Camera "experts" - good camera for travel/MTB

[rinconryder]

I am heading to New Zealand in a few months and would like to take pictures with something besides a phone. I will be riding with it so it should be able to endure some abuse, water resistant (water proof is not required but a bonus), and relatively light as I will run with it in a pack as well.

So some of the factors I am weighing in no particular order

1. quality of the pictures, especially if I want to blow a few up.
2. weight
3. durability
4. price
5. Ability to take action shots - rapid fire pictures so to speak.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Wes

[makoti]

I am heading to New Zealand in a few months and would like to take pictures with something besides a phone. I will be riding with it so it should be able to endure some abuse, water resistant (water proof is not required but a bonus), and relatively light as I will run with it in a pack as well.

So some of the factors I am weighing in no particular order

1. quality of the pictures, especially if I want to blow a few up.
2. weight
3. durability
4. price
5. Ability to take action shots - rapid fire pictures so to speak.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Wes

I was just there last year! You will love it.
I use an Olympus OM-D. Light, interchangable lenses, video, burst mode, very good quality images. Pretty small & light. I tossed it all in a small Timbuk2 messenger bag & rode with it. YOu can get a very nice P&S for less and it will be smaller/lighter, but I don't think your pics will be as nice. South Island? North? Riding tour?

[rinconryder]

I was just there last year! You will love it.
I use an Olympus OM-D. Light, interchangable lenses, video, burst mode, very good quality images. Pretty small & light. I tossed it all in a small Timbuk2 messenger bag & rode with it. YOu can get a very nice P&S for less and it will be smaller/lighter, but I don't think your pics will be as nice. South Island? North? Riding tour?

That camera sounds perfect. South Island in end of November. Renting an RV and mountain bikes. I am more of a MTBR these days, very little time on the road. And some trail running.

If you were on the south island do you have any recommendations?

[ceolwulf]

Depending how wet you intend to get it, the Nikon 1 AW1 could be worth thinking about.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Nikon1/Nikon-1-AW1.html


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[shinomaster]

I have an Olympus XZ-1 which is awesome.. took it to Turkey and got some killer photos for a point and shoot. Has a great lens.. the newer version, XZ-2 is supposed to be even better. I'm amazed by how much I can blow up and crop images.. There are tons of great options out there like the Sony RX 100 but for the money these Olympus options are pretty great. http://www.dpreview.com/search/?query=xz%201&terms=xz%201

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6489685206/enthusiast-compact-camera-roundup/5

[veloduffer]

Depends how much you want to spend. Any inter-changeable system like the Olympus OM-D or Fuji X-T1 will cost $1500 -3000 depending on the lenses. The Nikon 1 AW1 is cheaper and waterproof, and you can actually use it underwater. But none of the fit into a pocket well.

There are some fine point and shoot, like the Canon S110 or Sony Rx100 series, which can fit into a pocket.

[dogdriver]

Don't poopoo the iPhone or other smartphone camera for "Happysnaps"-- their cameras are generally excellent if there is enough light. +1 any of the above for "real photography". Just remember, a quality lens makes for a better photo than a camera with 2 billion pixels and a small chunk of glass...

[rnhood]

I have the Sony RX-100 and its a really nice travel camera. Relatively easy to carry in your jersey pocket, quick operation and superb pictures. Not really waterproof though, although mine has seen plenty of rain and seems to continue operating. I usually put in a small zip lock bag when I don't need to have it quickly "at hand" for picture opportunities. Probably the biggest disadvantage of the Sony is the price.

I also have a Canon S110 which is nice and perhaps just a touch smaller and lighter weight than the RX-100. A nice travel camera also but it can't match the photo quality of the RX-100. Its pictures are good, but just not in the same league as the Sony. The S110 (or its current iteration) is much cheaper than the RX-100.

[phcollard]

Canon S120.

[ohsnapitsed]

Depending on budget - Fujifilm x100 or x100s would be at the top of my list.

I have an x100 and I friend just picked up the x100s. Both FANTASTIC cameras IMO.

[Len J]

Three levels here.

p&S. RX-100 v3. Hands down. Great pics, good controls, shoots RAW. Pocketable.

Mirrorless interchangeable lens's. Fuji x100s, Olympus someone else mentioned or Sony A6000 all with a few lens's. A little bigger than the pocketable cameras but you get the flexibility of interchangeable lens's and the APC-s larger sensor.

DSLR

camera tech has gotten to the point where any of these will give you awesome pics. Go to a LCS and play...see what feels right for both your hands, your needs and your budget.

Len

[jtakeda]

Depending on budget - Fujifilm x100 or x100s would be at the top of my list.

I have an x100 and I friend just picked up the x100s. Both FANTASTIC cameras IMO.

X100 and the x100s are great but fairly limiting. Probably not the best camera for someone who just wants a nice one for a trip.

I feel like those cameras are for someone who's into photography and plans to have many cameras to fit different needs.

They're also expensive.

[pcb]

You're getting lots of good suggestions, but without knowing more specifically what "relatively light," and "price" mean to you, we're just guessing. You also haven't mentioned how much zoom you'd like, or whether you need an eye level viewfinder or not.

You're in a "small, cheap, light: pick two" world, you'll have to compromise on some/all of your factors since nothing can do it all.

The only truly rated rugged cameras are the rugged/waterproof compact point-and-shoots. They are small, light, rugged, waterproof, but have short zooms, no eyelevel vf, small sensors and mostly, slow lenses. Best of the breed is probably the Olympus TG3. IQ is OK, but not spectacular. Under $400 US.

Give up rated waterproof/rugged performance and there are some excellent p&s cams with bigger sensors, faster lenses and EVFs. Sony RX100v3 prolly the best, at $800; Canon SD120 smaller/cheaper, but smaller sensor and slower lens. Slightly bigger high-end p&s are Canon G16, Fuji X20, Nikon P7200. But the RX100v3 pretty much rules here.

Give up true pocketable compactness, but still fanny pack OK, you have the Olympus Stylus 1. Long zoom, fast lens, great set of controls.

Mirrorless is a big category, 1" sensor Nikon 1-Series all the way up to full-frame Sony A7x. The Nikons and Oly/Panny micro-4/3 are smallest, but if you want a long zoom you either need two lenses, or a fairly long 10x zoom lens. Do you want to be changing lenses? Bodies without EVFs can be very tiny, check out the Panny GM1 to see how small. $800+ w/lenses.

Come to think of it, if a short zoom, no EVF, no waterproof is OK for you, can't get better IQ in a smaller package than a Panny GM1 w/12-30mm zoom.

The Nikon AW1 already mentioned is unique, a truly waterproof cam with interchangeable lenses. $1,200+ w/lenses.

The good news is there's lots of great product out there, lots to choose from. The bad news is there's lots of great product out there, can be hard to figure out what will work best for you.

...should be able to endure some abuse, water resistant (water proof is not required but a bonus), and relatively light as I will run with it in a pack as well.

So some of the factors I am weighing in no particular order

1. quality of the pictures, especially if I want to blow a few up.
2. weight
3. durability
4. price
5. Ability to take action shots - rapid fire pictures so to speak.

Wes

[bcroslin]

Small and water/ sweat resistant go for the Olympus. Small and great picture buy a Sony.

If you want suggestions for a larger camera or want to bounce a few models off of me hit me on PM.

[oldpotatoe]

Don't poopoo the iPhone or other smartphone camera for "Happysnaps"-- their cameras are generally excellent if there is enough light. +1 any of the above for "real photography". Just remember, a quality lens makes for a better photo than a camera with 2 billion pixels and a small chunk of glass...

Bought a Canon G-12 few years ago..then an Iphone5..don't use the Canon at all..it's small but it's too big.

[djg]

I'm not an expert, but I'd suggest a few sorting questions (maybe some of these are filters, maybe factors to be juggled):

(1) How small and portable do you want it to be? Pants pocket? (need a phone or a point & shoot, and even something like an RX100 is a little too big). Jersey pocket? (now the RX100 is plenty small and light) Jacket or coat pocket or day pack/lumbar pack/hydration pack? (now you can look at M 4/3 cameras, Sony NEX, etc.) Some of the these decisions carry implications about lenses -- P&S don't have interchangeable lenses and some have much better or worse glass than others. Some have implications for sensor size (the RX100 has a very large sensor for a P&S, although not DSLR size).

(2) How rugged do you want it to be? There are some inexpensive P&S cameras that are weatherized and shock resistant -- they'll probably stand up to an inadvertent drop or a splash from a wave. There are more rugged options as well - maybe the Nikon is a good option.

(3) Is it supposed to be waterproof (resistant) on its own, or would you consider some sort of housing?

[makoti]

Sent a PM...

[robin3mj]

If you can live with one (wide-ish) focal length, I'd recommend the Ricoh GR series over the Fuji, just because it's so much more compact. I have the newest GR, but also used the prior version GR IV for a bit. The new version is slightly larger but has a way bigger sensor.

It also has a quick crop function to take your focal view from 28-35-47mm (although this is true crop, meaning that the more zoomed in views actuall create a smaller picture.)

The best thing you can say about the Ricoh's are their intuitiveness. The ability to dial in all the buttons and get it to a place where you can easily use it one handed, and without thinking about it.

[bcroslin]

A great site for comparisons for cameras is dpreview.com but be careful because it becomes a rabbit hole you can disappear down for hours

[j0oftheworld]

I've got a Canon Rebel T3i DSLR and a Pana LX7 for traveling!

[veloduffer]

I'll throw one more into the mix-- Nikon Coolpix A. It has an AP-C sensor, same as the D7000 DSLR. It is easily pocketable and better image quality the the Fuji X100s (albeit slightly). Costs about the same as the Fuji at about $1100. Similar to the Fuji, it is a fixed length lens (no zoom).

If action shots are important to you, none will have a super fast autofocus except the Nikon 1 or a DSLR

[makoti]

A great site for comparisons for cameras is dpreview.com but be careful because it becomes a rabbit hole you can disappear down for hours

+ about a dozen

[Ray]

I'll throw one more into the mix-- Nikon Coolpix A. It has an AP-C sensor, same as the D7000 DSLR. It is easily pocketable and better image quality the the Fuji X100s (albeit slightly). Costs about the same as the Fuji at about $1100. Similar to the Fuji, it is a fixed length lens (no zoom).

If action shots are important to you, none will have a super fast autofocus except the Nikon 1 or a DSLR
I have the Nikon A and love it. That said, it's nearly a twin of the Ricoh GR mentioned above. Both the same basic APS sensor, both really nice 28mm equivalent f2.8 lenses, both pocketable (just a bit larger than the RX100). Slightly different interfaces - I prefer the Nikon's but I shot Ricoh for years and spent about a month with the GR and the Ricoh interface is also very well developed and thought out, if a bit more complex than Nikon's. But until recently, the Ricoh was only about $7-800 while the Nikon retails for $1100. Now that the Nikon is pretty easy to find in the similar $700 range, it's a much more even fight. I have some very specific reasons for preferring the Nikon, but those reasons wouldn't mean a lot to most, less-picky, photographers. And neither have particularly fast AF but both have excellent controls for zone focus and plenty of DOF, so they're both incredible street cameras. And with IQ that's good enough for a lot of general purpose shooting.

That said, not everyone is comfortable with a single focal length and I think something like the RX100 is probably a better set of tradeoffs for the average cycling photographer. But the OP wanted something with some pretty serious weather-sealing, no? I don't think any of these really meet that criteria...

-Ray

[dieonthishill]

Canon M is a great all around camera that fits in a jersey pocket well.

[lonoeightysix]

Have an Olympus TG-3; fairly impressed. Zoom is slightly lacking, but a very fast lens (2.0) for a compact. water/dust/freeze/shock resistant.