Recently, my family and I took a one-month vacation to Asia, visiting regions in Nepal, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This wasn’t purely a “photography trip”, per se, but let’s not kid ourselves here…I planned to take a ton of pictures. Long ago I mentally transitioned from someone who takes pictures while traveling to someone who travels to take pictures.
Because of space limitations, I couldn’t carry my typical Sony Alpha interchangeable lens gear. Instead, I took the Sony RX10 IV with me. The camera has some features that make it an especially good traveling companion. It starts with the lens which is a mind-boggling Zeiss 24-600mm (full-frame equivalent) f/2.4 – 4.0 zoom. With that huge range, you can cover just about any situation that might arise. Beyond the lens, the RX10 IV has a high–res, 20 megapixel, 1” sensor with awesome dynamic range. Its phase-detect AF system is lightning fast and it shoots both still and video.
I truly appreciated the RX10 IV’s huge 24-600mm zoom range when I visited Sarangkot in Pokhara, Nepal. Watching the first rays of light hit the tallest peaks of the Himalayas was truly a spiritual experience. The 24mm end of the focal range allowed me to capture a beautiful environmental portrait of a person paying homage to the rising sun.
I then zoomed in to compress the landscape and record the breath-taking layers of the foot-hills and mountains under a glowing, red orb.
The RX10 Mk IV was a versatile hiking companion around Nepal and Hong Kong. Being able to carry just the one camera slung over my shoulder was liberating. The RX10 IV was designed to be a one-body solution and when I was hiking with it, I didn’t feel like I was limited.
The RX10 IV’s lens is remarkable. The 24-600mm optical zoom range truly is amazing and incredibly versatile. It has a 72mm filter thread which enabled me to attach my 5-Stop ND filter for long-exposure images like this one (below).
The RX10 IV might be the best camera made for travel. It’s not the smallest option, but the tradeoff off for its size is the mind-blowing Zeiss 24-600mm lens. When traveling, one never knows what photo opportunities will pop up and having that zoom made me feel like I wouldn’t miss any of them.
Mahesh Thapa is a member of the Alpha Imaging Collective. You can follow him on Instagram @starvingphotographer.
