This has been an educational journey! I learned what bridge cameras are, for example. We bought our latest digital Canon Powershot 260 in 2012. The previous camera was an Olympus SP-550UZ from 2007 (which replaced a Kodak). That Olympus was my favorite camera - I liked the feel, grip, and viewfinder. I took it on our China trip and got great photos. I was very comfortable hanging it over my shoulder or just carrying it in my hand. But it was only 7.1 mp (18x zoom though) and a bit heavy for throwing in my purse (450 g). So we got the lighter Canon (231 g). Interestingly to me, the old Pentax K1000 was only 620 g with the 50mm lens.
For special photography directed trips, I am fine with a separate camera bag and an extra lens if necessary. Now I’m narrowing down my specifications: at least 15mm and preferably 20mm, zoom at least 200, comfortable grip, prefer viewfinder availability, under 500 g in the hand, good in low light, and able to process RAW as well as JPEG. Not a vlogger so video not as important. Bluetooth would be a plus but not a requirement.
So I will come up with a few possibilities and track the prices. Good thing I like researching! I like the Sony RX10 iii except only 70 mm. But otherwise looks great and I could bring the old Canon for long shots. The Canon M50 is possible with a sale since I would want a second lens.
Edit - looks like I can get an lens adapter to use my old K mount lenses with a Canon EOS. Hmmm…that would give me a lot of versatility!
What does everyone do with their trip photos? I used to love photography. Took classes, and spent hours in the darkroom (yeah…that long ago). For awhile, I would make albums, and frame a few. Then I made a few books. Now I simply file in a digital file. But as the years pass, I find I never look at them anymore. If I want to remember a trip, I can now find anything on the web - even walk streets of Paris via Google street view
A dear friend of mine shared that when her last parent died, they went through all the old photos, and kept only those with family members in them. It hit me hard at the time, because I realized that would also be the fate of all our trip photos.
I make Facebook albums with mine. Then they’re there forever (well… hopefully). I was actually just last night showing someone an album on there from 17 (!) years ago, an amazing trip to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana and had forgotten how awesome some of the pics were (lions and hippos and crocodiles, oh my)
I do miss my old style photo albums where I would stick in tickets, programs/museum guides etc as well as the photos. Now so many of those things are digital too.
There is a lot of enjoyment in the taking. I like to capture the moments that say “I was there.” We once went to a space shuttle launch because husband was getting an award with a team. We had VIP seats, and I had my camera and zoom lens etc. The people escorting us said, oh, don’t bother, the official photographer will get pictures. But even if mine aren’t as good, they reflect my personal experience. Taking pictures enhances my memories.
I like looking at a scene and figuring out angles and framing and composition. It’s a way of feeling creative.
I also used to make tons of physical albums. Son enjoys going through the albums when he visits; I have a dozen from his birth through about middle school. I made separate albums for vacations, and for general. We go back to them when trying to remember something.
I do make Facebook albums now. For these future trips, I will do a fair amount of editing in my Photoshop software. Then I’ll create physical albums via Mixbook or whatever. Then someday son can throw them out. Although I’d better leave instructions that he’s welcome to do so!
We have a digital photo frame in the kitchen. We’ve been taking a big trip each year and when we get back home we set it to display the photos from the most recent trip.
It’s also kinda hilarious how many photos that aren’t even a year old that we look at and have no idea what was going on or where took them We really should start adding a caption to the photos we display but that’s just too much work.
I also post photos during the trip to Instagram “stories” with captions, around 1-4 per day, and then save them to a separate story group after the trip. That serves almost like a curated video/photo journal of the trip that we can (and do) view any time.
In the end, I decided I have to spend a bit more to get everything I want. So I’ve decided on the Sony a6100 with the two lenses. Hopefully it will go on sale over the Thanksgiving holiday period but if not, I’m willing to pay retail. Apparently I could get an adapter that would let me use my old K mount lenses on the camera body. But they are much heavier than the Sony lenses and there are other considerations re auto vs manual operation with that idea. I really really want a viewfinder which eliminated a few other good options.
If it wasn’t for potential upcoming deals, the current BH Photo bundle is tempting. I put it in their “save for later” so maybe they’ll send me a discount!
Yes, I should buy the camera, especially if it goes on sale at B&H with a 30 day price protection policy. The bundle I liked is $200 off; both lenses, a case, and a digital card. It’s on its way! Perhaps on Black Friday I’ll keep my eyes out for a second battery and digital card. The battery charges in camera, but it might be smart to keep a second one charged just in case I take a lot of pictures.
I got a new iPhone 15 pro max over the summer and before a trip to Glacier National Park. I chose it solely for the camera and I was very happy with the results. It gets clear photos at night, and with the zoom. I also took a DSLR along on the trip but because we did so many long hikes I barely used it and I didn’t miss it.
Here’s a marmot photo I took with the iPhone, 120mm, f2.8
We really should start adding a caption to the photos we display but that’s just too much work.