Lightest Full-Frame Cameras for Travel: Every Current Body Ranked by Weight

The lightest full-frame cameras you can buy weigh between about 420 and 520 g with a battery and card. On the makers' own figures the order starts with the Sigma fp (422 g), Sigma BF (446 g), Canon EOS R8 (461 g), Sony ZV-E1 (483 g), Canon EOS RP (485 g), Panasonic Lumix S9 (486 g) and the Sony A7C II and A7CR (514 and 515 g). Above that there is a jump to the 600 g class. Which one suits travel depends on whether you need a viewfinder, two card slots or a lens system you already own.

Every full-frame body in our database, by weight

Specs from the makers' published data, checked October 2026. Weights include the battery and a memory card unless marked. * Not yet in our database; weight from Sigma's own spec page (the fp's 422 g includes battery and SD card; the BF's 446 g includes the battery). "2" card slots means two slots of mixed CFexpress/SD types; see the maker's page for which.

Makers measure slightly differently. Nikon weighs without the body cap and shoe cover; Canon includes the card. Differences of 10 g between brands are within that noise. Differences of 100 g are real.

What the light bodies give up

The viewfinder

Several of the lightest full-frame bodies have no built-in electronic viewfinder. Nikon's Z5IIC, announced in 2026, is the clearest example: it is a Z5II without the viewfinder, and Nikon lists it at 620 g against 700 g for the Z5II. If you shoot in bright sun or like holding the camera to your eye, check this column first.

Two card slots

Every body under 600 g in our database has one card slot. If you want an automatic backup copy as you shoot, the lightest options with two slots start at about 658 g (Sony A7 IV) and 670 g (Canon EOS R6 Mark II). On a trip, a nightly verified copy to a drive does the same job with one slot.

Battery life

The Canon R8 and RP use the small LP-E17 at 7.5 Wh. Sony, Nikon and Panasonic's light bodies use their full-size batteries at around 16 Wh. More than double the energy for similar body weight is a real advantage for the Sony A7C II, A7CR and ZV-E1, and the Lumix S9, on long days without charging. Carry spares either way; see camera batteries on planes.

USB charging

Almost every body in the table charges over USB-C, which means one cable and one charger for camera, phone and laptop on the road. The exceptions in our data are the Canon EOS RP, whose USB charging was not on the page we checked, and the Sony FX3, where our source did not state the connector type. See charging camera gear abroad.

The lens decides the kit weight

A light body on a heavy lens is not a light kit. Sony's FE 28-60mm kit zoom is listed at 167 g, its FE 40mm F2.5 G prime at 173 g, and its FE 20-70mm F4 G at 488 g. The same A7C II body is a 681 g camera with the 28-60mm or a 1002 g camera with the 20-70mm. That 321 g difference is larger than the gap between the R8 and the A7 IV.

When comparing systems for travel, compare the body plus the lenses you would actually take. Our Sony A7C II travel kit works through one example in full.

A full-frame compact instead

If you only want one focal length, a fixed-lens full-frame compact replaces body and lens together. Leica lists the Q3 at 746 g with battery and the Q3 43 at 772 g. That is heavier than the lightest bodies alone, but lighter than most of them with a fast zoom attached.

Which to choose for travel

Launch prices for reference, from our data: Canon EOS R8 $1,499, Canon EOS RP $1,299, Sony A7C II $2,199, all body only at launch.

Related

• A Sony A7C II travel kit
• Camera bag weight and carry-on limits
• How much does my camera gear weigh?
• Camera batteries on planes