The trusty DSLR – digital single-lens reflex – camera is the tool of choice for professionals and photography enthusiasts alike, offering enormous versatility and control. But there’s a downside: you’re packing for your holiday to Liguria, and, excited about capturing the visual essence of your trip, reach for your Nikon 810 and then it hits you: holy moly, this thing is heavy. “Do I really want to lug 12 kilos of gear in my carry-on luggage?” you ask yourself. No. The answer is no.

Lighten your load with a compact camera that can do (almost) everything a DSLR can, at a fraction of the weight. Here are our five favourites available right now. The ground rules? They have to be small, have a fixed (not interchangeable) lens, and they had to be able to compete on some level with the way more complex, much larger machines out there. And please note, our choices are based on a mixture of objective and entirely subjective criteria.