Which camera for Europe trip - R10, G5X MII or maybe Sony RX100VII

I'll be going on a trip to Italy and was thinking of bringing my R10, however I am now thinking of going smaller yet.  I thought I may be better off with the Canon G5X Mii or the Sony RX100Vii.  I'm leaning towards the G5X Mii.  It would definitely be more convenient than carrying around the R10 with the 18-150 kit lens.  I know the R10 is still a small package however it just may be easier to have something I can put in a jacket pocket.  Any thoughts appreciated.

tsinvest wrote:

I'll be going on a trip to Italy and was thinking of bringing my R10, however I am now thinking of going smaller yet. I thought I may be better off with the Canon G5X Mii or the Sony RX100Vii. I'm leaning towards the G5X Mii. It would definitely be more convenient than carrying around the R10 with the 18-150 kit lens. I know the R10 is still a small package however it just may be easier to have something I can put in a jacket pocket. Any thoughts appreciated.

Only you can answer, there are good arguments for both.  Versatility vs pocketability.  As I have an R10 and an RX100 mk iv, I would probably take both!

In looking at your gear list, I would throw the R5 into the mix.  It ultimately depends on the type of trip this is and what quality of images you want to achieve.  If this is a once in a lifetime trip and you want some large prints or to display on a large screen then I would put a greater weight on sensor/lens considerations into your decision making process.   Even with a bad back, I normally travel with a full frame body housed in a backpack with quick side-access.   It's relatively easy to carry a camera system this way and I only bring out the camera when I need it.   I've traveled to many European countries, Southeast Asia, Central America, etc and never had a problem with theft in that I am always aware of my surroundings and what people are around me.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Thanks everyone for your opinions.  Wish I could bring the R5 however I think it will be too heavy for this trip.  I think I am leaning to the R10 with a couple of lenses.  That should still be better than the 1" sensor compacts.  It's a tour and I will have enough to carry in addition to the camera so I'm trying to go as light as possible while still having a setup that should take good photos.

tsinvest wrote:

Thanks everyone for your opinions. Wish I could bring the R5 however I think it will be too heavy for this trip. I think I am leaning to the R10 with a couple of lenses. That should still be better than the 1" sensor compacts. It's a tour and I will have enough to carry in addition to the camera so I'm trying to go as light as possible while still having a setup that should take good photos.

I have similar cameras with R5, R7 as well as the G5X II.   I also have Sony RX100V which i do not use after getting the G5X.   I found button annoyingly small for my and hands and the menus we way different than Canon menus.  No touch screen on the Sony.  The G5X II is very simlar to the R7 in use and it fits in my coat pocket.   Even if I bring my R5 with the trilogyi of f2.8 lenses I still will bring the G5XII for backup and it fits in my coat pocket.   I think it is an underappreciated camera that greet for ease of use for Canon shooters.

I get along with the Sony RX100VII as my only camera just fine. It is so small that I am not noticed as photographer most of tomes. That said, I don't have issues to adjust the camera settings to my needs. I use it for city trips e.g. Barcelona, Frankfurt,  Berlin etc. It also serves as backup.

If you decide to take the R10, you need something wider than 18mm (20-24mm equiv.) and, may be a faster lens for low light, too.

paratom wrote:

My choice would be the G5X (in my case G1xIII).

I also (still) own a RX100vII, and its a great camera, but for my taste the buttons are to small. The Canon feels more like a camera for me and I enjoy more using it.

If you focus more on photography and dont mind carrying a bigger bag or backpack...maybe bring the Canon.

I also have the G5XII and I love using that little camera.  I have the RX100V and stopped using it because of small button and horrible menu.  Every camera has slight different menue and Canon's are not an exception.   However, the Sony is just more different and this makes hard to get the shot if things go wrong.  I was pleased with the IQ of both cameras. The Sony may be slightly sharper in the corners at the very long end, but this is not enough to compensate for what is in my hands a horrible shooting experience.  If the pictures are important enough to me I will bring the R5, the trilogy of f2.8 lenses and a flash in addition to the G5XII.  For for less priority shooting the G5XII does a good job and is easy to carry all day when sightseeing.

tsinvest wrote:

Thanks everyone for your opinions. Wish I could bring the R5 however I think it will be too heavy for this trip. I think I am leaning to the R10 with a couple of lenses. That should still be better than the 1" sensor compacts. It's a tour and I will have enough to carry in addition to the camera so I'm trying to go as light as possible while still having a setup that should take good photos.

I have the G5ii. You can shoot Raw. It is wider than your R10 with kit lens. If you are outside you will have good light. Enjoy your new R10. But take the G5Xii with you. It is really no weight. Make pictures of the same subject, outside and inside, also wide angles, and judge yourself when you are at home. My G5Xii is not as good (as my M50ii  EFm11-22) but you will be pleasantly surprised how good it is!! I make photo albums of our trips, and there is not much difference on paper.  If M50ii is a 10, then G5Xii is a 9 or 9.5 for me. Others will disagree perhaps.

I always travel with 2 bodies: M50ii + EFm11-22 for wide angles and RP for the rest, so I don't have to change lenses. Even then I take my G5Xii with me...

I love Italy and my wife is Italian but in southern Italian cities like Rome or Naples etc. you must watch your gear like a hawk. Go for small easily looked after gear. In my case my camera (and photos) was stolen out of a pouch on an overcrowded bus. Hold on to your camera well and keep your rucksack in sight or pressed up against something, not someone. I'm looking forward to going again and taking all those photos again. The R5 I'd be a bit worried about but if you're not loaded down you should be OK.

Only once did I bring an ILC camera (Canon 550D, APS-C) and lenses with me on a holiday. Even though it's an entry level body and I only used the 15-85, the gear stayed in the hotel room most of the time.

For me, a 1" sensor compact is all I need. I won't be selling the pictures anyway and 20 Mp is more than enough for all practical purposes.

The Sony RX100M2 is good at guessing what I want in A or P mode, so I don't depend much on menus. Only thing I've changed is that I shoot jpeg+raw. The extra exposure headroom in raw has changed how I see that little camera.

YMMV.

Good luck and good light.

I’ve owned a few different DSLR/mirrorless which I’ve used on various trips, but a couple of years ago I bought a Sony RX100vi specifically because I was going on a cruise and I wanted something to carry around that wasn’t going to get in the way all the time. . Small enough to be pocketable and unobtrusive, lightweight, superb IQ for the sensor, just enough zoom. It’s now my go to  for trips abroad, or in fact anytime I don’t want to take anything that can’t fit in a pocket. Any of the RX100 would do you nicely.

If your airline ticket allows weight in carry-on, take both.
I am about to go on a South Africa trip and take both my R6 + three lenses + RX100M6, the R6 mainly for astrophotography and the RX100M6 for general photography.

This one is really hard to say. Here is what happened to me. I took my a DSLR set with me before. Typically that means one body, 70-200 2.8 L, 24-70 2.8 L or 17-40 L. Maybe a 50mm 1.4. Typically when I go out, I just use a sling to take one combination. If I want to take more pictures of people, I take 70-200. For sight seeing, 24-70 and if I go indoor with a larger group, 17-40 (and flash). But it is a lot to carry around through airports and etc.

But the last time I did this I did not take many photos, because there were too much activities on water and swimming. GoPro is much better with that. I did get a few shots that is not possible with a photo or GoPro, but ultimately is a question of if it worth it.

So nowadays, unless I have a specific idea of what I will shoot, I don't take the whole set. 90% of the time a phone is good enough. I bought a Ricoh GR iii in case I want to something a little better quality. I tends to stay away from small point and shoot zooms, because it never look much better than a photo. Besides, iPhones nowadays are much more water friendly.

I always bring my r5.

tsinvest wrote:

I'll be going on a trip to Italy and was thinking of bringing my R10, however I am now thinking of going smaller yet. I thought I may be better off with the Canon G5X Mii or the Sony RX100Vii. I'm leaning towards the G5X Mii. It would definitely be more convenient than carrying around the R10 with the 18-150 kit lens. I know the R10 is still a small package however it just may be easier to have something I can put in a jacket pocket. Any thoughts appreciated.

Is this a "once in a lifetime" trip, or something you do frequently? If former, I think it's good to bring a capable camera - the few times I left my ILC home on such trips, I regretted it. A 1" camera can be great, but there's that occasional shot in a dark location, or challenging lighting, or of a moving subject which comes out poorly, and where you wish you had used a better camera.

However I do understand the desire to go light, so rather than my R5, my traveling setup is the M6II, with 32mm and 18-200mm M lenses. Smaller than the R10, but still not pocketable.

Thankfully phones with multiple lenses can usually cover the wide end reasonably well - for architecture and interiors, which are important for Italy. So even though I have the wonderful M 11-22mm, I don't bring it on travels.

With your R10, the 18-150 you mention for reach, plus one of the f/1.8 primes such as 24, 35, or 50mm for the occasional special shot, would make a capable and relatively light traveling combo, I think. Or it you don't have a capable phone for wide angle, maybe the 16mm f/2.8?

Good idea. I end up using my smart phone quite a bit when I was there last year

Thank you for your suggestions...more food for thought