Best Mirrorless Cameras for Travel of 2024

BEST FOR: STEPPING UP YOUR PHOTO GAME

Revered by experts and amateurs alike for its incredible performance, the Sony A7R III is one of the best mirrorless cameras available on the market. With a huge resolution of over 40 megapixels and the ability to shoot up to ten frames per second in optimal light conditions, you really can’t go wrong.

It doesn’t matter whether your focus is street or nature photography, the Sony A7R III produces top-notch images in any situation. Fast-moving subjects are frozen with a click and the fast processing speed ensures that no event goes undocumented.

BEST FOR: THE FRUGAL BACKPACKER

The Canon EOS M100 is surprisingly effective considering the price point. Affordable and lightweight, this mirrorless camera comes with a multi-purpose lens great for both landscapes and portraits. The tilting LCD touchscreen allows you to take perfectly framed self-portraits. The Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity lets you transfer your photos to your smartphone immediately. That way, your followers won’t have to wait to be influenced by your destination choice.

Canon sells a decent range of lenses for the EOS M100, ranging from ultra-wide to telephoto to suit all your creative needs. If that’s not enough, a simple adapter allows you to mount all of Canon DSLR lenses as well, making the possibilities virtually endless.

BEST FOR: THE TRENDSETTING EXPLORER

With its signature retro look, the Fujifilm X-T20 promises excellent image and video quality in stylish packaging. The solid camera body has many easy-to-reach dials, which you can use to control all the settings as you shoot. The automatic mode, on the other hand, offers 58 different presets — from “night landscape” to “beach” and “moving subject” — to get the perfect shot without worrying about manual controls.

The autofocus is precise, fast, and versatile, complete with a face and eye detection mode that guarantees people in your photographs are always looking sharp. In addition to producing superb stills, the FujiFilm X-20 also includes a high-resolution 4K video function. With this feature, you can let loose your inner movie director anytime a scene captures your attention.

BEST FOR: EASE OF USE

The Panasonic Lumix G7 is a mid-range mirrorless camera with a rugged body that provides a comfortable and secure grip. This camera is super lightweight but competes with most entry-level DSLR cameras in terms of image quality. Thanks to the built-in WiFi, sharing your images instantly is a piece of cake. And the wide aperture settings on the Lumix G7 guarantee great results even in low light conditions.

The video functions of the Panasonic Lumix G7 are easy to use thanks to the tilting screen that allows you to film from even the most uncomfortable angles. Plus, if you notice a scene that you’d rather see framed on a wall than in a movie clip, the camera’s 4K Photo function allows you to extract individual high-resolution still images from a 4K high-definition video. With the G7 you can be sure that every instant of your journey is on the record.

BEST FOR: SERIOUS ENTHUSIASTS

A semi-professional full-frame mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z6 is for those who do not compromise when it comes to their photography equipment. The Z6 performs excellently in low light conditions thanks to the high native ISO and offers extremely fast continuous shooting up to 12 frames per second.

Dust or rain are no longer obstacles: on top of producing superb images, the Nikon Z6 is fully weather-sealed, making this camera ideal for outdoor photography of any kind. Additionally, the battery is long-lasting and rechargeable via USB.

For those making the switch from DSLR to mirrorless, it will be helpful to know that traditional Nikon lenses will fit the Z6. This means you won’t have to change all your gear just because you buy a new camera body.

BEST FOR: (SELF) PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS

At just under $500, the Fujifilm X-A5 comes with a broad selection of features that will make you forget about shooting with a smartphone. Lightweight and compact, the X-A5 captures highly detailed images thanks to the 24.2-megapixel sensor improved from previous models.

This mirrorless camera is packed with special functions that will boost your people photography. It has fast autofocus with an eye detection system to ensure your subjects always look sharp, and a portrait enhancer mode that automatically adjusts skin tones.

The Fujifilm X-A5 is great also for close-ups of small objects and details, thanks to the macro mode that allows you to focus on subjects as close as two inches away.

BEST FOR: OLD-SCHOOL LOOK WITH MODERN FEATURES

With old-school metal controls and a compact, stylish design, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III doesn’t just look cool, it’s also easy to use. With an internal image stabilization system, even handheld shots in dark environments will look sharp and free of blur.

If you’re not interested in learning the technicalities of photography, the automatic mode on this camera detects the type of scene you’re shooting. Then, it corrects the settings for you, so you don’t have to worry about aperture, white balance, and shutter speed.

The  Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III also has a tilting touch screen, so you’ll be able to capture amazing photographs with the touch of a finger without feeling intrusive.

BEST FOR: ADVANCED STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS

A compact powerhouse designed for serious photography enthusiasts, the Sony Alpha A6400 is an impressively fast camera offering incredible image quality. On top of providing you with one of the world’s fastest autofocus systems, this camera is also capable of shooting up to 11 frames per second continuously.  This means that even the most fleeting moments are captured.

The Sony Alpha A6400 comes with a real-time tracking autofocus system that follows your subjects and an eye detection function that ensures your people shots are always on-point. The tilting LCD touch screen is of great help when filming, and thanks to the many lenses available for this camera, your creativity has no boundaries.

BEST FOR: SUN-CHASING BACKPACKERS

Featuring 4K video capabilities and a dual image stabilization system, the Panasonic Lumix G85 is a safe choice for both outdoor filmmakers and travel photographers. When used in combination with the standard 45 – 150mm telephoto lenses, it allows you to frame and capture distant moving subjects such as wildlife or athletes without blur.

The G85 is surprisingly lightweight and compact (roughly half the size of an entry-level DSLR), and comes with an improved viewfinder made to provide high visibility even in harsh sunlight conditions. Additionally, Panasonic offers a range of 27 lenses compatible with the Lumix G85, so that every kind of photography is covered.

BEST FOR: PHOTOGRAPHERS AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME

Clearly, the Fujifilm GFX 50S is not a camera for everyone. At a price point of nearly $5,500, this mirrorless camera is engineered for experienced pro-shooters looking for a machine that can make their photographs stand out. With its 51.4 megapixel sensor, the GFX 50S does just that.

On top of producing incredibly detailed images with realistic colors and sharp contrasts, the GFX 50S is also weather-resistant and freezeproof, meaning that no environment is too hostile for this camera.

The large resolution is complemented by the possibility of saving your images in different formats, from a panoramic 16:9 ratio to an Instagram-friendly 1:1 ratio. The camera can also simulate film images by adding grain to the photographs or adjust the colors to make your subjects pop.