Find the Best Camera For Hiking

Looking for the best camera for hiking? We’ve put together a list of cameras that are perfect for hiking due to their portability, size and weight.

People always ask us about the travel photography gear we use when hiking so here’s our list!

10 cameras for hiking

In this article we share tips for how to choose the perfect camera for hiking.

Check out this list of the 10 cameras we recommend that are compact, lightweight and perfect for photographing the outdoors while hiking!

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Camera Gear for Landscape Photography

Camera: check out the compact travel cameras we recommend!
Tripod: take a look at these compact and lightweight travel tripods!
Camera Bag: protect your camera from sand and water → We use Lowepro camera backpacks for outdoor photography.
Neutral density filter: to compensate for variance of light you’ll need to use a neutral density filter. → Check out the Kase magnetic filters we use!
Camera cleaning kit: remove dust or water that WILL get on your lens. NOTE: this is not for cleaning the sensor.
Memory cards: purchase name brand memory cards since you’re trusting your images to the card! → We use Lexar and Sandisk!
External hard drive: copy photos to a portable external hard drive ‘just in case’.
Headlamp: use when taking sunrise and sunset photos!

FIND CAMERA GEAR AT B&H PHOTO!

Camera Gear at Amazon | Camera Gear at B&H Photo

camera accessories

How to Choose the Best Camera for Hiking

The best camera for hiking should be compact, portable and lightweight.

As you hike, you want camera gear to capture all the amazing things you see, but it needs to be small enough and light enough not to weigh you down.

The cameras we’ve listed will shoot high quality photos and video of your hiking adventures!

There are five things to consider when researching the best camera to add to your photography gear for hiking:

Image quality
Zoom range
Size and weight
Simplicity
Price

Other cameras to consider:

10 Best Cameras for Hiking

1

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Mirrorless Camera

Key Features

20.4MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Sensor
TruePic VIII Image Processor
2.36m-Dot 0.67x-Magnification OLED EVF
3.0" 1.04m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen
DCI 4K/24p & UHD 4K/30p Video Recording
5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
10 fps Shooting, ISO 200-25600
121-Point All Cross-Type Phase-Detect AF
Weather-Sealed Construction

2

Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 Camera

Key Features

20.1MP 1" High Sensitivity MOS Sensor
Leica DC Vario-Elmarit f/2.8-4.5 Lens
24-480mm (35mm Equivalent)
0.74x 2.36m-Dot OLED Live View EVF
3" 1.04m-Dot Free-Angle Touchscreen LCD
DCI 4K Recording at 24.00 fps & 100 Mbps
CINELIKE Profiles; 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI Out
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity; 4K PHOTO
ISO 25600 and 12 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Control Ring & Built-In ND Filter

3

Olympus Tough TG-6 Waterproof Camera

Key Features

12MP BSI CMOS Sensor
TruePic VIII Image Processor
Olympus 4x Optical Zoom f/2 Lens
25-100mm (35mm Equivalent)
3.0" 1.04m-Dot LCD Monitor
Water, Crush, Shock, Freeze & Dustproof
4K Video Recording and Full HD at 120p
Built-In Wi-Fi, GPS, Field Sensor System
ISO 12800 and up to 20-fps Shooting
Pro Capture Mode & Variable Macro System

4

GoPro HERO9 Waterproof Action Camera

Key Features

23.6MP Sensor, 5K30 Video & 20MP Photos
Live View Front Display/Rear Touchscreen
Webcam Mode & 1080p Live Streaming
HyperSmooth 3.0 Image Stabilization
33' Waterproof without External Housing
PowerTools & Protune Feature Suites
Time-Lapse & Night-Lapse
8x Slo-Mo
Built-In Flip-Out 2-Prong Mount
30% Longer 1720mAh Capacity Battery

5

Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera

Key Features

20.9MP DX-Format CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 6 Image Processor
UHD 4K and Full HD Video Recording
2.36m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
3.2" 1.04m-Dot 180° Tilting Touchscreen
ISO 100-51200, Up to 11 fps Shooting
209-Point Hybrid AF, Eye Detection
Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

6

Sony ZV-1 Digital Camera

Key Features

20.1MP 1" Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
ZEISS 24-70mm-Equiv. f/1.8-2.8 Lens
UHD 4K30p Video w/ HLG & S-Log3/2 Gammas
3.0" Side Flip-Out Touchscreen LCD
Real-Time Tracking & Eye AF
Background Defocus & Face Priority AE
BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
Directional 3-Capsule Mic & Mic Jack
Multi-Interface Shoe, Built-In ND Filter
Product Showcase Setting

7

Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 Digital Camera

Key Features

20.0MP 1/2.3" CCD Image Sensor
DIGIC 4+ Image Processor
8x Optical Zoom Lens
28-224mm (35mm Equivalent)
2.7" 230k-Dot LCD Monitor
HD 720p Video Recording at 25 fps
ISO 1600 and 2.2 fps Continuous Shooting
Digital Image Stabilization
Smart AUTO and Auto Zoom Settings
ECO Mode and Help Button

8

Insta360 GO 2 Small Action Camera

Key Features

Miniature 3K Action Camera
Up to 2560 x 1440 Video and 9MP Photos
Up to 1080p120 Slow-Motion Video
FlowState 6-Axis Gyro Stabilization
iOS/Android App with Auto-Editing
Waterproof to 13', 32GB Internal Drive
One-Tap Time-Lapse/Hyperlapse Videos
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Charge Case
Auto-Edit Feature, Easy POV Capture
Lens Protection, Mounting Options

9

Google Pixel 6 Pro - 5G Android Phone

Key Features

GSM/4G LTE + 5G Sub6/mmWave Compatible
North American Variant
Google Tensor with Titan M2 Security
50MP Wide, 48MP Tele & 12MP Ultrawide
Front 8MP Selfie Camera
Capture Authentic & Accurate Skin Tones
256GB Storage Capacity + 12GB of RAM
6.7" 3120 x 1440 120 Hz OLED Display
Up to 48-Hour Battery / Water Resistant
Android 12 Operating System

10

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VA Digital Camera

Key Features

20.1MP 1" Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log2 Gamma
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f/1.8-2.8 Lens
24-70mm (35mm Equivalent)
Fast Hybrid AF System with 315 Points
HFR Mode for Full HD Video up to 960 fps
0.39" 2.36m-Dot OLED Pop-Up EVF
3.0" 1.23m-Dot 180° Tilting LCD
ISO 12800 and 24-fps Continuous Shooting

Hiking Resources

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