Best Camera For Frequent Traveler?

By: Ben Schlappig

Updated: May 27, 2021
Published: July 24, 2014

67 comments

Back in early 2011 I asked you guys for suggestions on which camera I should get. After taking into account the useful feedback and doing some further research, I decided to get the Canon S95.

It has served me brilliantly for over three years, and all things considered I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s compact, takes great pictures in low light conditions, etc.

But at the same time technology is improving at such a fast pace that I think it’s time to upgrade, assuming there’s something better out there. For example, I see there’s now a Canon S120, which I assume is the updated version of my previous camera. But I’m not sure if it’s actually better.

Canon-S120

With the blog redesign, pictures are displaying even bigger than before (700 pixels width vs. 580 pixels width), so I want to be sure I’m taking the best pictures possible for you guys.

I’m not much of a “specs” guy — if you rattled off the different features of a camera to me I probably wouldn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

In non-technical language, here’s what’s important to me:

The ability to take crisp pictures without much effort

I know that sounds obvious and it’s something everyone wants, but when I’m boarding a plane I often only have a few seconds to snap pictures before the cabin fills up, so being able to just “point and shoot” and have the pictures turn out okay is the top priority.

Picture-2

The ability to photograph moving objects well

I take tons of pictures of airplanes, and they’re constantly moving, so a camera that can capture things moving at a couple of hundred miles per hour is ideal.

Picture-3

The ability to capture pictures with limited light

This is possibly the most important. I don’t want to disrupt other passengers when flying, so don’t use flash. Light is often limited, so a camera that performs well with limited light is key.

Picture-4

Have pictures not come out over exposed

This is my one major gripe with the Canon S95. When you point it towards anything that’s bright the pictures seem to get really white and over exposed.

Picture-1

Anyone have any suggestions? Should I stick with the Canon S95, “upgrade” to the Canon S120 (is there even a difference?), or go with a different camera altogether?

Thanks so much! Hopefully this can be a useful resource for others in the market for a camera as well.

More discussion »

Support OMAAT

Conversations (67)

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Comment as a member

Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.

Loading comments…

Recent Comments

The latest from the OMAAT community.

Bjørn Guest

August 21, 2014, 5:47 pm

Have you decided on anything yet?

‼ 0

Endlos Guest

August 5, 2014, 3:24 pm

You lost me with the SnapSort comparison. You should have followed your gut (you were right too bad you didn't reach the right conclusion). I'll stand by the 1.5 extra stops of light vs what SnapSort wrote. You stopped being objective when you wrote "The GM1, which you mentioned, has a sensor 2x the size of the RX100-3, a paltry boost compared to the 6.4x and 4x numbers." That 2x factor is not a paltry boost. The number may look smaller but what that number represents is a league of difference. You should consider a career in politics. DxO ... much better metric. Thanks for including the helpful link, btw. Never knew they had a ... what do you call it ... methodology. Did you read what they wrote at that link? One of three criteria is dynamic range. Always desirable but at a certain stage who cares about the shades of black/grey when you can't pull a shot? Note the DxO mark ISO comparison between the two bodies ... And thanks for sharing that you own a Canon 5d MKIII. Couldn't agree with you more that the 50mm is a great lens (and focal range). Very helpful.

‼ 0

HansGolden Guest

August 5, 2014, 3:19 am

Oops, I'm running behind in ILC developments. I'd recommend the A6000 over the NEX-6: http://snapsort.com/compare/Sony-Alpha-A6000-vs-Sony-Alpha-NEX-6 http://snapsort.com/compare/Sony-Alpha-A6000-vs-Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-RX100-III

‼ 0

EndlosLuft Guest

August 5, 2014, 1:47 am

There is a lot of room for debate but I've seen several people now post about the "big sensor" of the RX100s. This is completely false. None of the RX100s have big sensors. It's true that the sensors are bigger than smart phones and that the RX100III has a slightly larger sensor than the previous models but these are definitely not large sensors by any standard. Photographers don't consider the MFT or APS-C cameras mentioned here to be large sensors either. It's about a compromise in largest sensor size vs. portability. So for example MFT bodies like the Panasonic GM1 have significantly larger sensors vs the Sony RX100s and allow up to 1.5 more "stops" of light. Each stop corresponds to a factor of two in light intensity. In turn the Fuji bodies mentioned previously on this thread have bigger sensors again (unfortunately the bodies are too big for the compact like size and weight comparison). My recommendation for anyone who wants to get better at photography is to also consider the advantages of interchangeable lens systems both for versatility (you can get shots that simply aren't possible with a compact) and for the long term investment in camera lenses. With a compact like the Sony's you are effectively loosing your investment in one of the most valuable parts once you get rid of it. With interchangeable lens systems like the Panasonic GM1 or Fuji's X series you can continue to use those lenses for decades and then also save money as you can just buy new bodies without lenses. Some lenses actually become more valuable over time (I own several that are worth more now than when I bought them). Not going to happen with a fixed lens camera like the Sony RXs. On another note it baffles me that the Sony RX100 III doesn't have a touch sensitive screen. It's so much easier to set a focus point or tell the camera what area to expose by just clicking the area you want to expose too ... weird.

‼ 0

Samuel Guest

August 5, 2014, 12:43 am

Definitely recommend any of the Sony RX100 line of cameras. They all take pretty much the same, awesome DSLR or mirrorless quality pictures, but the Mark 1 is the cheapest, the Mark 2 has awesome NFC and wifi sharing features, and the Mark 3 has a built in electronic viewfinder, which might come in handy. They also have big sensors, which will allow you to take really bright pictures even in low-light conditions. They're also the same size as a point and shoot and therefore super pocketable! The only downside is that they're quite pricy for a point and shoot, but it's definitely worth the investment, considering how many pictures you take.They've been dubbed as "the perfect point and shoot". Check out some reviews! Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/11/sony-rx100-iii-review/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx100-m2

‼ 0