
Choosing a camera for travelling
What camera should I get for travelling?
In preparation for our adventure I’ve picked up a couple of new toys (and sold a lot of stuff I didn’t need to finance them!) One of the first things I wanted was a decent camera, after all what’s the point of travelling half way around the world and not having some nice pictures to look back on once I’m done?
There are so many options for a good camera that it can be a bit daunting trying to pick one, I’d decided in advance that I wanted to go for a DSLR, even though it’s a lot more to carry around I really wanted to take good photos first and foremost, and going on a once in a lifetime adventure is just about the best reason I can think of to pick up a good one. I always have my HTC one as backup for when I don’t want to carry quite as much, not to mention Lisa is planning on picking up a GoPro for some underwater/action recording.
The key features I wanted were:
- Weather Proof (at least some form of basic weather/dust proofing
- ~£500 with a standard and a zoom lens
- Positive reviews
- Good image quality
- Easy to use but with a good range of advanced features for when I get more comfortable with it
The 3 main contenders were the Canon 600D, the Nikon 5200 and the Pentax K-50 After hours and hours of research (oddly quite fun..) I settled on the Pentax K-50 – much to the derision on my Canon-toting girlfriend – the main selling point for me was the weather-proofing, since we’re heading to Thailand slap-bang in the middle of rainy season this seemed like a pretty important feature, although I’m sure I’ll be pretty apprehensive the first time I take it out in a downpour I’ve read a lot of positive feedback on how well it holds up, here’s a clip to demonstrate…
The Unboxing!
So here she is in all her glory!
I really love the white colour, the lenses connect to the body with a really solid feeling seal which bodes well for the weatherproofing. It sits nicely in my hands and isn’t too heavy. The display is very clear.
First Impressions
I’ve had a chance to take it out in Cheltenham and I’ve added a few test shots here, first impressions are very good. It seems really solid, takes good pictures and is pretty easy to use, I really like the white colour that I went for and hopefully it’ll stay a bit cooler when we’re in the heat of Asia and Australia. I’ll post a proper review here once we’ve been travelling for a week or two and it’s gone through it’s paces properly but for now here a few shots I’ve taken out and about in Cheltenham.
Check back in a few weeks for a full review!
Jake