They say the best camera is the one you have with you (even if it’s just a smartphone) but chances are if you haven’t upgraded in a while, all of these point and shoot cameras will improve your travel photos. There are a number of advantages to traveling with compact camera in addition to your phone – much better low light photos, expandable storage up to 256GB dedicated to pictures and video, plus superior optical zoom.
These are the best point and shoot cameras of 2014, though if you’re on the market for a DSLR I recommend you check out the gear some of my favorite travel bloggers are using.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS 40 (TZ 60 Outside Of North America)
So much of the Lumix line is great and the Lumix ZS 40 is a solid improvement on the Lumix ZS 30, my pick for best travel camera in 2013. The Leica lens still gives you very wide angles for a point and shoot (24-720mm) but this time around increases the optical zoom by 33%, magnifying images up to 30x. Image stabilization has been enhanced and the ability to take RAW photos is there if you’re serious about photo editing. Battery life remains excellent, the rechargeable giving over 600 shots in my tests (80% daylight/20% flash use). I should also mention that when the camera is off it holds charge for weeks.
Panasonic DMC-ZS40K Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black)
The one weakness of the Lumix ZS 40 is its low light video; although shot in Full HD (1920 x 1080 resolution) you can see here it’s not the brightest. It’s a bump up from the ZS 30, but not by much.
The Sony RX100 III doesn’t have nearly the impressive zoom of the Lumix ZS 40 (only 70mm) but gives you the same wide angles at 24mm; a feature you’ll find hard to go without once you have it. Sony does however make damn good sensors and the RX100 III is no exception; low light photos seem to turn out brighter than most of the competition. Video is great as is the camera’s start up time. The Sony RX100 III is a bit delicate but if you want some of the absolute best photos a compact can take – and willing to pay a bit more for it – this is probably the camera for you.
Sony DSC-RX100M III Cyber-shot Digital Still Camera
The Olympus Tough TG-850 isn’t a pretty camera but as the name says, it is tough. You can drop the TG-850 from about 2.1 meters (~7 feet) and it dives down to about 10 meters (~33 feet) which is pretty impressive for a camera at this price point. Although you can get wider angles down to 21mm with an Olympus Tough TG-3 or find more compact with a GoPro HERO4, this is the most durable camera you can get on a tight travel budget.
Olympus Stylus TG-850 IHS 16 MP Digital Camera (Black)
A Few Aging Options To Consider
Canon has been sitting on the Powershot 16 for over a year now, it’s a thicker camera geared toward photography enthusiasts that takes vivid pictures even in automatic mode. It’s overdue for an update but worth taking a look at if you’re prone to tinkering with camera knobs. The Olympus Stylus 1 is the biggest of the bunch mentioned but a good choice to look at if you’re dipping your toes into DSLR waters.
No matter what camera you’re packing you can take better travel pictures with it, avoid the black and white setting to take amazing monochrome photos, and get the best sunset photos we all love to take.
The Olympus is a great camera. Takes good pictures and is durable which is my favorite. It has done me well so far.
I love the ad where it’s being tossed around a baseball field.
I stepped down to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS 40 after dunking my Sony a6000 in the reflecting pool at the Louvre. I wanted something even smaller than the mirrorless compact systems and was intrigued by the long zoom offered by the compact (the Lumix is smaller than just the 200MM lens I had for the Sony.)
All-in-all it was a good choice. With the Lumix I still get to shoot in RAW, which is huge. The long zoom comes in super handy and the size, while not exactly pocektable (unless you’re wearing cargo pants) is much smaller than any other cameras with similar capabilities.
The shortcomings of the camera, though, are worth noting. It’s dynamic range is poor, especially with highlights, which it tends to blow out easily and completely. And while it offer some manual controls you’re usually limited to a just a few stops. Also the camera produces pretty noticeable noise at almost all ISO levels.
Over all, for a “point and shoot” camera it has great capabilities and can produce really terrific images under the right conditions.
Good points to note, thanks.
Any reason, why both Canon G7X and Panasonic Lumix LX1 are missing from that list?
The GX7 is a good camera, I just don’t like how the flash pop up is constructed and worry about its durability over time. It was one that wasn’t too far off this list – as for the Lumix, you mean the LX100? Lack of built in flash but mostly because I felt 4/3 interchangeable lens cameras were out of scope for this particular post.
Yes, the Panasonic LX-100, sorry for my mistake.
The LX-100 does have an almost 4/3 sensor (2,2 crop factor) but isn’t an interchangeable lens camera, it’s like a compact camera with one very bright fixed lens (f/1,7-2,8).
That said it isn’t quite Sony RX100 III pocketable but still fits a cargo pants pocket. Also it has a built in flash and viewfinder. On paper it’s the best compact camera ever built and it’s the same price as the Sony.
The GX7 flash seems to be sturdy enough on mine. Looks like a little R2D2 😉
Battery life is bad, though…
I was mistaken again, the LX100 doesn’t have a built in flash, only a seperate hotshoe flash, which might indead be a dealbreaker for some.
Yes, my mis-type (no interchangeable lens – I looked at a *lot* of Lumix series) but the flash is a big drawback for a travel camera. What’s the camera you’re using?
I just switched from a Nikon D90 to a Canon G7X, so you can probably understand my joy about having a compact camera, that does almost the same thing as that black box behemoth.
Well TBH, this joy was short-lived, as the G7X lens cover didn’t survive bumping into my scooter on Ko Lanta after only 10 days. I had it in my left pocket, which is a carrying method I would now strongly advise against. DSLRs are just so much more robust 🙁
I still believe the G7X is a better buy than the Sony RX100 III, mainly cause of more zoom range and a better price point and everything else the same more or less. Sony is better if you need to charge via USB or if you need a viewfinder. Just don’t carry them in your pocket…
Sorry to hear about the camera loss. The wrong angle can really cause major damage.