Let's start off by saying that we are no expert in this and want to provide you with some tips that we have picked up over the years. The best of equipment is not needed but over time you can pick up better cameras and accessories to assist. Our very first backpacking trip, a while back, we didn’t know much about the photography world or any of the additional steps that it takes to get the best capture. We started with our old phones and a simple action camera from amazon.
The thing is, the gear you travel with really depends on what you want to capture and how you want to recall the memories. Today, the cameras and other equipment we travel with includes our phones, Canon EOS M5, Lens, Go Pro and a gimbal to stabilize our phones, extra battery packs, portable power bank, SD and MicroSD cards. Lets go through what we use each one for…
The Phones
Our phones is the best for capturing the moment, time and time again we rely on this so much to capture and tell stories from our trips over the years. It's a quick point and shoot method and has excellent capability to record some amazing videos of moments. The camera on the phones are also evolving every year but even the old phones which one of us travel with is still very useful in capturing the moments well. So you do not need the latest phone to capture travel pictures any will do just fine in getting the memories.
SD and MicroSD Cards
You can never have too much storage!!! Coming from the fact that one of us has ran out of storage multiple times on a trip, it can become very annoying to try and sort through pictures to delete while you are on a trip. Ever since that has happened, we walk with a few SD and MicroSD card just to be safe, one or two will do just the trick or one 1TB capacity card for each MicroSD (phones and Go Pro) and SD cards (for the camera).
Canon EOS M5 and Lens
The camera covers all we need as well in addition to the phone. The Canon EOS M5 has been a great companion to the arsenal. The EOS M5 is a mirrorless camera with a sensor that captures amazing pictures whether it be portrait or landscapes on the trip. We use it in moments where we can set up the shot and use the manual mode to get the best out of the scenery. This is the very first of our professional camera line and it does handle well. With our usage, we tend to get around 300 pictures and some great reels for one battery life. It is also very lightweight at around 2.2lb (1.0kg) with a lens and durable (the camera body tends to take drops well although we do not recommend dropping the lens as they are more likely to break). Camera Options.
Extra Battery and portable power bank
We have mentioned before in other blogs there is no such thing as too much backup power. We have been in situations in the past where our phones are dead, camera battery is out and no way to capture the moment. Since then, we have always walked with extra battery packs for the camera and two 22,000 mAh power-banks (6 to 7 full charges on a phone for each). We rely heavily on these when travelling as sometimes we may be away from electrical outlet for up to 24 hours depending on transit and remote locations. Our top rated battery back is Rav Power, we have been using two of the 22000 mAh for 5 years now. However, TSA has approved powerbanks up to 26800 mAh. Here is another great option on Amazon: Power Bank.
Go Pro & Action Camera
This is our favourite. Mind you, the phone is our main go to to capture pictures, with an action camera, there is more fun and creativity with it. These gives us the ability to take pictures and videos in a wide array. We are able to take into the ocean and get amazing videos of the fish and coral while not worrying about salt water damage. Our phones are water-resistant but can become affected by salt water so we prefer to take these on adventure where ocean water is concerned. Check our gear and accessories on Amazon: Go Pro Gear.
There you have it, our beginners' camera gear and equipment that we used in all of our past trips with and continue to learn how to use these better and tell our story. What are your must have camera gear and equipment when you travel?
Thank you! More travel is on the way!