needs

Defining needs or requirements might be difficult. Past experience definitely helps, as well as well defined expectations.

For example, I already know that having a camera with f/1.4 lens is nice, but has niche applications. Knowing that I probably don't need that in a travel camera greatly helps, as it reduces size and weight of lest and the whole package, as I can get away with smaller sensor if I don't necessarily need that shallow DOF. At the same time I don't want to go to small, as that impacts overall image quality (not only resolution but also dynamic range and low light capability).

I also know that for travel, smaller camera is usually better, for various reasons like weight and being discreet. Anything with interchangeable lens is most likely going to be too large.

At the same time, too small a camera is also bad, as controls are crowded and feel fiddly (Sony RX100). 

All of those thoughts leave us with just a handful of cameras to choose from, which is good!

Ricoh GR III

Fuji X100V or X100F

smartphone

 Smartphone camera is a great tool for snapshots or taking photographic 'notes'.

It's also great when you want to share a moment instantly. Sacrificing quality, you can immediately share your story worldwide (with your friends + mom and dad). However, when you get back home, you can either leave your photos in the phone and view in the phone or download to a computer and do something more.

This however, is not possible in most cases with the quality of photos produced by even high end smartphone cameras. They (cameras) do great things in terms of image processing etc., but when viewed at 100% or printed, it's obvious that they are not the highest quality. 

On the other hand, you have much higher chance of 'capturing the moment' with your smartphone than with your full blown, professional, fullframe, changing lenses camera.

It all depends on what do you want to use the camera for.

Going back to choosing right gear for travel and streets, seems like the best option is a pocketable camera.

convenience

 It's all about convenience, and related to time.

We can take photos and videos with inconvenient setups, giving us more control and quality overall, at the cost of hassle.

On the other hand we can sacrifice some of quality for convenience and simply use smartphone.

Example would be filming with pro camera like GH5 or G9 on a gimbal, with external sound recorder or even external recorder to get 10bit output. This however brings two problems: post-processing and inconvenience, both of which relate back to time (I don't have time to do photo post-processing, let alone video - however exciting and rewarding that might be, it requires a lot of time in addition to equipment). This brings us to a point where equipment used should give results that are ready straight out of camera.

In contrast to that, you can juts take your phone and record, and instantly share videos and photos.

Also, considering that most of the recipients of our work will consume it on the phone, there's almost no point in going for higher quality. Of course better phone will produce better imagery, however, there's little point in going for high-end full-frame setup to eventually sharing this via smartphone with small screen.

So why do people still buy new cameras despite inconvenience? 

Some of us still prefer to have better quality material. Also, having larger working area allows for more cropping without loosing much quality. I have used that extensively with my shots from Ricoh GR2 and I appreciated having larger file to work on. This would be impossible when working on a file from smartphone.

Another aspect of convenience is weight: Ricoh is 260g, Fujifilm X100V is 480g, Sony a6000 with rig and lens is over 800g. 

Next, ability to change lenses: this is cool, however, it's a hassle. Quite often there is no time to switch lens when the action happens. Imposing lens limitation on ourselves might help us take better shots.

All of those possibilities are nice when we have time to take shots, think about it, plan, etc. However, sometimes we don't have that luxury and all those things become distractions.

At the end there are also specialised tools like Sigma SD Quattro - there's no other camera like it, but it's highly specialized. 

Going back to vide: is Sony ZV-1 better than iPhone? Is it worth it?

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.