Digital Cameras for Travel Photography

When I started seriously shooting and landed my first assignment I was shooting film. The camera body had very little impact on my images. Subject, technique, lenses and film determined the quality of the photo. While film is making a comeback – and it will – digital is the present and future of photography. Would I shoot film while traveling again? Probably not, unless someone was paying me or I wanted to see negatives like it was Christmas morning. Digital is flexible and the latitude in the images is where it really shines.

If you are planning a dream vacation or going on our 2017 Italy Tour, then this is for you. A question I get often is what camera should I buy. I’ll address a few things to mull over when making the tough choice of what camera. Images from your adventure will be from a perfect travel camera. Look for a small and light package for portability, but without sacrificing image quality. So, that means a compact interchangeable DSLR or Mirrorless camera. This list is designed for anyone who wants to improve their photography skills, need to travel light, but want high-quality images to hang on a wall. Standard lens and kit lenses are a convenient package, cover usually 18-200mm and are a compromise to heavier and more expensive lenses. For sharper and faster lenses, budget more money.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Size and weight – A camera for travel needs to be convenient, small and lightweight.
• Image quality – Printing sharp 8×10’s and up are no problem with most recent cameras.
• Low-light – Shake reduction (VR), fast lens, big sensor, and good performance help at low-light.
• Ease of use – The camera needs to be easy to use and you don’t want to miss out because you are navigating menus.
• Flexibility – The camera should be part of a system and have choices of lenses. This allows you to grow with your camera. Lenses are an investment.
• Traditional DSLR cameras are similar in design: light enters through the lens and gets bounced off a mirror, through a prism, to the viewfinder. Mirrorless is the future and uses an electronic viewfinder.
• Traveling has risks – insure your gear.

A short list to get you started:

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Fujifilm X-T1
Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR
Nikon D5300 DSLR
Nikon D3400 DSLR
Pentax K-70 DSLR
Sony Alpha a7II

These are just a few of the current offerings and a quick scroll through B&H Photo will yield endless options. As always, we will be more than happy to help you make an informed camera and lens purchase. Olympus, Fuji, Pentax, Canon, Sony and Nikon all make excellent cameras and lenses.
Getting tactile and trying them out in a camera store is highly recommended. Support your local camera shop.