Which is the best camera for a trip?

Comparing the Sony DSC-HX90, Nikon Coolpix A1000, Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS90/TZ90, Canon Powershot SX740.

They are all compact cameras with 30x or higher zoom, which is essential for detailed or distant shooting, as is the case for travel, reportage, hiking. It would be wrong to settle for a smarpthone to go on a trip. The battery runs out quickly by taking pictures or videos and then, you can not even phone... These compact camera offer in addition to a longer battery life, a grip that provides better comfort for filming or photography and a viewfinder useful when the sun's reflections make the screen unreadable.

To make your choice, that may be difficult among all the cameras on the market, we present you a comparison of the best compact cameras currently available...

Compact Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Sony, 2018

Samples of photos

Panasonic Lumix ZS70 or TZ90, depending on the region:

Panasonic Lumix Zoom

Canon Powershot SX740HS:

Canon Powershot Zoom

These images show that the combination of digital zoom with optical zoom, in good light conditions, provides a perfectly clear zoomed image.

To see more images and in various light conditions, you can refer to the reviews of ezines whose notes on devices are mentioned in the table below.

Comparison of specs

  Coolpix A1000 Lumix ZS70/TZ90 Powershot SX740HS Sony DSC-HX99
Optical zoom 35x 30x 40x 28x
Combined with digital 140x 60x Full HD 160x 226x VGA
FHD zoom 367x 304x 400x 270x
Focal length 24-840mm 24-720mm 24-960mm 24-720mm
Pixels (million) 16 20.3 20 18
Resolution in 16:9 4592x2584 5184x2920 5184x2912 4896x2752
Aperture f/3.4-6.9 f:3.3-6.4 f/3.3-6.9 f/3.5-6.4
ISO sensibility ISO 100-1600 (800 real) ISO 80-3200 (800 real) ISO 100-3200 (800 real) ISO 80-3200 (800 real)
Vitesse d'obturation 1/2000-8s 1/2000-4s 1/3000-15s 1/2000-4s
Burst mode 10 ips 10 ips 10 ips 10 ips
Macro min distance 1 cm 3 cm 1 cm 5 cm
Format of photos JPEG + RAW JPEG + RAW JPEG JPEG + RAW
Focus stacking - yes - -
Panorama yes yes - yes
HDR auto mode yes yes - yes
Video 4K 30p 9mn
FHD 30p 25mn
4K 30p 90mn
FHD 50p 100mn
4K 30p 30mn
FHD 60p 30mn
4K 30p 55mn
FHD 60p 55mn
Microphone Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo
Format of video MP4, AVCHD MP4, AVCHD MP4, AVCHD MP4, AVCHD
Bluetooth 4.1 - 4.1 4.1
Wi-Fi oui 2.4 Ghz 2.4 Ghz 2.4 Ghz
GPS - - - -
Autonomy 250 images 380 images 265 images 370 images
Selfie yes yes yes yes
Viewfinder - yes - Retractable
Touchscreen yes yes - For focus only
Flash 6m 5.6m 5m 5.4m
Connections HDMI, USB 2 HDMI, USB 2 HDMI, USB 2 HDMI, USB 2
Size 114.2 x 71.7 x 40.5 mm 112 x 67.3 x 41.2 mm 110.1 x 63.8 x 39.9 mm 102 x 58.1 x 35.5 mm
Weight 330g - 11,64oz 322g - 11,6oz 300g - 10,6oz 245g - 8.6oz
Year 2019 2017 2018 2018

Digital zoom may require a reduced resolution: Full HD = 1920x1080, VGA = 640x480.

This table should allow you to reduce your choice according to the use you plan for the camera. by checking the functions that match your criteria.

Which one is right for you?

Nikon Coolpix A1000

The Nikon A1000 released in 2019 brings many improvements to the A900 and in particular a viewfinder and better image quality in low light, but with a resolution that goes from 20 mp to 16mp!

For:

Against:

Panasonic Lumix ZS70/TZ90/TZ91

It offers the widest range of features. It's the only one to offer focus stacking. Some testers find it a lower image quality, but this is probably the habit of testing hybrids or SLRs. The image quality is good while offering no improvement over previous models.

For:

Against:

Canon Powershot SX740HS

Its main advantage over the others is a more powerful optical zoom. No automatic HDR (high dynamic range) mode on this unit, it must be done manually.
It is strictly identical to its predecessor the SX730 HS except 4K video added, so if the video is not your priority you can as well buy the latter for a lower price.

For:

Against:

Sony HX99

If you care about GPS, be sure to take the HX90V instead, not the HX90. Do not confuse also with the HX60V which does not have a viewfinder. Users do not always agree with the testers about quality of images, especially in low light where the testers find them degraded.

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Against:

See also: Which bridge camera with big zoom to choose?