Which Camera Is Best? On a Cruise I Find Out. Hello Broome!

Since I started Australian Videocamera all the way back in 2007, I have always strived to make camera, camcorder and accessories etc reviews that reflect real life as against what I call “test bench” reviews.

As such, I have attached camcorders to race cars, been snorkelling and diving with both GoPros and cameras with proper housings and lighting, taken drones on fishing trips and many more such “adventures”.

This time around is a bit different. As I write, I am on the good ship Pacific Explorer tied up to the Broome jetty in north west Western Australia, having travelled south overnight from Kuri Bay via Yampi Sound. Prior to that, we spent a day in Exmouth, and still have 2 days of cruising and a day in Geraldton before heading back to home port Fremantle.

Without the constraints of airline baggage limits, I have the luxury of carrying a number of cameras and accessories with me and can put these “through their paces” so to speak under a variety of environments.

What I was curious to know was what combo might be best to act as a sort of general purpose camera someone might like to take on such a trip. Indeed, is there such a thing anyway?

It was an interesting exercise, and one I was looking forward to.

I chose what I packed very carefully, also bearing in mind I have a couple of review units on hand as well as my own gear to choose from. In the end, I loaded the camera case with:

• Canon 5DS with a 70mm – 200mm lens
• GoPro Hero Black 11 with a waterproof case and Volta battery / tripod
• GoPro Max 360° camera
• Fujifilm X-S10 with an 8-16mm lens
• Fujifilm X100 VI (this was a review unit)
• DJI Ronin Mini 3 Gimbal

… along with a number of Powerbanks and a high speed SanDisk Pro external hard disk with 2 removeable drives.

The verdict based on 7 days of video and still photography has been mixed, depending, quite naturally on what I was shooting. For example, for a quick whip-it-out-and-grab-a-shot, the Hero 11 Black won the day by a mile, followed maybe a little surprisingly, by the Fujifilm X100 VI.

For the cruise through Yampi Sound with its myriads of islands nestled in the azure ocean, to get the texture of the cliffs etc which were around 300 metres and more away, the Canon 5DS and the 70-200mm zoom could not be bettered. The same applied when shooting the blood red moonrises we saw over a couple of nights, although the Fujifilm X-S10 was a handy fill in on a couple of occasions.

Just wandering around through the ship and grabbing candid shots and video here and there was also the province of the X-S10. As an aside, that lens is simply magnificent and brought out the colours and lighting beautifully, no matter the shots taken in the glaring tropical sunlight or under the ships nighttime lighting.

And on the gimbal, the Fujifilm X100 VI was easily th best match, with both the X-S10 and Canon 5DS being way to front heavy. In fact, even the X100 VI needed a fair bit of fine tuning to get it just right, but was never perfect, and I never managed to get the shutter release to work from the gimbal despite checking and double checking all the DJI and Fujifilm notes to make it do so.

Of course, for the brief forays into the ship’s pools, the GoPro Hero 11 and the waterproof casing had no peer, and for shots that simply could not be replicated any other way, the GoPro MAX was simply brilliant for capturing 360° shots from the bow and stern of the Pacific Explorer.

So, as an overall package if I could only take one of these cameras, what would it be?

Of course, there is no “best” average camera or camcorder in the real world. In actuality, we tend to adapt to the conditions and environment with what we have with us at the time. If I had to choose from the models I had with me, and was asked by someone what to take, I would base the answer primarily on their level of expertise.

As such, for someone that just wants to carry a camera that is easily portable, easy to use and can fit into most things you might do on a holiday such as this, it is hard to go past the GoPro Hero 11 Black with the waterproof case and Volta.

Many would ask why the Hero 11 and not the Hero 12? Simply as the 12 has no GPS and I like to have that option when travelling.

If however you have no inclination of leaping into the briny or splashing in the pool, then it would be a toss up between the two Fujifilms, with my own preference being the X-S10 simply as it has the option of the interchangeable lens – and Fuji glass is stunning. If I also had something like 70-200mm Fujifilm zoom with me for the X-S10 on this trip, that combo of the body and the two lenses would be almost perfection.

So, onto the Fujifilm X100 VI, my review unit.

In short, I love this camera, but with some provisos. It is not a camera you can simply pick up and start using immediately, relying on the experience of using other cameras to guide you.

Why is this? Mainly due to its design, which is I suspect done on purpose. Whilst the X100 VI is of course a digital camera, its design appears to be firmly rooted in analogue design, and very much reminds my (very fondly) of my Dad’s Leica M2!

All of the dials are analogue based, with the settings available etched in the dial as against being chosen from an LCD screen parked nearby.

And it has to be said, accessing some of the functions, especially if you don’t have the manual handy, can be a frustrating exercise. A good case in point, which drove me nuts, was just how to shoot video as against stills. I tried every which way with no success until I relented and coughed up the relatively serious amount of money to get access to the ship’s limited Wi-fi system to be able to get to the online manual.

(You have to set the drive type to Video, which is something I would never have been able to work out by the way to shoot video).

Having said that, if you are an experienced photographer, have read the manual (and have it with you), do not need a long lens and want a REALLY good camera with all the functionality and features you’ll ever want, then the Fujifilm X100 VI is a brilliant choice.

And now a special word on the DJI Ronin Mini 3 gimbal. I have played with a lot of gimbals over the years, and I am of the belief that the market has narrowed down to a choice of two brands – DJI and Zhiyun. What I have found is there is no size fits all when it comes to gimbals, you really have to match the gimbal to camera or vice versa and between these two brands there is little to differentiate them.

Balancing the camera and gimbal combo is so critical, you cannot simply get by as it will be a guarantee to send you bananas, and I have more than once simply given up trying to get the gimbal and camera to work together.

The combo of Fujifilm X100 VI and DJI Ronin Mini 3 did work, but I have to say it was marginal. To be perfect, the gimbal needed to allow more tolerance in movement along the horizontal and forward axes by about 5mm, and as I mentioned earlier, I never did get the trigger to work to fire the shutter release.

In theory, the X-S10 and lens should have worked. The training video for the Mini 3 showed such a combination of camera / lens – albeit a Canon system – but I could not get the unit balanced come hell or high water and gave up after a number of attempts.

And of course the Canon 5Ds / 70-200mm combo was totally out of the question; paradoxically, if you really wanted to, you could use the GoPro on the gimbal!

In summary, spend time wisely when buying your camera gear, whether it be camera, camcorder, action cam, gimbal or whatever, and make sure whatever you get will be suitable for now and into the future.

Unless you are a millionaire, there will always be a compromise, but by spending time and researching, you will be able to narrow the field to get gear that is suitable.

It may be from one manufacturer or from a combination – whilst I love Fuji lenses I accept that companies like Sigma also make very good glass for example – and there is no substitute for getting good, concrete advice from a professional from places such as Camera House, Ted’s Cameras, George’s, Leedervile Cameras and so on.

And these guys will all be able to demonstrate various combinations of equipment in shop to assist, as against buying blindly online (I won’t mention names but those who know me know who I will NEVER recommend).

Finally, learn your gear. It doesn’t matter if it is a GoPro, smartphone or the latest Fujifilm, Canon, Panasonic or Sony model, don’t just stick it on “A” for auto and start shooting. There is a great satisfaction knowing you spent the time getting a brilliant shot by framing, lighting and having just the right settings.

Footnote: The Wi-fi here is limited so will upload more imagery and video later.