Fujifilm XH1, bargain bin price and professional quality. And if I had to glue one lens onto it, it would be the 16-80mm OIS. This zoom lens is astonishingly good, it renders just like a bad prime lens, and this is high praise.
I read a Wikibooks article about photography equipment some time ago, so in case you find it helpful:
https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Photography_Equipment/What_should_I_get%3F
Edit: I forgot to mention that this lens can also be used as a pseudo-macro lens.
LUMIX GX9 with the Summilux 17mm, it the LUMIX 20mm depending on mood. Pretty much perfect in my opinion - small, fast, good image quality, and the option to trigger the shutter via the touchscreen is great for unobtrusive street photos.
Nikon FE with a 28mm, 50mm, and 105mm in what used to be a carrying case for a DJI Mini.
I was always against phones as a camera, but now I have a flagship phone for the first time and it's honestly good enough, and a lot better than the camera you left at home, or a full frame DSLR with the wrong focal length mounted at the right moment.
I'm currently travelling through Patagonia only with the phone and the image quality is good.
You can't cheat physics of course, but the combination of multiple lenses and a shitload of software magic does allow me to put what I'm trying to capture on the SD card.
18 hours of sunlight help, obviously ;)
Same. Well, except the Patagonia part.
I didn't find a camera that felt like the right mix of image quality, portability and affordability in the gap between our small travel camera kit (Sony a7c with 2 small primes) and a top end phone.
Better to spend the big money on a phone that will be in my pocket every day.
Which phone is this?
Samsung Galaxy S21
Pixel 8. I have an old nikon dslr (semi broken and converted to ir) and a thermal printing camera too, (both are quite fun) but I don't carry them around with me.
I use a Sony RX100m4 and a Lumix GX1, depending on what I have in mind. Sometimes it just depends on which backpack I bring. Both are great cameras for hiking.
My phone is an Xperia 1 VI, which takes good photos of whatever is in front of me. I was hoping the recent Fujifilm X-M5 could scratch my point-and-shoot itch, but the lack of EVF is reeeally bugging me... If it wasn't for that I would have probably picked one up, but for now I need the money more than the camera. Other than that I have a Nikon Z6 III. I wouldn't say it's an "everyday" camera but I do bring it out quite a bit with the Nikkor Z 40 mm F2. I was debating whether or not I should get the Zf or the Z6 III, and I ultimately decided on the Z6 III for the "brains" over the "soul", since I can't afford both... But man the Zf looks beautiful.
Ricoh GRiii. I went dumbphone two years ago and needed something quick and compact. It’s served me well.
An A9II. I only bring one lens with me when I go somewhere. If I have a prime on it, I use a peek design slide so the camera sits on my hip with the lens facing down towards the ground. This keeps the camera accessible, but also makes it very easy to carry.
My current lens collection is:
- a 35mm f/1.4 Sigma DG HSM ART (sharp, great for low light, big)
- a 35mm f/2.0 Sigma Contemporary (sharp, still pretty good for low light, reasonably sized)
- a 50mm f/1.4 Sony GM (sharp, great for low light, moderately sized)
- a 50mm f/1.8 Sony (still pretty good for low light, reasonably sized)
- a 150-500 Tamron (sharp, great reach for things like daytime outdoor sports, monstrously sized)
My decision tree for deciding which singular lens to bring is:
- How far away will my subjects be from me? I tend to lean towards 50mm if I can. If the space will be tight I'll bring a 35. If I know I'm going to be taking photos of far away things I'll bring the 150-500
- How much light will be available? If it will be bright I'll bring the smaller lens with the smaller (remember, it's 1/value) aperture.
The vast majority of my photos are my kids in motion and/or in challenging light. The A9II and my lens collection make it super easy to get good photos.
I just replaced my pixel 3a with a OnePlus 12. It does have nicer cameras than my 3a, and does better than the 3a with motion in low light, but the A9II blows it away. Even in more still moments, with good lighting, the rendering and depth of field of the dedicated camera makes for great looking photographs relative to my phone. I put together a family photo calendar every year and it's very obvious when I use a cellphone photo.
/wall of text
Closing thought: the best camera in the world is the one you have on you. If you decide to have dedicated gear you have to be willing to carry it.
Used to edc a mju ii, the lack of zoom was limiting though.
RX100 mk. 1
