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I am a professional travel photographer and one of the most popular questions I get from readers and students in my travel photography course is what is the best travel camera.
Best Digital Camera For Travel
With that in mind, I wanted to put together the definitive (and regularly updated) guide to the best travel camera.
The Best Travel Cameras In 2023 (every Budget And Type)
This guide covers everything you need to know to help you choose the best travel camera, based on your needs and budget, as well as a guide to all my favorite cameras.
This is an in-depth post where I’ll cover my top picks for the best cameras in a number of categories, including smartphones, compact cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLR cameras, to name just a few of the options.
These travel cameras will suit a wide range of budgets, needs and expertise levels. Our picks are ordered roughly by budget, from cheaper models to more expensive models.
I’ll also go through in detail what to look for when buying a travel camera and why each spec is important, so you can make the best choice for you.
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Keep in mind that the best travel camera will depend a lot on your needs and situation, but after reading this post you should be able to choose the right camera for you – even if it’s not the one we recommend!
I also have a guide to the best cameras for hiking and backpacking that has some different options specific to those requirements, as well as a guide to the best action cameras.
This guide will also work if you’re looking to buy a camera for someone else, and I recommend checking out our photography gift guide for more ideas on what to buy a photographer.
Now, before we dive into individual travel camera recommendations, let’s start with a look at what you should think about when choosing a travel camera.
The Best Mirrorless Camera In 2023
I think this is an important read because understanding what you’re looking for when buying a camera will help you make a truly informed decision.
This is important. Cameras vary widely in price, from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. So you definitely need to think about how much you want to spend.
Also, this is a travel camera. While you want to get the best shots, traveling can expose you to risks, from loss to theft. Obviously, these are things that can be mitigated with insurance, but it’s something to keep in mind when investing – the more expensive the camera, the higher the insurance premium.
Finally, don’t forget that the camera is only part of the puzzle. You’ll also need things like memory cards, spare batteries, lenses – and maybe a tripod and filters. Your needs will vary, but don’t forget to factor them into your overall budget – I’ve written a post on travel photography accessories to give you some pointers, as well as a guide to choosing the best lens for travel photography.
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This is a really important question. If you’re the type of person who likes to travel light, then you won’t want a bulky DSLR. Having the best travel camera sitting in your hotel room while you’re out and about won’t do much good.
Even a mirrorless system might be too much for you if you want something that will actually 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 to carry around spare lenses, filters and other accessories, then you’ll likely be looking at a mirrorless system or a DSLR.
Remember, as a general rule, the bigger the camera, the more room there is for a bigger sensor. A larger sensor means the camera can capture more light, meaning you’ll get sharper, cleaner images even when shooting in darker situations.
The Best Travel Cameras
The type of photography you will be doing makes a big difference to the type of travel camera you will buy. If your main goal is to take beautiful travel photos for your albums, social media, and to post to friends and family online, then any type of camera will probably do the job.
However, if you’re going to be doing a lot of action photography or need the camera to be completely waterproof, then something like a GoPro will be the best option.
If you’re into astrophotography, you’ll need a camera with a large sensor that lets in enough light, and you might want to invest in a DSLR. Conversely, if you just want a general purpose camera with a lot of flexibility for a variety of travel scenes, from food to landscapes and people, then something like a mirrorless system is likely to be best, offering the best performance for the weight.
Many cameras these days come with extra features that you may or may not be interested in. I’m talking touchscreen interfaces, built-in GPS, WiFi, weatherproofing, rotating screens, and so on.
Best Travel Camera For 2023: Top Choices For Your Adventures
The main features you should look at in terms of actual image quality are sensor size, aperture range, level of manual control and, for non-interchangeable lens cameras, optical zoom. Beyond that, the features you’re interested in depend on your needs.
For example, you may also want to record videos with your camera. Some cameras are much better at video than others – in particular Panasonic’s Lumix range of cameras are renowned for their video performance.
Personally, I like to have a camera with GPS and WiFi capabilities so that I can easily remember where my photos were taken, plus I can control the camera remotely from my smartphone. On the other hand, a touchable, swiveling screen is not a problem for me.
What works for me may not work for you, so think about what features are important to you when making your purchase 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.
The 5 Best Digital Travel Cameras Of 2023
Like any subject, photography comes with a bunch of terminology – some of it is important to know, others are manufacturer’s gimmicks that don’t really make any difference to your photography. Here are the important terms to look out for when buying a travel camera and what they mean.
Opening. The aperture is the hole in the lens that lets light through and is one side of the exposure triangle. Aperture is measured in numbers, with “f” in front of the number, for example, f/1.8, f/2.2. The smaller the number after the “f”, the larger the hole and the more light enters. Look for smaller numbers that will allow you to get better images even when less light is available, and also give you better control over Depth of Field.
Optical zoom. This represents the difference between the lowest and highest magnification a camera lens can achieve. So a camera with 10x optical zoom can make objects in the image appear 10x larger than when the camera is zoomed out.
Digital zoom. A completely pointless feature that some manufacturers add to their cameras. It’s basically software zoom – the same effect you get if you zoom in on your computer or smartphone when you have an image. Avoid using it.
Best Mirrorless Cameras For Travel Photography In 2023
Focal length. Focal length is the correct photographic term for optical zoom and is a standard among lenses and manufacturers. Optical zoom is an easy-to-understand number you’ll find in point-and-shoot cameras. Focal length, measured in mm, is the number you’ll find on cameras with interchangeable lenses. The longer the focal length, the greater the magnification the lens offers.
EVF. Electronic viewfinder. This means the camera has a viewfinder, but instead of a glass version that shows the scene in front of you as your eye sees it, there’s instead a small electronic display that shows what the camera’s sensor is seeing – just like the display on the back of the camera. You can usually only find them on high-end mirrorless cameras.
Megapixels. Megapixels just refer to the number of pixels the camera sensor has. Mega means million. So 12 megapixels is 12 million pixels, which would be an image 4000 pixels wide by 3000 pixels high. 4000 * 3000 = 12 million.
Fortunately, manufacturers have pretty much ended the megapixel war, which is a good thing, because as long as you have over 12 megapixels, you’re good to go. In some cases, such as smartphones, fewer megapixels is actually better, as you’ll likely get better low-light performance because each pixel on the sensor could be larger. But yes, unless you plan to print your images
