Q: I am going to Europe in September, and I am thinking that I should take a camera on the trip instead of just using my smartphone. Do you think it is worth buying and carrying a camera? And, if so, what model do you suggest?

A: I recommend you get a camera. While smartphones take good pictures and video, they can't replace the ergonomics, photographic capability and flexibility of a good camera.

I recently took a trip from my home on the East Coast to California. Instead of flying, I went by train, and I brought along several portable electronic devices to test on the trip. I will write about some of them in future columns. But what I want to talk about now is the camera I took with me: The $897 Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 MK II superzoom (shop.panasonic.com). It is the best travel camera I have ever used. It has tremendous imaging capabilities, is fun and easy to operate and the picture and video quality are absolutely stellar.

(Speaking of stellar, one of the places I visited was the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where a very knowledgeable amateur astronomer let me use his telescope to look at the cloud bands on Jupiter and four of the Jovian moons. It turns out that you can get some excellent telescopes without spending a fortune. Look for information on that in a future column, too.)

The FZ1000 MK II has a large 1-inch, 20.1 megapixel sensor paired with a Leica 16x (25-400mm equivalent) zoom lens. The lens is extremely sharp, and the image stabilization is super-effective. I was able to capture tack-sharp images at the 400mm setting easily in good light, and even sometimes when the light was not so good. Both the viewfinder and touchscreen are crisp and colorful, the panorama mode creates perfect panoramic images and battery life is excellent. (Nonetheless, I always bring a fully charged spare, just in case.) It records both 1080i and 4K video, and the camera is loaded with clever operational touches. For example, to zoom, you can use the thumb control, best for video zooming, or the lens ring, which is best for still pictures because of the precise framing and natural, organic feel.

Looking at the pictures and videos from my trip, I realized I could not have gotten 75% of them if I had only my smartphone with me. I would not have had the zoom range, nor the ability to frame as precisely or shoot as quickly as I could with the zoom controls, viewfinder and shutter button. The photos also would not have had the incredible sharpness, color and detail captured by the camera. It's a winner, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.