Tay Loc: Maryland

Recently retired with a disability. Got some horrific health news last month. Rather than sit around we are traveling.
Need help purchasing a new camera capable of supporting my love of street and landscape photography.
Criteria: 1. Has to be budget friendly…not lowest and not highest $. 2. Travel friendly meaning light weight and durable 3. Thinking I’d like the camera body then 2 lens…one for street and one to assist with more reach in landscape. 4. Not really into video capabilities. 5. Must have a viewfinder. 6. I have an iPhone 14 pro which works great until it doesn’t in bright light when you can’t see the screen.
I’m used to low end Nikon DSLRs in the 500 series and canon better point and shoot. My skill level is mid level amateur with on going love to learn more. My existing equipment is beat hence the need to buy something newer.
My goal is to document our travels. I love making Blurb books so the photos are for documenting our travels for the grandkids. I do frame some pictures so definitely capturing quality images is a must.
I have major surgery this coming week and I’m hoping your help will get me motivated to heal more quickly. As soon as I’m cleared we are going until the money wears out or I do.
Sorry if I will not be able to respond to your questions. Hopefully I’ve given you enough to help. I love this site and you all are incredibly giving people. Thank you for all the good tips over the years.
Don’t put off that big trip and forget about the $. I want to see the things I have put off for way too long.

User ID

OmD m4/3 midlevel models.

Tiny fast 12 or 17mm for street.

Plenty of longer yet compact FLs, you pick.

Body model EM-5 III or EM-1 III would be versatile affordable midlevel choices while avoiding the bottom feeders.

(FWIW, I know all that gear first hand.)

Equivalent midrange zooms, m4/3 and FF.

(Download)

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

There are marvelous 1" sensor cameras that have zoom lenses, They are not DSLR... they are self contained. "The best compact camera for 2023: top pocket choices to take anywhere."
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-compact-camera

I have had the Panasonic TZ100 for several years and it is a 3 ring circus of abilities. Remember any defecencies the 1" sensor has compared to a "full" sensor is eradicated by our AI software. Price is right.

RKL349 Loc: Connecticut

Nikon Z50 with either the 16-50mm and 50-250mm lenses or the 24mm f/1.7 in place of the 16-50mm. Great for travel, should fit your budget.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Sorry to hear about everything you are having to deal with. I'm hoping that things go better than you may be expecting.

User ID has provided you with an interesting and viable suggestion. I'll share progress on a project I've been working on that might give you an alternative to consider.

I have found that there are other ways than completely changing systems to reduce weight and bulk of camera equipment. Even being willing to consider a different lens choice can make a huge difference. I'm helping a friend build a new system. We are building it around a used D500, but instead of using the top professional lenses, we are using the 16-80mm f/2.8-4 zoom as the cornerstone. There are some important things to be worked out, including insuring that it can consistently achieve accurate focus.

Folks tend to think of this as a sports and wildlife camera, but in reality, it is a good all-around model that will do just about everything. If you avoid underexposing, you can use ISOs up to 3200, and it has flicker reduction, which is of tremendous benefit when shooting under commercial and public lighting at night or indoors. The same ir similar lenses that you used in the past will guide your lens choices.

I have no way of knowing if this path would fill your current and future needs. But it will give you an excellent viewfinder system and a somewhat familiar operating system. You might give it some thought.

User ID

OP says he wants 2 lenses.

IIRC, the only 1" camera system that allows that is the discontinued 1" Nikon EVF series.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Get a mirrorless body with IBIS. After than, brand, price, sensor format are just a matter of figuring the details after those two initial requirements.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I think even an EM-10 III would serve his purposes. It can be had refurbished from the Olympus site for $480, including the 14–42mm R lens.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

A fine camera for your purposes. Not right for him. There’s nothing “lightweight” about it.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Sorry to hear about your health issues. Hopefully the doctors will be able to help you and keep you on your photographic quest.

As far as camera suggestions, I made a decision in 2011 for less size, less weight, and less cost. I would suggest you do the same. If I were you at this time, I would consider the OM-5 and either the 12-100 lens - or the 8-25 with the 12-45 lenses (24-200, 16-50, and 24-90 in 35mm angle of view). This would be a weatherproof system (no need for extra weather gear) with 6.5 stops of image stabilization ( leave the tripod home). This is the OM mid grade camera with most of what they offer in the top grade OM-1. And others have suggested other Olympus/OMDS options that are just as good. Image quality is extremely good.

My system is now 7 to 600 (14 to 1200 in 35mm angle of view) and capable of 4X lifesize. Still no need for a tripod. This is 2 bodies, 4 lenses (all f4 or less), 2 teleconverters, 2 flashes, batteries, filters, and accessories plus backpack at 21 pounds total. This cannot be matched by full frame or APS-C. My small travel system is one body, 2 lenses (12-100 and 90 macro), one teleconverter, one flash, batteries, filters, and accessories plus shoulder bag at 7.5 pounds total (it can be made even lighter by removing one lens, teleconverter, flash, and one filter). This still cannot be matched by full frame or APS-C. And both the backpack system and shoulder bag system can fit under an airplane seat (just less foot room with the backpack).

I wish you lucky with both your health and hunt for a new camera system. Just be sure to give 4/3rds a consideration.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Tay, sorry to hear about that. I am 78, had a pinched sciatic nerve a year ago and it + injuries over the years to my knee has my left leg kind of iffy. So with or without my mobility scooter I go for small and light if I have to do any walking. So I understand your needs a bit.

I am a Canon user mostly and for small and light I say go with the newish "R" series cameras and lenses.

Look here at the Canon online store: https://www.usa.canon.com/
Click on Cameras and you get choices, I recommend the "Refurbished Cameras". I have bought several over the years and all are great. They may be show cameras, overstock, returned by buyer etc. The factory techs go over them more than the assembly line inspectors do and adjust etc. So I and others consider them to be certified and better than new in box.

Click on "Lenses" and you get the same.

They are the best bang for your buck as all are reduced below new in box prices even though they have the same warranty.

Do you want a Full Frame for wide angles and low light for your street and landscape photography or an APS-c crop sensor to get even smaller and the 1.6x "reach" increase on each lens? I have both in the R series, I have an RP full frame and and R7 crop sensor.
The RP is the simplified body without a top window so you do everything through the view finder. My R7 is the top of the line crop sensor with all the bells and whistles but still not too pricey. (I do a lot of birds and planes.) They do have very good simplified crop sensor bodies at lower prices.

I can also recommend a fixed lens "bridge camera", I own the Sony RX10IV which has been rated the best bridge camera for several years now. List price is $1700 but Abe's of Maine has a sale now for $1300. For a 1" sensor it takes great pictures as the lens is a Zeiss design.

I will give you two recommended 2 lens kits, one with the RP full frame and one with the R7 cropsensor. I will give the best prices I found. On the Canon refurbished site if they have the item in stock it will be a nice price reduction.

Canon RP full frame with 24-105 lens $1300, and add the non L 100-400 lens for $500 to $550. Full frame camera lenses that cover 24-400mm for $1800 to $1900. I have this camera both of those lenses, they are very good and produce great images.

Canon R7 crop sensor with 18-150 = $1800 and add a 100-400 for $500-500 (the FF lens will fit the crop sensor body) and being a full frame lenses on the crop sensor body you get the equivilent of a 160-640mm lens. I own and use these also. Great images.

There are a lot of excellent EF mount lenses both new, refurbished and used on the market that will fit an R body with an adaptor. An EF to RF adaptor made by Canon will be about $100 for the simple straight adaptor and $200 for the more advanced adaptor with control ring. Again I own both of these and they work great. I can use all of my EF mount lenses including my Tamron 150-600 telephoto. I do a lot of birds so I love long lenses.

If you have a big camera store near you go in and look at these, handle them etc.

Best of luck with the surgery etc.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

In spite of his stated limitations, many have still recommended he lug around 40# of fine DSLR gear... with AI processing 1" sensor super zoom pocket cameras are quite good enough. Bonus... they fit into a pocket.

In my recommendation I forgot to mention that there is an attachment that allows the use of screw on filters or adjunct lenses. Example is "JJC Dedicated Metal Filter Adapter Lens Adapter for Sony ZV-1 II RX100 VII" $15 amazon allows the use of 52mm filters. The Sony is only one example, there others for other superzooms.

Fast shutter eliminates the need for a tripod.

TAY said "I have an iPhone 14 pro which works great until it doesn’t in bright light when you can’t see the screen. "
Sun shields are helpful for viewing the screen. I attached a magnifying lens normally used for eye glasses to get up close to the sun-shield. "3 Inch LCD Shade SLR Camera Screen Universal Detachable Pop-UP Hood Protector" Less than $20

Tay said: "camera capable of supporting my love of street photography.'
Using a 45* mirror attachment allows you to use your camera to see left for right without people noticing. $15
https://fotodioxpro.com/products/fltr-spy

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

R7 with 24-240mm.
Has IBIS, state of the art AF and the lens is light with an excellent range and sharp. All in a relatively light package that is incredibly easy to use and easy on the budget.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

Hey Tay. Can you give us a price range you would be comfortable spending on a new camera??

And, are you okay rethinking your camera with 2 lens idea and moving to a Bridge Camera as your main camera?? As I aged (I am 86) I found that it was just too much effort to lug around an assortment of lens when I traveled. Made what was a hard choice at that time, and have not looked back. Think about it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Sony HX99, light, shoots raw, has a pop up viewfinder for outdoor or indoor shooting, has a 24-720 mm Zeiss drop dead sharp lens, pop up flash for auto fill inside or out, capable of producing beautifully sharp 20X30 prints, can shot HDR (High Density Range) images and combines them automatically in the camera, can shoot panoramic four different ways. Best of all it can fit into a belt pouch so you are hands free on your trips. Cost for all of this technology is about $400.00.
PS. did I mention how sharp the Zeiss lens is, well, it is extremely sharp.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.
PSS. has a tilting rear screen for low shots.
And unlike others here, I post actual images taken with this camera. More images are available upon request here.