Compact Travel Camera

[virtuo]

Booked a couple of weeks in Indonesia/Bali in July and want to get some nice photos/videos of the place.

I've got a Sony NX-5 and an EOS 600D which would usually go on holiday with me, however they are a bit bulky and expensive to be taking out on what will likely be quite a wet and muddy vacation.

Instead, I'd like to get a nice compact all-in-one camera with the following criteria:

No detachable flash/lens
Best in class image quality
Good battery life (ideally with swappable batteries)
Some level of water resistance
Comfortable in high humidity
compact enough to fit in a waist pack. Smaller would be better but I'll compromise size for image quality.


I've not really been following recent developments in cameras so I'm not sure where to start, I'm not fussed about the brand.

Anyone here got any good experiences, or a suggestion on where to start? Price isn't much of a factor, but I don't really want to be going in to DSLR territory for a couple of weeks use.

Spotted a few reviews of the Olympus "Tough" range which seem to tick most of the boxes.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A lot of the waterproof cameras use tiny 1/2.3" sensors,so are probably more akin to a higher end smartphone in image quality but with more image quality options. The TG4 gets good reviews:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/oly...gh-tg-4-review

The TG860 uses the same sensor but has a zoom which starts much wider:

https://www.cameralabs.com/olympus-tough-tg860-review/

In fact here is a list of suitable cameras:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/t...ras-2017-17302

The only model on the list with a largish sensor is the Nikon 1 AW1 which has a 1" chip but it is an ILC though,but the 1 series is tiny.

I know I sound like a broken record,but I personally would get an RX100 and a waterproof housing:

http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/sony-rx100-review

[snedger]

Hello
I can't tick all your boxes, but the Olympus TG4 ticks some of them. A tough, waterproof compact camera - 25mm to 100mm zoom range - not as long as I wanted
I'm off to South America in May, Amazon rainforest part of the trip - have spent months researching cameras.
Wanted to take a top of the range DSLR, but the closest you can get to waterproofness is weather resistant e.g. Fujifilm X-T2 - very expensive and you either compromise quality with a lens that has a long zoom range, or you risk not being able to swap lenses, or perhaps not even be able to use the camera, in heavy rain.
The only waterproof DSLR - though really only a compact system camera (newname for bridge camera) - is the Nikon 1 AW1 - Nikon have NOT developed this - no waterproof lens range, total compromise on quality and reviews suggesting serious fogging issues.
A few weeks ago I bought the Tg4 and it is astonishingly good.
Screen is viewable in bright sunlight - which gets around my necessary feature that there has to be a viewfinder.
I have used it in pouring rain - very strange feeling.
F2.0 lens at wide angle lets a lot of light in.
Macro is extraordinary - you can focus at 1cm - and zoom right in. First picture I took was of a single grain of sugar - lovely cube. Close ups of flowers are superb.
I've bought an adapter - LG-1 - which will illuminate whilst using macro - yet to try it.
Also bought a fisheye converter - bit gimmicky, but I will be using it for some landscape pictures. If you get the adapter ring then you can put a lens cap on, meaning that the only case you need is your pocket.
Camera has a lot of auto modes, or you can take control with most settings and you can shoot in RAW.
In South America I will not have a sore shoulder from camera equipment and I will not be staying indoors during rainstorms

[virtuo]

Cheers Cat, those Olympus models do look very attractive - going to keep my eye out for a decent deal on the TG3 or TG4.

The Nikon 1 and RX100 are nice, but too close to the models I already have - not sure I want to be going north of £400 for something that's going to sit in a drawer for 50 weeks of the year. I'll still shortlist them and trawl through some reviews and sample images.

[virtuo]

Hello
I can't tick all your boxes, but the Olympus TG4 ticks some of them. A tough, waterproof compact camera - 25mm to 100mm zoom range - not as long as I wanted
I'm off to South America in May, Amazon rainforest part of the trip - have spent months researching cameras.
Wanted to take a top of the range DSLR, but the closest you can get to waterproofness is weather resistant e.g. Fujifilm X-T2 - very expensive and you either compromise quality with a lens that has a long zoom range, or you risk not being able to swap lenses, or perhaps not even be able to use the camera, in heavy rain.
The only waterproof DSLR - though really only a compact system camera (newname for bridge camera) - is the Nikon 1 AW1 - Nikon have NOT developed this - no waterproof lens range, total compromise on quality and reviews suggesting serious fogging issues.
A few weeks ago I bought the Tg4 and it is astonishingly good.
Screen is viewable in bright sunlight - which gets around my necessary feature that there has to be a viewfinder.
I have used it in pouring rain - very strange feeling.
F2.0 lens at wide angle lets a lot of light in.
Macro is extraordinary - you can focus at 1cm - and zoom right in. First picture I took was of a single grain of sugar - lovely cube. Close ups of flowers are superb.
I've bought an adapter - LG-1 - which will illuminate whilst using macro - yet to try it.
Also bought a fisheye converter - bit gimmicky, but I will be using it for some landscape pictures. If you get the adapter ring then you can put a lens cap on, meaning that the only case you need is your pocket.
Camera has a lot of auto modes, or you can take control with most settings and you can shoot in RAW.
In South America I will not have a sore shoulder from camera equipment and I will not be staying indoors during rainstorms

That's definitely a +1 for the TG4 then, would you mind sharing a couple of your test shots? The macro mode sounds great as well. I'm going to be in a similar humid jungle environment so really don't want to go and wreck the NEX or EOS.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think the main advantage of the 1" sensor compacts is that ISO1600 and ISO3200 are actually usable to a degree,and combined with OIS and a wide starting aperture on the RX100(F1.8),it actually looks quite flexible in more challenging conditions. Plus DR is much better than the 1/2.3" and even 1/1.7" cameras - so there is less chance of washed out skies.

However,what I am more surprised is why there isn't an all weather compact using a 1/1.7" sensor let alone a 1" sensor!!

It really seems like a miss opportunity,as does the AW1 it appears.

[Kumagoro]

The Canon gx9 is 1 inch and smaller than the rx100's. Which I saw for about 350 a while back.

The original rx100 is now 300.

I have had the original rx100 since it came out and the main thing I do not like about it is that there is no setting to manually set the focal area. As in you can't tell it to focus in the middle it just auto calculates where it think it should.

I am still on the original firmware so that might not be the case now.

[TheAnimus]

Unless you are worried about weight. I would consider taking a proper camera, you are likely to be disappointed going from an NX-5 to a compact.

Myself I would take my Pentax



Weather sealing doesn't have to be expensive.

However if you are hiking, I would think about the weight in the humidity, it will depend how used you are to it, but hiking in Bali tends not to be long trips so I'd still probably take one lens

You are going during the driest time of the year so I wouldn't be too conserned, it's my favourite time of the year for Bali too. Heck my biggest concern would be some aussie kid pinching the kit, I guess I'm saying I just don't think Bali is such a hostile environment. There will be short small showers that don't last long, the dust tends to be abated by these. Humidity won't be too high as bali you are either near the coast, or in a mountain area.

So I really would take your proper camera, maybe get something for if you go snorkeling, which if you do my travel recommendation is to get over to the coast of Java, so leave from the west national park area.

[virtuo]

Unless you are worried about weight. I would consider taking a proper camera, you are likely to be disappointed going from an NX-5 to a compact.

Myself I would take my Pentax



Weather sealing doesn't have to be expensive.

However if you are hiking, I would think about the weight in the humidity, it will depend how used you are to it, but hiking in Bali tends not to be long trips so I'd still probably take one lens

You are going during the driest time of the year so I wouldn't be too conserned, it's my favourite time of the year for Bali too. Heck my biggest concern would be some aussie kid pinching the kit, I guess I'm saying I just don't think Bali is such a hostile environment. There will be short small showers that don't last long, the dust tends to be abated by these. Humidity won't be too high as bali you are either near the coast, or in a mountain area.

So I really would take your proper camera, maybe get something for if you go snorkeling, which if you do my travel recommendation is to get over to the coast of Java, so leave from the west national park area.

Great input, thanks - we've already booked a few "things to do" including snorkelling, surfing and rafting.

Weight is in fact one of my concerns (didn't put it in my list above). I have a 2l waterproof waist pack that I am going to carry round my medical stuff, phone, money and camera - saves having a bag or camera case on my back - less chance of anything getting nicked as well.

The NEX is small, but even with the pancake lens it's a bit too bulky to fit in the waist pack.

I will have a look in to the weather sealing and might convince myself to take a rugged compact as well as the NEX/EOS - save them for the bits that have the best views.

[snedger]

That's definitely a +1 for the TG4 then, would you mind sharing a couple of your test shots? The macro mode sounds great as well. I'm going to be in a similar humid jungle environment so really don't want to go and wreck the NEX or EOS.

I'll select a couple of pictures - BTW so far only exotic places are Rutland Water and Leicester Botanical gardens, no rain forest yet, but it was a little bit humid in the botanical greenhouse.

Just checked that I picked up the TG4 for £274 on March 15th - I'd been waiting weeks for a price drop and was so lucky that I bumped in to the discount.

[virtuo]

I'll select a couple of pictures - BTW so far only exotic places are Rutland Water and Leicester Botanical gardens, no rain forest yet, but it was a little bit humid in the botanical greenhouse.

Just checked that I picked up the TG4 for £274 on March 15th - I'd been waiting weeks for a price drop and was so lucky that I bumped in to the discount.

Sounds great, thank you. Currys of all places currently have them on for £275, seems reasonable.

[Dashers]

Maybe look at the Panasonic LX100. It's a micro-four thirds sensor (double surface area of a 1"). It has a fixed lens Leica lens f1.7-2.8 24-75mm (effective). I can't imagine you'll get much better in terms of quality in such a small package.

It's not weather-sealed though. So no burying it in the desert or standing in water-falls with it.

[kalniel]

I have had the original rx100 since it came out and the main thing I do not like about it is that there is no setting to manually set the focal area. As in you can't tell it to focus in the middle it just auto calculates where it think it should.

I am still on the original firmware so that might not be the case now.

RTFM - p76 of the PDF manual.

I've not updated the firmware on mine, but you can do this with the flexible spot AF mode - Menu-> Camera2->[autofocus area]
you get a box which you can move to your desired focal area.

Or you can set centre focus mode, so it's centre locked and you can recompose (I use this mode 99% of the time).

[TheAnimus]

Great input, thanks - we've already booked a few "things to do" including snorkelling, surfing and rafting.

Cool, it's a fun Island but with agonisingly poor roads. Going anywhere by car or bus takes far too long, motorbike is the fastest by far. It's really nice when you get out beyond Denpasar but please remember for all these fun things there is no lifeguard, no health and safety, it's on you and you alone. I've got my 10km swimming badge but yet I almost tried to kill myself in a rip tide because I wasn't thinking, there are no flags, no warning signs so it's on you to be safe! It's much nicer when you are outside of the most tourist areas, but obviously that means not having other peoples behaviour to follow.

Weight is in fact one of my concerns (didn't put it in my list above). I have a 2l waterproof waist pack that I am going to carry round my medical stuff, phone, money and camera - saves having a bag or camera case on my back - less chance of anything getting nicked as well.

Myself I'm not a fan of waist packs as I find they chaif in any heat, a good backpack is much more useful and in many ways safer. Most waist packs can be snatched by someone on the back of motorbike with a single knife stroke. A rucksack with two main straps and lumbar is a much harder target, a silver rain cover over it not only reflects the heat back but makes it very hard for someone to quickly sneak their hand in. A friend recently got the Osprey Daylight with raincover and dry sack.

If you are doing any real hiking in that part of the world and you're not used to the humidity, you will be wanting a heck of alot more water, more than you think you would want. For a whole day I'd bring at least 6l, I'd also buy some cheap electrolyte tablets, such as the Wiggles own brand ones. This not only makes the water more effective (you'll be sweating heavily) but also stops you drinking too much of it too quickly. Compared to the water a camera isn't so bad!

[snedger]

I've put together a selection of snaps on my TG4. The close ups are poorly focused - I should have taken advantage of focus stacking.
There's a time lapse video - timing poor, as nothing happened - other times might have captured business deals on substance sales, or even prostitution.

https://goo.gl/photos/pRBzArXJmC45pEHk9

[cruiser]

Cheers Cat, those Olympus models do look very attractive - going to keep my eye out for a decent deal on the TG3 or TG4.

Looking at online reviews, Olympus seems a good camera to try.