Best travel zoom?

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MarkG

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Mark
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I need a pocketable backup camera to go alongside my EOS 7D, for when it's not practical to take a separate bag for the camera (or a bag at all).

Currently I have a Sony DSC-HX5 in that role, which is fine much of the time, but I get frustrated when it's not as quick as I'd like (particularly shot-to-shot, where it seems to spend far too long just showing 'Processing' on the screen). I'm not sure if that's just because I'm used to getting instant responses from the 7D, or because it really is slow.

Anyway, with the Commonwealth Games coming up (some of the venues have bag bans which make the 7D impractical), I'm casting around to see if the current crop of travel zooms are worth the cash outlay or whether I should just stick with what I have. Given that real end-user experience is better than any review, I'd appreciate any suggestions and/or lemons to avoid.

Priorities:
1. Quick (obviously).
2. Good image quality to ISO 800.
3. Good zoom range and stabilization (won't be using a tripod - that's for the 7D).
4. Reasonable manual control for the occasions when I need it.
5. I like some of the 'tricks' the Sony has (sweep panorama, night shot), so those or equivalents would be nice.

Not particularly bothered about RAW, GPS, wi-fi, NFC, etc., though wouldn't say no to them.

Thanks in advance!

PS - I'm not averse to the idea of a bridge camera (had one before joining the DSLR owners club, and liked it), but only if the upgrade in features significantly outweighs the 'not pocketable' problem.
 
check the card speed? it might have a slow card, might also be poop too
rx100 and ricoh g3? are good lil cameras
 
pingu666 said:
check the card speed? it might have a slow card, might also be poop too
rx100 and ricoh g3? are good lil cameras
Click to expand...
SanDisk Extreme. I've had too many bad experiences with slow cards to make that mistake again.

I'll check out the suggestions so far. All options I hadn't considered.
 
FZ1000 - if it comes out in time?
Not quite pocketable but would the 28-400mm zoom and 4k video recording come in handy at the games?
 
Which 28-400mm zoom would that be? Sorry, not up to speed on all the lens options out there!

However, given that I have most of that range covered already (15-85 & 100-400), I'd be reluctant to buy a lens that overlaps so much unless it was much lighter and/or much cheaper than the other options.

As a result, I still think the TZ/bridge route will be best. There are many times when I don't want to lug a DSLR around no matter the lens, and the mirrorless options don't gain me that much.
 
I'm currently leaning towards the Panasonic TZ60. Seems to just about fit the specs. Reviews while not entirely glowing seem to agree that it's good. IQ is manageable with a little unsharp mask and the viewfinder is a nice bonus (thought it'd be too small for my poor eyesight but it's actually just about usable).

Other options I've considered are the Nikon S9700 and Canon SX700.

Anyone got any experience with any of these?

PS - The FZ1000 looks very nice and would be an option if I ever decided to get out of the DSLR market, but it's about the size and weight of my 7D (without lens, admittedly), so not entirely pocketable. :)
 
Got the Panasonic TZ60 in the end. Generally very happy with it for what it does (it's already survived a small drop and the worst that Glasgow weather can throw at it). My only annoyance is forgetting to fully release the shutter before it'll take another shot (too used to a DSLR which just gets on with it). Now I just wish that my DSLR had that long zoom!

I'll admit that I haven't had chance to review many of the images it took yet, so this view may change if they're all tripe.
 
I think the fz1000 has the IQ, i may consider it when the price comes down as i cant be doing with really small sensors unless your happy with web pics
 
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