Last Updated on 08/04/2017 by Chris Gampat
If you’re not wanting to inconvenience your life with taking your cameras, lenses, flashes and other necessary items out of your bag, then you should consider this list of cameras that will get through the TSA’s new regulations. “…we are not standing on the sidelines while fanatics hatch new plots. The U.S. government is focused on deterring, detecting, and disrupting these threats,” stated DHS Secretary John Kelly. “That is why in March I made the decision to ban electronic devices larger than a cell phone from the passenger cabins of U.S.-bound commercial flights from the ten airports in the Middle East and North Africa.” And more or less, you’ll probably have issues bringing bigger cameras anyway. So we’ve gone through our reviews index and found a number of cameras that you’ll want to pack since it’s all about any electronic being larger than a cell phone.
Editor’s Note: To clarify this post, we’re talking about cameras that most likely won’t need to be taken out of a bag. You can surely bring a camera but you’ll need to take it and the lenses out of the bag if they’re larger than a cell phone.
Sony RX100 V (and the others in the Series)
Would you believe me if I told you that award winning photos have been shot with the Sony RX100 series of cameras? They very much deserve the praise, and if you’re looking for a compact option with a zoom, this is one of the best out there.
In our review of the Sony RX100 V, we state:
“The Sony RX100 V is a really excellent camera not only for the enthusiast, but also for the pro that wants something a bit more compact. You’ll get far better images than what your phone can deliver and you’ll realize just how useful it becomes for a variety of reasons. I tended to use it for quick shots and updates to our Instagram.
More importantly, it’s a camera designed for the digital shooter more so than the one who may want to make big prints from a vacation. And to be honest, that seems to be most of us these days.”
Buy Now: Amazon (price varies depending on which version you get)
Fujifilm X70
If you’re looking for the quality Fujifilm sensors but in the most compact package you can possibly get, the Fujifilm X70 is where you’ll want to look.
In our review we state:
“Using the Fujifilm X70, you’re bound to be able to take incredible images. Like your phone, this is truly a carry-with-you-everywhere camera. It’s small, it’s thin, it can deliver jaw dropping image quality–there isn’t much to complain about here. Of course, I wish that the autofocus were faster for street photography, but that’s honestly fixed with stopped the lens down to f4 and beyond. At f2.8, it’s tough to get that though I kind of expect it at this point in technology.”
Buy Now $699: Amazon
Ricoh GR II
The Ricoh GR II is for the photographer who wants to be the fly on the wall when shooting photos. Period. That’s who it was designed for.
In our review, we state:
“It’s an absolute honor to give the Ricoh GR II the Editor’s Choice award. This camera is fantastic for the street photographer, travel photographer or even for a blogger who doesn’t want to or care to shoot a whole lot of video. Its compact size, great image quality, fairly reliable autofocus, and fantastic lens make it a must for many photographers. Even better, the JPEG image quality is so good that I’d probably never worry about doing a whole lot of editing to my RAW files. The autofocus suffers in low light and sometimes the controls can be a bit finicky, such as in manual exposure mode, but I’m positive most shooters will probably just work with this camera in aperture priority and call it a day.
The Ricoh GR II is surely a fantastic camera if it’s going to be your only camera at this price point.”
Buy Now: Amazon (Around $561.58)
Fujifilm X100F
Perhaps one of my favorite cameras on this list is the Fujifilm X100F. Its got great image quality, but most of all the ergonomics are absolutely top notch.
In our review, we state:
“I have many personal qualms with the Fujifilm X100F, but it isn’t at all a bad camera. In fact, in many ways it’s the absolute best APS-C camera on the market. It’s small, autofocuses quickly, has a low profile, delivers great image quality, has a hybrid EVF/OVF, some of the best battery life of any APS-C mirrorless camera out there, and is very reliable. Fujifilm’s X100 series has evolved quite a bit since the start, and the upgrade over the Fujifilm X100T is pretty significant. Some of the things we’ve needed for a while are now present; though I can easily see how someone will be confused as to whether they should get this or just a 23mm f2 or 23mm f1.4 for their Fujifilm X series camera.”
Buy Now: Amazon (Usually $1,299)
Canon G1X Mk II
The Canon G1X MK II almost won an Editor’s Choice award with us, but a few things prevented us from giving it the full five stars. The camera delivers some excellent image quality and has some of the best colors we’ve seen from most cameras these days. It also has a slightly beefy feel, WiFi connectivity, controls for all the exposure values at your finger tips, and is truly portable. While we’re not talking about pocketable, it is surely something that we’d be glad to tote around with a nice leather strap and a half case.
As for autofocusing performance, it mostly hit its targets when walking around the streets. And when it didn’t, we had no problems using our editing abilities to make the image look better then sending it up to Instagram or EyeEm. The image quality can be attributed to its slightly-larger-than-Micro-Four-Thirds sensor at the heart.
In fact, we believe you really can’t go wrong with this product.
Buy Now $799: Adorama | B&H Photo | Amazon