Travel Compact Zoom's - What's best

MnM

Suspended / Banned
Messages
541
Name
Mike
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi

Been out of photography for a while and I think part of it was the gear. I have a DS5600 and a Fuji X100s. Which I'll be selling. I've done a fair bit of research and bought a Lumix TZ95 which has a great reach but only a small sensor.

So I'm looking to pair it with another compact but better quality. The idea being to carry two small compacts and between them get the reach and quality I want

The 2nd camera I'm looking at is the Sony RX100 Vii

Are there any other suggestions? I don't want a fixed lens but happy with a smaller reach, 24-70 range for example

Thanks
 
When I was after a decent compact, the Sony RX100viii was on my list but when I compared the specs of the vi to the vii, I decided that the extra bells and whistles that the vii offered weren't worth the extra TO ME so I saved a few quid by going for the older model.
 
I had a look at a couple of models in store over the years but decided I could not get on with the ergos.

I also wanted an evf and I think they only sorted that out in later models. Earlier ones had either no evf or one with a push up and pull out. They replaced that with a straightforward pop up one later ??? Va on.

There did seem to be a sweetspot for me in the Va - still had the brighter 1.8 lens though only 24-70. PDAF and a few other things.

In the end went for the decentish pan ts/tz 200 - lens not as bad as reported on some samples. Ergonomics nice as is the evf.

On paper the late rx100s are much more competent cameras.

Had you thought about m43 like the oly em10.2 ? I still like that system and have kept my oly em5.1 and a few lenses which I have had for years. Obviously not as compact as the RX100 but bigger sensors. Only the em5.3 etc will have a PDAF comparable to the late RX100s

[ Wife now has this ts200 - I continue with my Nikon 1 ILCs for travel - V3, V2 and all the lenses + the ft1 adapter for Nikon DX FX glass. This is obviously old and fraught with issues ( now all fixed by repair ). Not a sensible choice for most people and only the 1 J5 has the rx100 Sony sensor but no evf - blazing fast AF system though ]
 
Last edited:
If you're happy with 24-70mm then the RX100 VA would be the choice.
If you want a longer reach then the RX100 VII (and VI), as you've found, is the obvious choice.
There are also the Panasonic LX100 II and TZ100 as alternatives to the RX100 VA and VII respectively.

What it will probably come down to is what you can find in the shops as supply is still very patchy.
 
I’ve just been through this process. I needed a small compact camera And I’d pretty much decided on a Lumix LX100/LX100ii as you get a micro 4/3 sensor. In the end, I bought a Lumix GX80 M4/3, which is still pretty small and has the benefit of small and relatively inexpensive lenses.
 
I would suggest staying with Panasonic.
Menu systems are easy, and you would have two with the same menu system.

If you moved to Panasonic M43, the menu systems are still the same, makes life a lot easier and less opportunity for missing something.
 
Sony A7C and the 28-60.

;)
 
Thanks for all the replies, I do keep getting tempted with micro 4/3 but then slap myself and try and focus back on a compact as I do think I'd be more likely to slip it/them in a pocket and actually take some photos.
Got to say I am impressed with the TZ95. The quality while obviously not as good as a DSLR is much better than I thought it would be. The suggestion of staying with a 2nd Panasonic has a lot of merit to it, so might take a look at the TZ200 with the 1 inch sensor, which is the same as the RX100.
The LX100 is an interesting option, will have a deeper look at that one, size wise it's about the same as the TZ95
 
I've had a Sony RX100 3 for some years now and found it excellent if not with quite as good picture quality as my my Powershot G1. It was however much smaller and quicker which made the difference. I paid the extra for the pop up viewfinder which I've used twice in four years! I still use it occasionally although 90% of my photographs are taken by my phone. If I actually go to take photos now, a rare occurrence, I take the SLR. However were I to get another compact a more modern RX110 would be my choice due to it's size and flexability.
 
A combination I often carry is Panasonic's TZ70 and GM5 - the latter with either its default 12~32mm lens or the 25~100mm (as shown here).

Tiny but effective...

Panasonic TZ70 and GM-5 comparison GM5 P1050679.JPG
 
Not had the G1 on my radar. Just googled and they are up to G12 now so will have more of a look at that one
The GM5 looks interesting although I’m trying my hardest to stay away from lenses if I can
Just one other question. If I wanted to compare images between say they Sony and the G12 are there any other sites other than Flickr which is where I tend to default to
 
Hi

Been out of photography for a while and I think part of it was the gear. I have a DS5600 and a Fuji X100s. Which I'll be selling. I've done a fair bit of research and bought a Lumix TZ95 which has a great reach but only a small sensor.

So I'm looking to pair it with another compact but better quality. The idea being to carry two small compacts and between them get the reach and quality I want

The 2nd camera I'm looking at is the Sony RX100 Vii

Are there any other suggestions? I don't want a fixed lens but happy with a smaller reach, 24-70 range for example

Thanks

Not had the G1 on my radar. Just googled and they are up to G12 now so will have more of a look at that one
The GM5 looks interesting although I’m trying my hardest to stay away from lenses if I can
Just one other question. If I wanted to compare images between say they Sony and the G12 are there any other sites other than Flickr which is where I tend to default to

The Panasonic GM5 has been out of production for some time now and they can be hard to find and relatively expensive and it can also be hard to find a good one. I like the RF style MFT cameras and a GX80 can often be found at reasonable prices but these cameras are larger than the TZx range.

As you mentioned the TZ200, I have the TZ100 and find that although the IQ can't quite match MFT it does surpass the IQ of a small sensor compact.

Good luck choosing.
 
Not had the G1 on my radar. Just googled and they are up to G12 now so will have more of a look at that one
The GM5 looks interesting although I’m trying my hardest to stay away from lenses if I can
Just one other question. If I wanted to compare images between say they Sony and the G12 are there any other sites other than Flickr which is where I tend to default to
dpreview may have images to compare
 
Back
Top