CMK10

Upgrades from a Canon SX610 to an SX620. It's a good point and shoot that got a 25x zoom and still fits easily in a pocket

FlyingChuck

Been using a Ricoh GR II exclusively for the past 6 months. Never going back to a non-pocketable camera.

The_Mileonaire

I'm using a Canon EOS 6D for 2 years now, preferably with the 16-35mm & 24-70mm lenses. Not compact at all and very often a pain in the behind to carry around (especially during long hikes...) but it's always worth it for me. I just love its performance, especially for wide angle shots! ^

txflyer77

I've landed on a travel setup based around my Canon 650D and 24mm pancake as my primary equipment, augmented with my iPhone and rental lenses.

When I spent two weeks driving around Utah earlier this year I rented a 70-200 f/4L and a 10-18mm. I'm heading to New Zealand tomorrow and rented a 24-105 f/4L. On trips where I'm not doing any landscape photography I'll just bring the pancake lens on its own, which is actually a pretty compact setup.

I also just got the iPhone 8. The camera is fantastic. I almost wish I had the 8+ for the dual-lens but I don't want to carry around a device that big.

txflyer77

I decided to call an audible at the last minute. Gonna return the rental 24-105 and just go with the 24mm pancake. More compact, less hassle and sometimes I miss just shooting with a prime. Forces me to more creative.

The_Mileonaire

This has been my regular photo backpack throuhgout the last 2 years. Obviously a bit on the heavier side (especially with an additional tripod at the side), but I just hate the feeling of experiencing some awesome travel moments and not having my best gear with me...kinda like the fear-of-missing-out of photographers

StephanBe

I used to bring a Sony A5000 with at least one prime lens on almost every trip, but with my new iPhone 8+, I more often carry nothing then the phone with me, because its dual lens is amazing. If I plan to do some sports etc. I normally bring also a GoPro.

valolla

Another trip to China coming to end. A bit over two weeks at Hainan and also a short visit to an event in Hunan province.

This time Canon 5D IV with only one lens 24-70 2.8 L II
as also had my PhaseOne IQ380 with 28mm, 55mm, 80mm and 110mm
with one Canon 580 flash.

Added with MacBook Air 11" and 2 external disks and chargers with extra batteries for both cameras.

Sometimes have even more equipment with. Done over 30 trips in past 10 years to SEA and goes rather "handy".

Just take a look how in the old days it was Edward Curtis and others with even bigger cameras.

alanslegal

Sorry to bump this thread; but anyone travelling around or have any experiences with the Sony RX 100 V (maybe even IV?) .

Most reviews online seem to give this range multiple thumbs up so just wanted to see any regular users here and their feedback?

I guess if it was $100-150 less I'd jump at it without question but just wanted to see if that price premium is actually worth it or maybe I should go for something costing a bit less like a Canon G7X Mk2

I just want something premium, compact, takes great photos (for its size) - and mostly I'll be doing general 'tourist' and food photos.

The_Diamond_Z

I just bought an RX100-IV for walkabout and in the spirit of "the best camera is the one you have on you..."

My initial thoughts after a few days of playing are:

• It's a solid/dense chunk of electronics
• The image quality is comparable to the A6000 but I've not captured anything that I'd spend time on yet
• The physical viewfinder is an interesting compromise. The EVF is fine for what it is, but the the pop up and pull out eyecup takes some getting used to. Pop up is obvious, but you don't really get a focusable image until you pull out.
• The zoom is both awkward and sort of handy at the same time.
• The menu system is identical to the A6000 which I would think means it's common across Sony.

I bought it to replace the A6000 which was a bit too bulky for a coat pocket. The RX100-IV is also kind of bulky, but less so and quite heavy.
I'm not a fan of the form factor (or that of the A6000) and mirrorless in general, but I can't fault the IQ on either.

I hope this rambling is of some use....

evyamcs

I've used my micro four thirds camera for years and love it. Much smaller than SLR but still has all the manual versatility. The whole lot cost under $500 too.

Olympus PEN E-PM1 body
Panasonic 20mm f1.7 prime lens
Olympus 40-150mm zoom lens

deniah

it is compact, and takes great photos, and is premium. none of those are disputable.

it also has lots of high end specs and features like 4k video, good slow-mo, good focus tracking, etc.

thats what the competitive premium pays for, and if you dont care about those, then probably the competing 1" cameras from canon (such as g7x) and panasonic are the better buys.

personally speaking, if it were truly (trouser) pocketable, that would also justify the price. but with the large lens and lens ring, it becomes a jacket-pocket camera, which is the same as the others.

the thing that really made me give mine away was the whole handling ethos. i dont like pressing power and waiting for lens to telescope out. i dont like not having dedicated controls, but rather relying on the screen to adjust common settings. i dont like waiting for electronic-zoom lenses to move in and out. doesnt really jive with my manual-transmission brain.

if youre like me, the panasonic lx100 is better.
if you really just want to buy the best "point-and-shoot" camera out there, the rx100 is it.
if you want a good value compact camera, the other canon or panasonic are the way to go.

magendim

When I work, it's a full kit with a 5D MkIV and MK III and all 2.8 glass. But, even stripped down w/o the battery grip and maybe one lens, a 5D kit is still a lot to lug around so have been using the Lumix LX100 instead for general travel. I also use my LG V30 phone quite a bit since I always have that in my pocket...

QBK

Huh -- after lurking on this thread for a bit, here's something I can contribute on (if you're still following a month later).

I got an RX100V about a year ago -- specifically as a travel camera for fast and light trips -- and after putting about 7000 frames through it I think I can comment knowledgeably.

Background: I've been shooting with Canon SLRs and APS-C DSLRs since 1992. In the last 10 years I've owned Canon 400D, 50D, 70D, and 7Dii DSLRs. I've also used the Canon S100 compact extensively, plus a Panasonic FZ300 and -- most recently -- the RX100V and RX10iii. The TL;DR version is that the RX100V is probably my gateway drug to switching from Canon to Sony.

Objectively, the RX100V is a ridiculous tech tour-de-force that has no serious competition at what it does. The two big questions are "Do you want that kind of camera?" and "Are you willing to pay the $300 premium over Canon and Panasonic?" What the RX100V does is this: it fits a sensor and a lens that are both very good but limited, plus an insane amount of computer tech, into a body that fits in your shorts pocket.

In my experience, all of that works as advertised. I'm satisfied with what I got for my $900. Its limitations are clear, and I hesitate to recommend it as the only camera for an enthusiastic photography... but it's flat-out the best camera you can fit in a loose pants pocket.

Sensor, lens, image quality: Everything hinges on this: can it make good pictures? Heck yes. DXO scored the sensor at 71 points, which is identical to Canon's APS-C flagship EOS 7Dii. I agree. Despite being a 1" sensor (2.7x smaller in linear size than full-frame 35mm), it competes directly with last-generation APS-C sensors (only 1.6x smaller than full frame). This is a real sensor! There's no comparison to 1/2.3" compact sensors. I find it slightly better than the 7Dii at ISO 100, but about 1 stop worse in low light. The lens is excellent -- it's not quite Canon L quality ("magical") but it lives up to the sensor. It's fast: f/1.8 at the wide end, f/2.8 for most of the rest of the range. The big compromise is the focal length; it's equivalent to 24-70mm on full-frame, so you get no telephoto to speak of. You get 24mm wide, though, which I really value. If you really really want telephoto in this size package, Panasonic's TZ100 fits an amazing 25-250mm equivalent lens into the same size, but you lose some image quality and low-light ability.

Size: The whole point of this camera is its size. For the same $900 you can get an APS-C DSLR or mirrorless with kit lens that will give somewhat better images... but it will be at least 2x as big. The smallest mirrorless body with a pancake lens would be close, but with a 24-70 zoom lens it gets big again. Now, the RX100V will not fit in skinny jeans. Or any jeans, really. But it will fit in a cargo pocket, in a loose shorts pocket, in a hoody or vest pocket... you get the idea. I travel with a slim fit vest and the RX100 disappears into the pockets. I can't do that with any larger camera. And in my bag, it takes up no room. So, if you're okay with hanging a camera around your neck, or if you need it to fit in a jeans pocket, look elsewhere. The RX100 is perfect for a small but very relevant niche in the middle (that works for me).

Tech: I'll keep this short. The RX100V combines a laundry list of amazing capabilities (fantastic 4K video, 20FPS shooting in RAW, phase-detect autofocus, slow-motion video up to 1000FPS) with some annoying compromises (4K video causes overheating in 5 minutes; full buffer takes a long time to write; no touchscreen; menus are annoying; startup time is a bit slow). It's more of an engineer's camera than a photographer's camera, and everybody complains about Sony menus. But there are also some really cool thoughtful features: the pop-up viewfinder is really useful sometimes, and the built-in flash can rotate up for bounce flash! (This is pure genius, seriously). I am occasionally annoyed, and frequently amazed. Net win.

Basically, I think the RX100 series should be the official camera of Flyertalk -- and the Mark V is the flagship with all the toppings. It's the best travel camera that fits in your pocket if (1) you have big pockets, and (2) you don't need telephoto range. It impressed me so much that I bought its bigger cousin the RX10iii, which sticks the same sensor behind a 24-600mm f/2.8-4 Zeiss lens, for trips where I'm willing to carry a little more bulk in return for zoom range.

alanslegal

Indeed I am following. Thank you for your detailed review of the camera, it is very clear you are impressed with this camera (and after 7,000 frames too!) and that's what I am looking for. The camera sounds like it packs in a lot of "tech" and "features" that I doubt I would be using (at this stage) and to be honest, I am one of laziest photographers that I know of which can be a bad thing if I owned this camera. Also add in that most of my pants are tight/skinny/slim at worst and the need to have 'loose' pockets might pose some challenges for me, and I dislike carrying any bag when I am playing any type of "tourist". I do usually carry a tote around in my day to day life which is surprising that when I play "tourist", bags are off limits.

Now, to be more specific in my situation, some likely scenarios for me owning this camera is like this

"I am on a walking tour of a new city during the day, this monument/building looks like, I take out a camera from my pocket, power up, everything is set to full Automatic mode, look at the LCD screen, looks good enough, and takes a photo"

or

"I am at a restaurant/bar (the lights might be a little dim), and I want to take a photo without flash, camera out of pocket, power up, Automatic mode, looks good on LCD and press shutter"

or

"Flying the newest First Class product today, and I need several good photos, for my blog/Facebook/Instagram. Speed is of the essence where I don't want everyone to see I am taking photographs, so I want the camera out of my pocket, powered up, fully Automatic mode, point and shoot, five or so seconds later, the camera is back in my pocket".


So I guess it comes down to this; is this camera overkill given I won't be using its "features" OR should I just get it, purely because, it is that good - even in Automatic mode which I will be using 99% of the time - and it will be perfect for my likely usage scenarios.