The Top 5 Traveling Cameras: What's Your Dream Digital Travel Camera?

There are several things to consider when getting into the car just before dashing off for that romantic weekend getaway or to the airport for that trade show in Denver. One of them is "What's the best digital cameras for traveling?" Back to the house, jump on the Laptop and start looking. So we decided to help you out and provide you with a list of several to consider. While price is always a consideration, there are a few other things to consider, such as portability, features, image quality and versatility. Versatility is very important when traveling with digital cameras so you can shoot video and quality still shots without having to drag along more than one device. And of course, portability.

While pocket sized might not be too much of an issue, compact and portable is. Features are another big issue. There's just no point is shooting poor pictures when looking to preserve memories, or document your "business" trip. OK, that said, here are a few digital cameras to take into consideration that are great for travel. All cameras here are found on either CNet.com, PC Mag.com, PriceGrabber.com and they can be purchased at their respective websites (see References).

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500

The first thing that stands out with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 digital camera is the lens. It's a 25mm, wide angle Leica. This is one of the widest lenses available in the compact, pocket camera form. Zoom is not sacrificed, as it has a 125mm telephoto capability built in. This is a 10 megapixel unit with a single 2.33 inch CCD. As with most quality cameras, image stabilization-both optical and electronic-is a part of the feature set. Add to that touchscreen controls and you have one of the best digital cameras available for traveling. It's a Panasonic, so you expect excellent design and advanced shooting options and little to disappoint. Moreover, it will capture 720p video although the zoom feature isn't available in movie mode. Also, a noticeable shutter lag can impair picture taking in some settings. While the controls are very advanced, this might be a challenge for a novice to digital cameras. The manufacturers retail price is $399.00 You can shop and compare at Reviews.Cnet.com, PC Mag.com and the Panasonic website.

Pentax Optio W60

Pentax has been a stalwart in the camera world for a very long time, and it shows. This unit comes as waterproof and cold proof and features are not lost. This is one of the best digital cameras with that particular feature set. Its perfect for the beach or mountains; the sealed case keeps out sand and dust protecting your investment and your pictures . One of the nice features is the face detection, it's a real life saver when shooting portraits. It comes in silver or blue finish to compliment its stylish design. However, in spite of the excellent electronics there is a tendency for images shot in low light conditions to be a little grainy. The zoom feature is very good but the motor is a little noisy which can be annoying, especially when shooting video. This is a 10 megapixel camera with a 5 x zoom can cover the equivalent of 28 - 140mm. Its controls are found on the 2.5 inch LCD. The price is not bad at $330.00 and you can shop around at Reviews.Cnet.com, and the Pentax website.

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

Canon has a real triumph in this small, light, stylish package. The feature set is impressive. This digital travel camera has the heart of a full featured DSLR with Face Detection, a large 3-inch LCD, Auto ISO shift, an ISO 1600, 8 megapixel resolution and Optical Image Stabilization. Wow, that was a "mouthful." There are a couple of drawbacks though. There is no Optical View finder (OVF) and, while it's very well designed with a smooth shape, it is still much bulkier than some others, and isn't going to fit into your shirt pocket. The zoom is a little less than one might expect at 3.8 x, but is serviceable. However, it is not available in movie mode. The price range is higher than the others in this round up, between $448.00 and $549.00. Check it out at PriceGrabber.com and CNet.com, as well as Canon's official website.

Canon Powershot SX110 IS Bridge

Canon has built its reputation on the images that its technology produces. This shows in the Canon Powershot SX110 IS Bridge compact. With its full lens design merged into a compact form-factor it is an ideal bridge compact. It has many of the features the higher-end DSLR's, with additional user-control modes, P, A, S, and M and telephoto zoom. The SX110 is a 9 megapixel camera with image stabilization (the "IS" in the name). The legacy of Canon image quality is carried on with good, sharp images and great color balance. On the downside there can be some over-sharpening of images under certain circumstances and images are a little grainy at the lower ISO's but for the money, it's a sure bet. Check this one out at Amazon.com or PriceGrabber.com.

Panasonic Lumix FZ28

While no the most expensive of the round-up the Panasonic Lumix FZ28 is up there. But that's OK since it has the chops to be there. First, this is one of the few non-DSLR cameras that is able to shoot RAW video in something other than JPEG. This allows much greater post-photo processing options for the really serious. Another thing, the Lumix FZ28 can zoom while in video mode! Cool, huh? And, there's no shutter lag here with shutter time of less that 0.06 seconds. Which is pretty impressive when you consider that it is processing red-eye removal, aperture ISO and a lot of other features in that time. There is plenty of user mode controls and manual image settings as well as manual focus. There is some noise when shooting over 800 ISO and it lacks a hot shoe. From a style standpoint, it tends to be bulkier than many people might like for digital cameras units for the purpose foe traveling. Priced at around the $430.00 range, you can order one from the Panasonic website and form CNet.com.

Well, there it is, the five best digital cameras for traveling. They aren't so bad, really, when you think about the brand name compared with the features. They all are great when it comes to quality, and all are just about equal when it comes to features. So, make your choice, take it with you and take some great memory shots!

References & Resources
Panasoonic: Panasonic Lumix FZ28

Reviews.Cnet: Pentax Optio W60

About Shopping: Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital
CNet Reviews: Panasonic Lumix F500
Canon: Canon Powershot SX110 IS Bridge Compact