running in circles

I'm running in circles.

I start with a long list of potential cameras that I could buy and take with me on a trip.

Then, I start culling the list, throwing out all the heavy, big, expensive, complex cameras, which leaves me with small, not-so-professional, simpler options. 

Then I lean towards smartphone, weighing all the pros and cons, thinking about how I would use that and for what.

But then, seeing sample footage online, I'm being tempted by those professional options again, which surely would allow me to take better quality material.

However, in reality, I'm not a professional film maker, and I won't become one overnight. And, most likely I won't have time to prepare, plan and shoot nice, travel videos due to complexity of the process.

I think that's the main reason why I shouldn't invest in pro videography system.

Same goes for pro stills camera, like Sony a7 or even more specialised, Sigma SD Quattro. 

It's simple: it would be nice, but I don't have that much time.

dedication

 We live in interesting times.

If I wanted I could just go and buy a pro camera which allows me to shoot professional-grade videos. This however requires dedication in a sense that I would then need to focus on that one thing exclusively.

That's fine as long as you have time and motivation to do that.

In my case however, producing high quality videos is not my main priority, especially when travelling. Sure, it would be nice to have a nice, stable, 10-bit 4:2:2 vLog footage, which I could then colour-grade when back home, however, that's not my main goal (and I also don't have time for that). It would require a lot of equipment and time. Often times, when travelling, there is not much time, so it's much easier to, say, take out your phone and shoot, rather than set up entire rig, with gimbal, microphones, lenses, etc.

On the other hand, I wouldn't be happy having some poor quality footage, because then... what's the point?

So, a compromise has to be made.

Also, if I'm going to get a proper stills camera, it would make sense to also get a proper video cam as well. 

That's when iPhone comes in.

experience

I have some experience in shooting while traveling, so that will come in handy when choosing the right gear. Most importantly however, my past experiences allowed me to realize couple of things.

First of all, we do have only one pair of hands, which limits the number of things we can do at once. We can't (well, most of us at least) take good pictures and videos at the same time. Also, even if you have just one camera but lots of accessories for it, chances are you're not going to use all of that (lenses, gimbals, microphones, etc.). Even if you could take all the gear there is on your trip, you won't use it all.

Conclusion: take as little gear as possible, as you probably won't use all of it.

Secondly, when you are traveling for fun and not for work, taking pictures/videos is usually secondary activity, primary being actually enjoying the trip.

Conclusion: take as little gear as possible, so the gear doesn't come in the way of you enjoying your time.

Third: if you take your camera with you, you also have to take some other things with it: camera case, spare batteries, chargers, cables, cards, etc. This means that if you take two cameras, you most likely will have twice as much accessories. One could think: maybe go minimalist and just take an iPhone? That is also an option, however, from my experience that would be somewhat limiting and I think I couldn't take some of my shots with just an iPhone (for various reasons).

Conclusion: take as little gear as possible, but don't go too far (iPhone alone might not be enough).

camera for videos

Now this is much more difficult as there are so many options to choose from. Also, videos need sound, and in that area there are also many choices: you can use internal built-in mic or go pro and use external mic and recorder.

For camera, you have couple options: iPhone, Sony ZV-1 or some pro camera like Panasonic GH5. There's also Sony RX100 which can take good pictures as well.

Ultimately however, it's all about size and convenience. Bigger and heavier cameras usually give better video quality and handling, at the cost of weight and size. For travel, when you have to carry your camera all the time, it seems more reasonable to pick lighter option.

This limitation makes choice easier, ruling out anything like Panasonic GH-5 or Sony a7, leaving us with the likes of Sony ZV-1 (or RX100) or iPhone. 

While iPhone has an advantage of always being with you, it also has some disadvantages when it comes to handling - physical controls are simply better. 

If size/weight is a concern, maybe go further and pick a gopro or even insta 360 go?

This is possible, however not without sacrificing image and sound quality, handling and battery life. 

Using iPhone for videography sounds like a good option, however, phone is also used for other things which means more battery usage, and while it simplifies overall equipment, it comes with a cost. 

This leaves us with three options for now: Sony ZV-1, RX100 V or iPhone.

camera for street

One thing is easy: for street photography there doesn't seem to be any better option than Ricoh GR.

Having APS-C sensor in such a small body is one thing, but I think the most important part is that the camera is small. Making small camera is easy, Sony has been making small cameras for years (RX100), however, making small camera which is easy to use efficiently is another story. Ricoh GR (any version) can be operated one handedly. All functions can be reached by holding the camera in one hand only. 

This camera is a good example of a high specialized tool. It does only one thing, but does it exceptionally well. It has terrible video, it is slow to focus, it doesn't have zoom, but it has large sensor, takes great pictures and has lots of auto-focus modes to choose from. It can be used not only as a street camera but also as a general purpose, everyday camera. And it fits in a pocket. 

The fact that it's small also means that it doesn't draw that much attention, especially that most of the times it is not raised to eye-level (because it doesn't have a viewfinder), so again, great for streets.

This is something that I have experienced myself couple of years back so it is a proven approach. I had Ricoh GR II on my trip in 2019 and took some amazing shots which would be impossible/difficult to do with any other camera. 

So, if that's the photo camera, we need to find video camera next.

choosing a camera

Choosing what camera to buy is always fun :D

Doing research, reviewing all the specs, sample shots, online reviews, articles, comparing prices, features, performance, build quality, etc.

Nowadays, it has become even more exciting given all the recent developments in the world of photography equipment and processing. Many aspects of photography are now affected by computational operations done in specialized software and hardware components in smartphones. Seems like this is not (yet) happening on proper cameras.

I am currently in the process of choosing a travel camera, and having done some research already I have come to a conclusion that before looking for a camera, you have to define what are you looking for in a camera, in other words: what do you want.

This might sound obvious, but when you start looking at options, you might get overwhelmed. Firstly, there's so many to choose from! Secondly, there are features now built in cameras that you have never dreamed of. Third: developments in photo abilities are one thing, but modern cameras are also great videography tools. 

So, what am I looking for?

I was taking couple photos today with my old Sony A6000 with Sigma 30mm f/1.4. Those number might not mean much, but considering bulk and weight of this setup one can imagine that this is not a pocketable camera. Do I need a small camera?

You could argue that if you are going to take camera with you, it doesn't matter if it's big or small, and you might as well take the big one if it takes better pictures. However, taking this camera outside means either having some kind of a bag with you or lugging it on a strap. You can't put it in a pocket. Even jacket pocket.

Convenience

Is it a big deal? It depends. For me, I am now looking for a travel camera, not a studio one, so it makes a huge difference. And brings in some limitations.

Constraints

It's impossible to have the perfect camera, so when choosing a camera you have to find your way within the limits you define. One such limit could be price, another could be size and weight. Having those limitations in place makes your choice much easier. However, we don't want to sacrifice everything and we want the best picture quality possible.

So you want a reasonably priced, small camera that takes great pictures. Why not just use your smartphone?

Usability

Smartphones have become very powerful photographic tools which fit most of the use cases. However, they have some serious limitations like small sensor size (which impacts depth of field) and lack of physical controls.

On the other hand, cameras like Ricoh GR have large sensor and enough buttons and dials to have full control over the camera even one-handed. Is that necessary? It depends. When traveling, with a backpack, walking, etc. it's nice to have one hand free and still have the ability to take pictures with the other. Ofcourse these are not artistic or landscape photographs but rather snapshots or street photos as well.

This brings us to another point: what are you going to use the camera for, what photos are you going to take? Portraits, landscapes, architecture, sports, action, underwater, macro, astro, street... Again, there is no perfect camera that is suitable for all of those at once (and reasonably priced too).

Depending on your style of travel and places you visit you might want to take large, more 'professional' camera with you (for landscapes) or just take a small, pocketable camera instead (street).

In the end

Once I have  all those requirements and constraints defined, choosing the right camera should be easy, right?

Too many possibilities

But then new possibilities come along: what about a camera that can shoot great videos as well? Or a Foveon sensor based camera? Maybe a full frame? Or take two cameras, one for movies other for stills. Or just forget about all this and use your phone?

Running in circles...

Sony ZV-1 or phone for videos?

Stablisation or not? (i think it's mandatory for video...)

Panasonic GH5 or GoPro? DJI Osmo Pocket or Insta 360?

Sony a7 or Sony a6300?

Internal microphone or external? Wired or wireless? external or internal recorder? vLog? sLog? LUT?

Spoiled by choice...