You can take any camera you want to Rio de Janeiro. In fact, you should take your best camera, but you should also take a small digital camera.
The point is that during your visit to Rio you will be 99.99% safe at iconic attractions such as Sugar Loaf Hill and Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado Mountain. In fact, you may regret not bringing your best camera to these places because you will see several tourists taking photos with their professional cameras right next to you. In addition, you won’t see any danger — these areas are guarded.
You can easily spend one hour at each site (Corcovado and Sugar Loaf) taking photos of the monument as well as of the breath-taking views of Rio de Janeiro, including Copacabana Beach, Guanabara Bay, Botafogo and Flamengo Beaches, and of the airplanes landing on and taking off from Santos Dumont Airport (SDU).
On the other hand, walking around and exploring randomly and on foot Rio de Janeiro streets and neighborhoods brings some degree of risk (mugging), especially at night, very early morning (5-6 a.m.), and in deserted areas, sidewalks, and beaches. As a general rule, when going for a walk you should only carry what you don’t mind to loose, such as a small digital camera.
The good news is that Rio is much safer now (as the 2016 Olympics approaches) than what it used to be in the 90s and in the begin of 2000s. You feel safe right upon arriving on the beach areas such as Copacabana, Ipanema, Leme, and Leblon. However, you may feel so safe that you may totally relax and just forget some common sense precautions.
The bottom line is that Rio is much safer nowadays, and having your camera robbed is the worst case scenario. However, as a precaution you should bring two cameras — a small and cheap one to walk around and a good one for guarded touristy areas and attractions such as Corcovado Mountain summit, Sugar Loaf Hill, Maracana Stadium, Botanical Garden, Colombo Cafe, Copacabana Forte, Hanglides landing area, helicopter flight, Rio Scenarium, Favela (on a guided tour, or by yourself at a pacified one), and others.
Taking the right kind of transportation in Rio can save you from losing your cameras and other belongings. Learn about Rio’s safest transportation in My Rio Travel Guide, the comprehensive insider’s guide to Rio de Janeiro.
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