I am distracted by the yellow curb going through her head.

The background kills the tree. Against sky it would be striking, especially with strong cross lighting, dawn or late afternoon. Ansel Adams.

So this thread is going to remain locked onto "my specs are better than your specs". It could have been a useful discussion.

Again, what is the definition of "near SLR images"? Can you get hand held SLR images at 1200 mm? On a trip you might want that if you are photographing nature. Here are some I shot with the cheap little Sony in my back yard pond - about 40 to 90 yards away. The bird was cropped to about 10% of the original frame, the turtles to about 30%.

Lens racked out to 1200 mm hand held, no NR..

BETTER for what? The best camera is not a matter of test results. The best camera for a sports journalist is not going to be the best camera for a wedding photographer or a naturalist or a bird watcher or a dermatologist or a person just shooting on a trip. Case in point, the very best camera for my son in Afghanistan was the little Casio I gave him. He took hundreds of photos in a very hostile environment, surviving the whole tour in a pocket in his camos. A large area sensor does sense light "better" - has more dynamic range, more resolution etc. It also requires certain other things that may be a deterrent to a particular use like recording a tour in combat, for instance. Everything is a compromise. There is no "one size fits all" camera, and no "best".

Boys, this is getting to be a "my camera (?) is bigger than your camera" P***ing contest. Inevitable I guess with a bunch of guys! We girls tend to look at the original question (suggest a practical alternative to a full sized SLR for travel) with a practical eye to the big picture. Suppose we could all go there again?

You guys are so deep into the technical aspects of camera performance that I think you may be overlooking the reason the man may be taking a camera along on a trip. In the first place, the equipment is really secondary to the knowledge of the photographer. Some of the very best images ever have been captured on equipment you would consign to the dumpster. Secondly, a trip to Europe is not necessarily for the purpose of taking photographs. If it is, then I would invest in the very best in camera travel equipment, and end up taking about 50 lbs of lenses, tripods and associated gear with me. And a sherpa to carry it. If I just want to have a camera handy at a moment's notice to record something memorable, then I want to have something light - the lighter the better, small, the smaller the better, capable of everything from macro to wide, to long tele, (now we are getting a bit bigger and heavier) but not have to change lenses (with all the hazards that attend that operation).

I have some experience in that category. While photographing Bison in Yellowstone years ago with my Nikon F-3 and a 500 mm mirror lens, from a stand of trees, the camera mirror jammed. I removed the lens and unjammed the mirror when slowly I became aware of a hot breath on my neck. There I was with a 500 mm mirror lens between my knees, my open camera on it's tripod, and a 2 ton Bison bull's nose inches from my neck. I quietly replaced the lens, folded the tripod, told the bull that I was sorry I intruded, and I was leaving, and slowly walked away. The bull just watched me. Sometimes it is just damned inconvenient to change lenses!

I think it boils down to what kind of photos do you want to take, and under what circumstances. I would rule out the mirrorless small format cameras with interchangeable lenses. If you are going to lug around a bag of lenses, then might as well take the Canon. I did that on vacation with my husband and he was inconvenienced by my photography - "Wait honey, I want to use the 21 mm on this scene, can you get the bag out of the car?". If photography is the object and the companion is willing to sacrifice some time, take the Canon.

But if you want nice. sharp, well exposed mementos of your trip perhaps to print as 8 x 10 or so, and to make into a presentation for family and friends, then a small, lightweight, single lens, long zoom with nice macro, wide angle, and video capability, that a woman can put in her purse, or a man can forget about on a neck strap because it is so small and light, is your ticket. Canon, Fuji, Sony, they just about all make such a camera, and they are all very good for what they are and what they are designed to do. I bought the Sony 'cause it was the cheapest with the most features. Not disappointed.

Set your white balance to more amber and red. Shoot a whole array of settings until you get it right.

Love animal photos that tell a story. Delightful!

I bought a little Sony hx300 as a bridge camera to take to dogshows instead of my big nikon. It zooms out to about 1200 mm. The electronic viewfinder is useless, but the led screen is very good. It lets you use manual, aperture and shutter priorities. I took this photo at 1200 mm, at ISO 1600, through my bathroom window, on a dark rainy day, and was pleasantly surprised. I think this little box can handle anything you throw at it, it is lightweight and extremely versatile. Good videos too. It is the camera I would take to Europe.

LOL. Mary is a girly girl who is also an athlete and voted "best looking" in her highschool yearbook. She can be "one of the guys", and at the same time very motherly to the young troops. I think she made a difference to the wounded kids in Kandahar. Especially the ones that died in her arms - and there were more than one of those. She was in the ER and got them right off the choppers that brought them in from the field. She brought home photos that can't be shared. Heartbreaking photos. Worse memories. She is a different person now. I am a surgeon, and trained in NY,(not dissimilar from combat} so I know what dealing with fatal trauma can do to you. You get a different perspective on life.

I don't think either of my kids saw it as meritorious. When Mary volunteered to go, I asked her why do you want to leave your own kids, (4,6 and 9)? She said "Other mother's kids are getting blown to pieces and someone has to take care of them. If not me, then who?" She saw it as her duty as part of the military reserve - a duty as a citizen of her Nation. Nothing special about it. Just like cleaning her room as a kid.

The exposure is not that different, but the color temperature is. White balance must have been automatic on auto, but was not when you switched to manual. These modern digital cameras are doing a whole lot of stuff behind the scenes. It's not any more light falling on an emulsion through a diaphragm.

Ha, Ha! A Navy nurse attached to the Marine Corps. Pretty low down on the pecking order even if the pay grade is like a LtCol. Got to admit she's pretty cute though, even if she does have three kids!