Lightweight proper camera for travelling

Nutella

Nutella

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Hi,

I used to do more photography than I do now, I only really crack out my dinosaur Canon 5D mk 1 when I go on holiday. I have a couple of lenses, I like my nifty 50 and my pancake lens, I barely use my longer lens, I can't even remember what kind it is, up to 105 I think but it's too big to carry for me. However, I love 'proper' photography, I shoot manual, full frame and I develop my pics in Lightroom. I'm planning a 3 month trip across a few countries. I definitely want to take a proper camera with me, but my current one is too too heavy.

I'm not up to date with current tech, what might work for me so you think? Is it a bridge camera that is smaller but can take lenses still? Is there a chance of me getting anything full frame? It's all i've ever known, it just makes sense to me, can I get used to anything else? Any recommendations please. TIA
 
My 'travel' camera is a Sony A6000, I have a small shoulder bag that carries the camera, it's 16-50 kit lens, 55-210 kit lens, plus 35 f/1.8 and 50 f/1.8 primes and a Meike 320 flash.
The 2 kit zooms are a trade off in aperture and overall sharpness in favour of size and weight, but still capable of excellent results.

I'd suggest you look for something similar - go APS-C or m43 - if you try FF you'll only want to put big, heavy lenses on it, which defeats the purpose.
(I did take my A7iv on a recent holiday to Australia, with a 16-35 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-300 - I could pack that surprisingly small, but the weight over my A6000 kit was very noticeable)
 
I haqve recently bought a Panosonic Lumix ZA 100 that I carry in a belt pouch every where I go. 25-250 lens and takes photo's as well as my N 7000 DSLR.

This photo done with the Panosonic. Very light weight! 13"x19"
 
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Faldrax said:
My 'travel' camera is a Sony A6000, I have a small shoulder bag that carries the camera, it's 16-50 kit lens, 55-210 kit lens, plus 35 f/1.8 and 50 f/1.8 primes and a Meike 320 flash.
The 2 kit zooms are a trade off in aperture and overall sharpness in favour of size and weight, but still capable of excellent results.

I'd suggest you look for something similar - go APS-C or m43 - if you try FF you'll only want to put big, heavy lenses on it, which defeats the purpose.
(I did take my A7iv on a recent holiday to Australia, with a 16-35 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-300 - I could pack that surprisingly small, but the weight over my A6000 kit was very noticeable)
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And the A6700 is reviewed as being the best A6xxx by far, and not noticeably heavier. I bought the E70-350 lens recently - which is pretty good, and ridiculously lightweight. Perfect for travelling along with the sigma 18-50 which is almost as good as prime lenses (in my view anyway).
 
I had a Canon 5D and for a while my most used lens was a Sigma 50mm f1.4.

I moved on because I was never happy with the bulk and weight. At first I thought that Micro Four Thirds was going to replace my Canon kit and to be fair I think my Micro Four Thirds cameras are better than that old 5D. MFT is a x2 crop system so to get the same field of view as you'd get with a 5D and 50mm you'd need a 25mm lens.

What eventually replaced my 5D was a full frame Sony A7 and I've had it nearly 10 years now. FF doesn't have to mean big and heavy lenses especially if you are happy with a prime. For example the Sony 50 and 55mm f1.8's are not humongous whilst the A7 is no bigger than a MFT mini SLR style camera.

Both my MFT cameras and my Sony A7 are mirrorless cameras with an evf instead of an ovf and these do have some advantages, focus is consistent and accurate, you can focus anywhere in the frame not just around the central area as you do with DSLR's and you can see the exposure and DoF before you take the picture. I do like my MFT kit but there's no denying that FF offers a step up in image quality and dynamic range too to lessen the chance of blown highlights.

When going on holiday I usually take my FF Sony A7 with a tiny Sony 35mm f2.8 and a compact camera with a zoom lens.

Just for fun.

A7 with 50mm f2.5 v A7 with 55mm f1.8 v 5D with Sigma 50mm f1.4.

Untitled-1.jpg

From the back, A7 v 5D.

Untitled-12.jpg

Good luck choosing.
 
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I have been travelling with my Canon 5D + 1 lens (35L mostly) for years then switched to Sony, also plus 1 lens (35GM), but some trips I will add a 24-70 and 70-200.

However, I have a separate Fuji system as my toy, and this week I picked up a X-S10. Some lenses are a little smaller, but some are a lot smaller, like the 35/1.4 is much smaller than the 50/1.4 on the Sony, or even the 50/1.8 on the Sony.

The body even has IBIS, AF is fine for travel, in fact, all the spec on it is just fine for travel.
 
and I'm pretty sure the lads will know I'll chip in the cheapest ,lightest (bodies and lenses ) are in the Olympus micro four thirds range , the majority of bodies have several stops of i.b.i.s in body image stabilisation , and some have built in ND filters as well , as well as pre-burst modes that take photos before/during/after you have pressed the shutter .they are a 2x crop factor but don't let that bother you as the lenses are built for it and there's no noticeable difference these days .. things have moved on with mirrorless and burst speeds of 18+ frames per second and a lot higher are the norm now . but weight also comes into play and for instance a e.m1.mkiii with a 100-400 lens attached comes in at 2kg all up with a smaller lens 1kg all up is possible . here's a sample from last week
is this my best side by jeff cohen, on Flickr
 
I went from the left....to the right. Yes I know 23/1.4 on the Fuji is the the same....so light a package I can take my 35/1.4 and 56/1.2 with me and probably won't notice it.

OvZG3xK.png
 
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You don't say how much you want to spend on a new camera which would be a help with recommendations
 
The simplest solution for full frame and your current lenses is a 6d, tiny compared to a 5d.

But one of the newer mirrorless bodies is smaller still but if staying full frame becomes quite an investment.

Id recommend either an Olympus M4/3 setup or a Fuji APSC, huge weight saving compared to full frame but feel even more like a 'real camera' than your 5d.

In fact my dream travel camera would be a Fuji XE or xpro (there's no good reason a mirrorless camera should have a fake prism on top).
 
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I increasingly use my Fuji XE2 with either an 18-55 or a 35 f2 as a general use and travel camera.I am contemplating either a 23mm f2 or the 18mm f2 as a general do most things set up.
 
Rank the importance of low light performance, size, autofocus, cost, look and feel.

As said, a budget is useful but you can’t go wrong with many of the options on the market right now, with an eye on compactness Olympus/Panasonic m4/3, Fuji, Sony (both APS-C and full frame) all meet your requirements in different ways depending on how you rank your requirements.

I would work back from the lenses required and see if you can try out a few bodies in a store to see if you have any progress.
 
Most of the lower and mid range APS-C or even full frame mirrorless cameras will represent a size and weight saving over the 5D, irrespective of brand. And 4/3 will be smaller again, so it comes down to feature set, how comfortable they are in the hand and how comfortable you are with the menu systems.

In addition you might be pleasantly surprised at how well a modern APS-C sensor performs in comparison with your 5D. I wouldn’t get hung up on full frame for the sake of it unless you want to use your existing lenses with an adapter but then you’re adding weight and size (and cost).
 
Here's a slightly different take - if it's carrying it that's the issue have you considered a different sling/backpack/chest strap setup? Might make it more manageable.
 
There was a brief moment in time when I had the 5D4, A73, my Fuji and an Olympus.

Note that I like to add a half case to both the Sony and Fuji as I do find them a little short and no place for the pinky. But the Fuji are as small as I would go for that proper camera feel.

vokZJrm.jpg
 
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https://camerasize.com/ is a really useful resource for comparing the size of various cameras/lenses.

FWIW My travel kit went from 5D with 24-105 and a 50mm to a Fuji X-T2 with 18-55 lens and a 35mm prime (equivalent to 50mm on the 5D. Switching to Fuji really invigorated my photography too. However, I found that even the Fuji set-up was bigger/heavier than I wanted to take on bike rides, so I also got a Fuji X100V, which is a large sensor (APSC) fixed lens compact, with a 35mm equivalent lens. However, for travel, I would probably lean towards the X-T2 with interchangeable lenses for the extra flexibility.
 
Canon 850d? same lens will fit (1.6 crop) the 24mp sensor is pretty good, even decent in low light, and it's a lot lighter than a 5d.
 
I travel ultra light so for me it’s a conscious decision to only take my iPhone. The new one is superb, and wonderfully discreet. If I travel somewhere for the purpose of photography I take my FZ1000 which covers everything. I do like the idea of the Fuji, though.
 
I bought a Nikon D3300 for travelling some years ago, as it was a lot smaller and lighter than my FX DSLR. Had a 16-85mm lens, so 24-127.5mm equivalent. It was ok, but not so great in low light. MFT would have been even worse. So I was very happy when the Z-mount cameras were announced, as they were significantly smaller and lighter than FX DSLRs. At first I just travelled with the 24-70 f4 zoom, but have since added other lenses. I do sometimes use my old F-mount 24-120 with the adapter, but that's a bit bulky tbh. Obviously any choice is a compromise; I'm happy to suffer a bit of extra weight for that improved image quality, and especially the low light capability of the Z6. But even a kit with the 24-70, 14-30 and 50mm f1.8 is still pretty lightweight and compact. If I wanted to go smaller, then I think I'd get a Z50 and the kit zoom/s. But they're still more than I'd want to spend on such a thing, even s/h.
 
danbroad said:
I travel ultra light so for me it’s a conscious decision to only take my iPhone. The new one is superb, and wonderfully discreet. If I travel somewhere for the purpose of photography I take my FZ1000 which covers everything. I do like the idea of the Fuji, though.
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Tbh I do mostly only have my iPhone (12) with me. It's perfectly adequate most of the time, and surprisingly good. Really no need for a 'compact' camera any more.
 
Ditto In practice it’s my iPhone I use most of the time unless I need long focal lengths.

What I used to use most is Olympus m43 and a mix of Oly and Pan lenses. I still have my original em5.1 and some glass.

It’s just so small, compact and capable.

What goes in our Camper now and on flights ( in theory if we ever fly again ) is an ultra compact Nikon V3 kit and lenses covering 18-800 EFL - all lenses now refurbished. Probably a step too far in giving up DR etc for compactness for nearly everyone.

If all my Nikon 1 stuff went belly up I would switch back to Oly m43 though its a close call between ILCs and RX10's

If you need to go FF, then there are nice Sony G, Sigma i- series and even Sanyang "Tiny" compact lenses available for Sony or Nikon Z via an adapter. You will will lose a bit of acuity and LOCA but they are perfectly OK for "snaps" IMO. I use the Samyang "Tiny" ones on a Z6 - very pleased.

Richard
 
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Thanks for your contributions. I hadn't thought too much about budget. If I can use my existing canon lenses then I'll have more to spend on a body. I don't know how much I'm out to spend, I'm usually heading for mid range, and this is a pretty once in a lifetime trip.

I don't think you can shoot raw on phones can you? Use editing software?

I have a belt holder which is amazing.
 
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Nutella said:
Thanks for your contributions. I hadn't thought too much about budget. If I can use my existing canon lenses then I'll have more to spend on a body. I don't know how much I'm out to spend, I'm usually heading for mid range, and this is a pretty once in a lifetime trip.

I don't think you can shoot raw on phones can you? Use editing software?

I have a belt holder which is amazing.
Click to expand...

Some phones can shoot RAW, like Apple iPhone 14 Pro and 15 Pro.
 
RAW on camera 'phone files is no big deal imo; there simply isn't the dynamic range in 'phone RAW files to do much beyond what can be achieved with just the Jpegs or HEIC files ime. It's a bit of a marketing gimmick really. But 'phones are so good now anyway. Yet they still don't replace 'proper' cameras on terms of ultimate image quality and versatility, of course.
 
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