Originally Posted by
headloss
Unless the point of my tour was to be a photography expedition... I'd go as small as possible. I usually carry a small digital with manual controls like the Nikon S90/100/110 and it suits my needs on a tour. I wouldn't hesitate to take an SLR/DSLR along if I planned on spending as much time behind the view-finder as I did on the saddle. It really depends what you want out of the tour.
Well put. My first tour (in '99) was part a photo expedition of sorts. I carried a Mamiya 645 Pro TL with metered view finder, Power Grip and three fixed lenses. I also had a Nikon 35 mm with a 35x70 zoom. Wouldn't dream of carrying all that today unless I was going for a similar purpose, which is unlikely. I don't have a smart phone so I currently take a P&S but I intend to upgrade to something along the lines of what you mention.