Becki from Meet Me In Departures.
- 2.6 The Best Camera for Using for Underwater Travel Photography by The RTW Guys.
- 2.7 The Best Drone for Travel Photography by Allan from Live Less Ordinary.
- 2.8 The Best Smartphone Camera for Travel Photography by Stuart Forster of Go Eat Do
- 2.9 The Best 360-Degree Action Camera for Travel Photography by World Trip Diaries
The very best cameras for travel photography and videography in 2018
Are you trying to choose a camera for travel and are wondering which are the best cameras for travel photography and videography?
Then you’re in luck.
In this travel camera buying article we will cover why travel and photography go hand-in-hand, what features to look for in a travel camera and which travel cameras are recommended by other travel experts.
Travel and photography are like fish and chips, they just go together perfectly. What better souvenir to take home than an album full of beautiful photos to remind you of the fantastic places you visited, the people you met and the experiences you had?
I first started to get interested in travel photography in 2008 on safari in Ghana. I took a super cheap point and shoot camera with me and spent most of the time being frustrated at the limitations of my camera.
There I was, a mere few metres, from a huge elephant yet I’d take a photo and it would look like a grainy speck in the distance. Meanwhile, my safari buddies were comparing super sharp DSLR images and my eyes were turning green with envy. I vowed at that moment I would never travel without a decent camera again and since then, my camera and I have been firmly joined at the hip!
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I’ve often been asked what is the best camera for travel photography?
But it’s not always an easy question to answer as one camera might be great for one person but not another. Personally, I have always loved using the Nikon D5500 (see more about that below) however, it’s not the best camera for video, you certainly can’t get it wet and some people may deem it too heavy. So when asking “What is the best camera for travel photography” really you need to be asking “which is the best travel camera for me?”
Here are some opinions from experienced travel bloggers to help you make the decision. Today we are discussing the best cameras for travel photography and videography in 2018.
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But first, a few things you need to think about before you buy your travel camera!
Questions to ask yourself before buying a camera
- How important are quality photos?
- How much are you willing to spend?
- Would you be happy to carry a heavy camera in order to get quality photos?
- How many features are you happy with? Do you want something straightforward and easy to use or something which allows you greater control of the finer details?
- Are you clumsy? Should you be thinking about a more robust camera?
- Will you be going underwater?
- Will you be taking many videos?
- Does it matter to you what the camera looks like?
Camera Features to take note of when researching cameras
- Camera weight
- Number of lenses available for the camera you are looking at.
- Frames per second for Videography.
- Number of focus points.
- Sensor size
- Price
- Additional features like flip screen, touch screen, Wifi and inbuilt editing tools.
So now it’s time to ask those travel bloggers “Which is the best camera for travel photography?!”
The Best Budget Canon DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by David Angel from Travel With Little One.
The Canon 650D
I’ve been a professional photographer and art director for almost 20 years, and for much of that time used medium format film for my work.
However, the last few years I’ve used a Canon 650D camera, supplemented with very good wide angle and telephoto lenses. The 650D is an entry-level to ‘prosumer’ model and produces very good results at RAW. As a result of shooting medium format for so long, I tend to go with manual settings, especially in low light situations, and with this control, it produces some wonderful results.
One of the things I like about the Canon 650D is its lightness. I spent many years lugging over 10kg of kit up mountains on my back, whereas now my camera bag with all lenses weighs about half that. Digital is so much more convenient than film, and you work so much more quickly with it. That said, my wife’s iPhone is even quicker!
The Best Budget Nikon DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by yours truly
The Nikon D5500
I’ve had several opportunities to upgrade my camera and I always end up going back to the Nikon 5000 series. I started with the Nikon D5100 and now I have the newer version Nikon D5500. Whilst I can see the appeal of a fancy full frame camera, I feel the Nikon D5500 is a better camera for travel photography.
Why?! Well, because it’s lighter and smaller than a full-frame DSLR. It’s got a super handy flip screen which allows you to take some great low and high angle photos. Whilst it’s not the cheapest camera, for a DSLR, it is very reasonable.
Cost is obviously an important factor for choosing the best camera for travel photography – you don’t want to spend your trip opting out of activities because you are worried about damaging a $5000 camera! It’s about finding a travel camera which can take quality photos you are happy with but at an affordable price.
For me, the Nikon D5500 combines the winning factors – it creates quality photos, has handy features to help take pictures at creative angles, it is fairly lightweight and comes at a reasonable price that won’t break the bank! I’m definitely a fan!
[bctt tweet=”The Nikon D5500 combines winning factors – quality photos, has handy features to help take creative angled shots, is fairly lightweight & comes at a reasonable price that won’t break the bank! #nikond5500 #travelcamera” username=”@globetrottergp”]
The Best Canon Mid Range DSLR Camera for Travel Photography by Longest Bus Rides
The Canon 70D DSLR Camera
I love this camera and have taken it around the world. My favourite feature is that, like several Canon models, it has the vari-angle screen. This allows me to hold the camera over my head, take a self-portrait, and take macro shots of flowers inches off the ground, all while easily seeing the screen and not having to stand on a ladder or crawl on the ground.
Another feature I love about DSLRs, in general, is the bulb feature. This allows me to take a photo at any length exposure, which is useful for very low-light situations, like astrophotography. Stick the camera on a tripod and I can shoot the Milky Way.
Keep in mind, this camera, plus whatever lens is attached is not especially lightweight just like all DSLRs. However, the quality overrules this for me. The Canon 70D might be found cheaply now, since Canon has released the Canon 80D more recently.
The Best Fuji Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by The World Pursuit
The Fuji X series
I’ve been travelling with the Fuji X series cameras for a few years now and absolutely love the image quality of them. I bought this after I got sick of lugging around my clunky Canon DSLR. I was in the market for a sleek, stylish, and lightweight camera that would serve me well on safaris, in cities, and in the mountains. It doesn’t hurt that the Fuji series have a complete retro look – most people think I’m shooting on an old film camera!
Fuji’s sensors have some of the best jpegs out of the camera I have seen. With excellent colour representation, the photos require little editing. These cameras also have wifi, tracking autofocus, and even cool effects like film simulation modes that emulate old cameras. This combined with a lightweight build that is slim, ergonomic, and fun makes it a real stand out in the world of mirrorless cameras
The Best Sony Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by Travel Lemming
The Sony A6000 Mirrorless Camera
For travellers looking to step up their photography game without blowing their entire vacation budget, the Sony A6000 is a great entry mirrorless camera. Small enough to stash away in your purse (it’s about half the size of a DSLR) but powerful enough to create eye-popping images, this camera punches well above its weight.
The a6000 is also packed with features usually reserved for much pricier offerings. You’ll love the OLED viewfinder for clear visibility on sunny days, and the 100-25,600 ISO range will let you shoot even in the lowest of light. The camera also records gorgeous 1080p HD video. And transferring your creations to your phone on the fly is a breeze with the built-in WiFi transfer system. Perhaps most importantly, the Sony a6000 allows for interchangeable lenses, meaning that the camera has plenty of room to grow as you expand your photography skills. If you want to shoot photos like a pro on a budget, look no further than the excellent Sony A6000. [bctt tweet=”The a6000 is also packed with features usually reserved for much pricier offerings. You’ll love the OLED viewfinder for clear visibility on sunny days, and the 100-25,600 ISO range will let you shoot even in the lowest of light. #SonyA6000″ username=”@globetrottergp”]
The Best Olympus Mirrorless Camera for Travel Photography by Tara Lets Anywhere
The Olympus OM-D-E-M10 Mark II
For cameras, we swear by the Olympus OM-DEM Mark II. Along with the Sony A6000, it’s a contender among top budget mirrorless cameras for entry-level photo enthusiasts, and we chose it due to a slightly higher performance review online. We can’t be happier with this choice.
Olympus Mark II is easy to use and it takes realistic, colourful pictures. Given the right conditions, minimal to no editing is required. Of course, it also has manual options that make mirrorless cameras great for quality photography – so you can adjust the aperture, ISO, white balance and so on.
This camera comes with a 14-42mm kit lens for all-around use. We use mostly this one for capturing travel photos. Olympus Mark II is also compact and lightweight, with 120 x 83 x 47mm dimension. Some of the useful features we find are HD video, 5-axis image stabilization and fast auto-focus, as well as high-res electronic viewfinder and tilting LCD screen for easy use.
Overall, The Olympus mark II is a great mirrorless camera that will give you your bang for the buck.
The Best Compact Camera for Travel Photography By Becki from Meet Me In Departures.
The Lumix TZ80
Credit @backpackbecki
I was at crossroads when my old camera had well and truly worn out. With the amount of travelling I was doing, part of me wanted to upgrade to a DSLR but then I really liked the size and practicality of compact cameras.
One big annoyance with my old compact camera was that it didn’t have the best zoom and it was fairly rubbish on action shots. Regardless if I chose a DSLR or another compact, these were two things I wanted to address.
Although I loved the idea of a DSLR, what put me off was the size of them. I’d grown used to the practicality of compact cameras. I couldn’t just chuck a DSLR into my little shoulder bag. So I focussed my search on compact camera options.
So with quite a bit of research and black Friday looming I decided on the Panasonic Lumix TZ80. It’s got an awesome 30x zoom! And 4k video/photo capability. A ton of pre-set filters even in automatic mode which has led to some fabulous artistic shots. The macro is also pretty decent too. Nice added extras are a viewfinder if it’s too sunny to see the screen, as well as the ability to link to your smartphone via the app. The big bonus is that all this is compact enough to still fit into my little day bag.
I’ve totally fallen in love with my little Lumix camera and the outcomes I’ve had using on my past 3 trips. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants quality and convenience.
The Best Camera for Using for Underwater Travel Photography by The RTW Guys.
The Sony RX100
I’ve been using the Sony RX100 Mark IV since I borrowed one in 2016 in Indonesia. The quality was so impressive that I bought it as soon as I got home.
The Fantasea underwater housing is the best for this camera. It’s inexpensive, high quality, and allows full manual control over all functions of the camera. The FRX100 supports the BigEye M55 wide-angle conversion lens (ASIN B00R6LRRRU), which you’ll need for the best photo and video results.
My favourite feature of the Sony RX 100 is the ability to pre-set two custom white balance configurations. No more constant adjustment during a dive. Push a button and you’re done.
The camera, housing, and lens will set you back about $1600, fairly inexpensive for the quality you’re getting. You’ll add more to this kit eventually, but this is enough to get you started. And when you’re done underwater, it’s a perfect travel camera that fits right in your front pocket!
The Best Drone for Travel Photography by Allan from Live Less Ordinary.
The DJI Spark Drone
Size will always be the deciding factor for many travellers when it comes to drones, and this is why the DJI Spark is the perfect model, a drone small enough to fit in your pocket or take off from your hand (143×143×55 mm), and light enough (300grms) for it to avoid occasional local drone legislation.
At the same time, the quality is high, as expected from DJI, and the Spark easily covers the needs of any blogger or hobbyist in drone photography and videography. But what I love most about the DJI Spark is just how simple and idiot-proof it is to use. As with obstacle avoidance sensors, it is almost impossible to crash, and with GPS tracking, if the connection is lost, or the battery life is running low, it will automatically return “home” to where it first set off. Not to forget that it is the cheapest of the DJI drones.
To check out the video capacity of the DJI Spark, check out this video by Live Less Ordinary.
The Best Smartphone Camera for Travel Photography by Stuart Forster of Go Eat Do
The Google Pixel smartphone
Having a smartphone with a quality camera is handy for taking photographs and filming videos. I find that the Google Pixel has a very good still camera. It also enables me to shoot high-definition videos without carrying bulky equipment.
The camera creates 12.3-megapixel photos and is quick to focus. It also performs reasonably well in low-light conditions.
As a trained photographer I regularly use D-SLR cameras on assignments and love the creative flexibility offered by them. But sometimes it’s a relief to travel light and simply enjoy photography. The Google Pixel smartphone weighs just 143 grams. Carrying it in my pocket on nights out or days off ensures that I’m able to quickly ready myself to take photos.
I also like that it’s easy to download photo editing software to the phone. That means I can immediately edit pictures for online use and share them via social media.
The Google Pixel has by far the best camera of any smartphone I’ve yet used.
The Best 360-Degree Action Camera for Travel Photography by World Trip Diaries
The Garmin Virb 360
After a lot of research, we bought a Garmin Virb 360. It’s a very cool 360 camera, which means it takes a photo of everything around, above, and below. It doubles as an action camera, too. It can go underwater, it’s weather resistant, and it has a lot of cool accessories to use it in a wide variety of ways! The reason we bought it instead of others is that we can change the lenses in case they break. That means we can use it without the fear of having to get a new camera. It’s also a small and lightweight camera, which makes it great for travelling!The only troubles are editing (it takes a bit longer than regular photos to be usable) and the need for a good and stable tripod – because I’m sure you don’t want your camera falling down at the smallest movement.
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So there we have it, plenty of advice from experienced travel bloggers to help you find your next camera! So which do you think is the best camera for travel photography in 2018?! I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions and as always I really appreciate any shares to help me spread the word!
Read Next
- Which are the best camera lenses for travel photography?
- Other travel photography essentials you need in your camera bag
- Landscape Photography Tips to Make Your Pictures Instagram Worthy
- Easy Wildlife Photography for Your Next Wildlife Adventure
- Portrait Photography Tips to Help Capture Personality
Or if you’re new to DSLR or mirrorless photography and are anxious to get off auto-mode, then get my FREE photography for beginners E-Course.
