Recommends for a camera for travelling around the Indian Subcontinent

[Yantorsen]

Evening all,

I will be heading to India in a few weeks to do some budget backpacking for a few months.

It's been over a decade since I bought a new camera so I'm hoping one of you kind folks can point in the right direction.

Primary Requirements:
- Less than £200, less than £150 if possible.
- Good quality images, I currently mainly use a Fujifilm Finepix S9500, so anything comparable or better than this should be fine.
- Able to fit in a pocket
- Good battery life, as I may not be able to charge it for days at a time.

Secondary Requirements:
- Some facility to do wide angle shots
- A half-decent optical zoom
- Water proof
- Decent quality video

Bonus Requirements:
- Ability to be mounted like a GoPro onto snorkel masks etc.
- Some ability to connect to the internet so I can back up things and / or post things to social media on the fly (I'm not sure if this is a thing as I am quite out of the loop).

If the above requirements could be more economically achieved in multiple devices I am open to that as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[cambsno]

Think you may be a little optimistic on that budget! TBH I don't know the compact market that well - although a Canon S95/100 (or whatever the newer models are called ) are ok, or the Sony RX100 original is probably that.. Not 100% on battery life.

If you can stretch to it, a Fuji X100 original should be getable for 200-250. These are brilliant, AF a bit slow on this one but great IQ and (large) pocket sized. Battery not greta but spares are light or you can charge via a battery pack and USB (well you can on the T and F). It is a fixed 35mm lens but have taken it on a number or trips and it is liberating!

 

[Raymond Lin]

What phone do you have?

 

[stickytape]

You might be able to squeeze in a Panasonic FZ1000 or Sony RX10 Mark one for his money; Perhaps at a pinch the Panasonic FZ300 - small sensor but still pretty good - and probably a world away from the S9500. None of these for £150 though. Buy yourself a battery bank for £20 off amazon that can act as a charger. You can get 20,000 MAH versions which should do for a good few charges

 

[Yantorsen]

Thank you all for your replies.

Think you may be a little optimistic on that budget! TBH I don't know the compact market that well - although a Canon S95/100 (or whatever the newer models are called ) are ok, or the Sony RX100 original is probably that.. Not 100% on battery life.

If you can stretch to it, a Fuji X100 original should be getable for 200-250. These are brilliant, AF a bit slow on this one but great IQ and (large) pocket sized. Battery not greta but spares are light or you can charge via a battery pack and USB (well you can on the T and F). It is a fixed 35mm lens but have taken it on a number or trips and it is liberating!

Thanks for the suggestions of the X100 and RX100, both seem to be slightly more than I was looking to spend, but it's a starting point.

What phone do you have?

A Lenovo P2, which isn't good enough, especially in low light.

You might be able to squeeze in a Panasonic FZ1000 or Sony RX10 Mark one for his money; Perhaps at a pinch the Panasonic FZ300 - small sensor but still pretty good - and probably a world away from the S9500. None of these for £150 though. Buy yourself a battery bank for £20 off amazon that can act as a charger. You can get 20,000 MAH versions which should do for a good few charges

Thank you for the suggestions.

I think the FZ1000 and RX10 are both too bulky, I want something that I can stuff into a standard trouser pocket, freeing me up to just enjoy moments, but also be able to get at it quickly when required, if that makes sense. Happy to get a battery tank though, assuming I can get one through airport security.

Given that my S9500 is now over 10 years old, and can be picked up for around £90 these days, I was thinking most compacts these days around £150-£200 would surpass it in terms of IQ, but maybe this is misguided?

So I had been looking at cameras like the ones below, but I'm not sure how they perform in terms of IQ, especially the GoPros for stills. Perhaps all of the ones below sacrifice IQ for waterproofness/robustness and are not really very good?

GoPro HERO7 (£195)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30EB-A (£120)
FUJIFILM Finepix XP140 (£150)

Many thanks

 

[cambsno]

GoPros are great but generally worse or no better than a phone for stills. Mine is only a 4 granted, but wouldn't use it other than when in the pool or sea for stills.

I fear your budget is just unrealistic for what you want. Appreciate your on a budget, and any images will be great on a trip like this, but you want a very specific list of features. Can you increase budget to get you something that is better IQ wise? Maybe better off selling phone and camera and getting a new iPhone or similar?

 

[Jase]

Spend more, but careful and sell when you get back and you won’t loose much or anything.

 

[Snapsh0t]

Given that my S9500 is now over 10 years old, and can be picked up for around £90 these days, I was thinking most compacts these days around £150-£200 would surpass it in terms of IQ, but maybe this is misguided?

So I had been looking at cameras like the ones below, but I'm not sure how they perform in terms of IQ, especially the GoPros for stills. Perhaps all of the ones below sacrifice IQ for waterproofness/robustness and are not really very good?

GoPro HERO7 (£195)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30EB-A (£120)
FUJIFILM Finepix XP140 (£150)

Many thanks

Exactly. Plus they all have fixed focal length lenses, not a zoom like your S9500. Basically, there are now no good new compact cameras in your price range as mobile phones have eaten the market. I'd suggest a used RX100 or RX100 II would fit much of what you want (except waterproof) but you will notice the decreased zoom range.

 

[ancient_mariner]

The camera you are looking for does not exist: great image quality, tiny, long battery life, good optical zoom range, waterproof, and all available for <£200.

The obvious suggestion has already been made: a modern smartphone will offer image quality that at least matches your fuji and is fully pocketable, but without the zoom and also with shorter battery life in some cases (my Xiaomi Note 5 lasts 3-4 days on a charge, for around £150ish). A cheaper go-pro clone would do the water-proofing for you, but still image quality won't be great as you know.

What compromises are you willing to make? Do you want better pictures, small size or minimal cost the most?

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

The closest thing to what you are asking for (in my experience) is probably the Panasonic TZ70 which can be found secondhand or "A" grade remaindered for just within your budget. Some examples from mine...