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The Best Portable Camera

 

Recently a friend of mine noticed how small the RX1R II that I owned was and it is a small camera for what it is; being a full frame compact camera with a fixed 35mm lens and excellent low light performance from a 42 megapixel BSI sensor, all whilst weighing less than Sony's latest 35mm f/1.4 GM lens. That is the main reason I bought the camera, after watching the price fluctuate on that lens going up and down and also being more expensive than the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 which I was also considering at the time.

 

Sony RX1R II (35mm Full Frame)

I don't really enjoy using the 35mm focal length enough to warrant having to purchase a lens with that focal length on it's own now that I have the Sony RX1R II, but this camera is great for when I don't want to carry around my full frame camera and lenses for travel and it also gives you 18.6 megapixel photos if you crop in post to what would have been APC 52.5mm field of view, what's better is that with so many megapixels, you can crop wider or smaller as you see fit.

 

It's also great as a second body; you don't need to swap lenses when you want the 35mm focal length.

 

The problem with the RX1R II is the price though, it's an old camera that's been discontinued and and can often be found used for upward of £2000 on eBay, although it is sometimes possible to find it a bit cheaper it's not really the best choice either as it was released in November 2015 and it's almost 10 years old with older autofocus from the A7R II.

 

Sony A7C (35mm Full Frame)

This is essentially Sony's solution to it's own RX1 series of cameras. Sony fell out with Zeiss a while back since they have a 15% share in Tamron (who also make lenses), but it's a bit more complicated that that so we won't go into it here.

 

The A7C is a great camera, I almost bought one as it's essentially an A7 III, the same 24 megapixel BSI sensor but smaller and with updated autofocus and flip out screen (for the vlogger in you), however it lacks some professional features, such as dual card slots and custom buttons, which you'd generally want if you're shooting weddings and other events.

 

This camera is much more versatile than the RX1R II that it spiritually replaces and allows you room to grow and pick up different lenses if you ever wish to progress your photography, whilst still being a full frame 35mm camera in a compact form factor that most APC cameras would fit into and more importantly has Sony's newer autofocus system.

 

The great thing here is the price, for around £1500 you can pick up the camera and if you opt for the kit lens which is also a compact 26-60mm lens it keeps the size down to a similarly pocketable size of the RX1 series of cameras or for an extra £300 or you can pick up a 35mm f/1.8 prime for a similar look.

 

Fujifilm X100V (APS-C 1.5x Crop)

This camera is so popular that it's sold out in most places, regularly selling above it's RRP on eBay and where it is in stock, it's often limited to one per customer (not that you'd need two?). What's great about this older camera is the compact size, film simulations and manual controls that many people have fallen in love with in recent years, causing the camera to go viral for with content creators on social platforms such as TikTok.

 

It has a 23mm f/2.0 fixed prime lens for a 34.5mm full frame look similar to that of the RX1 series that all have a 35mm f/2.0 Zeiss lens. The Fujifilm on has 26.1 megapixels, which is more than enough for casual shooting and you'll benefit from a much newer autofocus system as the camera released in 2020.

 

The problem here is finding one in stock, if you love manual controls and the vintage film look then this is a great camera which sells for £1600 and gives you plenty of film simulations to play with. If you can't find it you can always look at the older Fujifilm X100F which was released in 2017 and gives you most of the same features and shooting experience, but with an older autofocus system  and similar lens for around £1000-£1200.

 

Ricoh GR III (APS-C 1.5x Crop)

The Ricoh GR III is a great alternative to the X100V, it's more readily available and more affordable at less than £1000 you get an APS-C size sensor with 24.2 megapixels and an 18.3mm f/2.8 lens (27.45mm full frame view, which is fairly wide and most people would be familiar with as most smartphones main cameras are around 24mm equivalent), there's also a GR IIIx with a 26.1mm lens (42.15mm full frame view, giving you a bit more reach than the X100V).

 

The GR III is often regarded as one of the best street cameras, being so discrete and small yet being able to capture great images. You also have similar film options in the settings and there are plenty of guides available to adjust your settings to simulate film with this camera. If you're looking for the most discrete and portable camera this might be the right one for you, it even has a matte black option, but there's also some other limited edition versions available such as the Street Edition, Diary Edition or even a black and white photo only version if you really want to be creative.

 

Canon M200 (APS-C 1.6x Crop)

I don't normally recommend Canon crop cameras as they have a smaller sensor than most APS-C cameras with a 1.6x crop and are often more expensive, but the M200 gets a pass at only £400 new, you get a lot of camera for your money, however it is very much a beginner camera with only basic features and mostly touch controls. It is a tiny camera aimed at mobile users looking for something a bit better than their smartphone and even has USB webcam and 4K video.

 

What's the bad thing then? It's essentially no longer supported by Canon, they are now all in on the RF system and have APS-C cameras with that mount, but to be fair at the £400 price point you can just jump to any other camera/brand when you want something better or even adapt Canon EF lenses if you want to give it more life.

 

Otherwise this is the most affordable camera on this list and there's really no reason not to get it if you're new to photography and not sure where to start, but it won't really give you much more control than a smartphone camera. If you don't need 4K video you can also look at the M100, which is very similar.

 

Panasonic Lumix LX100 II (Micro Four Thirds 2x Crop)

If you love small cameras, we're going really small now. Most micro four third cameras have interchangeable lenses, but not the LX100 II this camera comes with a fixed 10.9-34mm f/1.7-2.8 zoom (24-75mm full frame view). Arguably the most versatile fixed lens camera on this list so far with a bright zoom lens, 4K video and 17 megapixels photos.

 

What's the catch? Well it is a smaller sensor, but has much more advance features than the M200, whilst offering a more complete offering in a simple and complete package. Note it's perhaps still not as pocketable as you might think due to that zoom lens and the GR III might be a better option if portability is what you're looking for?

 

This camera from 2018 can often be found for £700-£900, but you get very similar features from the original LX100 (£400 used) from 2014, but you will have a more dated autofocus and 1080p video.

 

Sony RX100 VII (1 Inch Sensor 3x Crop)

If portability is what you're looking for, then this is the one to go for, it has a stacked 1 inch sensor and Sony's newer autofocus system in a tiny point and shoot style body that's very versatile. You'll still know you've got this camera at hand as it's still not as small as a smartphone, but it surely won't let you down.

 

The lens is an equivalent 24-200mm f/2.8-f/4.5 zoom giving you great range, the camera has excellent autofocus and can shoot 4K video. What is the cameras shortcoming then? The sensor size being a 1 inch type sensor (not actually one inch in size), but Sony has a stacked sensor here which it normally reserves for its highest end cameras, in short this means more light reaches the sensor as the sensor is designed in a way that all the cables and materials are built behind the photosensitive sites of the sensor and do not disrupt the light to the sensor giving you better low light performance. In fact the only other cameras that have improved low light performance on this list are the RX1R II and A7C with BSI (back side illuminated) sensors, whereas the other cameras have older CMOS sensor designs.

 

If portability is what you're looking for then the RX100 VII is a great option, but at £1000 it could be a bit much for a point and shoot, you could consider the older models, the RX100 V is one of my favourites in the series as it has a brighter 24-70mm equivalent f/1.8-f/2.8 lens for around £500-£800 used, but has a much older autofocus system.

 

Conclusion

 

Depending what you're looking for in an ultraportable camera, hopefully this list has helped you in some way, my personal favourites would be the A7C if your budget allows £1500 for the camera, it gives you options to grow and is very compact with the kit lens (+£300). My second choice would be the Canon M200 it just can't be beat at £400 with the kit lens included.