In the last blog, I wrote about the use of smart phones for travel photography. Small package, high quality images and convenient for many situations. I use mine often when travelling or when I am hiking or visiting an area for the first time and want to scout out and remember specific scenes for future photography. But…I rarely travel without my full-size mirrorless camera. I know that this is personal preference, but I am just more comfortable using the bigger camera for images that I want to be sure I get.

Here’s why. As mentioned last time, on a sunny day, I cannot see the screen on my smart phone. This means I’m shooting blind and can’t be sure I have the composition I want. I really can’t even tell if the camera is level which means I’d have to fix a crooked photo when I get home. Be able to read the camera settings? Forget it.

As well, I like to be in control of the settings on the camera and I know exactly where they are on my mirrorless and how to change them with the press of a customized button or the quick turn of a dial.

I also like to have my favorite photos printed, often onto fairly large prints. I have found that the prints from my cellphone camera just don’t turn out as well as they do from the full-size camera. The larger sensor in the full-size camera makes a higher resolution photo with warmer colors that just look better than the smart phone pictures can manage. That isn’t to say you will not get good prints from your smart phone, but if you want to make bigger prints often, consider a bigger camera.

Bigger Cameras?

In considering a camera larger than your smart phone for your travel photography, you can go two ways. First is the full-size camera mentioned above. Larger and heavier but potentially higher quality results. Today, the traditional DSLR is quickly giving way to more modern mirrorless cameras. In fact, as of this writing, Nikon had announced that they will no longer make a DSLR product, focusing on mirrorless exclusively. I’m sure that the days of the DSLR are numbered.

There are many benefits to the new mirrorless products. They are generally lighter and smaller. Because they don’t have the single lens reflex mirror mechanism (the SLR in DSLR) they are quieter to use which matters in churches, museums and for wildlife photography. The range of lenses has become very wide in recent years, allowing you to select lenses for a number of uses. My favorite travel lens is Nikon’s 24-120 mm which gives me most of the reach I need for my travel needs. If I think I will use it, I will also bring Nikon’s 14 – 30 mm lens for wider views.

Pound for pound though, mirrorless cameras are still pretty expensive, and you should consider how much you will use one of these before making that investment. It may well be that the purchase of a larger camera and appropriate lens or lenses could become the beginning of a serous hobby for you.

Which brings me to the other alternative for cameras larger than the smart phone. Compact digitals and “bridge” cameras. Compact digitals, also called “point and shoot” cameras have been around for several years now and you may well own one yourself. Most of the major camera manufacturers have a number of offerings in this range. See below for a list of features you should be looking for in this range of cameras.

Some drawbacks to these little wonders may be the lack of viewfinder, meaning that you are limited to having to use that big LCD screen on sunny bright days as mentioned above. The sensor, (which is the equivalent of the film in the old film camera days) is quite small. This can lead to a grainy look to a photo taken in low light. Referred to as “noise”, this effects cameras with small sensors. If you look into compact point and shoot cameras, this is an point that you would want to keep in mind. Most good camera reviews make mention of how a particular camera will work in darker settings and how much noise you might expect. Although more modern point and shoot cameras are less susceptible to noise, it will still be a consideration. As well, modern software such as Adobe’s Lightroom and photoshop are very good at removing noise from an image.

This brings me to so-called ‘bridge” cameras. These fall between the compact camera category and the bigger full body cameras. I own a Sony RX-10 mark IV and really like it. Smaller and lighter than my full-size Nikon, this camera features everything I like about full size without the penalty of size and weight. It has an incredible lens that reaches from 24mm to 600mm!! Perfect for scenery and wildlife. The silent shutter is perfect for the traveler as you can take photos or videos in places where larger, noisier cameras would not be welcome. I use this camera for hiking and in situations where size and weight will be an issue. Another point about the Sony RX-10 mark IV is that it can be both simple to use and very sophisticated by adjusting the controls to your personal needs and knowledge level. Though not as small as the compacts and not inexpensive this is a very good all-round camera for travel.

Things to investigate when considering a small digital camera include:

•  Does the lens zoom in and out a reasonable amount? The ability to take wide angle images as well as being able to zoom in to distant scenes or wildlife. 24mm to 200 mm would be the lowest zoom range I would consider.

-          Does the camera have a viewfinder? See above.

-          Does the camera have a built in flash?

-          Does the screen tilt outwards? Very useful for taking “low angle” or “high angles” shots.

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allow you to easily transfer your photos to a computer or most modern smartphones.

-          4k video resolution is pretty much the minimum level these days.

•  If you intend to really get into photography as a hobby, you should look for a camera that allows you to shoot in ‘manual” mode. Though beyond the scope of this blog, being able to “shoot manual” gives you a wider degree of creative control over the camera. Look for “P A S M” functions for this. (More in a future blog)