What Camera to Bring?

[arbr0972]

To touch on OPs question, I am really looking at bringing the Sony a7Rii with me on a multi year trip. Like OP I really want a camera that will do the sights and scenery justice. Ill be packing as a minimalist and riding an XR650L on a multi year/continent trip...
Is it incredibly impractical to bring such a high end camera+ one or two lenses with me?

Im quite sure Ill have the room for it and will be able to protect it from the elements, but it scares me to bring anything that expensive on such a trip. Just wondering what some thoughts on this might be.

[Grant Johnson]

A waterproof "point and shoot" is a must if you want to get great shots, because some of the best are when the bike is half underwater, or it's pouring rain etc. DAMHIK!

To get GREAT shots an SLR or one of the new smaller and lighter mirrorless SLR is an EXCELLENT way to go, and you can start with only one or two lenses and add as you feel the need and budget.

[Wanderlost Moto]

Originally Posted by Grant Johnson

A waterproof "point and shoot" is a must if you want to get great shots, because some of the best are when the bike is half underwater, or it's pouring rain etc. DAMHIK!

To get GREAT shots an SLR or one of the new smaller and lighter mirrorless SLR is an EXCELLENT way to go, and you can start with only one or two lenses and add as you feel the need and budget.

Hahaha, I won't ask Grant but thank you for the helpful tips! I like the idea of something rugged and waterproof for "action" shots. And having a camera that can really and truly capture the sights and scenes I'll be encountering seems like a no brainer. I'll talk to my wallet and see what it thinks before I start purchasing things though. Haha

[mollydog]

Not too much mention of how important "post production" is now with photography. So much can be done with processing; Photo Shop, Light Room and lots of other applications can transform "average" pics to notable.

Most of my pics here have been shot with various Panasonic Lumix "point & shoot" cameras with Zero digital processing. I just can't be bothered. I'm not selling my pics.

If you are a Pro and make a living with your pics ... then have at it. If you just want decent travel documentation ...then less post processing the better as it's very time consuming. As always, YMMV.

I've heard recently both Sony and Leica mirror-less cameras are really good. Both make fairly small cameras ... neither are inexpensive. Don't know how rugged. My Panasonic Lumix cameras have been quite rugged.

I had 4 Canon's .... they ALL BROKE (numerous times). Never again. Traveling by bike is tough on cameras. Some bring two cameras or plan to buy something on the road to replace a broken one. Thing is ... keep shooting!

The Panasonic, Sony and Leica all have above average lenses. But many other brands will do the job too ... and for less ... although Lumix are quite inexpensive. Sony and Leica ... not so much.

I've owned 4 Lumix, one lost, one given to buddy and I still have two. I'm due for an upgrade. Probably go mirror less. I've never been a Sony fan ... too complicated, too many features I will never use, to hard to do BASIC stuff. But maybe they are better now? Dunno? ALL need PhotoShop to be really good.

More and more travelers just shooting everything on a Phone. New iPhone, pretty impressive results and many have everything on a GoPro, which also makes good sense.

I started out with Nikon film cameras, traveled 7 years with 3 lenses. A PITA.

Switched to digital in the 90's. I'm not good at all the post processing work and editing apps, so still try to get a decent shot to start off with, "the old fashion way", good light, shadow and composition.

Simple basics as taught to me by Ridley Scott, Vitorrio Storaro, Bill Fraker, Fred Elmes and John Toll, just a few of the GREAT Cameramen I worked with over the years. (movies)

Some digi cams are not great in low light. (like my Lumix cameras) I miss Film in this regard. Latitude. To get this in Digital you'll have to do it in post production processing ... which is quite amazing if you know how.
Main thing is ... have fun with it as you learn. You can only get better!

[Samy]

Originally Posted by arbr0972

To touch on OPs question, I am really looking at bringing the Sony a7Rii with me on a multi year trip. Like OP I really want a camera that will do the sights and scenery justice. Ill be packing as a minimalist and riding an XR650L on a multi year/continent trip...
Is it incredibly impractical to bring such a high end camera+ one or two lenses with me?

Im quite sure Ill have the room for it and will be able to protect it from the elements, but it scares me to bring anything that expensive on such a trip. Just wondering what some thoughts on this might be.

You can save your A7RII and lenses with foams and foamy or thick pouches. Most important thing to consider is motorbike vibration especially at the top case. Better to keep your photo gear in the tnk case or rucksack. So no problem.

You can easily find them on ebay..

[Samy]

If you are a serious amateur or really into photography nothing beats the DSLR. You talk about budget so we can forget DSLRs, but a second hand 6000 series Sony mirrorless can fit in with extra batteries. Then you should find a good zoom.

I have a Canon DSLR with 14 lenses

But for long trips mostly I take Sony RX100 II with me and quite happy with the results.

So my two other advices are :

https://www.sony.com/electronics/cyb...as/dsc-rx100m5

https://www.sony.com/pk/electronics/...ras/dsc-rx10m3

https://www.dpreview.com/news/041491...o-capabilities

RX10 III is more towards DSLR with a great zoom range.

If I would going to make a long trip I would definitely buy RX10 if not have a mirrorless ...

[Wanderlost Moto]

Originally Posted by Cholo

I use an Olympus Tough or Nikon W300 "rugged" camera, waterproof up to 30m in the case of the nikon, can be dropped from about 2m and decent pics. Also has WiFi so you send the pics to your phone to share.
When they get dirty you just wash then under a tap. About U$S 400
both small enough to fit in a pocket

Thanks for the response. I’m unfamiliar with both of these cameras so thanks for enlightening me! I’ll look into them both. The ruggedness is very appealing especially because I’m kinda clumsy. Haha.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Wanderlost Moto

I have little experience in photography so need something easy to use, and I need it to withstand traveling on a motorcycle.

With that said what are you guys using? I'm looking at mid to high end point and shoots vs DSLR's for compactness and ease of use.

Honestly, at that level I would say just get a high-end cellphone and use its camera.

I've just recently gone through this - replacing my old Olympus TZ-1, which at the time I bought it, was an outstanding compact camera, with its 1-inch sensor offering significantly better quality than just about every pocket camera, nevermind phones. Then a year ago I figured out that my phone - a OnePlus 3, itself not the newest model at that time - had caught up, if not surpassed it.

The truth is that the quality of processing algorithms used by phone cameras is so high these days, that to get photos which are meaningfully better, you need to go for an advantage based on pure physics. That means: the physical size of the sensor (not the megapixel count!), and the physical size of the lens (and as a part of it, the ability to have genuine optical zoom).

In a truly compact camera these days, you are looking at a 1-inch sensor like my old Olympus; one step up from that is a Micro Four Thirds sensor, and one step up from that is an APS-C sensor. Above those are big DSLRs. Micro Four Thirds and APS-C sensors are also in mirrorless cameras - they have interchangeable lenses like DSLRs, but are physically smaller because there is less stuff inside the body. One advantage DSLR has over mirrorless is that the mirror protects the sensor while you are changing lenses - safer on the road and in dusty conditions.

What I ended up with is a Sony A5100, the entry-level mirrorless camera. It was cheap - under 500 euros with two lenses and an SD card, when ordered from America via a friend. It makes better photos than my phone, but anything below it would not. If I was choosing a model now, I would go slightly above in models - get something like the Sony A6300, for some extra features like a microphone input for video.

----

So realistically, if you don't want to just use your phone, you want a mirrorless APS-C or smaller DSLR camera with a wide-angle lens (from around 16-18mm up to about 50-60mm) and a telephoto lens (e.g. mine is 55mm-210mm), plus maybe a really good night-time lens, which will usually not have a zoom at all (both Nikon and Canon have cheap 50mm f1.8 lenses for this; for my Sony there is a slightly more expensive but very well-reviewed Sigma f1.4 35mm lens). If you go with a DSLR, your choice is Canon or Nikon - the difference between them is really just personal preference, I think Canon has slightly better availability/support around the world. If you go mirrorless, Sony's a5000-a6000 series cameras are the best cheap option.

[Wanderlost Moto]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

Honestly, at that level I would say just get a high-end cellphone and use its camera.

I've just recently gone through this - replacing my old Olympus TZ-1, which at the time I bought it, was an outstanding compact camera, with its 1-inch sensor offering significantly better quality than just about every pocket camera, nevermind phones. Then a year ago I figured out that my phone - a OnePlus 3, itself not the newest model at that time - had caught up, if not surpassed it.

The truth is that the quality of processing algorithms used by phone cameras is so high these days, that to get photos which are meaningfully better, you need to go for an advantage based on pure physics. That means: the physical size of the sensor (not the megapixel count!), and the physical size of the lens (and as a part of it, the ability to have genuine optical zoom).

In a truly compact camera these days, you are looking at a 1-inch sensor like my old Olympus; one step up from that is a Micro Four Thirds sensor, and one step up from that is an APS-C sensor. Above those are big DSLRs. Micro Four Thirds and APS-C sensors are also in mirrorless cameras - they have interchangeable lenses like DSLRs, but are physically smaller because there is less stuff inside the body. One advantage DSLR has over mirrorless is that the mirror protects the sensor while you are changing lenses - safer on the road and in dusty conditions.

What I ended up with is a Sony A5100, the entry-level mirrorless camera. It was cheap - under 500 euros with two lenses and an SD card, when ordered from America via a friend. It makes better photos than my phone, but anything below it would not. If I was choosing a model now, I would go slightly above in models - get something like the Sony A6300, for some extra features like a microphone input for video.

----

So realistically, if you don't want to just use your phone, you want a mirrorless APS-C or smaller DSLR camera with a wide-angle lens (from around 16-18mm up to about 50-60mm) and a telephoto lens (e.g. mine is 55mm-210mm), plus maybe a really good night-time lens, which will usually not have a zoom at all (both Nikon and Canon have cheap 50mm f1.8 lenses for this; for my Sony there is a slightly more expensive but very well-reviewed Sigma f1.4 35mm lens). If you go with a DSLR, your choice is Canon or Nikon - the difference between them is really just personal preference, I think Canon has slightly better availability/support around the world. If you go mirrorless, Sony's a5000-a6000 series cameras are the best cheap option.

This is extremely helpful to know. I have an iPhone 7 that I’ll be bringing with me for general internet connectivity when needed, gps usage and quick pic/vid taking but still want to have a camera that will give me more options and tools to play with.

I’ve been looking at the Sony A6000 but am on the fence as to whether I’d want I drop $800 on a camera and lenses. Maybe something in the A5000’s would serve me just fine as well.

Hmmm, if only money grew on trees.

[Warthog]

You'll have a myriad of suggestions before this is done, but here's another (haven't check to see if it's been suggested yet.)

Canon G5X Powershot.

Tough build, although not waterproof. (People have managed to travel for decades with cameras that aren't waterproof)

It has all the manual overrides you could possible need, a large, fast lense, nice wide angle and a viewfinder as well as a swing-out, reversible, tiltable LCD touchscreen. I personally really like a viewfinder over a screen, especially in bright conditions.

Retractable flash, Wifi photo transmission and so on and is still able to fit in a pocket, albeit a spacious one.

This is now my only camera bar my phone. I sold all my other iterations: Old canon manuals, Minolta semi-pro film camera and digital bodies, 8kg of lenses etc. This Canon covers all my needs.

Happy hunting.