Travel: Photography equipment to take

Summer is going to be here before we know it so I’m sure you’re all ready to travel – I know I am!  I thought I’d write a post of some of my favorite travel gear and what I take with me.  I don’t take ALL that you see above with me all the time, but for the most part it’s about 85% of the gear you see above.

When I went to Ireland and London, I left my DSLR at home but took my Sony NEX-5R (c/o), with 3 lenses: 50mm f1/.8 great for portraits and that compression, 16mm f/2.8 for scenic wide angles, and the standard kit lens 18-55mm (c/o) just incase I needed it for backup.  I typically put all of those things in the ONA camera bag travel insert and stuff in a large crossbody purse.  To see how great this camera is with DSLR quality (minus the mirror) click here to see photos from Ireland.

If you have a smart phone you can use a free app to use your phone as a remote.  Otherwise, you can pick up an inexpensive wireless remote.

I always pack my Canon Powershot S100 as a backup.  Because it’s so lightweight, I can slip it in my clutch.  Also if my batteries run out on my main camera, heaven forbid, I don’t miss capturing something great.  It has manual mode and opens to F/2 which is important for a photographer – this basically means you can capture some great images in low light settings, even on auto mode.

For any landscape shooting, this Dynex tripod lightweight tripod I bought at Best Buy for under $20.  You cannot use your hefty DSLR on this bad boy, I wouldn’t even try it.  It’s not heavy duty, but is excellent for small camera needs.

If you’ll be backpacking or you need to stuff more equipment on your back, consider the Case Logic Reflection DSLR Backpack (c/0).  You can see my review on it here.

If you just want a decent lens and your smartphone, you can take the Sony Qx10 (c/o) lens and that’s it!  Read my review here.  It will take excellent photos on the mini SD card and you can have it on your phone as well.  This is great for all your phone picture takers – but you know you should really preserve your memories with better equipment.  Downside – no flash, but nbd if you shoot during the day.

Quick reference:

1. Sony NEX-5R (c/o)
2. Wireless remote
3. Dynex tripod
4. Case Logic Reflection DSLR Backpack (c/0)
5. 18-105mm f/4 (c/o)
6. 18-55mm (c/o)
7. 50mm f1/.8
8. ONA camera bag travel insert
9. 16mm f/2.8
10. Canon Powershot S100
11. Rowallan Camera Case
12. Sony Qx10 (c/o)
13. Qx10 carrying case

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below.   Are you going anywhere this summer?  Happy travels!

Diana Elizabeth says the Sony NEX cameras are amazing, she recommends it to everyone, even photographers because traveling with a DSLR and all those expensive lenses doesn’t make sense!