Best travel camera under $2000 in 2023
With a budget of $2000 you´re really getting a lot of performance for your money. It´s also the time to look at more than just the price tag and specifications. You can just go and buy the Canon EOS R6 Mark II. It´s probably the best specced camera for the price. Or the Sony A7 IV, which is very similar to the Canon EOS R6 Mark II. Same goes for the Nikon Z6 II.
While all of these camera bodies are great at pretty much everything they might have one weakness: They´re pretty big and bulky and also not the most creative and best looking choices you can make. In the case of the Sony A7 IV it even breaks the budget - without having a lens on the camera.
But we`ll recommend some more creative options, always keeping you, the traveller, in mind.
This is also reflected in our scoring: The scores for size and weight will be considered with a factor of 1.5, making them a lot more important in the overall ranking. You’ll see the non-weighted scores in the summary and in the list of scoring.
The Sony A7C is our favourite travel camera because it´s a small package but fits a full frame sensor with an image stabilizer. It also comes with a flip-out screen, decent burst rate for more action-laden moments and great autofocus so you don’t miss a shot. The kit lens is also a small and collapsible lens, battery life is amazing, what more could you ask for? Well there’s a couple of things: The viewfinder - while there, and in a nice rangefinder-style setup - is rather small, an extra control wheel would’ve been nice and the camera only features one card slot. But these are sacrifices that are acceptable considering the benefits over other cameras such as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Sony A7 IV or Nikon Z6 II.
Size: 9 / 10
Weight: 9 / 10
Image Quality: 8 / 10
Handling: 6 / 10
Battery Life: 10 / 10
Ecosystem: 10 / 10
The Sony A7C scores in our ranking where it’s most important: For a full-frame camera it’s exceptionally small. Even the kit-lens is small. It’s also more than capable in terms of autofocus. If only there were more buttons and control dials and an additional card slot…
Now the Fujifilm X100V is a really stylish looking camera! You’re on vacation or travelling, so might as well look good doing it with a piece of kit that matches your energy. The Fujifilm X100V isn’t just stylish it’s also potent. An APS-C sized sensor and a good autofocus system are the basis for this camera but the highlight is the optical viewfinder that can also be a digital viewfinder. Pretty neat. A lot of digital viewfinders kind of take you out of the moment - this camera certainly doesn’t. It’s of course also a small and light camera with a lot of control points. There is one thing you might want to keep in mind: The Fujifilm X100V is a fixed-lens camera - no changing lenses here. This is also a part of the charme of this device. But if that’s totally not your cup of tea, then consider the Fujifilm X-Pro3: Basically the same camera but it lets you change lenses!
Size: 10 / 10
Weight: 10 / 10
Image Quality: 6 / 10
Handling: 6 / 10
Battery Life: 5 / 10
Ecosystem: 8 / 10
The Fujifilm X100V can be a perfect travel companion if you’re willing to give up the ability to change lenses and also to zoom your lens. If that’s a sacrifice you’re willing to make get ready for a fun shooting experience in a looker of a package.
Those three cameras mentioned in the intro were there for a reason: They are really good cameras and make good companions during travel - if paired with smaller lenses. All of them have good viewfinders, a good burst rate, image stabilization, good autofocus, you name it. When choosing one of these try to consider the system you’re buying into: The Sony A7 IV has the most available third-party lenses, followed by the Nikon Z6 II. Canon does not allow third-party lenses for their cameras so tha’s an advantage of the other two cameras. Depending on the current price of the Sony A7 IV you can also consider it’s predecessor the Sony A7 III - a little bit older but still a very capable camera!
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Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Size: 5 / 10
Weight: 5 / 10
Image Quality: 8 / 10
Handling: 8 / 10
Battery Life: 7 / 10
Ecosystem: 4 / 10
The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is such a capable camera and really a joy to use, but it’s also a big boy compared to the competition. If you don’t mind the size and the limited lens selection - especially affordable lenses - you’re not going wrong with this camera.
Sony A7 IV
Size: 6 / 10
Weight: 5 / 10
Image Quality: 9 / 10
Handling: 7 / 10
Battery Life: 7 / 10
Ecosystem: 10 / 10
The Sony A7 IV is usually a little above $2000, but it’s worth it: Smaller than the Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Nikon Z6 II but also just as capable in all other aspects. Oh, and that lens selection is by far the biggest, just like for the Sony A7C.
Nikon Z6 II
Size: 5 / 10
Weight: 4 / 10
Image Quality: 8 / 10
Handling: 8 / 10
Battery Life: 5 / 10
Ecosystem: 6 / 10
Everything that was said about the Canon EOS R6 Mark II can be said about the Nikon Z6 II: Super capable but also also on the bigger side.
Summary
We’ve picked a pretty diverse cast of cameras for our best travel camera under $2000 in 2023, starting with the Sony A7C and the fixed-lens but ultra portable Fujifilm X100V. These two are way smaller than the third placed trio of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II, Sony A7 IV and the Nikon Z6 II while having the same or only slightly worse image quality. The uncontested winner, the Sony A7C with either the kit lens or another small lens such as a Samyang 35 2.8 pancake lens is just a joy to use and carry around. Small lenses also make the third place trio a good choice but they can never be as small as our first two places can. Check out the following chart to an overview of the contestants.
