which travel camera?

[chuasam]

I've been bouncing back and forth between several models for my next Travel Camera.
Last year, I borrowed an EM5 II with a 12-40/2.8 for a vacation and I really loved it.
A few years back I borrowed a Lumix GM1 with the 12-32 for a trip to London. I loved the size, the images were so so...but the size..oh wow.

I'm considering one of the following
* Olympus EM10 III with the 14-42 EZ (plus maybe the 40-150/4.0-5.6R)
* Sony A6000 with the 16-50 and 55-210 (maybe the A6300?)
* Sony RX100 (III, IV, or V)

Olympus - advantage -CHEAAAAP for what you get.
RX100 variant -small but OMFG so expensive
Sony A6xxx - middle of the road. I heard bad things about the 16-50

I don't want to spend too much. This is my travel fun. Image quality is secondary to size. I have a D810 and will be getting a D850 next month so this is really just for fun.

 

[waday]

Are you buying new or used? You can get a used Oly EM10 II for like $400. And, you can pick up the 40-150 new for $100 at BH right now...

 

[waday]

Are you buying new or used? You can get a used Oly EM10 II for like $400. And, you can pick up the 40-150 new for $100 at BH right now...

Eh, scratch that... B&H has the EM10 II and the two lenses you were talking about for $650... Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four V207051BU010-LK

 

[ac12]

Why not a D5600 + 18-140.
Then you can also use your FX lenses, if you want to.

IMHO, the 15-55 is too short for a one-lens travel kit.
I have the 18-140 and it has become a great GP lens for me.

 

[chuasam]

Are you buying new or used? You can get a used Oly EM10 II for like $400. And, you can pick up the 40-150 new for $100 at BH right now...

let's not talk about the prices you see. As in actual numbers.
Those are not relevant to me. I don't pay what you see as retail.
For example, I can buy a brand new EM10 III kit for about USD 465 but that's not the point.

I'm more concerned about performance and size for vacations. I don't do travel photography but I like to remember the stuff I did during my leisure time.

 

[chuasam]

Why not a D5600 + 18-140.
Then you can also use your FX lenses, if you want to.

IMHO, the 15-55 is too short for a one-lens travel kit.
I have the 18-140 and it has become a great GP lens for me.

I want a super light (pocketable if possible) travel kit.
I used to travel with just the Lumix LX5 but I've found it not good enough.

 

[waday]

Are you buying new or used? You can get a used Oly EM10 II for like $400. And, you can pick up the 40-150 new for $100 at BH right now...

let's not talk about the prices you see. As in actual numbers.
Those are not relevant to me. I don't pay what you see as retail.
For example, I can buy a brand new EM10 III kit for about USD 350 but that's not the point.

I'm more concerned about performance and size for vacations. I don't do travel photography but I like to remember the stuff I did during my leisure time.

Soooooooo....

Help a guy out with a few items he wants to buy but can't afford retail?

Size, the RX100 wins, but it's fixed lens.

I haven't used either Sony camera, and while i haven't used the Oly, I do currently have the EM1.1. I love it. I've heard good things about the EM10.2 and Em10.3.

Courtesy of Compact Camera Meter :

 

[chuasam]

Are you buying new or used? You can get a used Oly EM10 II for like $400. And, you can pick up the 40-150 new for $100 at BH right now...

let's not talk about the prices you see. As in actual numbers.
Those are not relevant to me. I don't pay what you see as retail.
For example, I can buy a brand new EM10 III kit for about USD 350 but that's not the point.

I'm more concerned about performance and size for vacations. I don't do travel photography but I like to remember the stuff I did during my leisure time.

Soooooooo....

Help a guy out with a few items he wants to buy but can't afford retail?

Size, the RX100 wins, but it's fixed lens.

I haven't used either Sony camera, and while i haven't used the Oly, I do currently have the EM1.1. I love it. I've heard good things about the EM10.2 and Em10.3.

Courtesy of Compact Camera Meter :
View attachment 154397

Hahaha I’m only allowed to sell off my stuff after one year. Or purchase for spouse or family members.
I don’t mind the fixed lens on the RX100 series. It’s the mad prices they want. Rx100 iii will cost me about the same as the Em10 iii and the Olympus is newer and more flexible.
I wish Nikon had brought their DL line to fruition. I had one on a verbal preorder and then they didn’t make it.

 

[CherylL]

I use the Sony RX100iii & iv for travel cameras, mostly for video and time-lapse. Check out Best Buy online for any open boxes. That is how I purchased my two. The open box is checked out by their staff, but you have 2 weeks to make sure the camera is in full working order. I'm happy with the quality. It isn't as good as my Canon 5D mark iii, but worth not lugging the weight around.

 

[chuasam]

I use the Sony RX100iii & iv for travel cameras, mostly for video and time-lapse. Check out Best Buy online for any open boxes. That is how I purchased my two. The open box is checked out by their staff, but you have 2 weeks to make sure the camera is in full working order. I'm happy with the quality. It isn't as good as my Canon 5D mark iii, but worth not lugging the weight around.

I’m gonna have to think hard about this. I love the size of the RX100 series but it’s so painfully expensive compared to the Olympus. I’ll get the III or V if I go that route. The IV isn’t worth the savings.

 

[AlanKlein]

I just got back from a cruise with my RX100iv. Well, actually, I went with my wife and my RX100iv came along for the ride. 14 days to 6 islands in the Caribbean. I got it specifically for travelling due to its small size and 4K video capability which is super. The digital eye-finder was also a feature I wanted when taking pictures in sunny areas when the display fades out. It has a small built in flash which is another feature I needed. Mainly the small size. My micro 4/3 doesnt fit in my pants or shirt pocket. I have a EPL-1 micro 4/3, but it's too big.




In any case. I just competed a 26 minute slide show with 4k video clips. The entire show was burned to a memory card to show on my 4k UHDTV, 75". Spectacular. I downsized all stills to 3840x2160 (4K) Since you start with 20mp stills, reducing to 4K (8mp) leaves plenty of room to crop. I shot the pictures in 16:9 to fit the Tv and video size. jpeg + RAW. Of course 4:3 1:1 and 3:2 formats are selectable as well.

The downsides are the cost, noisy sound recordings when it's windy like on the ship, and no way to attach a larger flash. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[AlanKlein]

One other note. For my TV show purposes, the 1" sensor on the RX100iv is super. The pictures are super clear and sharp on the 75" TV. Much better than my previous S95 with the 2/3 typical P&S sensor. I don't seen anything lost to let's say a micro 4/3. One other negative is the zoom is only about 3.6x optical.

 

[chuasam]

You had me at pocket size. Now let’s see what deal I can get before I go buy.

 

[beagle100]

You had me at pocket size. Now let’s see what deal I can get before I go buy.

for travel cameras go for the "pocket size" deal
and 'pancake' style lens
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[chuasam]

i'm really aiming at the EM10 III with the 14-42.
I've priced out the Sony RX100 V and it'd be almost double the price of the EM10 III kit for me. The RX100 III is more in line pricewise but I'm going to examine some sample shots to see if it's good enough.
the A6300 kit works out the same as the RX100 V but the kit lens is kinda crap.