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Archive 2013 · Travel camera recommendations

  
 
galenapass
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Travel camera recommendations


Hi all,

My 70 year young mother is going to Patagonia in 6 months and she would like a good camera to take along. I need some recommendations. Now before anyone says "get and OM-D and XXmm and YYmm lenses", bear in mind that the objective here is image quality but it also has to be EASY TO USE, e.g., it will be on auto everything 98% of the time.

My first thought was one of the Canon G series. I also recently rented and OM-D and loved the image quality; but, I think that she would find the all the settings quite difficult.

Options I that come to mind:
Canon G1X
Canon G15
RX-100
Lumix DMC-FZ200
FujiX20

Looking for image quality and easy to use.


Any others?

Thanks.

Edited on Apr 27, 2013 at 10:37 PM · View previous versions



Apr 27, 2013 at 05:10 PM
joanlvh
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Travel camera recommendations


Have you thought of a Sony RX 1, i think it meets your criteria.


Apr 27, 2013 at 05:23 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Travel camera recommendations


RX-100 Best compact I've ever used, and if you don't need super shallow depth of field or anything, it'll do in the vast majority of photographic situations.


Apr 27, 2013 at 05:43 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Travel camera recommendations


joanlvh wrote:
Have you thought of a Sony RX 1, i think it meets your criteria.


You're suggesting a 70 year old woman who currently doesn't own a good camera and would find a mirrorless camera confusing goes straight to a $2,800 full frame single focal length machine to go on vacation with?



Apr 27, 2013 at 05:44 PM
darrellc
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Travel camera recommendations


Nikon V1


Apr 27, 2013 at 06:19 PM
itai195
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Travel camera recommendations


RX100. I don't see any point in getting a camera with interchangeable lenses. Any compact camera is easy to use in auto mode.


Apr 27, 2013 at 06:57 PM
mspencer1
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Travel camera recommendations


RX100 or G15


Apr 27, 2013 at 10:02 PM
galenapass
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Travel camera recommendations


Thanks for the recommendations. I will take a look at n RX100.

I am a little leery of Canon options since I think they are lagging behind in sensor area. This is particularly true in the DSLR segment.




Apr 27, 2013 at 10:41 PM
philip_pj
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Travel camera recommendations


Six months? She has time to learn a DSLR!

Cashed up - RX1; not so much so - RX100.

RX100s can be had for under $600:
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/us-deal-of-the-day-sony-rx100-for-577/

Patagonia is a premium destination not just for travel, but sublime mountain scenery and cultural interest, even hardened travellers like me want to go there. And that a vast number of cameras of 35mm FL have been made for decades...

'Image quality' is the first stated criteria, also. Travel photographers might want to use everything from medium format down to that recent guy who loved his OOC jpegs of the Caribbean - you really have to know more about the person's wishes and means. Make it a Sony, galenapass, is my advice - RAW + jpeg. Use memory setting 1 and leave it set to that...it'll never forget it. Teach her the charger routine, buy extra stuff for her (cards, spare batt), you know the drill.

Oh, and those with excellent photographic vision are very often people who may be female and may be of mature years with little 'camera nous'. I know a few.





Apr 28, 2013 at 02:54 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Travel camera recommendations


philip_pj wrote:
Oh, and those with excellent photographic vision are very often people who may be female and may be of mature years with little 'camera nous'. I know a few.



+1

Last week I gave my partner a Dorothy Bohm book. I get the impression she is no longer working (she's 90 years old iirc), but was working at least up to 2010. We both love her work.



Apr 28, 2013 at 03:28 AM
edl415
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Travel camera recommendations


RX-100. I'm traveling in Europe right now and alternate between using my D700 + 24-120 and the RX-100 (in my jacket pocket).

I usually leave the RX-100 in Program mode and it turns out great results. At base ISO it has excellent DR, up to ISO400 yields excellent results. Just make sure you set auto-ISO and remind her to use the 2-second timer, with the high pixel density you need to use all the tricks so more shots will turn out sharp.



Apr 28, 2013 at 04:14 AM
DaveOls
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Travel camera recommendations


RX-100 is my choice, but for $ 150 or so less, there is a new Fuji XF1 that just came out with a 2/3 inch sensor.


Apr 28, 2013 at 07:35 AM
philber
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Travel camera recommendations


I went to Patagonia. RX-100 sounds like a great idea on a number of fronts (small size, great IQ for a compact, ease of use), except one parameter: the wide end is "only" 28mm. There are other compacts that go to 24mm. Also, the lack of a visor and a tilt screen lay be something a 70-year old person may want to get used to before going.


Apr 28, 2013 at 08:25 AM
alwang
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Travel camera recommendations


I think given the information, it boils down to one thing: would she prioritize camera size, or would she prioritize AF speed? Both would be important for a casual novice user. If she prioritizes size, go with the rx-100. If she priortizes AF, go with the Nikon V1.


Apr 28, 2013 at 09:05 AM
galenapass
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Travel camera recommendations


Thanks all!

I will give her some options.



Apr 28, 2013 at 11:05 AM
bobbytan
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Travel camera recommendations


You do have a sense of humor!

philip_pj wrote:
Six months? She has time to learn a DSLR!




Apr 28, 2013 at 11:12 AM
millsart
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Travel camera recommendations


alwang wrote:
I think given the information, it boils down to one thing: would she prioritize camera size, or would she prioritize AF speed? Both would be important for a casual novice user. If she prioritizes size, go with the rx-100. If she priortizes AF, go with the Nikon V1.



Given I'd bet she's mostly going to take photos of the landscapes and other things that don't exactly move fast I wouldn't think AF speed would be of paramount concern.

The RX100 actually has pretty snappy AF too, faster than my NEX, and X100 were. Not OM-D quick but never felt I was waiting on the camera



Apr 28, 2013 at 02:49 PM
millsart
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Travel camera recommendations


philber wrote:
I went to Patagonia. RX-100 sounds like a great idea on a number of fronts (small size, great IQ for a compact, ease of use), except one parameter: the wide end is "only" 28mm. There are other compacts that go to 24mm. Also, the lack of a visor and a tilt screen lay be something a 70-year old person may want to get used to before going.



Most options these days all have pretty good sweep pano modes, Sony especially. Just turn the dial to that setting, press the shutter and sweep the camera in the direction the camera tells you. about 90% of the time it really works great

Really high fun factor for the novice photographer too



Apr 28, 2013 at 02:51 PM
alwang
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Travel camera recommendations


millsart wrote:
Given I'd bet she's mostly going to take photos of the landscapes and other things that don't exactly move fast I wouldn't think AF speed would be of paramount concern.

The RX100 actually has pretty snappy AF too, faster than my NEX, and X100 were. Not OM-D quick but never felt I was waiting on the camera


I know that if I went to Patagonia, I'd mostly be taking pictures of landscapes, but I know that if my sixtyish-year-old mother went to Patagonia, she'd mostly be taking pictures of her travel companions, or locals, perhaps with those landscapes in the background.



Apr 28, 2013 at 03:35 PM
philip_pj
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Travel camera recommendations


Patagonia has good feeder towns, the cowboy culture and the amazing lakes and glaciers, Gondwana flora/fauna. Both Chilean and Argentine cities are apparently picturesque.

Before anyone packs their bags, in season it is also total 'lightweight walker' gridlock, people wander along the tracks before pulling in for a coke and fries, that kind of thing. Six months from now puts her in/near peak season. To see wilderness you have to go out if season (cold) or go further afield.

bobbytan, I try, believe me I do - you too, it seems ;-)



Apr 28, 2013 at 06:01 PM
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