9 of the best travel cameras you can buy now

That mobile phone in your pocket takes pretty decent photos, so no need to get a separate camera for your travels, right?

Actually, wrong. The latest point-and-shoot cameras are still smarter than smartphones and have loads of fun options and easy-to-use settings good for amateurs and pros traveling light.

And most can now wirelessly pair with your phone to get those snaps out quick on social media.

But how easy are they to get to grips with, given that no one wants to spend their vacation with their nose in the manual, bamboozled by jargon?

I played with each of these cameras for a week to create reviews based on how easy it is to learn to use them quickly. For comparison, I put them through the same tests in the same spots.

These include: Wide angle and zoom shots around the Houses of Parliament in London. Detail shots of a decorative London doorknob. Program-mode shots of a horse guard to test the camera’s “quick-draw” skills. A face shot in portrait mode. Silhouette shots by Big Ben to test backlighting. A photo of a girl looking at a computer and a city nightscape to test low-light capabilities. A uniqueness test of special features.

And, of course, a selfie test.

Check out the galleries to compare how the photos turned out. We’ve not done any editing or toning, just cropped them to fit CNN’s format. There’s also some loss of quality caused by optimizing them for the Internet.

Here are nine of the best travel cameras available right now:

Leica TL2

Wide shot: The Leica TL2 needs additional lenses. A 35mm f/1.4 ASPH, retailing at $2,395, delivers incredible images, however at that price, choose wisely when committing to a focal length.
VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Selfie: There's no selfie mode on a Leica, which means it can be guesswork. But selfies aren't why you buy a Leica. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Program mode: Exposures were spot on in program mode. Leica's trademark silent shutter adds some nice stealth to street photography, allowing you to get great candid shots. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Night cityscape: The Leica's night portrait mode turned moving traffic into cool streaky lights while leaving the background and properly exposed. If used with a tripod, still objects will be pin-sharp. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Low light: Most low light shots are full of digital noise, but using the Leica's staggeringly high 50,000 ISO rating produce this remarkably clean image. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Silhouette: Because the camera is fully manual, I was able to expose the background properly, capturing dark silhouettes of passers-by. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Macro: The Leica doesn't have a macro mode. This is the closest you can get with the 35mm f/1.4 lens before it went fuzzy. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Zoom: This is the framing of the 35mm f/1.4 lens, when standing in the same spot as the zoom shots for other cameras in this review series. The Leica needs a different lens for zooming. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Portrait: Leica's portrait mode gave a good bokeh effect, with golden hues. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Portrait enlarged: The quality of the image stands up when cropped in close. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Baby shot: Even babies seem to know they're dealing with a proper camera when the Leica comes out -- putting on their serious face. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Unique feature: Using fireworks mode and moving the camera around creating this psychedelic shot during a pyrotechnic display. VIEW FULL-SIZE IMAGE

Leica TL2: An instant fashion statement that also produces fabulous photographs of the beautiful people it will inevitably attract.

Leica TL2 camera: A review of photos

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Leica’s gear has been creating a stir ever since it gave us the world’s first small range format rangefinder back in 1924.

Its newest luxurious offering, the TL-2, is a sleek, digital, mirrorless camera which supports interchangeable lenses and comes with a ruggedly stylish and colorful rope strap.

GALLERY: See full-size images

It’s a camera that attracts attention from enthusiasts, even if it lacks one of the signature cool points of a traditional Leica – the viewfinder that allows photographers to emulate the head tilt/shoulder shrug of greats like Henri Cartier