As any good traveller knows, when you’re picking what to take, you need to pick stuff that can take the rough and tumble of life on the road.
This is especially true for electronic equipment, which can be easily breakable, expensive to fix and generally pretty spirit-crushing if anything goes wrong.
That’s why it’s important to choose the right camera for your trip. Your photos, after all, will be the main source for you to remember your journeys, nevermind make all your friends jealous.
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So what makes a camera suitable for travel? Certainly robustness is one important criteria, but you should also keep in mind a few other things, too:
- Cost: Obviously cameras can be quite expensive, but there are suitable cameras for whatever budget so keep an eye out for a price that suits you.
- Size and weight: When you’re travelling it’s often best to travel light and a big camera can take up a lot of space. That’s why smaller cameras are often better for travel, but it all depends on what you’re willing to carry.
- Your needs: Are you just looking for holiday snaps, or do you want to take high-quality photos? Make sure you have in mind what you want as it can have a big impact on the camera that you should be buying.
To help make your decision a little easier, here are five cameras that we recommend for any budding explorer.
Nikon Coolpix AW100
The pocket-sized Coolpix AW100 may be small, but it certainly packs a punch. Boasting a cool 16 megapixels of resolution, 20 easy-to-use scene modes, HD video capabilities and GPS tagging, it stands up against all similar priced cameras. Not only that, but it’s waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof, so it’s ready for whatever you’re planning to throw at it, literally!
Fuji X-Pro 1
For the more professional camera person, the Fuji X-Pro 1 is highly recommended. Incredible quality photos are guaranteed with this high-quality camera and it’s great for travellers since it shoots quickly, it’s light and it’s small. It may be relatively expensive, but if you’re an experienced photographer you’ll soon discover you get exactly what you’re paying for.
Nikon Coolpix P510
Another Nikon, this camera takes up the middle-ground between a big, professional DSLR and a small, pocket-ready bargain camera. The Nikon Coolpix P510 is surprisingly compact and light, but doesn’t compromise on quality. 16.1 megapixels of stunning resolution, a twisty screen to make snapping easy in awkward positions, HD film and an incredible zoom make this camera a firm favourite among travellers.
Prices from $319
Olympus XZ-1
Taking tips from rival cameras in the same market, the Olympus XZ-1 combines some of the very best of their features. From the bright lens (which makes capturing high quality images easy in any environment) to the excellent video options, it makes a great travel camera due to its extensive features and ease of use. You can also buy some great add-ons, like waterproof casing, that make it perfect for adventurous travellers.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC HX20V
The affordable Sony Cyber-shot is a great camera for travellers and photographers of all levels. Packed full of features (including a compass!), it’s got great image quality, superb video resolution and even recording in stereo sound. There are also easy to use settings for beginners that help with colours, effects and blur-reduction.
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