My "Walking Around Camera"

Me, on the Wild Pacific Trail with my Sony RX10iii

You may be surprised to learn that most of the pictures and videos you see on my social media are shot with a 10 year old, discontinued bridge camera. Bridge cameras are the ones that have a zoom lens built in. In the case of the Sony RX10iii it has a 1" sensor and an 8.8-210mm lens so with the crop factor it's similar in reach to a lens that can stretch from 24mm- 600mm giving me the diversity to shoot landscapes and wildlife without the hassle of changing lenses. Almost everything else about it would be considered obsolete these days, especially compared with the modern cameras I know but its versatility, rugged design and portability means I bring it everywhere.

Mine has seemed to be on its last legs for a while; The monitor failed a couple years ago, I need to use duct tape inside the battery door to keep contact with battery in place, the lens hood attachments are so worn it always falls off, nearly all the button labels have been rubbed off and leather (rubber?) on the body is peeling and off in a few places. I guess I've taken a half-million photos or more with it and I bought it used from a friend who confessed that he had spilled beer on it...

Unfortunately Sony doesn't make them any more, nor the follow-up RX10iv so if you're looking for one you'll have to look to the used market where they've become something of a rare commodity. If fact if you find one at a decent price let me know. Other bridge camera options look promising, I've owned a few older ones from Nikon, but I haven't found anything to compare with the RX10.

One currently available alternative worth looking at is the Panasonic Lumix DCFZ80DK. It doesn't appear to be as rugged as my Sony and it has a smaller sensor but, given that it's much more modern, it might be able to make up for that with some new tech. If you are looking for one and buy it through this link I'll get a small commission; https://amzn.to/4fMzqI2