What camera do I need?

[Zikkan]

Hey!

I plan to climb Kilimanjaro and after that many other adventure travels and I want a camera that will take good photos and do not break the bank. I was thinking of Gopro hero 9, tiny, affordable, durable and seems to take good photos. But I have ZERO knowledge about cameras.
I want something light so it is maximum 500-600g nothing big and I will also only start it and take a photo, no settings or anything. What do you guys think, is Gopro a good camera or should I get a compact camera like Canon PowerShot SX740 HS?
What is the pros and cons.

 

[dxqcanada]

How about something rugged like an Olympus TG-6 ?

 

[Zikkan]

That seems like a good option, but is there a difference in quality of the photos when compared to a Gopro?

How about something rugged like an Olympus TG-6 ?

 

[Designer]

I don't have any actual experience with a GoPro, but from what I've seen, they appear to have only one focal length, and it's a wide angle. I could be wrong, so check it out. I would just start looking for "travel cameras" and find one to meet your budget requirements.

 

[mjcmt]

I climbed a few beginner mountains in Colorado Rockies and drag a SLR w/ wide angle lens in the '90s. If I did it again I'd take the Ricoh GRIII or Fuji X-S10, but probably the GRII for compactness and weight. I'm not sure you can find the perfect camera because of the freezing temperatures at the summit.

Here are 3 budget compact suggestions:

Olympus TG-6 is waterproof
Olympus TG-6 review: the best waterproof camera on the market

GoPros hero 9 is tiny
https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/gopro-hero-9-black

Ricoh GRIII is compact, has best photo quality and is highly rated
Ricoh GR III review

Fuji X-S10 is also superb full featured compact camera w/ interchangeable lenses for your other travel events besides mtn climbing. I'd get featherweight 27mm lens for climbing and compact zoom for travel.
Fujifilm X-S10: Digital Photography Review

Take a large memory card for lots of photos of trip traveling and climbing.

Take at least one extra battery.

 

[dxqcanada]

That seems like a good option, but is there a difference in quality of the photos when compared to a Gopro?

A Gopro (Action Camera) is not designed to take the best still images ... as an Action Camera it is fixed focus and a fixed ultra-wide focal length.

 

[Rickbb]

For your use get either a Cannon PowerShot or the Ricoh, not the GoPro. I have an older PowerShot and it does an excellent for a pocket camera.

 

[dunfly]

A lot depends on what you want from a camera. To me, a travel camera needs to take decent images and have zoom capability. The Ricoh will take great images, and has an APC sensor, but it is a fixed focal length at 28MM. That would eliminate it for me. The Canon SX740 takes decent shots and a huge zoom range (40X), but it has a small sensor. I have Nikon S9900 that is similar, also with a 1/2.3 sensor. I have gotten some very good shots with it. If you want postable images and will not be making large prints it should be more than adequate. My personal choice would be a Panasonic DMC-ZS100. It has a narrower focal length range (10X) but has a 1" sensor. Right now it can be had at a substantial discount from original retail.