The ultimate new lightweight cameras for travel photography

Relying only on a smartphone for taking photos can be liberating, especially when travelling. Not only is there less to carry – especially for those who are used to lugging around a bulky DSLR camera – but being able to instantly share your photos is irresistible. But have you noticed something? Your photos aren’t as good as they used to be. They’re not as sharp or as colourful, nor are they as creative. You may also discover while swiping through your phone that you have virtually no decent photos taken at night, or in the low light of dusk and dawn in what photographers call the “golden hour”.

In the  past couple of years there has been a collective realisation that the DSLR camera still has a lot going for it, but if only it could be shrunk to pocket size. That demand has given birth to a new generation of lightweight compact cameras with full manual controls and super-zoom lenses. They do almost everything a bulky DSLR can, but weigh far less for easier travel.

For amateur photographers wanting full control of their images, there is no substitute for manual settings. The latest luxe compact manuals from  Sony, Canon and Panasonic offer full control over exposure, aperture and shutter speed, though all have their  individual quirks.

So what should you look for? Consider the lens, which is fixed. Can it manage a wide-angle 24mm shot? How about optical zoom? If it reaches over 70mm you will get reasonably close to your subject, but anything less than 100mm isn’t trying hard enough. Forget megapixels, which can be  misleading and don’t compare well across sensor sizes and different technologies, and instead consider whether you need to film in Ultra HD 4K video resolution. It boasts four times the detail of Full HD, and if your current television can’t display it, your next almost certainly will.