It almost goes without saying that when you are looking for a travel camera to purchase, you will be looking for a digital camera rather than a film camera. It is easier to use digital so you don’t have to worry about finding a place to buy film or loading film into your camera for travel vlogging.
Here are the top 5 features to look for in a great digital compact travel camera:
- The first thing to consider is the portability of the camera. Especially if you are planning on moving around a lot while on your trip, you will want to find a digital camera that easily fits into your pocket, purse, or travel bag without adding a lot of weight to your load.
- Zoom Range would be second on the list. You will want to be able to take great photos of the landscape, which means having a wide lens (lower numbers such as 28mm are wider than 36mm). But, on the other hand, you may also want to be able to zoom in to get super images of distant objects. This would call for a zoom range of at least 5-10x, meaning 180mm or higher.
- Image Stabilization is another extremely important camera feature. IS allows the photographer to avoid blur associated with the movement of the camera when the shutter button is pushed. Since you are traveling light (without a tripod) IS is a very desirable feature.
- Battery life ranks 4th on the list. Some cameras have been rated low on this item. Make sure you read the reviews on the camera you plan to purchase. If your camera uses regular 2A batteries, you could just carry some extras, but if you need special batteries for your camera, you should carry an extra battery even if the life of the battery is good. You don’t want to get caught with a dead camera battery when the best photo op of your trip comes up.
- Finally, look for a digital camera with excellent video capability. The newer releases are featuring 720p video with 30 minutes or more of recording time depending on the size of your memory card.