- Location
- Jersey Shore
- Name
- Steve
I have a few people asking me about what might be the best compact vacation camera now (summer 2012) available in the U.S. I suppose, for the purposes of the people in mind, compact can mean pocketable or something that can be easily and comfortably carried around the neck or on a shoulder. No heavy lifting; minimal bulk.
I'm pretty sure these people are talking about fixed-lens cameras, because convenience is high on their list of priorities. But so is versatility and general image quality, so that might be negotiable. I might also toss in the importance of operating performance as in speed of zoom and auto-focus, shutter delay, etc.
Despite these being vacation cameras, things like GPS and wi-fi are less important. A nice, healthy zoom range would be nice, but ultra-long telephoto (600mm and beyond) is not necessary. While it may not be possible, it would be nice if the camera(s) I recommend had some kind of viewfinder - or at least a rear LCD that really and truly did well in bright sunlight.
Most of us understand the compromises involved with cameras in the so-called travel-zoom class. There are several reasonable choces there. But perhaps I need to think a bit more out of the box before giving my friends and colleagues final recommendations.
I could easily point them in the direction of a small micro-four thirds camera. But I'm not sure they'd be satisfied with the zoom range of the kit lens and might not want to change lenses while on a trip, or pay for something like an Oly 14-150 on top of the camera purchase. But that might still be an option. As an aside, I wonder aloud if anyone on these forums has actually used an Oly 14-150 on a Panasonic body, something like the G3, and what kind of results they got without IBIS or lens-based OIS.
I can't help but think the answer would be quite different a year or two down the road as more cameras feature the new one-inch sensors. But what about right now? What do the Best and Brightest of Serious Compacts recommend? I'm keeping an open mind.
I'm pretty sure these people are talking about fixed-lens cameras, because convenience is high on their list of priorities. But so is versatility and general image quality, so that might be negotiable. I might also toss in the importance of operating performance as in speed of zoom and auto-focus, shutter delay, etc.
Despite these being vacation cameras, things like GPS and wi-fi are less important. A nice, healthy zoom range would be nice, but ultra-long telephoto (600mm and beyond) is not necessary. While it may not be possible, it would be nice if the camera(s) I recommend had some kind of viewfinder - or at least a rear LCD that really and truly did well in bright sunlight.
Most of us understand the compromises involved with cameras in the so-called travel-zoom class. There are several reasonable choces there. But perhaps I need to think a bit more out of the box before giving my friends and colleagues final recommendations.
I could easily point them in the direction of a small micro-four thirds camera. But I'm not sure they'd be satisfied with the zoom range of the kit lens and might not want to change lenses while on a trip, or pay for something like an Oly 14-150 on top of the camera purchase. But that might still be an option. As an aside, I wonder aloud if anyone on these forums has actually used an Oly 14-150 on a Panasonic body, something like the G3, and what kind of results they got without IBIS or lens-based OIS.
I can't help but think the answer would be quite different a year or two down the road as more cameras feature the new one-inch sensors. But what about right now? What do the Best and Brightest of Serious Compacts recommend? I'm keeping an open mind.