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Author Topic: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US  (Read 9313 times)

davidlederman

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Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« on: June 08, 2018, 07:16:30 pm »

I have a Canon 5D MK 3 and and MK 4 with lots of L zoom lenses and Zeiss primes. I am tired of lugging 10KG of photo equipment, along with a computer and luggage on what are supposed to be holidays. Plus my wife said "no more." So I am looking for either a single wonderful zoom to go with the 5D MK 4 or a smaller camera such as a mirrorless. In the past I had a Sony NEX7, which I hated. The menu was impossible, the EVF mediocre,  and it was hard not to keep hitting the wrong buttons. When everything worked correctly the photos were really good. Years ago I also tried a Canon G series, which I sent back.  My preference is for a full frame model that is stills oriented, as I don't shoot video. I would, however, consider an APS at 1.5-1.6x.

With respect to the MK4 lens choice, I am afraid that the Canon 28-300L lens is too heavy to be carrying around 8 hrs/day, and I've been warned off the Tamron equivalent.

I'd appreciate any advice for a camera with a simple to use menu, excellent lens, really good EVF, and great processor.

Thanks
David
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digitaldog

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 08:03:08 pm »

Few weeks with my new Sony RX-10 IV, I don’t miss my Canon 5DMII and the weight with its 100-400 zoom!
Yes lots of menus but I did not find any difficulty with it.
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MBehrens

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2018, 09:49:06 pm »

Fujifilm X-T2 is a slam dunk DSLR replacement. And there are used and bargains that would get you some (a) good lens in your budget. X-T3 is on the horizon if you have some time, won't be any sales for a while on it though.
A Mike Johnston blog that waxes poetic on the virtues of the X-T2 http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2018/06/the-fuji-x-t2-is-the-best-camera-ever.html

If you are hooked on FF the Sony a7III is getting a lot of attention. No budget for a lens here though...
« Last Edit: June 08, 2018, 09:53:09 pm by MBehrens »
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adriantyler

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2018, 12:28:16 am »

yes, those sony menus are a PTA, but honestly that sensor 42MP sensor is so good that for me it's worth the deprivation of working with all those buttons and menus.

i know it's not your question but an a7r2 or 3 with a couple of small primes is really liberating. i have an a7r2, the 55mm lens and a small 90mm leica macro elmar and the rX1rII with its zeiss sonnar fixed 35mm lens as a backup, the whole lot fits into 2 coat pockets!

sorry if that's ot.
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Alan Klein

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2018, 01:17:21 am »

What do you do with the pictures from your travels? 

I also am traveling light.  I'm using the Sony RX100 M4 1" sensor with 4K and make slide shows with video clips for 4K 75" UHDTV from my travels.  Here're some pictures from my last trip with my wife to national parks in the Southwest US.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157694819890421

The camera range for the RX100M4 is equiv 24mm to 70mm.   It's shirt pocketable or stuff it in your pants pocket.  It's pricey but the best pocketable P&S available, I believe.  The newly released RX100 M6 has a 24-200mm equivalent.

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2018, 09:30:00 am »

If you aren't willing to go the pocketable route than Alan suggests but are willing to carry the weight of two or more lenses all day, then I suggest looking at the Sony RX10iii or RX10iv. I have the iii, and the 24-600 Zeiss zoom lens is superb, and I have all the focal lengths I need in hand at all times. And it is truly hand-holdable even at 600.
I gave up all my Canon full-frame bodies and L lenses for this once I tried it, and I won't go back.

Yes, the Sony menu is a bear, but so are most other digital camera menus. If you take a little time to learn what settings are important to you, it becomes quite manageable.
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scooby70

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2018, 09:32:41 am »

Each to his own but I just don't understand menu angst. Once a camera is set up I only tend to go into the menu to format the card and set the clock, everything else is covered by a dial or a button, just as it should be. Other people are obviously more menu orientated as I've seen complains about camera menus on several forums.

If the OP wants FF then the choices are limited and if a single wonderful zoom is included I'd suggest they're very limited indeed.

Personally when going on holiday I take a small form body fitted with a compact wide aperture prime ( Sony A7 and 35mm f2.8 ) and a 1" compact (Panasonic TZ100) with something like a 25-250mm zoom to cover the wider and longer requirements and for even more discrete shooting in situations when a larger camera could be too intrusive.

I suppose a lot hangs on what the OP wants to do with pictures. If screen viewing whole images or producing relatively large prints to be viewed normally maybe just about anything from a 1" camera and up will do.
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Two23

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2018, 10:27:29 am »

I went through this a couple of years ago, and looked into the mirrorless options.  I began adding up the weight and looking at the physical size and realized they just weren't all that small.  I also was very hesitant to start buying a camera that needed a whole new lens system.  So, what I did was buy a Nikon D5300.  It is small, has 24mp sensor, better AF than the mirrorless, and is inexpensive.  The main reason I bought is it takes the same lenses and flash as my other two Nikons (D800E & D500).  That means it becomes part of my system--I can use any of my Nikon lenses on it.  Normally it has a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 parked on it.  I'm betting that Canon has a similar small camera.  That would make the most sense, no?  Canon & Nikon both are coming out with new small cameras sometime this year anyway, so I'd hold off buying anything at the moment.  The D5300 + Sigma 17-50mm + Nikon 300mm f4 PF are what I carry on high altitude hikes.  For walking around in a city my favorite camera is my Leica IIIc with tiny Leica lenses 28/35/50/90mm.  Leica got it right! :D


Kent in SD
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Alan Klein

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2018, 10:28:40 am »

My Sony RX100 has three memory modes.  You can set up simple selection modes like let's say portraits, landscapes, and sports with all the preselected settings for each mode type.  Funny thing, I don't use it in my camera.  I fiddle a lot which takes away from real shooting. 

One suggestion for whatever camera you buy.  Read the manual and practice with it before you travel.  You don't want to set something wrong and ruin a bunch of shots once you're on the trip.

digitaldog

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2018, 10:29:42 am »

It is small, has 24mp sensor, better AF than the mirrorless, and is inexpensive. 
My Sony's AF is massively superior to the older (and admittedly different than your Nikon) 5DMII. The difference is night and day.
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Rand47

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2018, 11:06:14 am »

I recently bought the Fuji X-E3 and their 18-55 OIS zoom.  Not pocketable, but SMALL!   24 MP APS-C sensor.  Same sensor/processor as the top of the line Fuji X cameras.  Plus Fuji jpegs are amazing w/ the film simulations and shadow/highlight and DR controls.  I've you've not ever seen one, take a look.  Might suit your purposes very well.



Rand
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Two23

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2018, 08:13:56 pm »

My Sony's AF is massively superior to the older (and admittedly different than your Nikon) 5DMII. The difference is night and day.


It is $1,700 though.  For <$500 I got a small camera that takes all the lenses I already own and works great for travel.  And, if it accidentally falls out of my kayak or gets stolen on the subway I won't cry all that much. :)


Kent in SD
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Geods

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2018, 08:57:42 pm »

I think all your requirements (except for price) would be met with a flagship micro-4/3 camera. I'm traditionally a FF guy, but have been carrying a micro-4/3 camera as a backup for several years. There are occasions that I've used micro-4/3 as my only travel camera and the results are very satisfactory.

I own an Olympus OMD EM-1 Mk2 and typically use the Olympus 12-100 f/4. It is a small, light, and fantastic combination, but the price is high. I've shot tack-sharp 4 second handheld exposures with that combination. For most photography, one can eliminate a tripod. It is a very weather resistant combination. I don't own a Panasonic G9, but do own several Panasonic micro-4/3 cameras and can attest to their quality and simpler menu vs Olympus. The G9 with Panasonic's 12-60 would give the user the same dual IS functionality as the Olympus mentioned above, for long exposures, handheld. It also has good weather resistance, etc.

Some may balk at spending so much on a camera with a small sensor, but the quality is really there. With sensor shift, on a tripod, the image quality surpasses the best FF cameras, except for perhaps the Pentax K1 series. Also, with micro-4/3, the lenses are smaller than the equivalent lens on a FF mirrorless camera. Highly recommended.
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digitaldog

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2018, 09:05:20 pm »

It is $1,700 though.  For <$500 I got a small camera that takes all the lenses I already own and works great for travel.
OK, but my Canon 100-400mm alone cost more than both to put price into some perspective. The Sony has a 24-600mm equivalent and for a bit less than you quote, I've got one lens for all needs, none to carry around, no worries about sensor dust, it's very light in comparison to what I was using and can focus far faster and more accurately.
To each his own.
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Chris Kern

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #14 on: June 09, 2018, 09:06:50 pm »

Well, I guess it's obsolete now—although the body is easy to find in good used condition in the <$400 (U.S.) range—but if I really want to defy gravity I carry my Fuji X-E2 with the ultralight, image-stablished 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.  No weather-sealing, but the image quality is decent.  I've not yet persuaded myself that I need to upgrade to the X-E3.

Somewhat heavier, but more capable: the Fuji X-T2 with the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0, a much better optic than the average kit lens, which is also image-stablized but also not weather-sealed—although I've used it frequently in light to medium rain with no ill-effects.  Both still available new, but a better value used.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2018, 09:10:45 pm by Chris Kern »
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stever

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #15 on: June 09, 2018, 10:36:07 pm »

My conclusion is that if you need/want to shoot zooms and focal lengths over 100mm equiv - as i do for a wide variety of travel, only micro 43 saves enough weight and bulk compared to FF to be worth the investment - although you'll be hard pressed to meet $2,000 with lenses capable of making quality 13x19 prints. 

I have a pany gx85 with 12-35 f2.8 and 35-100 f2.8 travel kit (and a couple other lenses depending on the situation)  - a small, light, relatively inconspicuous kit.

BUT - if there are expectations of serious landscapes, wildlife, or low light then the 5D4 and appropriate lenses go
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armand

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #16 on: June 10, 2018, 04:53:18 pm »

I've gone through this multiple times and it's still not over, depends on what you do with the photos, what focal lengths you need, etc.

I have a full frame Nikon but for travel I alternate between a Fuji APS-C and Olympus E-M5ii.
The Fuji has superior ergonomics and I like the images a touch more with less work. Very good primes and good zooms under 100mm, after you start gaining weight. The X-T2 is very good.
The Oly is a very convenient combination with the 12-100F4, particularly for backpacking. Still debating if it's worth going for the E-M1ii, mostly for superior ergonomics. The E-M5ii loves smaller hands with no gloves. I still have the 12-35 2.8 and 35-100 2.8 but rarely use them. With small primes it can get really small.


The Sony RX10 gets thrown a lot lately, sounds convenient but I'm still not fully convinced. For travel the new RX100 might be better if the lens is sharp (big if) even if you lose almost a stop.

BernardLanguillier

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2018, 05:00:52 pm »

Why not consider the Canon M5?

I hear pretty good things about it, the native lenses seem good too and mounting your existing Canon lenses should be easier.

You could carry it with one native mirrorless zoom lens and bring a 70-200f4 or 70-300 for the cases when you need to go long?

Cheers,
Bernard

dgberg

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #18 on: June 10, 2018, 07:08:30 pm »

Sony Rx10 IV hands down the best on the market.
My wife stopped using her dslr when I purchased this camera for her.
Not the lightest but if you need a camera with wide as well as telephoto it just cannot be beat.
No changing lenses, no sensor dust issues and no need to buy multiple lenses.
The 24 frames per second is to die for.

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Best Travel Camera for under $2,000 US
« Reply #19 on: June 10, 2018, 08:45:43 pm »

Sony Rx10 IV hands down the best on the market.
My wife stopped using her dslr when I purchased this camera for her.
Not the lightest but if you need a camera with wide as well as telephoto it just cannot be beat.
No changing lenses, no sensor dust issues and no need to buy multiple lenses.
The 24 frames per second is to die for.
+1.
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