Should I buy a good compact camera or upgrade to an S7 for travelling?

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  CyberMurning on 25/08/2016 - 12:36

  +1

  just buy used s6, already good enough with reasonable prices.
  newly release gadget, never buy them!

  • 

    tabz on 25/08/2016 - 19:01

    This.

    Both the S7 and RX100 III will be perfectly fine for everyday photos and videos. The RX100 III would take better photos, but I've seen shots taken from an S7 and they look amazing.

    I bought an RX100 III for my holidays. I needed something better than the photo quality from my mobile, but didn't want to lug around my DSLR. It's an amazing camera which which takes excellent photos and works extremely well in low light settings, but isn't really a camera small enough to carry around in your pants pocket (more like it'll be good in a jacket pocket).

    So go with the RX100 III if you need better quality and don't mind carrying it around with you, otherwise go with the S7.

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  oscargamer on 25/08/2016 - 13:17

  +1

  just a thought…….if you have a camera and lose it/have it stolen/memory card gets fried, what then?

  at least with a phone, you can set up dropbox (or similar) to automatically upload and then you will always have access to the photos…

  • 

    MoneyPincher on 08/09/2016 - 09:38

    A bit late but for those who are worried about this I would consider having something like the Eye-Fi SD card in the camera that backs up wirelessly (if the camera does not already wireless) to your phone that then can backup to an online service.

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  lupiter on 25/08/2016 - 13:19

  Last 2 times I've gone on a big holiday I've taken a dedicated camera. SLR the first time and compact the second. Next time I just won't bother, and use my phone. It's too much hassle keeping the camera charged and getting it out and set up. If you're going on a holiday to take photos, fine get an SLR. If you're taking photos so you remember your holiday, just use what camera you'll have to hand most easily.

  If you do decide to upgrade (camera or phone) the biggest differences you'll notice are if it has optical image stabilization (for low light) and the size of the sensor (for everything). The S7 has a standard smartphone size sensor of 1/2.5", the Sony is a 1" sensor.

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  carlJack on 25/08/2016 - 13:34

  I care about the photos so i have a mirrorless camera with extra lenses. I know its a hassle to carry it everywhere and changing lenses. But I wont be missing out on good photo opportunities like shooting wildlife. For simple photography like selfies and taking pictures of people I use my S7. I guess it depends on what you are shooting. If you are going to Bali i guess mobile phone is enough but if you are going to serengeti then a good camera with long zoom is a must.

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  klaw81 on 25/08/2016 - 13:55

  My mother in law recently went overseas and wanted a compact camera; she ended up with a Nexus 6P instead. She totally loves it, and the photos she got with it were excellent. Could be a suitable cheaper alternative to an S7.

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  danield on 25/08/2016 - 16:23

  One thing to keep in mind is how you may want to use the photos down the track, printing making enlargements to hang on the wall or photobooks all would require quality pics.

  However Im one to go for quality and I have no issue carrying a mirrorless camera with me or a decent point and shoot, personally I wouldn't us a phone to capture my overseas memories, however I guess plenty people do.

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  koksanga on 26/08/2016 - 10:02

  Thanks for all the suggestions :). I'm not gonna be be printing any of the photos (will probably look at them electronically) so I think the S7 is the way to go to just take quick photos. I'm not gonna be going to the safari or anything, just Japan and the US, so I think a good smartphone camera is good for my needs. Might buy a Yi Action Camera II though.

  • 

    paaj on 26/08/2016 - 16:25

    Remember to get a powerbank - we got one with solar on our recent US trip. if there's one with quick charge, it would be even better.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 27/08/2016 - 09:56

    where are you considering purchasing Yi Action Camera II from?

    I'm looking at getting one myself.

    On another thread i posted this:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/262260#comment-3954754

    timewasting 16 hours 41 min ago
    what is the actually estimated time of delivery from this website?

    i'm contemplating purchasing Xiaoyi YI 4K Action Camera from them and so far the feedback isn't that great.

    replyvotesreport

    AssociatedClear 16 hours 27 min ago
    Processing time can take up to a week and is usually 1-3 days on average.

    Free shipping can take up to 30 business days with the an average of 3-4 weeks. DHL and TNT are 2-4 days.

    95% of complaints I receive on OzBargain are people who are still waiting before the 30 business day mark.

    But i'm somewhat skeptical aqbout their site.

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  Beejay on 28/08/2016 - 18:09

  This might also be worth checking out: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/cameras/dslr/nikon/nikon-v3-compac…

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  winterseed on 09/09/2016 - 15:26

  I've had my RX100M3 for a few years and had an S7 for a few months so I made the cameras do battle.

  The RX100M3 will do a bit better in very low light, especially for video, although you can't turn the flash on for video like you can with phones. In anything better than poor light they will both treat you very well. Stabilization is better on the S7 (optical) but I personally think it makes video look unnatural and it can't be turned off. Low light photos from the S7 also look unnatural to me (waxy or muddy) because of all the noise reduction and smoothing automatically applied. Check out S7 low light samples online and see if it bothers you.

  If you think you might want to dabble in photography a bit more seriously, the RX100M3 has much, much better manual control than the S7. It's nearly a "real" camera in that regard, the S7 simply isn't. For point and shoot duties they're both fine.

  As for practicality, the S7 being waterproof and pocketable is pretty huge. I have my RX in a case on my belt because I'm cool but not everyone can pull that off. I also avoid using the RX when there's moisture about which means I would miss a lot of photos if it was my only camera. It might be more splash resistant than I give it credit for but I'm not willing to risk it with no advertised weatherproofing.

  The S7 camera is quicker to launch and faster moving between shooting and reviewing but I'm not sure if that's the fault of the RX its self or my SD card speed or the settings I use. I'd say you're generally less likely to miss shots with the S7.

  tl;dr RX100M3 is a slightly more capable camera, S7 is a bit more practical.

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  lainey13 on 12/09/2016 - 11:39

  I always take a compact zoom camera on my travels because the zoom on a phone is non existent. I love my Sony HX90V because I can take great photos and zoom in super close when required. Your phone camera is fine for selfies and landscape but if you're trying to take a photo of that animal in the trees, or the Pope on some ledge somewhere then good luck doing that on your phone!

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  spazattack91 on 12/09/2016 - 19:22

  LOVE LOVE LOVE the RX100 range. I use an LG G4 (a strong mobile camera) as my mobile and while the shots are definitely acceptable in well lit environments it definitely pales in comparison to my RX100 M1 and M3 for a number of reasons.

  Dynamic range- you can't get that level of detail with a smartphone camera. RX100 colours pop!

  Low light performance - Bigger sensor means a faster shutter and the ability use higher ISO with less noise.

  Different focal lengths and the wide angle lens on the M3 make it great to use for both portrait and landscape shots. At 70mm you are able to get some bokeh in your portrait shots. Optical zoom is handy in general in a number of situations.

  Inbuilt flash - you can bounce this off the roof to make your indoor night shots much more natural

  Manual controls- not bad on the G4 but I find the RX100 easier to operate.

  Sharper image/ ability to shoot in raw (you can't do this with an s7)

  If you want save money I'd recommend the M1 - goes for really cheap($3-400) and has great IQ . The extra connectivity options offered by the M2 and M3 are really handy. NFC means that I can send over my photos to my phone straight away. Can't say I use the viewfinder in the M3 much but the new lens is also brighter and faster than on the original 2.

  Hope this helps!