For travel photography, the needs of people can vary from a week's holiday at the seaside to trekking in the Himalayas. Ideally, the best digital cameras and SLRs should have most of the following features:
Speed - the digital camera must have minimal shutter lag to allow fast picture taking. This may not be so important for travel landscape photographs but is essential for photographing people, animals, festivals and social occasions.
Zoom lens - the zoom lens must be 3x or longer and must be capable of producing sharp high quality photos. A good zoom lens provides many options for the travel photographer or holiday maker. A zoom lens will bring the subject closer at the telephoto setting or take in a wide panaroma or interior at its wide setting.
Manual controls - aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual control can be useful in achieving creative results. The travel photographer can use aperture priority to control depth of field to control areas of sharpness. Shutter priority helps to freeze action with fast shutter speeds or allows night time photography through long shutter speeds. Manual control allows full control of both shutter and aperture and offers the greatest creative possibilities for the travel photographer.
Size - a small digital camera is more likely to be taken on more journeys than a large camera. Except for digital SLR cameras, many of the digital cameras listed below are small to medium in size. A small and light digital camera can prove invaluable to the travel photographer carrying a large or heavy backpack over a long period of time. The lack of weight can also allow the travel photographer to carry additional accessories such as external flash and a tripod.
Battery Life - the camera battery must be able to last for a reasonable time before recharging is required.
Large LCD - the LCD viewfinder must be 2" or larger to accurately view and compose the picture.
Except where otherwise stated, all the digital cameras recommended for travel have the above features. Other features or additions which can be useful for the travel photographer include:
Large memory card - for long travel periods, a large memory card or cards will be required. Small external hard disks, CD and DVD writers are also available with memory slots to back up data on the go.
Powerful zoom - A wide angle zoom for landscapes and interiors can be useful. Also a long telephoto zoom lens is desirable for distant shots.
Weatherproofing - with hazardous elements such as rain and sand, a weatherproof camera can be very useful in capturing shots that would otherwise have been missed.
Optical image stabilizer - for shooting in low light conditions without flash or using a camera with a large telephoto lens.
