{"id":12332,"date":"2019-05-19T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-19T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/?p=12332"},"modified":"2019-05-17T21:04:43","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T21:04:43","slug":"best-travel-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/best-travel-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Travel Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Travel photography is a broad and diverse genre, potentially encompassing everything from landscapes and still life photography through to street shots and portraits. This means that the best DSLR camera for travel photography will vary considerably depending on exactly which travel photographer you ask. And whereas the best DSLRs for producing, say, landscapes or portraits are likely to differ significantly in the features they offer, a good camera for travel photography may need to provide the best of both these worlds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But does such a versatile DSLR actually exist? And if not, which features are truly essential for travel photography, and which can you live without? Our guide to choosing the best DSLR camera for travel photographers will set you on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes a Good Travel Camera?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Theoretically, you could take travel photos with any<\/em> camera, in practice some DSLRs are going to be better suited to the job than others. Let\u2019s take a look at some of the main criteria to consider when choosing the best DSLR for your own travel photography needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is pretty obvious: nobody wants to haul a massive brick of a camera around with them for days or weeks on end if they can help it. This doesn\u2019t mean you should only take your smartphone with you, but you should at least pay attention to the weight of any camera you are considering purchasing – without forgetting to factor in the additional weight of any lenses or other accessories that you might also need to bring along with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like weight, bulk can be a significant deciding factor when choosing the best DSLR for your trip. The bigger the camera, the less room you will have left for packing other essential items, such as extra lenses, a tripod, flash, or gummy bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durability<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Life on the road (or even off it) can be punishing. You may be physically up to the hardships, but is your camera?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we mean when we say that a camera is durable? Firstly, the body is going to be very strongly built: not some plastic trash that will crack open if accidentally swung against a rock while crossing a mountain stream. Similarly, dials and buttons should not be at risk of snapping off or becoming stuck, but instead must be of excellent quality and strongly attached to the body of the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on your destination, travel can also mean dirt, dust, sand, salt water, cold, heat, humidity, and a whole host of other dangers and annoyances that are like kryptonite to consumer electronics. On our first foreign adventure, my girlfriend and I packed an SLR each. We were young and naive: her camera was stolen out of her bag only forty-eight hours into the two-month trip, and mine permanently jammed when sand got into the film-advance lever a couple of days later. I had only shot half a roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not need a camera that can deal with subzero temperatures or one that comes coated in kevlar, but at the very least a good travel camera will probably offer a degree of weatherproofing so it can withstand the basic elements. Nature can be as depressingly predictable as it is unpredictable; the rain falls, the wind blows, the dust settles, and delicate digital circuitry goes on the blink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenience and Ease of Use<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Travel photography is the antithesis of shooting in a studio: you can\u2019t ask models to repeat a pose; photo opportunities won\u2019t wait while you futz around choosing the best camera settings; there\u2019s no assistant to adjust your lighting setup, and in any case, the sun would be unlikely to cooperate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, you\u2019re on your own, and you have to work fast or lose the shot. This means that you need a camera that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Is comfortable to hold<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Has intelligently laid-out controls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Offers quick access to all parameters <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Ideally also allows you to customize function buttons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To a certain degree, this depends on your shooting style. Some photographers shoot a single frame and walk away having nailed it in one. With others, the whirring of the shutter serves as a soundtrack while they work. Whatever gets you the results you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you fall more into the latter category of photographer, you will need a camera capable of reeling off a lot of frames in a short space of time: 10 fps vs. 3fps can make a lot of difference, as can a camera\u2019s RAW buffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also want to be certain that as many of those images as possible are pin sharp. Clearly, this means fast and accurate autofocus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battery Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having woken at 2 AM to begin your ascent of Bali\u2019s Mount Agung volcano, you will not want to reach the crater just in time for a breathtaking golden sunrise only to discover that your camera\u2019s battery indicator is flashing urgently in the predawn glow. Clearly, if you will be spending much time out in the wild, then you\u2019ll want to pack an extra battery anyway. But you can also help your camera to help you by choosing a model that offers consistently good battery life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connectivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s a somewhat convincing argument that features such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and various proprietary image transfer methods are mostly just unnecessary luxuries for those too lazy to bother using a card-reader, travel photography is one area where this thesis quickly finds itself upon shaky ground. Certainly, the ability to backup images on a hard-disk or cloud server while on the move strikes me as very handy. And for those wanting to regularly post their exploits on social media, being able to ping a few images across from your camera to your phone at whim is not to be scoffed at either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important such features are to you is something you will have to work out for yourself. Most top-end DSLRs will offer some form of connectivity, while many entry-level ones do not (at least not without the additional purchase of a costly WiFi accessory).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image Quality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are serious about travel photography, you will not want to go to the trouble of traveling half the way around the world, spending who knows how much money, only to come home with some grainy little 8 megapixel JPEGs of your trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing the camera with the best image quality possible within your budget should always be the number one criteria when purchasing a DSLR for any<\/em> purpose, so this is not a point that should even need mentioning. However, we add it here to be sure that, in the excitement of searching for the ultimate travel photography camera, we don\u2019t lose sight of the most important thing of all: making good pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And nothing will hinder your quest to shoot good pictures more than a camera incapable of producing good quality images. So once again, purchase the best DSLR camera you can afford for image quality. Primarily this means choosing a camera with: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf A large image sensor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf A high pixel count (number of megapixels)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf A wide dynamic range <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Minimal digital noise<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Good performance at higher ISOs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compromise<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the reality is that not all of the above criteria are entirely compatible. A truly durable camera will have a metal body, rather than a plastic one; but this will likely also make it heavy. Similarly, a camera with a high pixel count and a large sensor will produce outstanding images; but will probably be capable of much slower burst shooting rates than those offering less megapixels and will likely also exhibit more digital noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t have it all, so one of the most important steps in choosing a good travel camera is learning to compromise. What\u2019s important is that you make this compromise in the right places. And here it helps to have an idea of the kind of photographs you want to produce, and the conditions under which you will likely be producing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve already worked out that you\u2019re more into approaching people and asking to take their portrait in a quiet side street than capturing the fast-paced hubbub of a bazaar at night, you already know that fast ISOs and rapid burst shooting rates are probably lower down your list of priorities than image resolution. Or if the main reason for traveling is to check out incredible wildlife in remote locations, then you\u2019ll probably be willing to accept a slightly smaller sensor size and pixel count in return for lightening-fast autofocus and breakneck continuous shooting speeds in a more portable body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, when choosing the best DSLR for your trip, something will likely have to give. Just be sure that you fully understand where that compromise is being made and that you are willing to live with the trade-off. Above all, don\u2019t leave this decision to chance just because somebody somewhere told you that the EOS-thingamijig or the Nikon D-somethingorother is hands down the best DSLR camera right now. There\u2019s no such thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, there\u2019s not even an overall best DSLR camera for travel photography. There\u2019s simply the best DSLR camera for you and your<\/em> travel photography. Hopefully, it will be one of our following recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 of the Best DSLR Cameras for Travel Photography<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

#1. Canon EOS 6D Mark II<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"Canon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Full-frame image sensor <\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ 26.2-megapixels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Vari-angle touch screen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Dual Pixel CMOS AF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Good ergonomics<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Great connectivity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

+ Weather sealed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Single HD card slot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– No 4K video<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offering excellent image quality, combined with great usability, and a reassuring degree of protection against the elements, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II<\/a> provides pretty much everything the average travel photographer will need. And at a very accessible price point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also unusually small and lightweight for a full-frame DSLR. Indeed, if you were considering going for a smaller APS-C camera in order to keep bulk to a minimum, you may want to rethink: the 6D Mark II is not much bigger than an entry-level DSLR, and yet offers far superior image quality to the cropped-sensor alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the original 6D and the Mark II Canon has significantly bumped up the number of AF points – from just nine on the first iteration to an impressive 45 cross points on the 6D II – making autofocus noticeably faster. The camera\u2019s burst shooting rate has been accelerated too, increasing from 4.5 fps to a perfectly respectable 6.5 fps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camera is very well designed and a pleasure to hold. On top of which, the layout of buttons is highly intuitive, with all controls easily within reach and their positions simple to memorize. What\u2019s more, the 6D II further secures its credentials as one of the best DSLR cameras for travel photography by offering excellent connectivity in the form of GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For travel photographers, who may need to shoot a lot of frames before getting a chance to backup their files, perhaps the biggest turn off will be the lack of a second HD card slot. Meanwhile, some noticeable noise at higher ISO settings means that the 6D Mark II is not the absolute best choice of DSLR for low-light shooting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if video is a major priority for you, you may well want to look elsewhere, as there is no 4K capability with the 6D II either. Although, for more casual video shooters, full HD at up to 60 fps and in-camera five-axis digital movie stabilization will likely be more than sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Sale<\/span>\n
\n \n \"Canon\n <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n Canon EOS 6D Mark II Digital SLR Camera Body - Wi-Fi Enabled <\/a>\n
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