Camera for Travel and Backpacking?

After having used Nikon D90 (DSLR), Canon S90/S95/S100 and Sony RX100 for both travel and hiking/backpacking, I prefer my Fuji X100s. Image quality is amazing, ergonomics are great, and fixed lens system greatly simplifies both shooting and reduces the amount of equipment you have to lug around.

My second choice would be the Sony RX100, but I found the menus hard to use.

If most of your pictures will be in daylight, you can save a lot of money and get one of the Canon S series quite cheaply, and you will be happy with both the size and weight, and not disappointed with shots.

I'm really happy with my Panasonic G5. I got it so I didn't have to lug around a Nikon D300. I've got the Panasonic 14mm and Sigma 30mm for it which were both super cheap and very sharp. I'm going to add either the Olympus 45mm or Sigma 60mm next for a longer option and I think I'll be set.

The biggest downside I saw with the Fuji and Sony mirrorless options was that the lenses were still large-ish. That's one of the tradeoffs of a larger sensor. I have to admit I love the look of the Fuji's with they're real shutter speed dials.

Anyway, if I had that much to spend I would look for a used Olympus EM-5. For lenses, the new Oly 25mm its supposed to be a pretty good value, but you can't go wrong with most of the m4/3 primes.

Adam

John- Do you have any experience with using the fixed lens for both potraits and landscapes? I haven't had too much experience using a fixed lens and am unsure how versatile it can be as my only camera.

Adam- thanks! Isn't the Oly EM-5 comparable in size to the other mirroless, though? Or is it smaller?

Love this camera and the HD Video is real nice. Here's a pic I took over Kearsarge Pass on my way to hike the Sierra High Route

View post on imgur.com

Here’s a size comparison between the Olympus and X100. I found that site pretty useful when I was narrowing down what I wanted since the stores around here don’t carry any Panasonic cameras.

Adam

Found a good deal on a used OM E-5 (like new condition) with a 12-50mm, a 45mm, and a 17mm wide angle for $1500. More than I wanted to spend, but I have a friend buying my old camera for $400. Net cost would be $1100… Would this be a good deal?

If I don't get the 12-50mm kit lens with it I could knock off another 250$ from that price.

The 12-50 is a so-so lens. The 17mm depends on which version it is, the older f/2.8 is also so-so, the newer f/1.8 is quite good. You can get a brand new E-M5 for $999 so unless it comes with the 17mm f/1.8 I would pass on that deal. And even then I’d skip the 12-50, but I like shooting with primes. KEH has several E-M5 bodies for $600 and I paid under $150 each for the two lenses I have.

Adam

I didn't know about KEH. What prime lenses do you use, by the way?

KEH is great. B&H and Adorama also have used equipment on their websites. I’ve had good experiences with all of them. I got all my m4/3 gear off of the mu-43.com forums though. There are some great deals on their B/S/T board and if you don’t see what you’re looking for just post a WTB thread.

I have the Panasonic 14mm and Sigma 30mm. The 14mm is a no-brainer for a hiker. It only weighs 55 grams!

Here’s a 14mm example:

And two from the Sigma 30mm for good measure:

Adam

Beautiful photos! The 14mm looks like it would be a great (and relatively cheap option) for landscapes.

While I'd like to spend the majority of my money on a camera, I think that I was actually just thinking that I may be better off buying a slightly less nice camera and invest in an extra lens or two.

What do you think?

That's the route I chose, get a decent body and a couple of decent lenses that I could use with a better camera later. I'd definitely recommend going back a generation in camera bodies if it means the difference between starting with one lens or two, especially if you're going to get primes. I know I couldn't shoot with a single focal length all the time and being stuck with one lens until I could save up for another would have frustrated me. The exception being if you're happy shooting with a kit zoom then I'd maybe opt for nicer camera.
Look at how often lenses get updated vs how often a new camera comes out. If you find a camera system you like then the lenses can last through many iterations of new cameras.

Adam