Best cameras for Instagram and travel bloggers in 2020!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and decide to make a purchase or a booking, I do earn a small commission from that at no extra cost for you. For full disclosure, check my affiliate disclaimer.

One of the questions Sarah gets asked a lot on Instagram (aside from which presets she uses) is which camera we use to take our Instagram pictures. And the answer will probably surprise you – that’s why we have decided to write this article about the best cameras for Instagram!

In this article, we will not only show you what we use, but also give you general advice on the best cameras for Instagram (and the best cameras for travel blogging) – Mirrorless, DSLR, compact cameras, and smartphones.

We’ll also show you which drone and action cam we always take with us on our trips to take Instagram photos and the pictures for our travel blog – and what newer options are there!

Happy shooting! 🙂

---

Pin this for later!

---

What makes a camera great for Instagram or travel blogging?

There are probably quite a few approaches to finding the best cameras for Instagram or the best cameras for travel bloggers. But in the end, we think both have essentially the same requirements.

In our eyes, the ideal camera for Instagram should …

• … help you take pictures quick and easy
• … be lightweight and easy to transport
• … make it easy for you to edit and share your photos instantly
• … offer you an advantage over others to take creative pictures
• … waterproof or at least, resistant to the elements
• … be fairly affordable

For travel bloggers, the situation is actually pretty similar. While instant sharing is not as important, you still want the best camera for travel blogging to be lightweight, durable, affordable and easy to use. And let’s be honest – resolution is not very important as you will scale the down images anyway!

And if we factor in all these thoughts, that brings us to a few conclusions what the best cameras for Instagram or the best cameras for travel blogging are…

---

Best smartphones for Instagram and travel bloggers

Let’s start right away with the answer to the question Sarah gets asked all the time: We take our Instagram pictures with a smartphone only!

More precisely, with a Samsung Galaxy S10 right now. We used the Pixel 2XL before and Sarah researched a lot before deciding against the Pixel 4 and in favor of the Samsung Galaxy S10 in November last year.

We had used a DSLR for a while but smartphone cameras are that good already now and they are so much easier for traveling light.

Here are our top picks for the best smartphones for Instagram in 2020!

We know a lot of “serious photographers” (we hate that term!) would disagree – but we think the best camera for Instagram is actually a smartphone!

Think of how easy you can edit pictures on the fly with the free Lightroom mobile app and Sarah’s Lightroom presets for Instagram (the answer to the other question)!

And let’s not forget – Instagram was always meant to be a mobile thing!

---

Best mirrorless cameras for Instagram and travel bloggers

A mirrorless camera is basically the “little sister of a DSLR”. 

In general, mirrorless cameras are smaller and easier to handle than DSLRs, but they still can be used with different lenses and they have a bigger sensor (and thus, can capture pictures at lower light settings) than compact/point and shoot cameras.

Mirrorless cameras are great cameras for Instagram because they take high-quality pictures, but are still easy to carry around (e.g. when traveling!). And they are significantly cheaper than DSLRs.

If video is important to you – opt for a camera with 4K (otherwise you’ll be fine with Full HD).

Another important question when choosing a good mirrorless camera for Instagram is connectivity. If you can connect your camera quickly to your smartphone, this is a big plus as you can easily upload your shots to Instagram on the fly (or edit them with Adobe Lightroom mobile app before).

The most common connection is WiFi – however, some of the best cameras for Instagram connect via NFC and/or Bluetooth too!

When looking for the best cameras for Instagram without a mirror, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony, Canon, and Fujifilm have some of the most popular versions.

Our personal favorite mirrorless camera for Instagram is the Canon EOS M50 right now as it comes with 4K, 24 MP and connects via WiFi, NFC, and Bluetooth!

---

Best cheap cameras for Instagram and travel bloggers (compact cameras)

If you already love your smartphone and a mirrorless camera for Instagram is too expensive, then a compact camera might be the right choice for you.

The one thing to look for here is WiFi connectivity again – and in this price range, this is gonna lead you into Canon’s hands for almost 100%.

We think the best cheap camera for Instagram is the Canon Powershot ELPH 190 here as 10x optical zoom is sufficient for most Instagram photos.

---

Best Beginner DSLR cameras for Instagram and travel bloggers

As mentioned earlier, we have stopped using a DSLR completely and we personally believe that the best camera for Instagram is NOT a DSLR.

But in case you absolutely want to “go professional” – these are the beginner DSLR cameras that photographers currently love the most:

---

Best action cameras for Instagram and travel bloggers

One thing that we wouldn’t wanna miss when taking Instagram pictures and videos anymore is our action cam! We bought the GoPro Hero 6 Black during our round the world trip in 2018 (the newest model at that time) and we still love it!

Although, today, we would probably directly get the GoPro Hero 8 – but that depends on your budget. The reason why we would choose the Hero 8 are the new “mods” that GoPro has released for vloggers (a “media mod” with a microphone, a “display mod” with a selfie display and even a “light mod”).

We also love DJI (and we own both a drone as a gimbal from them) – so the DJI Osmo Action Cam might be worth a look too, especially given the low price!

And if you like the idea of taking 360° photos and videos with your camera for Instagram – then there’s no way past the GoPro MAX!

---

Best drones for Instagram and travel bloggers

A drone is a great way to get innovative pictures for Instagram that not everyone has seen already!

Right now, there is only one company that we would consider for getting a drone – and that is DJI. Yes, there are other too – but they are either technically way behind or huge and big (for professionals)

We own a DJI Spark and we dearly love it. However, we would now recommend the new DJI Mavic Mini that was released in October 2019. It is cheaper, has a higher video resolution and comes with such a long flight time!

If 4K and really high flight speeds are important to you, the older and more expensive DJI Mavic Air might still be your “go-to drone” though!

---

How did you like this post?

How did you like this article? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you have not yet subscribed to my newsletter – how about doing this now? 

I promise that I won’t spam you – but you will always be the first to know about my next destination guides or Lightroom and Instagram tipps! Plus, you will get access to my exclusive and free member’s area! That’s where I share lots of invaluable additional content with you – like my hashtag list for Instagram!