Best Camera for Carrying All the Time

What's the best camera for carrying with you all the time? Sara Piazza mentioned the Panasonic Lumix LX100 Mark II in her featured comment to the twin calves post, and, after my encounter with Moses and Hope, I had just been idly looking at that very thing last night (I can drift into casual shopping mode at the drop of a hat. It's seldom serious, just diversion, usually late in the evening when I'm too tired to do anything else. For years I have avoided news near bedtime, lest it trouble my sleep).

Looks big. 'Tisn't.

The only time I carried a camera with me all the time was during my three years with the Leica M6, which might have been 1991–4. Then I got the job as Editor of Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques and I sat in a windowless cube of an office all day, every day, and wearing the Leica day after day at my desk soon became absurd, comical, Kafkaesque.

Seems to me there are two schools. One is that you get the smallest camera you possibly can and stash it in a purse, pocket, briefcase or backpack. The other is that you get a small camera but one that fits your hands and has some weight, the better to carry it on a strap hanging from your shoulder, and that's the way you keep it with you. The latter is what I did with my Leica. "You put it on in the morning and take it off at night, like your shirt," said David Vestal.

I do know photographers who never carry a camera unless they're giving 100% of their attention to photographing. They either want to be concentrating on it fully or not thinking about it at all.

A reader actually gave me an X100s a few years ago, and I found I wasn't using it so (with his blessing) I passed it on (i.e., sold it. There is much churn of cameras when you write about them, and that's been a constant up-and-down for me for 32 years). Isn't that a pretty perfect carry-all-the-time camera, or is it too delicate and fussy? I seem to remember that Michael McCaskey drifted away from his and got something else.

A further step up the ladder of behaviors is when you have a big camera that you only get out when you're photographing deliberately and purposefully. For me there's some mysterious dividing line...a small enough camera, and I will take it with me, hanging from my shoulder. But let it get just a little too big, and I leave it home unless I am going out specifically to photograph. This doesn't seem to be something I consciously decide, but it's been an observable behavior with me. The X-H1 seems to be on the far side of that mysterious divide for me...it's just big enough that I never take it with me unless I specifically mean to photograph. Too much to carry on the off chance of the herpetologist at the Walgreens (per RubyT's featured comment).

Josh Hawkins carries (carried?) a big Canon DSLR with a 35mm ƒ/1.4 all the time, though, so different strokes.

The best camera for carrying all the time for you? Do you even do that, or wish to?

Mike
(Thanks to RubyT and Sara Piazza)

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

BERND REINHARDT: "I actually ended up buying the X100s from you, and after a summer trip, I too sold it to a friend. I quickly realized that whenever I carry any camera with me, it might as well be the best one for the job. The occasions when I would say 'I will take the X100s over my Leica today' just didn't materialize. I remind myself of this anytime I get tempted to buy a 'small' camera now."

Dave Jenkins: "I pick up the X-H1 when I'm going out to photograph. I pick up the Fuji X-Pro1 with the 27mm (42mm equiv.) ƒ/2.8 lens when I'm just going out. I've been doing the 'on with my shirt, off with my shirt' thing for more than 50 years. My family refers to my camera as my 'appendage' or my 'growth.'"

Kenneth Tanaka: "Any relatively recent model of smartphone with a good camera system. Period. For me that’s an iPhone 11 Pro. I know many people grumble and grouse that this is not a 'real,' as you also have done in the past. But the loss from their prejudice is theirs. 'Invest' in a good smartphone and learn to master its camera. That means practice, practice, practice as you did with that old SLR blunderbuss of yore. Third party camera apps are no longer genuinely useful on the iPhone. In fact they don’t have access all the mediative facilities that the camera system offers. Stick with the native camera app.

"Next level up for me: the Sony RX100. Currently for me it's a Mark VII but any recent model is fine. It’s simply a stupendous super cam that can go almost anywhere. Look at some of my own work online as evidence."

Mike replies: I want to get behind the Sony RX100 VII, but it seems just ungodly expensive to me...thirteen hundred dollars for a little 1"-sensor digicam?! That doesn't seem reasonable for anybody but Sony.

Andrew Lamb: "The choice changes with however my back is feeling. I'm the same age as you and in reasonably good health but there are times when the thought of lugging a camera around is too much. There are times when I go walking when the only accessory I want is my dog."

schralp: "For about the same price, you can get the Z50 with the 'pancakey' 16–50mm lens. Although not loved by reviewers (who are hard to please these days) it is a very solid performer and the z mount is promising. It is about the same size, has a built-in flash, an APS-C sensor and allows you to change lenses."

Rob de Loe: "I used to carry a Ricoh GR all the time 'just in case.' It was an excellent camera, very small, very capable. However, I've passed through and out of that phase. I'm definitely in the 'all the way or don't bother' camp. I see countless interesting photographs all the time, every day; I can't turn it off. But I'm just not interested in making random pictures anymore, especially with a phone camera. If I'm carrying a camera these days, it's because I'm trying to make a photograph."

Steve Rosenblum: "Minolta CLE with M Rokkor 40mm ƒ/2 lens or Voigtlander Color Skopar 28mm ƒ/3.5 lens. Easily fits in a jacket pocket, especially with the 28mm which is little rock-solid jewel of a lens. If in a digital mood—Fujifilm X100V. The Fuji X100 series vastly improved once it got to the X100F and the autofocus got fast enough. The earlier models had too much focus lag. Now is is an ideal 'decisive moment digital' carry-everywhere camera."

Bob Hansen: "Sara's comments on her new Lumix LX100 II and your picture of this little gem brought a smile to my face. Being a Sony shooter for many years I have missed the the multiple exposure features of other brands. A friend recently showed a number of wonderful multiple exposure prints and mentioned he used the little LX 100. I tried it and bought it for the multiples but am smitten with what I am getting out of it. I also have the original Sony RX100 and have carried it like an additional appendage for years, however, the LX100 is now permanently attached to my body. I photograph, as you say, deliberately; however, carrying my extra appendage has given me many special images that otherwise would not be in my portfolio.

"Keep safe and well—we'll soon be out and about again."

Sara Piazza: "Gosh, famous on TOP—what fun! Part of what makes the Lumix work for me (aside from its being a great little camera) is the small padded bag that I keep it in, worn cross-shoulder. It's barely noticeable, plus it holds a battery and a couple o' cards. The camera is protected, and always there.

"I have been photographing for fifty years and have been through lots of cameras, but never have I been as pleased as I am with this one for everyday use (and I'd go really nuts if its screen tilted). I thought my top-notch phone camera would be the answer—and the Note 10 Plus does have a great camera, but it's slippery, and I can't even touch the thing without checking email and messages and social media, and I just wanted more pro options. And just so you know, I was out this evening with the EOS R, a 600mm big beast, and tripod, to shoot the paschal moon (wearing the Lumix, of course). Happy holidays. Sara from the Vineyard."

David Raboin: "I was always too careful about my photography purchases to buy a 'go everywhere camera.' Every camera or lens purchase had to go towards building the most capable kit and I ended up with a DSLR and giant, fast lenses. Even though it was big I took my DSLR almost everywhere. Last fall, TOP reader Ned Bunnell loaned me his Ricoh GR II for a long term test. It took me only five days to decide to buy my own GR III.

"Any camera that'll fit in your pocket is going to have compromises. You can tell that Ricoh's engineers are also photographers because they made all the right choices. With the GR you get a moderately fast prime lens coupled to a great sensor. You can operate the camera quickly with one hand. The GR is the only camera I know of that's as convenient to carry as my cell phone yet the controls are so easy that I can easily shoot one-handed, in full manual mode while pulling a suitcase through a crowd. The pictures look as great, killer lens and sensor. And the image stabilization means I can take pics hand-held in the dark. And the best feature is the camera's unassuming body. Nobody notices you are taking photos. It's easier to get street photos as well as true candid shots at home. I love it."

Kristine Hinrichs: "That LX100 II is my walking around camera. The colors are really nice, the mono color JPEGs are very good and I can even get good distance shots with the digital teleconverter. I have custom modes set for the later two and find it easy to use them. It is really pocketable."

Comments

[louis mccullagh]

Sony RX100VA. Raw, 10.5 OZs, 20MB, Video. Fits in Back pocket. Considerably smaller in height and width than my phone but 41mm deep. 24-70 (1.8-2.8)zeiss and inbuilt stabilisation.

[Dogman]

The X100S works for me most of the time, however, it gets left behind in the car a lot as well. Considering that, I probably would just as well carry the Nikon D810 with a honking big Nikkor zoom and leave it in the car.

The only pocket camera I own right now is a Ricoh GRII. If I truly want a camera handy all the time, that's the one I carry. I usually wear cargo pants (I carry lots of "stuff") so the GR fits nicely. With jeans, it's a little bulky but manageable.

[Mark Kinsman]

When at home, any of the cameras I have the good fortune to own, can/will, be used. I always keep a camera or two with various lenses attached ready for whatever catches my eye. When going out it depends to some degree on the weather and the reason for going out. On brighter days, it may be a m43 body with a small zoom or 17mm lens. On other lower light days, one of the Fujis. More often than not, the X100F. Small, easy to carry and versatile enough for my needs.

[JimR]

Back in my film days it was the Hexar AF. I tried the Ricoh and Fuji X100 and they never stuck with me - too small, complex, and crappy AF. Thinking about selling some gear and giving the Leica Q2 a try, and given the cost I’ll probably rent it first.

[Sixblockseast]

I got close to that with the Ricoh GR, which I still have but no longer use. Once I switched to Fuji (first X-T10 then X-T3) I wanted to stay within one system. Hoping the XF10 or X70 will get a worthy update so I can once again have a pocketable camera with 28mm equivalent lens. I prefer 28mm to the 35mm on the X100 variants.

[Pierre Charbonneau]

I carry on my shoulder a Leica M with a standard 50 Summicron almost every time I go outside. Some days, I switch to a 35mm.

The other days without the camera is when I go for a bike ride or to meet a lady.

[Longviewer]

My Lumix gx7 is the right carry-all cam for me. I find the 20+60mm lenses to be enough for my type of use (available light) being f/1.7&2.8, though I have zooms primes and adapted lenses of all sorts. My random events rarely shout "wide angle" and the gx7 does decent panorama with the 20 shot sideways. Sideways.. hmm guess I don't shoot many portraits?

[Christopher May]

I always at least try to carry a camera with me but it varies from day to day. Sometimes it's my D800 with an AI 50mm f2. Sometimes it's a Kodak Retina IIa. Sometimes a Voigtlander Vitessa. The two that seem to be the most common for grab-n-go are my Nikon Coolpix A and Rolleiflex 2.8D. The former features a delightful lens/sensor combination that is small enough to carry anywhere. The latter is just my favorite camera to actually use.

The problem with this approach is that it's constantly changing and the gear can get in the way. I spend too much time trying to remember how to do this or that with whatever I'm shooting with and I never really learn to see how my camera du jour will frame a scene. Both reasons make me slower and I miss shots.

Part of the reason I still look at the Leica Year project is that I'd really like to make the camera invisible and learn to see light and form better than I do. I'm still too chicken to give the Leica Year a shot but I get a little closer every day. Someday...

[Jim Arthur]

If I’m walking an unfamiliar area I’ll take my 6D and 40mm pancake but I never carry a camera on my daily walk. I do regret this from time to time. I’m far more likely to take a camera along if I’m driving somewhere. I have an ancient Tamrac 515 holster bag that’s a perfect fit for my 6D and EF 135mm f/2. The Tamrac’s front zippered pocket holds the EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake and a spare battery with room to spare and the top has a zippered pouch for spare cards, etc. I throw this compact rig in the truck if I’m headed anywhere interesting. If I’m wearing the 135mm around my neck the Tamrac’s main compartment holds a water bottle and granola bar and if I’m wearing the 40mm, the 135mm sits alone in the main compartment.

I’ve always preferred carrying weight on my hip. A similar option to the Tamrac for longer distance hikes is the MountainSmith Tour lumbar pack. I absolutely love this thing. It comes with a single shoulder strap that stabilizes heavier loads and you can also buy traditional dual backpack straps (strapettes) for really heavy loads. The standard single strap works fine for me and allows me to loosen the waist belt and spin the pack to the front for quick and easy access while the bag hangs from my shoulder. Mountainsmith also makes a camera specific lumbar pack (Tanack 10L) but I prefer the more comfortable waist belt of the standard Tour model. Comfort is everything on a long hike. The Tour’s waist belt also has a zippered pouch that holds my rather large phone.

[Weekes James]

I started carrying my LUMIX gx85, with the 20mmf/1.7 when I just wanted a camera....in case. The results matched any of my 16mb micro 4/3 bodies. It is very light. I also put a Holga lens on it and have a camera that nobody notices.

[Dave Levingston]

I carry a camera at all times, in a belt holster. For years it was a Canon S90. A few years ago I replaced it with a Canon G7X Mark II. That camera is so good that I don't think I could tell the files from those taken with my "big" cameras if it weren't for the file information.

However, I really think I'll never buy a replacement for the G7X. I'm pretty sure when I upgrade my phone I'll decide it is good enough and only carry it going forward.

[William Cook]

I have the same Panasonic LX for just the same reason, to carry when I don’t want to shoulder a heavier camera. I debated over the Ricoh GR III, which would probably yield finer photos, but opted for the Panasonic’s slight advantage of a zoom lens. I figured since it was a grab shot camera, versatility mattered more. Funny, in my 35mm days I never even noticed the weight of the camera around my neck—and it was heavier than many of the dslrs that followed—the tiresome aspect of a photo jaunt was the old squarish camera bag loaded down with lenses. Ah, age.

[robert e]

I used to take a small messenger bag whenever I went out, which could accomodate any of several cameras or kits to suit mood and intention. The bag was otherwise lightly stocked as if I were exploring an interesting new place: snack, water, rain poncho, notebook, reading, etc.

For a change of pace, I'd leave the bag at home and shove an Olympus XA in a pocket. I suppose an up-to-date equivalent would be a Ricoh GR, or a Sony RX100.

[Michael S.]

I have always with me my trusty Rollei 35S loaded with Hp5+ and my Iphone. This set up gives me peace of mind anytime I go out without any programmed shooting.

[David Elesh]

I bought the original X100 with the intent of carrying it everywhere, but I found it just wasn't responsive enough to warrant it. I upgraded to the X100S in the hopes of solving that problem. It was considerably better but not good enough, and I came to want something smaller. I sold it and bought the Sony RX100 vii. It is almost always with me. When it isn't, I use my iphone 8, although I find it more responsive in others' hands than in mine.

[John Krumm]

I finally ordered a camera to replace my stolen XH-1, and it's a "recession body" of sorts, a used, cosmetically imperfect XT-30 for not much money. Still have all the extra batteries from the XH-1, and a couple lenses. This will bring me back to my first DSLR in a way, which I carried everywhere and took some of my best shots with, the Olympus 420. It was small, full featured, with a sensor as good or bad as any other Olympus, but it didn't have IBIS, so I had to sometimes use a tripod.

Basically if you are excited about photography and like your camera well enough, you will carry it with you everywhere, or close to everywhere, because that's how it works. Same with any other hobby. If you are absolutely in love with music, you will figure out a way to listen to it, or create it, throughout much of the day, or with whatever free time you have. Sometimes a new camera and lens that feels "just right" can help trigger that excitement, but to maintain any momentum it is hard, and that's why we end up always looking for new gear when we don't really need it. I don't need the XT-30! But I want it, and I hope I will get out shooting more with it...

[Roger Lambert]

Want to make it easy to always have a decent camera "with you"? Make carrying a leather satchel cool again.

Call it The Crockett or The Bumpo or The Chingachgook.

It's actually pretty ridiculous that we struggle with how to everyday carry a real camera because we are constrained by our fashion sense which only allows men to use pockets.

[Ken Ford]

Back in film days I changed my everyday carry camera up every few years, but would always come back to what was one of my old work cameras - an unmetered Nikon F2 with either a 35/2 or a 45GN. Over the years an Olympus XA, Leica M4-P and later my M6, Yashica T4, Olympus OM2n, and a series of old Retinas also made appearances in my work bag.

I tried to do this with an X100s but I never bonded with it - it's just too small and fiddly for me, that flat control wheel on the back gets me every time. I've wanted to love the Panasonic LX-100 series but it's even worse in hand so I never jumped. On paper, the LX-100 is perfect for this... if you have the hands for it.

Recently I picked up a Fuji X-E3, and while it is still early days it's proving to be the best digital daily carry camera I've ever owned. I have the extended set of Fujicrons (16, 23, 35, 50) but the combination of the X-E3 and the 35/2 is proving hard to beat for a go-everywhere camera.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I went through several generations of digital "toy camera" that I carried with me essentially all the time (briefcase or backpack or whatever EDC bag I had at the time). There was a Fuji F11, and then a Panasonic LX-3, and then...an Oly EPL-2 with the 20mm pancake. Which lead me into Micro Four Thirds, and which eventually became my only system.

Now my phone is my "toy camera". Google Pixel 3XL, and I have it set to produce raw files of what I shoot.

We actually had various film toy cameras, back in the day; the auto-focus 35mm P&S models that mostly drove Instamatic cameras out of the market. Only time in my life I've ever noticed quality driving cheap crap out of the market. Didn't carry any of them really full-time, though.

[Timothy Auger]

I was tempted by the LX100 when it first came out, but the lens didn't seem all that exciting, particularly at wide angles. And even the Mk 2 still has that mediocre viewfinder which (I think) is the same as the GX7. A potentially very useful camera that didn't quite make it, for me. So for trotting around I still use the Fuji X30.

[Daniel Speyer]

For me the Pentax Q is perfect—it accepts a fish eye and a (FF equivalent) 35mm equivalent (‘toy” lens but except for the name nothing toy about it), and 35mm optical finder, and for going out and about this works for me.

— Small enough to be in a sports jacket pocket so always with me.
— Also my ultralight backpacking system.
— 95% of what I need, although I could carry the fast 50mm and 50 mm optical finder (but I don’t) and still have essentially nothing to carry.
— The quality is great for 8x12 prints, and the 125 base iso is fast enough.
-- Unlike a phone I am looking thru a viewfinder which is a necessity (for me) to compose.

I think it is a mistake to compare cameras and lenses—the better being the enemy of the good makes no sense IMO. Good enough is good enough. The limiting factor is almost always me, and not the equipment.

For my theatre photography, of course its not good enough, but it’s better (except different aesthetic) than 50 years of slide film.

[Jack]

Ken is correct that the iPhone 11pro is a fantastic piece of equipment. However the ergonomics are far from enjoyable. But yes, it certainly is with me regularly but not fun to use.

My walking around camera is now on an over the shoulder strap into the second month of “one camera one lens one month”, with a 50mm lens, and a throw back to my first camera which was a 50mm on an Argus 3C rangefinder with B&W film that I developed myself. I am following all your directions to use this new camera every day, so I really learn how to use it. Although extremely modern in its sensor, it shoots only B&W in a 41mp size. It’s fun to use, so I take it everywhere.

Mike, like you, I do have a “serious” camera that I do take out when I am taking as you say “deliberate and purposeful” photos. But while it’s not so big that I couldn’t just carry it around, being a large DSLR, I don’t. While the quality is fantastic, it’s more a tool than a fun camera. So for me the deciding is fun vs purposeful.

In a previous post you once said, always take the camera that gives you the most file quality in case you have a photo that you might regret not having your best quality. With today’s digital camera the amount of dynamic range, high ISO, and huge resolution is available across a number of camera makes. That allows one’s walking around camera to be as good as your serious camera.

[marcin wuu]

I carry on me a quirky Sony QX100 - basically a lens with a sensor you connect wirelessly to your cellphone, which takes on the role of the screen/viewfinder. Image quality is pretty good, it has some zoom range and even some tiny trace of depth of field (1" sensor).

[Rich]

boy howdy, ever since image quality became a given, I've spent way too much time and money trying to answer the riddle of a perfect, constant companion camera.
looking at it pragmatically, it's unsolvable as my mind is always changing the parameters. one day I want the extreme compactness of the RX100, The next outing I'm unhappy with the interface and wish for a slightly bigger camera with a viewfinder - hence X100, but that's kinda big comparatively, not to mention way too pretty to bang around my key laden coat pocket.
My longest term solutions have been an ancient Nikon A, and more recently a Fuji X-E3 with the 27mm pancake or 7 Artisans manual focus if I'm feeling spunky.
But lets rip the band-aid off this sucker and admit the most logical option, a cell phone. Life's too short to have "tool guilt baggage" !

[Omer]

I have one with me always, wherever I go, though I never think about it. So yeah, I only carry a stand alone camera when purposely doing photography. Still, I like the Nikon Coolpix A as a maybe.

[Joe Kashi]

Olympus Pen-F with a Panasonic 20nmm/f1.7 (e-40mm) prime. Small, sharp, easy to carry, and well-built. A complete kit with primes fits inconspiculously in the back of a vehicle.

[Sid]

Though my Panasonic Lumix GX8 with its 20mm f/1.7 II lens is compact, lightweight, and yields excellent images, at times I prefer using my Ricoh GXR with its EVF and its superb 28mm (FFE) and 50mm (FFE) lens-modules. I've owned several Ricoh GR cameras, both 35mm film and digital versions, but I always missed having an electronic viewfinder. Nothing I own is easier for me to carry than my pocketable iPhone 7 Plus. I plan to buy the rumored Apple iPhone 12 Pro.

[Eric Rose]

My everyday camera of late is a Leica M4. But only because I am working on a project. Generally my walk around camera is a Panasonic GX1 with the spectacular Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens. The 40mm equivalent works well with the way I "see". If that camera is to big then a Panasonic LX5 (?) is in the pocket.

[SteveW]

I go in cycles of "window shopping" for a compact camera, but in the end never pull the trigger for a purchase. I've learned my lesson that what matters for me is the viewfinder. For a camera with a viewfinder I cannot go smaller in Nikon world than a D7500 or D750. So, when I want to go small, it's the D7500 and 35mm 1.8G DX.

Otherwise, for a camera without a viewfinder, I have an iPhone 11 Pro in my pocket, and continue to work up the learning curve, it's actually an amazing camera.

[Mike Ferron]

My favorite take with me (non serious) camera is a recently purchased Panasonic ZS100. I inch sensor, 25-250 lens and fits into a lot of pockets. Sure it does not do a lot of things we would call spectacular but it is pretty decent up to ISO 1600 with an ok lens.

Oh it is my favorite take along also because the black model as a closeout was selling for $399. This was once a $799 camera.

[Stan B.]

Back in the film days, I experimented with an Olympus XA; but it wasn't as sharp as a Nikon, or as 'dreamlike' as a Holga- like most smallish cameras, some unhappy in between.

I purchased a used Ricoh GR on a lark, it was my digital entry camera and figured I'd resell it in a coupla weeks- esp since it didn't have a proper viewfinder for my aging eyes...

That was four years ago, and I've recently purchased a 2nd used GR. Its native 28mm equivalent lens clearly outshines the Fujifilm prime, and as far as the viewfinder goes... guess what, you get used to it with practice, just like I got used to the wonkiness of a Widelux viewfinder. Carry it in your pocket, or in your hand w/wrist strap, and you can literally forget you're carrying it at all- until you marvel at the 16in results...

[Tom Burke]

Do you really mean “carrying...all the time”? Not just on a walk or on holiday, but going (serious) shopping, going to the pub, to the office, to meetings, or to the convenience store? I can’t imagine carrying a camera in a bag on many of those trips, so my truly universal camera would be the smartphone. If I was going out for a local walk or a holiday, then a small DSLR - maybe an APS-C body and a handy lens. But that’s a lot bigger than a smartphone.

[Stephen Scharf]

Try the new Fuji XF10.

Really excellent image quality, small, compact, and light.

If its good enough for Ming Thein, its good enough for anyone.

My X100F is my "go-to" go-anywhere. It might be pretty but it definitely is not delicate.

Or get an iPhone 11 Pro. The camera on it really is as amazing as Ken Tanaka has said it is.

[Dennis]

I want to like the LX100-II ... but at $800 (on sale from $1000) it really ought to have a good EVF, especially given the lack of a tilting LCD. I expect I'd find myself frustrated with the viewing options on the camera.
I have an old RX100-I. Tempted by the new VA (on sale, it's not much more than the III, which is the first model to feature the fast 24-70 equivalent). I'm not enamored with the pop up EVF - I'd almost rather they knocked $50 off and just included the tilting LCD. (I'm sure it would be handy on rare occasions, but small and lacking an eye cup and hard to see with glasses, for me at least.
I tend to be lazy about carrying a camera. I used to carry the RX100 everywhere. I have my phone pretty often, but find it to be a poor substitute, so I still only use it for show & tell stuff.
I have an RX10 III that I've used on vacations. It would be a good choice to carry around (I just don't).
On the other hand, I don't often find myself wishing I had a camera on me. Good photographs are somewhat elusive and when I do see something that would make a great photo, it's often at a time/place where it's inconvenient for me to stop and/or I'm not outgoing enough to get out and shoot it in the first place!

[Tam]

I usually wear an overshirt with voluminous "document pockets" and the right-hand pocket always contains a camera to offset the weight of the iPhone 7 plus in the left hand breast pocket.

For years it was a Nikon P7000, but since late last year it has been a o.g. Sony RX100. I'm just smitten with the little Sony, and don't leave home without it.

Until phone cameras have ~100mm equivalent optical zoom, I can't imagine not taking a camera on my daily perambulations.

[William Lewis]

I have my D7100 with it's 50e 35/1.8 on it. I carry it every day. Funnily enough, I didn't carry my much smaller Olympus E-p3 anywhere near as much. I'm not really sure why but the weight of the D7100 makes it feel more like a "Real" camera to me. Ah, psychology!

[Tony Ayling]

I spend a lot of time near, on or in the water and my carry everywhere camera in an Olympus TG4 tough camera. Very versatile, very small, takes amazing macro and just enough image quality to be acceptable. Having said that i often wish photos taken with this camera had been taken with my D850!

[Ludwig Heinrich]

I often carry the Sony a6000 with the 16-50mm kit lens (with an auto lens cap) It fits in my jacket pocket, it weighs very little and the image quality is good. If it is too hot for a jacket I will take my Sony HX60V but it is mostly for a "spotting" camera. It records the GPS so I can take a (not particularly good) photo which tells me where to come to with one of my better cameras :-)

[Mike]

For me, the take-anywhere camera remains the X100 (I have the first version). For all it's quarks, I still find it as versatile as anything else I can bring with me.

[Tom Hassler]

I’ve tried for a year to let an iPhone X be my carry-along camera. As amazing as it sometimes is, it can’t compete with a “real” camera when I see the best pictures. My current walkabout combo is an Oly EM1.2 with the Panasonic 20mm pancake attached. Almost as small as an enthusiast compact and very discreet. The 40mm-e perspective was new to me and I’ve come to love this lens.

[Hank]

My daily carry does vary with my mood - lately its a 1950s Agfa Isolette III. It's very slow to use (compared to today's cameras), but can give a unique "take" on a subject. Garry Winogrand took pictures of things to "see what they looked like photographed"; I expand that to include "with this camera".
My real, intended walkabout camera is a secondhand Leica X 113. "Slow" to focus (but way faster than the Agfa!), but the files are gorgeous. And almost pocketable.

[Lynn]

At the moment my carry-everywhere is the Rollei 35S (great 40mm Sonnar lens!) with HP5+, but sometimes I swap it for a bright yellow Instax Mini 9 or a Barnack Leica with either the Cosina-Voigtlaender 35mm f/3.5 or 21mm f/4 - both are tiny, jewel-like lenses. No-one pays attention to any of these.

[Dave Jenkins]

My standard answer whenever someone comments on my "appendage" is "You know, I have never taken a good picture on an occasion when I did not have my camera with me."

[TC]

Oddly enough, I also have the LX100II, but I only use it when I'm going somewhere where I suspect I might need different focal lengths. It's like a little Leica, with all the controls where I can see them. ISO needs to be strictly controlled, though.

My "shirt" camera, however, remains either the Leica Q or the Leica M6/35 summicron (they pretty much feel the same to work with).

[Bear.]

I am on or off.

On: I'll carry the gear for the images I'm seeking, even if it is just OCOL for some street work.

Off: I suppose I have an iPhone. But I almost never use it for casual photography. Even if I recognise seeing what would be a good image - which is rare because I won't be looking - I usually don't anything about it because I won't think to.

[Vijay]

Canon M50 with EF-M 22mm. Sony RX100III before that.

[Peter Croft]

For a good few years now I've adhered to the saying, "ALWAYS carry a camera." You can never predict when a photo opportunity turns up.

I need to carry a fairly big bag these days (wallet, phone, jellybeans, tissues, Android tablet, keys, reusable shopping bags, measuring tape...) so adding a small camera is no burden. Usually I carry one of my Olympus E-PLs with 12-24 collapsible lens. Small, light and quite good quality.

GAS! There's a Canon 7D (Mk 1) advertised with 18-135mm IS and 75-300mm lenses for A$600 (US$366) near me. I don't own Canon at the moment but this is almost too tempting. Why? I don't need it, but I've long noticed that all the new developments are for Canon, Nikon, Sony and almost all second hand gear is too. I'm thinking of switching.

[Howard]

Sony A7RIV and a Sony Zeiss 35mm f2.8 lens. Incredible camera. Excellent, pancake lens. 64 megapixels. You can crop to 50mm or even 70mm equivalent and still have plenty of megapixels to print.

[James Symington]

I had this camera for a while and really liked it BUT like every other camera with a fixed lens that I have owned (several) sooner or later you get dust on the sensor that eventually drives you completely insane. My policy is now to only use interchangeable lens cameras so I can clean the damn thing without sending it somewhere.

[Alan]

I have a Panasonic TZ100 which is a 1" compact with a 25-250mm zoom, two Panasonic RF style MFT cameras and a Sony A7. I don't think any of these cameras are truly pocketable even the TZ100 and if I'm putting a camera in a bag it might as well be the A7 often with an e mount Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 which I don't think gets as much love as it deserves. I like it a lot.

[Rube]

Any Ricoh, GR or GRD. While under lockdown in Pamplona, I am only allowed out of the apt, by well enforced law, to go to the grocery store. And when I do, I carry, and use, my Ricoh.

[Steve]

Easy one. X100. I have the V version now. I have owned every version of it. This one is hands down, not even close the best version. I own way too many cameras but when I look at my photos probably 75% of the digital ones were taken with some version of the X100.

[Roger Bradbury]

My daily carry was a used Canon G9, until I dropped it and it stopped working. It was more than good enough to take on holiday as an only camera, and I had a belt pouch for it. It was simple to use and easy to carry, and could do RAW files. The Canon was great when I needed to concentrate on other things, but might want to take a photo.

My other daily carry, which I got just after the G9, is a Sony A6000 with the 16-50mm kit lens. It is small, it is light, it takes nice photos. When I am out photographing but do not want to or it isn't practical to carry the DSLR outfit, out comes the A6000.

I borrowed the 16mm f/2.8 lens for it and found it great for stills and video of bands at short ranges. I think I'll get one.

[Mark Jennings]

My carry around camera used to vary according to where I was going around.

On back roads in the woods it might be a fast 400 mm with a rest that slapped down over a partly opened window.

Once two other friends and I drove three 70s Corvettes over country back roads for shipment to Europe via the Baltimore docks. A small film point and shoot that I could work with one hand while driving did a good job of freezing our horseplay on the road.

Maybe the better part of selection is anticipation.

[Cliff Lee]

The Panasonic GM5 with the 14mm f2.5 pancake lens is a fantastic camera to carry every day.

I own the Leica 15mm and the Panasonic 20mm, but the 14mm gives it that slimmer profile that makes it easier to slip in the pocket.

Though this has been largely replaced by my iPhone XS for snapshot duties.

[DavidB]

...I want to get behind the Sony RX100 VII, but it seems just ungodly expensive to me...

You might consider some of the earlier models that are still being sold at more affordable prices. The IV and VA are ƒ/1.8-ƒ/2.8 with 24-70 mm lens; the VI and VII are ƒ/2.8-ƒ/4.5 with 24-200mm lens.

The IV is supported in perpetual license Lightroom 6 and Photoshop CS6. The VA, VI, and VII models require the subscription versions of Lr or Ps.

[Dirk]

The X100S has been my favorite camera. It's not the camera I use the most, but it's the camera I enjoy photographing with the most. I almost sold it a few years back, but really glad I didn't. I've been having a blast with it at home recently. It's finicky, slow to focus, and more pleasurable to shoot with than anything. But only for still subjects. I have to slow down, think about my composition, think about the lighting, and the results can be stupendous. I am also a sucker for Fuji's various film simulations.

[Simon (UK)]

Mike, I too have an XT1 (is and range of primes) so for my walk around and much more used is the X100T. It has the same sensor as the XT1 so i never need to feel it is second best. I also have an IR converted XM1 has the same sensor again, albeit IR’d. My family of cameras for every occasion!

Stay well
Simon

[Lee Rust]

Wherever I go, I carry a small zip-top camera bag over my shoulder. Inside there's a 3x3x5" camera space that usually contains a Leica or Epson rangefinder with 28 or 35mm lens. There's a little bit of inside room left over for a light meter, notebook and pen. The outside pockets hold spare batteries, SD cards or film, LED flashlight and a well-worn Canon digital ELPH for the occasional video, macro, telephoto or flash shot. Everything is protected and the black bag has no logos or marks.

Alternates that fit inside the bag include: Olympus Pen FT, Pen S or XA; Universal Mercury II; Canon Dial 35; Pentax ME or MX; Zeiss Contax IIIA; Kodak Retina IIa or Retinette IIb.

My other cameras or lenses that don't fit inside that little bag tend to get much less use.

[Richard Chomko]

For many years I always carried an RX-100 and was happy with the results. Then I got an LX-100 and used it for about a year. It was ok, maybe a little less colour accurate than the Sony, and the viewfinder was too dim to be useful outdoors which is really where you'd want a viewfinder. Now I've got an RX-100VA which I like a lot except for strongly backlit subjects where there is a lack of contrast. I keep it in my backpack where its weight is about equivalent to that of a water bottle. But really when I go out for a walk these days I mostly take my Fuji X-T3 with the old 18-135. I'd really like to get the new 16-80 which would be a little smaller and lighter and quicker focussing. But even with the 18-135, the Fuji is just light enough to not be a bother carrying around. And it's quicker to get out and shoot with than the RX-100. I did take a Fuji X-E3 w18-55 on a European vacation a couple years ago and I liked it well enough, but not enough to keep it. For the extra 100 grams or so I figured the X-T3 is more full-featured. And I didn't like the sound of the X-E3's shutter. I also have an X-H1 with 16-55 and that is too heavy for casual walk-around use. Though otherwise I like it a lot.

[me.yahoo.com/a/BpNafyNjzpPtO7Um4dE.LxxObL1NsA--]

I used to carry a Canon PowerShot S90 until the focusing stopped working, so I switched to a PowerShot S110 until I became dissatisfied with the noise levels at moderate ISOs. My current carry-around (in a National Geographic belt pouch) is a Panasonic TZ100 (ZS100 in the US). which gives me a 1" sensor, a handy 25-250 mm-e zoom, and a just-about-usable EVF; I'm very impressed with the image quality that I get out of it. Of course, it's no longer made, Panasonic having replaced it in their lineup with the TZ/ZS200, which has a longer zoom range (it's also available with a red dot on the front as the Leica C-Lux for those into Veblen goods).

[Andrew Johnston]

As someone with a whole stableful of Panasonic cameras, the answer is obviously...
a Sony Rx100 (in my case a mk4, but that's less relevant.)

If I'm working, it's in my computer bag, otherwise if I'm out and about it's usually in my trouser pocket. Size of a fag packet, and image quality (within its working range) not that far off my G9.

As I've said before, Mike, you're missing the point about the Rx100. It's not a "digicam". It's not meant to be a cheap camera. It's a "big camera made small", and like any other feat of miniaturisation and quality engineering, carries a concomitant cost.

[Kostas]

I find my self on the 'have a camera on me all the time' camp. Goal is to take at least 1 pic a day of anything really.
I achieve that with anything from my LG G4 to a full frame with all in one zoom. I do mostly gravitate towards RX100 (IV) or canon m100 with 18-200 or Oly's m10 with the fantastic 45 1.8.
No real process in deciding which one I pick, just the mood of the moment.