Camera Rec for Perri — Scott McFadden

Perri,

Thank you for reaching out to me about a recommendation for your new vacation camera. By asking for my advice, you have opened up a huge can of worms. As someone who has researched (some say obsessed over) cameras daily for 5 years now, I cannot contain my excitement about sharing my research with you here.

Here’s my biggest tip - you need a camera that is easy to take EVERYWHERE or else it will be a hassle to carry around. If it’s a hassle to bring, then you won’t have it when the photo ops happen.

You need a camera so portable that you can bring it to dinner every day. This is priority number one!

Other less important factors to consider are:

Does it have a Viewfinder, or only an LCD Screen? Sometimes LCD Screens can be hard to see on sunny days, and so it’s nice to press your eye to a viewfinder.
Does the camera have weather sealing? Not a deal breaker, but it’s nice to not worry if you get stuck in the rain with your camera.
Does it have a large sensor? If not, then it won’t really be a big jump up in Image Quality compared to your phone.

So here are my top 5 recommendations:

Best Bang for your Buck - Modify Sam’s Camera to make it perfect for this trip
New Long Term Vacation Camera - and maybe even forever camera???
Sam wants to use his camera, you have to get your own
Camera Rental
Settle on using your phone

Part One - Sam’s Sony Camera

As far as getting the best bang for your buck in image quality, the absolute best thing you can do is use Sam’s camera. It’s a full frame monster. But I know what you’re thinking:

“That camera is huge, and you just told me to get something ultra portable!”

Well it’s not true! The camera is small, but it’s the lenses that are huge. So my top recommendation is that you buy a super small lens for Sam’s camera to turn it into something that is easy to put into a purse/sling/jacket pocket.

You can get a Rokinon 35mm 2.8 for $250 new. This is a full frame lens that will get all of the benefit of Sam’s Camera. This lens cannot zoom, but it’s a 35mm focal length, which is so good for everyday/travel photography that it’s arguably the most popular and most sought after focal length there is. It will take unbelievable pictures.

You can get a Sony 20mm 2.8 for $374 new, or for $269 used. This one has pros and cons… The pro is that it fits on Sam’s camera and is the smallest autofocus lens that will fit. The con is that it can only take photos with the center half of the camera’s sensor. Not a huge deal - and honestly, not even worth thinking about. As far as making Sam’s camera slim enough to take everywhere - this lens is it! Here is a photo of Sam’s Camera with this tiny lens on it.

Part Two - A Badass Pocketable Camera of your Own

The inconvenient truth is that pocketable cameras are so in right now… Cameras that were just $200 five years ago are now $700. For example, here is a camera that came out in 2016 for $700 new. Available now, almost 10 years later, for $800 used. Why the fffff???? Because it’s pocketable. And pocketable cameras are so so hot.

But if you’re down to spend, then here’s the scoop:

Sony RX100 III for $772- This is Sunny’s Camera. It rocks and it is very pocketable! It can zoom from 24mm to 70mm, which is extremely versatile. It also has the cutest little pop up viewfinder ever. You should check out a video on this. If I had $772 in my hobbies fund today, I would maybe buy this exact camera…
Ricoh GR III for $1,149- This camera is legendary. I have never gotten to try one, but I really want to. It has a fixed focal length that is wide and similar to your phone’s Main Camera, except it’s way higher fidelity. Honestly, though - these sometimes pop up for like $900, so I wouldn’t buy this exact copy for $1,150 today…
Canon G7X III for $1,542 - This is a lot like Sunny’s camera, but much newer. I have not had the chance to use this camera yet either, but it is extremely popular and people seem to love it. The main benefit of using this camera is that you can easily resell it after your trip since it so in demand. That is, if you don’t completely fall in love with it and decide to keep it forever.

Part Three - Sam wants to use his Sony

Okay well then build your own camera that’s even better than his! You have two good choices for camera systems that have a lot to offer - Micro 4/3 and Fuji. Btw Fuji is what I use!

Before you even read this section, there is a big asterisk that I need to get out of the way:

*These camera systems (meaning cameras with interchangeable lenses like Sam’s Sony system) take some experience to get right. Don’t get me wrong - they are beginner friendly! But you don’t want to buy a camera system the day before your trip and expect to learn how to get good results while you’re ON the trip… That will lead to lots of bad/blurry photos and lots of frustration. You should buy a camera system months prior to a trip, and learn to use it BEFORE the trip to avoid having awful photos.

I’ll start with the Fuji recommendation, since this is literally my camera and I practice what I preach:

For Italy (and everywhere I go every day), I brought my Fuji XT2 (which is weather sealed). It’s honestly the best camera of all time, and I could go on for 10 more blog posts about why I think that’s true. Here’s a link to buy the black version for $671. Mine is the silver version, and there’s not one available right now, but they come around all the time and they are the same price as black.

For lenses, I brought Fuji’s two smallest lenses that they have made, because portability is priority number one. I brought the 18mm f2 (which is similar to your Phone’s Main Camera), and the 27mm f2.8, which is a tighter field of view. If you were going to choose just one lens, the 27mm is the obvious choice. It’s the smaller one, it’s weather sealed, and it’s renowned for how sharp it is.

If you bought the XT2 and the 27mm lens, you would spend $1,071. This is my exact camera with my favorite lens. I cannot express to you enough how amazing this combo is. After 5 years of research and testing of all kinds of cameras, this is the combo that I took when I went to Italy. That says it all! I can’t recommend anything more than this - it is literally what I use every day!

Next, I’ll recommend a Micro 4/3 system. But why, you ask? Because Micro 4/3 Cameras are even smaller than Fuji and even cheaper than Fuji. The Micro 4/3 equivalent to my Fuji setup would be:

Olympus OM-D for $498
Panasonic 20mm Lens for $227

That’s $725 for both, but the lens is not weather sealed, so you can’t use this in the rain. I have not used this camera either, but people love them.

Part Four - Camera Rental

Let’s look at renting the equipment that I have recommended so far:

I recommended that you buy the Sony 20mm for Sam’s Camera for $269. Well you can rent it for 7 days for just $32.

I recommended that you buy the RX100 III like Sunny. Well you can rent the RX100 VII for $99 per week.

I recommended that you buy the Ricoh GR III for $900. Well you can rent it for 7 days for $79.

I recommended that you buy the Canon G7X III for $1,542. Well you can rent it for 7 days for $138.

I recommended that you buy my Fuji XT2 for $671. Well you can rent the XT5 for $108 for a week.

I recommended that you buy my Fuji 27mm for $400. Well you can rent that for $43 per week.

The Olympus is $64.

The Pansonic Lens is $23.

The pros of camera rental is that it’s mad cheap. The cons are that you will not know the ins and outs of how to use your camera before your vacation, which could lead to fumbling and frustration about the camera while you’re on the trip.

Part Five - Use Your Phone

And so we’ve come full circle. Why use your phone? Because you already have it. Why do you already have it? Because it’s the ultimate portable camera.

Honestly, think of the memories… your phone can capture those memories. Your phone captured your last vacation, and the one before that, and the one before that. Why would it suffer in Scotland? It wouldn’t.

The photos are about capturing the feeling, remembering the moment, reliving your experience. They aren’t about image quality, sharpness and detail, or how large they can be printed.

Personally, I use a camera because the photography process IS the fun part for me. I like to see if I can get the shot. I like to take a long exposure on a tripod. I like to change my lenses to different focal lengths. Operating the camera is technical and challenging and only works right when I put all of the knobs into the right position. And the result is art that my friends like and that I can print to hang in my office. Sorting all of my photos on the computer, editing the colors to look just like how I saw them, uploading the photos to my website - that’s the fun part for me! But that’s not for everybody. If that sounds like a drag to you, then there is no reason why you can’t use a phone. After all, your phone captures the same memories that my XT2 can capture.

If it’s just about saving the memories, then use the camera that you know works every single time - use your phone.

Conclusion

If I were in your shoes, with access to Sam’s Camera, I would tell him to let me borrow it. I would play with Sam’s camera every day, starting today, to make sure that I know exactly how to use it. And then for the trip, I would rent the Sony 20mm lens for $32 and take that with me to Scotland.

If you want to get into photography and have a good time with all of the fun technical aspects of it, then buy the XT2 and the 27mm lens for $1,100 used. There is a learning curve, but it will not disappoint you!

If you just need the absolute most reliable way to capture the memories, capture the fun, and relive the Scottish experience in the future, then go with the camera that you know works every time - go with your phone.

Let me know what you decide!