Photography while you’re travelling is a balancing act. You want to bring high-quality photos back to capture your memories and share with friends but you also don’t want to be lugging 20 pounds of gear all over the world. You need to balance being “in the moment” rather than looking at everything through the camera’s viewfinder. So of course, trade-offs have to be made based on your priorities. Here’s the list of travel photography gear that we use at Zen Travellers and why we chose each item. Ultimately, this is what we think some of the best photography equipment for travel is.
Table of Contents
Before we get started, let’s be clear on what this post is going to be. This is not a pixel peeping photography review where I’ll show photos of brick walls and what not to analyze the technical merits of each lens. If that’s what you’re looking for there are lots of other posts like that on the internet. This post contains real-world examples of photos from each camera and lens, as well as a list of the photography equipment I take on my travels. I’ll explain why I chose each item, the pros and cons of that choice, and how they work for me. So if that’s what you’re looking for, read on!
The Best Camera for Travel
We travel with two camera bodies – a Sony A6000 and a Sony A5000. Both model numbers are getting a bit long in the tooth, but the A6000 especially continues to be an outstanding value. There are newer versions that are nicer and have more features but the A6000 continues to be a competitive camera at a ridiculously low price tag.
Somewhere along the line we’ll probably upgrade the bodies (maybe one day I’ll justify the recently announced Sony A7III!) but overall these two cameras pack a good balance of high quality, low weight, and affordability. Both cameras are mirrorless and pack the quality and optics of a DSLR into a much tinier, lighter frame. Sony has been doing some incredible things with their mirrorless technology to push it forward. You get serious features for a limited amount of money. For example, the A6000 packs in a 24-megapixel sensor, 179 autofocus points, and shoots at 12 frames per second. All in a package that weighs less than 500 grams. Not bad.
There are lots of other great mirrorless options out there from Fuji and Olympus but the Sony Alpha series leads the pack in features and value. Some critics complain that Sony cameras handle a bit more like a computer than a camera, but the value and size can’t be argued with. Camera technology has come a long way and for the most part, any mirrorless or DSLR is pretty incredible nowadays. We like active travel, and the A6000 meets our needs well. The combination of performance, value, and size makes a pretty compelling package for those who like active travel. Who wants to lug a DSLR around on a backpacking trip?
The Lenses We Use for Travel Photography
The reason we use two camera bodies is so that we can have two lenses for different situations at the ready. This saves constantly switching lenses allowing us to be prepared for different scenarios and capture fleeting moments. Switching lenses less often reduces exposure of the camera’s sensor to the elements and really, it’s just convenient as it takes you out of the moment when you’re travelling so we go prepared for a couple of situations.
When looking at lenses we consider the overall quality and sharpness of the lens, the size and weight, and we look to capture a range of focal lengths for different types of photos. We want to be prepared for a variety of situations – that epic landscape, local street life, and surprise wildlife encounters. The lenses that we take while travelling are the following:
Rokinon 12mm f2.0
Also found under the Samyang name, this is our wide angle lens which we use primarily for landscapes and night shots. I love this lens and it lives on one of the cameras 80% of the time. It’s manual focus only, but that doesn’t matter too much with a lens this wide. The lens itself is great quality as it’s very sharp and at F2.0, it’s fast enough for quality astrophotography or shots of the Northern Lights. Even better, this lens is quite affordable so it was the first non-kit lens that we purchased for our camera. The only drawback is the lack of auto-focus but this is very easy to work with for the type of shots we take.
Starry Sky at Golden, BC. Taken on Sony A6000 & Rokinon 12mm
Another option is the Sony 10-18mm f4.0 but it costs about twice as much, isn’t as sharp, and isn’t as fast at f4.0. It’s easier to use and a bit more flexible with a range of focal lengths so it’s a tradeoff and certainly a capable lens, but we prefer our Rokinon.
Admiring the view at Twin Falls – taken with the Rokinon 12mm on our Ultrapod Tripod
Sony 35mm f1.8 OSS
35mm is typically considered an all-rounder and everyday lens for photographers. The focal length is close to what the human eye sees so it’s great if we’re walking around the streets of a new city trying to capture some of the local flavours, this is the lens that I want. It also serves well for portraits (especially groups). The lens itself is sharp and with the ability to go to F1.8, this lens can create excellent separation from foreground to background making the subject pop, and has attractive “bokeh”. As a native Sony lens, it makes use of all of the technology on our A6000 and the focus is lightning quick. It has Optical Steady Shot (OSS) technology which minimizes the effect of shaky hands, allowing the use of lower shutter speeds when photographing without a tripod.
The Sony 35mm f1.8 works well for your drinks too!
The Sony 35mm also works for taking photos of your drinks! The other option (and I went back and forth on this quite a bit) would be the Sigma 30mm f1.4. I probably read all of the reviews of each lens on the internet before deciding which to buy! While the Sigma 30mm lens is one stop faster, a bit wider, and a bit cheaper some report that the autofocus performance isn’t as fast, the lens is quite a bit larger and heavier, and it doesn’t have stabilization technology. Given we are using this primarily for travel we decided the Sony was a better choice and haven’t looked back.
Taken with A6000 & Sony 35mm
Sony 55-210 f4.5-6.3 OSS and an Olympus TCON 1.7x Teleconverter
- This is the combination we throw on for our wildlife photos. The Sony 55-210 can often be purchased in a package with the A6000, and while there are certainly better lenses out there, long telephotos can cost a small fortune and weigh a tonne. Someday we’ll upgrade but for now, the options for super-zooms with an A6000 are limited unless you start adapting glass. This suite our needs as with the Olympus teleconverter you get a total focal length of 357mm. Not bad, especially on a crop sensor camera, giving an effective focal length of 535mm. (210 * 1.7 * 1.5) Sorry about the math, last time in this post, I promise! The length allows us to get in close for shots of tiny birds and up close to wildlife without disturbing them or putting us at risk.
Getting up close to a Snowy Owl with the Sony 55-210 and Olympus TCON-17x
The Sony 55-210 & TCON-17x combination allows you to get up close to wildlife. Take the Olympus TCON 1.7x Teleconverter off and you still have a capable zoom. On the shorter end, you can use it for interesting landscape shots that really show the size and scale of the location.
There are of course countless other lens options and one of the great advantages of a mirrorless camera is that you can adapt legacy glass to it. I haven’t experimented with that yet, but one that gets very positive reviews is the Helios 44-2.
Check out this post for more of my recommendations and the most popular travel lenses for the Sony A6000
The Best Camera Bag for Travel
Picking a camera bag for travel is tough. After trying and returning several bags I landed on the Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L as my camera bag of choice. When picking this bag I was looking for something that could hold all of the above-mentioned gear (Two camera bodies, three lenses, and a teleconverter). I had to have protection to keep the gear safe, be comfortable, and look good enough that I could carry it around every day.
The toughest piece of gear to fit in the bag is the A6000 with lens and teleconverter attached and the Peak Design bag is long enough to accommodate it all. It has flexible dividers that can easily split up cameras and lenses so that they’re knocking against one another.
The bag itself is waterproof which has proven handy on more than one occasion (such as touring the Amazon) and overall is designed smartly for real-world use. It has pouches for your batteries, SD cards, etc, and they’re colour coded so that you can easily separate the new ones vs the used ones. These also come in handy for travel as I use it as a day bag, throwing some cash and a debit card in the bag and keeping everything in one place.
For travel, another handy feature is that the bag’s zippers tie together to prevent wood-be thieves from getting into the gear easily. It’s not a cable lock like some Pac-safe bags, but it’s enough of a deterrent that you’d notice somebody trying to break in.
Overall, I’ve been very pleased with the bag’s features, it’s the perfect size for my needs, and I’ve been carrying it every day for the past two months (and expect to for 12 more!) It’s not the cheapest bag around, but camera bags get a lot of use so I think it’s worth splurging on.
Looking for more recommendations? Check out this guide on camera bags for travel.
Photography Accessories for Traveling
Lenses and bodies certainly make up the “big” items that we take travelling with us but a lot of different accessories keep the camera running or make things easier.
Sitting by a campfire. Taken with the Rokinon 12mm
Pedco Ultrapod II
This is a tiny little travel tripod that packs up small and holds the camera stable. It is stable and adjustable to allow you to get those shot. It has Velcro to attach to trees or poles but admittedly I haven’t got to the point where I trust that enough!
Giotta’s Rocket Blaster
Every photographer should have one of these. It’s simple, but it blows a powerful blast of air at the lens to knock off any dust or grime without physically touching the lens. It’s also great for blowing at the fragile sensor if anything lands on it.
Peak Design Slide Strap
I use a Peak Design Slide for carrying the A6000. This strap feels burly, looks attractive, and is easy to take on and off (for instance, if you’re putting the camera on the tripod you likely want to take it off). After a near miss with the factory Sony strap I swear by this strap!
Lens Pen
For the tougher jobs, we use a lens pen to clean off any dust, grime, or fingerprints on the front element of the lens. It’s got a brush to knock off any dust and a carbon fibre tip to take off fingerprints.
PEC Pro Pads / Zeiss Wipes
For the really tough jobs, we always have a few of these on hand!
Wasabi Battery Pack
One of the frequent complaints about mirrorless cameras is that the batteries don’t hold up. This is easily solved by carrying a couple extra with you. Wasabi batteries are cheap and do the trick. When I’m out shooting the northern lights or astrophotography in the cold I’ll keep extra batteries in my jacket pocket to keep them warm.
Cozy cabin under the stars outside of Whitefish, MT taken with the Rokinon 12mm. It was -30 Celsius this night!
Fototech IR Remote
It doesn’t get much cheaper than this. At only $10 this does the trick and it’s more reliable than using the Playmemories app through your phone. Great for shots of starry skies or the northern lights!
Various Sandisk Extreme Pro SD Cards
Various sizes of Sandisk SD cards live in our cameras – typically a 64GB in the main A6000 and a 32GB in the A5000, along with a few backups in the bag. I honestly don’t know if the “Extreme” version is required – but at the very least it seems to make a difference when shooting on burst mode at 12fps.
Peak Design Capture Clip
This thing comes with rave reviews from various photography and Reddit communities. Just being able to clip your camera to a backpack strap is amazing and super convenient, especially for hiking.
Domke Lens Wrap
Handy when you want that little bit of extra protection or if you’re throwing your camera in a backpack instead of the camera bag. This works perfectly for the Sony 55-210 Telephoto when the Olympus TCON-17x is attached. It’s also great when you’re driving as a way to pad the camera in the event of a quick stop. It helped to keep the camera accessible when driving along the Garden Route and on our self-drive Safari in Kruger National Park.
