The summer season is fast approaching, and many of us are preparing to jet off on our summer vacations to destinations all over the world. Whether you are going for a beach vacation or lounging around the pool with your family, having a camera at hand is always a great way to capture those special moments.
Summer can be a tricky time for some types of photography. Those very early mornings to catch the sunrise or very late nights for the sunset can be a bit of a pain, especially if you value your sleep! We also have to deal with harsh light conditions as the sun beams down from high above us for many hours of the day, but there are still plenty of opportunities to be had no matter where you are.
Summer Ideas
In the Northern Hemisphere, summer is the best time to photograph the Milky Way core. If you find yourself in an area with little to no light pollution, take advantage of those beautiful night skies and find new and exciting compositions.
Summer is also a fantastic time to photograph new and exciting wildlife around the world. Many seabirds, such as gannets and puffins, come to land during the summer for their breeding season, so this is the best opportunity to photograph wildlife that you do not see the rest of the year.
Other species such as bears and foxes will have cubs, so another amazing opportunity for wildlife photographers. High up on my list is to travel to places such as Finland or visit the Grand Tetons in the US for its amazing wildlife. One day I hope!
Summer landscapes are something I have always loved to capture whenever I am traveling. Here is one image from a stunning lighthouse in Wales.
Why not also capture portraits of your loved ones, friends, or even clients during those beautiful summer evenings while on your travels? Many folks want nice shots for their Instagram, which can be them enjoying their vacation, and you can certainly give them that helping hand.
These are just a few ideas that you can do over summer, but you are certainly never limited. Whether you want to try street photography, photograph seascapes, capture your kids playing on the beach, and much more, you are sure to have an amazing time capturing moments that you can be proud of.
3 Cameras
Cameras ideal for travel come in all different shapes and sizes and will really depend on what your goals are. Below, I will pick a few camera systems that I think will be great options for traveling this summer that are available on MPB.com, where you can get some fantastic savings.
Fujifilm X100V
With a 26 effective megapixel APS-C sensor and weighing in at only 1.1 lbs, this camera is small and lightweight for you to carry around anywhere on your travels and will fit in your bag nicely. The camera features a fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens, which is equivalent to 35mm on full frame. For travel and street photography, this is a really nice focal length to have as well as capturing special moments with your family.
Sony a7C
Whether you are using this camera for stills or for video, there is something for everyone in this camera body, and it weighs the same as the Fujifilm X100V at 1.1 lbs. One extra benefit of this Sony model is you can use the vast range of lenses that are available for E mount.
Nikon Z f
This camera features some of the incredible features that have been passed down from the Nikon Z8 and Z9, such as the processor and also the autofocus system, so for the price, you are getting one hell of a camera for your travels. This camera is on the heavier side at 1.6 lbs, but I guess that is to be expected with the extra oomph this camera packs.
One thing I have always appreciated with Nikon is that they always seem to get the ergonomics right on their bodies, and I am sure this system will look and feel great in your hands.
This camera also packs a punch with an extremely fast 30 fps burst rate with a silent mechanical shutter and a 14 fps burst rate with a mechanical shutter, so you will never miss a moment, especially as pre-capture is also available in JPEG.
In Summary
We are spoiled right now with so many amazing cameras available and the technology moving so fast. There really is something for everyone, and I highly recommend that before making your next purchase, visit MPB.com, where you can make some fantastic savings on second-hand gear, and you will also be covered by their six-month warranty.
Capturing the world can be done in so many different ways, all of which will give you moments to cherish.
There is a whole world to visit out there, and it is easier than ever to hop on a plane to visit locations far and wide. With that being said, I want to end this article with a quote from the great poet Rudyard Kipling:
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it.
I believe the X100V has 26MP.
It sure does, I wrote the X100VI's megapixel count in error 🤣
I use the OM 1 MkII (superseding my prior Olympus D-E_MII and the Olympus 12-200 mm lens as my travel kit. The lens is a little heavy compared to other Oly lenses, but it covers inside and decent telephoto range in one lens so is a great walking around lens.
alankolnikphotography
Looks like the cameras suggested are small and medium pixel count which is good advice for travel and fast to get a capture. But I feel that the cell phone camera that is on one's person 24/7 anyway will win out rather than having a extra something to carry and video is so much faster due to Cell Phones having processing sorta in device and saving without the need for laptop editing.
But for the love of a camera and selectable lenses whether prime or telephoto your suggestion's are good. I have gone back and looked at several old image in the 2000's taken with the then point and shoots that fit in ones pocket to have great images and with hardly any noise, but like the film days the images are on SD cards like todays and just going to a drug store or department store you can get prints fast and put info on the back, something missing on edited images. I show my age and forgot the social media posting. It is like the old Fujifilm waterproof the go anywhere even in the pool, just select jpg for images.
The film days (coming back I think) due to the time of computer editing that most do not want to do, using just the phone is like the old 110's in your pocket.