My wife and I are going to Spain for a month’s vacation in May/June. On our past two European trips, I got really tired of lugging around my Nikon D7200 with Nikon lenses. Too heavy and bulky! We have already bought a tablet to replace our laptop for traveling, and now I’m looking forward to using a very LIGHT and SMALL camera. I have read various reviews, and it seems that the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII is a standout for a highly capable, small, light travel camera.
I must have a viewfinder of some type, and the impressive zoom range and decent sensor size are also attractive in this camera. I am not thrilled with the price (about 1300$) and would be happy to find something cheaper with a comparable feature set. I am not sure that will happen.
I have read some complaints about this camera with regard to the complexity and user-unfriendliness of the menus as well as the battery life. Not sure either one of these is a deal-killer for me, but I do prefer actual buttons and not having to charge batteries constantly. Still, can’t have evreything I guess!
Does anyone have any thoughts on this camera and possible (preferably cheaper) alternatives?
I don’t have a RX100 of any age, but it does sound excellent for your purpose. I usually find that if I’m shooting in RAW I don’t need to go into menus much once things are set up - not sure if that applies here…
One tentative suggestion for a cheaper alternative is an older Sony Nex series camera and a couple of lenses. Probably not as good overall image quality as a new RX100 TBH, but relatively small, light, cheap and pretty good images from the APS-C sensor.
I have a Nex5R which is my go-to when I don’t want my Nikon and semi pro lenses. The AF isn’t great for action but fine for everything else.
EDIT: Sorry - missed the viewfinder requirement. Oops. Disregard my suggestion pls!
It doesn’t meet all your requirements, but I have a Ricoh GR iii and I’ve been liking it a lot. I thought i’d miss a viewfinder as well, but it’s quite usable most of the time.
I’ve been in your shoes, and I hated the RX100 experience. I hated the tiny, cramped viewfinder, hated waiting for that zoom to whir into place every time I wanted to take a picture. Hated the fragility of the tiny device. Perhaps you’ll like it, but I didn’t.
Alternatives: Panasonic TZ200, Panasonic LX100, Canon G5X or G1X. All but the first one have less focal range than the RX100 VII (more in line with the RX100 V). The last one has a much bigger sensor and weather sealing. Most of these I have owned at one point or another, but sold because I didn’t like them for the aforementioned reasons (which took me way too long to figure out).
I went with a Fuji X-E3 and a 18-135, then 16-80 instead. Vastly improved handling, mechanical zoom, interchangeable lenses. But of course bigger. I also second the recommendation for a Ricoh GR, which fits your size requirements, but of course doesn’t have any zoom.
The Sony is a great compact, but its price is justified mostly by the amazing tracking AF. Unless you need that, I would look at other options.
The Canon G5X is a nice camera, as are the Panasonics. Personally I like the menus and the extra features of the latter (I love the DFD AF, and most Panasonic have overexposure zebra stripes, post focus, and delayed 4k shots, but make sure you check each model), so I would go for a Panasonic. That said, I don’t find the zoom range above 100mm eqv that useful for travel, and in compacts I would rather get the brightest lens possible.
You may also want to look at a micro 4/3 body with a small pancake zoom.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions! I am not familiar with the Sony Nex series-- I will have a look.
Ricoh has always intrigued me, and I have always heard good things about the build quality and image quality. But the lack of viewfinder and zoom may be too much for me to sacrifice. They will continue to be a brand to watch IMO.
Of the options mentioned so far, I am leaning toward the Canon G5X. Certainly there are complaints about the AF and video (and battery life), but I shoot mostly landscapes, travel, nature, so this is not a huge issue. However, it seems that the Canon offers improved handling, build quality over the Sony, which will come into play with every shot.
I also agree that ultra-long zooms are not a priority in a small fixed-lens camera, but I want at least something on the order of 24 - 70mm (35mm equiv). Fujis, micro 4/3 are all tempting, but I am really prioritizing size and weight on this purchase. In fact, I am also bringing my Olympus TG-5 in case the weather gets really wet and/or I want to take a dive into some local tidepools. That camera indeed has its own set of compromises, but I was really surprised with the images (and prints!) I was able to make with it on previous trips (Ireland, France).
Will update this thread when I have made a decision. I may try to rent one or two of these options from a local store.
My choice has been for several years on the rx100m3, best compromise price (500 EUR) and functionality (24 mm and very good aperture). I don’t think the large zoom is very useful even when traveling. On the other hand, it is absolutely necessary to pay attention to the stability when shooting. I can only recommend buying an old-fashioned bag with a shoulder strap in addition, which can save several stops. I use the camera screen in a horizontal position, and for a very good stability the two elbows glued to the bust and the shoulder strap in tension.
When traveling, this camera always stays in a pocket or around the neck. Over time, I even bought a second one to take stereo photos in sync
I think you will be fine with that. I own a G7X mark ii, which is pretty similar, and it is a great travel camera when I want to go really, really compact & lightweight. The lens is bright on both, but not only acceptably sharp, even for a compact.
However, note that you can mitigate a lot of lens softness with diffuse & sharpen. I did some calibration for the Canon G7X ii here, if you are interested. Doing this for all apertures I use above f4 resulted in a noticeable improvement without artifacts.
Trying it out is a good idea though. The AF is satisfactory on recent Canons, especially for travel photos. I share your preference for a viewfinder, even when I can see the screen well I find that I compose better with an EVF.
My ‘pocket’ camera is a Panasonic LX7. Tiny and dated sensor, and the EVF is an add-on. On the other hand: cheap and has an 1.4 - 2.3 lens. The camera is coat-pocketable with the external viewfinder mounted, but is not very compact. It has a built-in ND-filter.
The LX10 (in some countries, LX15) is newer, the lens is almost as fast as on the LX7, the sensor is 1", but it lacks the external viewfinder option - has a tilting screen, though.
The TZ100, which we actually own, is quite similar to the TZ200. The lens is a tad shorter, but many say the lens on the TZ200 is softer. It does have a viewfinder, but the image is quite small - I prefer the LX7’s external viewfinder.
The Lumix GX9 and GX80 series of M43 cameras are only slightly bigger than the Canon G5X and have EVF. Of course, a comparable M43 zoom lens is not going to be nearly as compact as what the Canon has.
I wish Panasonic came out with a compact in the TZ series with a 1" sensor, 24-120 eq focal length starting around f2, and an EVF. I loved my TZ90 dearly, despite the nosiy 1/2.3" sensor. DFD AF remains so snappy compared to any Canon compact I tried.
I almost got the TZ100 instead of the Canon G7X ii, but for the lack of screen tilt. It is infuriating that no manufacturer makes the perfect enthusiast compact. The G5X comes really close though, but for the AF (which, again, is perfect for stills).
I am finding that the G5X ii is backordered/out of stock pretty much everywhere I look in the U.S. There are a couple options on eBay for ordering from Japan, but do not carry a U.S. warranty. Does anyone have any ideas where I can get one new?
This is an interesting conundrum. The RX100 looks great, except for the price and lack of tactility. Canons are sold out. I may call that Canadian store (not Amzaon) listed above. I have also been looking at the Sony a6100 w/16-50mm. It looks to have much improved handling, viewfinder integrated into the body (how many times will a pop-up viewfinder pop up before the miniscule plastic pop up mechanism fails???). And, it is about 450$ less than the RX100.
The a6100/16-50 has much more restricted zoom range and is larger and heavier than the RX100.(a6100 camera and lens still half the weight of my Nikon D7200). Speaking of Nikon, I have been looking at Z50, Z7 (can’t remember all these model numbers off the top of my head!), as a somewhat lighter, improvement (??) (replacement) for my D7200. The Z50 with appropriate lens would be about the same price as the Sony–still much larger and heavier, and not sure it would be much of an improvement over the 7200. I am far from convinced I need/want full frame…Of course, then it gets really heavy. I have to make up my mind on what I really want. Size and feature creep are a thing, even for someone wanting a very small/light travel camera.
ALSO, there is the much cheaper, but still capable Lumix DMC-ZS100 for about 400 bucks…
It is nice and compact. But the lens is really rather mediocre, and the usability is hardly better than the RX100. I’m not a fan.
I’ve tried that one, too. It’s actually noticeably more chunky than the RX100, but also sits better in my hand, and I preferred its user interface by a mile. That zoom range is quite astonishing, too. The viewfinder, however, was so tiny that I found it essentially useless. At the time, I then considered the ZS200, which IIRC has a better viewfinder, but never tried it.
I went through a similar exercise a while ago and ended up with the earlier RX100 III. This was something like 1/3 the price of the latest model. Have you considered this one? It has the 24-70mm equivalent lens, which might not be enough for you though. It also lacks the magic AF tracking and high frame rates.
I was only considering pocketable cameras, and the main competition was the Canon G5X II. That camera looked better in many ways but I found some raw samples online and they had a few issues. At wideangle, the lens doesn’t cover the whole sensor. Not a fundamental problem but interesting to know. There are also pretty bad CAs in the corners that are inconvenient to deal with, at least in darktable (darktable - correcting blue/purple fringing (drawn mask in style or preset?)). Raw images from the Sony (how “raw” they really are, I have no idea) are much better behaved.
The RX100 viewfinder is OK, but not great. It’s a bit fiddly to use and not very bright or high-resolution. I normally don’t bother with it as the back LCD is bright enough to use on sunny days. I don’t agree that the RX100 (at least the earlier versions) is fragile generally, but the viewfinder certainly feels fragile. If you’re strictly a viewfinder user then the RX100 III is probably not a good fit.
I agree with other comments about the poor UI and tactility. It doesn’t bother as much as I though it might because, shooting raw, usually I’m only changing exposure compensation at most. Prior to the Sony I had an LX100. This is far better in terms of ergonomics, but it just doesn’t fit in my pocket. For me at least that puts it in the same category as an interchangeable lens camera.
@Kadsura Just curious did you pull the trigger… I am heading to Ireland roughly the same time frame… considering a compact camera but I am cycling so I might just stick to the phone to capture the trip. I am more likely to pull it out and use it and or be able to do so while cycling along…
Anyway just curious… I did a quick scan of the thread and didn’t see you mention if you made a purchase??
Funny you ask because just last night I ordered a new Nikon Z50 with 16-50. As some in this thread have already mentioned, I really think that going up a size class will result in a much nicer shooting experience (akin to what I am used to in my D7200), more control, better durability, a much better viewfinder, etc. The Z50/16-50 combo is about half the weight and bulk of my D7200/18-140–and, according to sample images and reviews–is an extremely capable package. It will not replace my D7200, which I will still use on road trips and landscape work. But for overseas travel and hours and hours of walking through European cities, rural/wild areas, the Z50 will be a welcome relief.
I was kind of frustrated that the Canon G5x ii I had settled on was backordered. However, this thread and the unavailability of the Canon made really re-think things and spend more time comparing different options. I looked at the Nikon Zfc, Canon R50, Sony a6400, etc, but I think I made the right decision.
We went to Ireland in 2017. Dublin, followed by several other towns, driving part of the Wild Atlantic Way, etc. Incredible scenery, food (you will be blown away how great the food and Guinness is!), people, history, etc. I liked it so much, I became a citizen (Foreign Birth Registry). May move there permanently one day. Have a great trip.
Thanks for your feedback and comments… we are really looking forward to it. We land in Dublin and head strait to Galway. Then head on a 6 day bike trip looping back to Galway and then back to Dublin for a day and a bit…
As far camera’s I was just reading about the new sensor tech that will likely come to Samsung and the Google pixel 8… sounds really promising so I might just end up with a better phone and no travel camera …
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