Landscape kit list

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Studio488commercial

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ok, got some bits of kit, well a studio full, but what kit is needed for landscape thought I would give it a go over winter, how hard can it be :). give me you ideal kit. Canon :)
 
I have a few trips planned and know that with the 1 body and the trinity, I'll have every eventuality covered

last time out I took 2x 5Div, 7D ii, EOSR, 100-400, 70-200 (2.8 and 4),16-35, 24-70, 100mm macro, 50 1.4, 85 f2, 24-15, 35 f2, fill in flashes, 3 tripods (a new 3 series systematic, an old systematic for use in the sea and a 2 series for use when there was more walking to be done), a clutch of lee filters, cleaners, spirit levels and 3 camera bags sized to suit all eventualities

You won't be surprised to hear most of it was never used

But if I don't take the kitchen sink with me I end up thinking that I would have got a better shot if only I had taken that extra piece of kit, but the truth invariably is I spent more time messing about changing lenses and cocking about than actually working on the composition

What I'd do if going out independently is to take the kit listed above and leave most of it in the car (I can always nip back for it) taking just the minimum with me for a walk and allowing me to focus on getting the best from what I'm carrying

Which might just be the EOSR with the kit lens

but then again, would I miss the 16-35, or the 70-200?

Or maybe I should just take my Olympus MFT kit - many respected photographers get much better shots than I with their phones for chrissakes

But MFT is rubbish in comparison with full frame (I find)

The Canon 200D is not bad but why take that and leave all the good stuff at home

Jeez - It's supposed to be fun

to answer, F4 versions of 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200, filters and cleaners and a tripod to suit the prevailing wind

Dave
 
forgot to mention - I also took a Sigma 20 1.4

There's an awful lot to be said for being comfy

so layers including waterproof and windproof

It gets hot on the hike no matter what the weather's doing

and cold when you stop

and if the temperature is moderate when you go gaiters to keep the ticks off you

and something dry and comfy to sit on whilst waiting for the light to be just so

Dave
 
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I'd start off with an idea of what you're going to shoot and what you're after as an end result then take the least amount of kit that allows for that

Personally - I usually go on Landscape shooting trips with 1 camera and 1 fixed focal length lens that I choose in advance. I also tend to limit myself to 1 aperture too, which again I choose prior to setting off, but which is most often f2.8 or wider

I rarely take a tripod unless its for a planned shot and I have no filters

Keeping it simple can help you be more creative I find, and if you leave the heavy stuff behind you can more easily carry a flask & sarnies :D

Enjoy yourself

Dave
 
If you are gaining any height and/or roaming in remote areas I’d be packing stuff to keep dry, warm, fed and watered and safe before deciding on camera stuff, especially in winter. Torch, first aid kit, compass, food, drink, snacks, gloves, hat, suitable clothing and footwear etc are all essential Imho. Ok, it’s common sense but .... I’ve run out of drink on a mountain on a warm day and it’s not fun.

Camera gear? The less, the better. The lighter the bag the further/higher/faster you can go. If you’ve, say, a 16-35, a 24-105 and a 70-200. I’d leave the 24-105 in the car and take the other two.
 
Personally, I normally have with me:

At least one body
Zooms from 17mm to 200mm
A 25 or 28mm prime
Filters - 3, 6, 10, 15 stop ND filters, 0.6, 0.9 hard and soft grads, reverse grad, CPL.
Remote shutter release
Tripod
 
Camera, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses or equivalent, tripod, polarising filter, cleaning cloths. Other than that it’s down to how much walking you’ll do and where. Food and drink is essential on long hikes but adds considerable weight so best to keep kit to a minimum. A headtorch is very useful and the ViewRanger app is excellent if you’re in unfamiliar areas
 
LeeRatters said:
Just a body, a lens/es, tripod, CPL :)

Maybe an L Bracket, remote, gloves, woolly hat, flask of hot tea/coffee, waterproofs, suitable footwear, hip flask, comfortable bag......
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And a phone.

Years ago I was out in the snow covered hills and took a step and the ground wasn't there and I fell into a snow filled dip which was invisible, just full of snow. After working out what had happened and which way was up I climbed out but I realised that no one knew where I was and I was miles from anywhere so these days I always tell someone where I'm going and have a charged up phone with me. Walking back that days was fun, my clothing froze my camera looked like a block of ice.

Kit wise if I'm going to be changing lenses I take a rocket blower and I always have cleaning cloths.
 
woof woof said:
And a phone.

Years ago I was out in the snow covered hills and took a step and the ground wasn't there and I fell into a snow filled dip which was invisible, just full of snow. After working out what had happened and which way was up I climbed out but I realised that no one knew where I was and I was miles from anywhere so these days I always tell someone where I'm going and have a charged up phone with me. Walking back that days was fun, my clothing froze my camera looked like a block of ice.

Kit wise if I'm going to be changing lenses I take a rocket blower and I always have cleaning cloths.
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Yeah. I presumed most people would carry a phone anyway. Location and maps built in, in case you get lost too.

Really, going out in the winter (walking hiking hill climbing) camera gear should be your last consideration.
 
If its the mountains, moors, hills etc a survival bag is a good idea and a disposable cigarette lighter too
 
I personally thought this thread was about what camera kit to take not everything you need to survive. I’m sure the guy/lady has enough common sense to know they need a coat, gloves and some food in winter! :rolleyes:
 
Ideal?
Then 12-24mm f4, 24-105mm f4, 24mm f1.4 and a voigtlanger 180mm f4.
 
TGphoto said:
I personally thought this thread was about what camera kit to take not everything you need to survive. I’m sure the guy/lady has enough common sense to know they need a coat, gloves and some food in winter! :rolleyes:
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So you never get under prepared/equipped people caught out on the hills in winter then?
Quite the opposite and think its an excellent idea to remind people what they might need
 
TGphoto said:
I personally thought this thread was about what camera kit to take not everything you need to survive. I’m sure the guy/lady has enough common sense to know they need a coat, gloves and some food in winter! :rolleyes:
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Deep sigh... but then I remember this is the internet :help:
 
TGphoto said:
I personally thought this thread was about what camera kit to take not everything you need to survive. I’m sure the guy/lady has enough common sense to know they need a coat, gloves and some food in winter! :rolleyes:
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That was the idea, as a photography forum, you expect to get photography advice, not sure why people would assume someone thinking of doing some landscape photography for the first time would be going mountaineering. Anyway thanks to the posters regarding lenses that was what i was aiming at.
 
Anyway, it seems from reading around 16-35mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm are a good choice, we have a few 70-200mm so that is not a problem, but the nearest to the other lens we have is 17-40 which I suspect will do for now. Will hold off on the Everest expedition gear for the time being.
 
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TGphoto said:
I personally thought this thread was about what camera kit to take not everything you need to survive. I’m sure the guy/lady has enough common sense to know they need a coat, gloves and some food in winter! :rolleyes:
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You can't tell other people what lenses they might need for 'landscape' kit. Which is why people probably listed what they might take themselves.
 
Studio488commercial said:
That was the idea, as a photography forum, you expect to get photography advice, not sure why people would assume someone thinking of doing some landscape photography for the first time would be going mountaineering. Anyway thanks to the posters regarding lenses that was what i was aiming at.
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It’s linked though, depending on where you’re going which you didn’t say. If I’d have known I’d be doing longer hill walks I’d have bought the lightest camera gear possible because with all the other kit you need for that, full frame photography gear is a massive weight. You don’t need anything other than standard camera kit if you’re just hopping out of a car, but there’s not much fun in that
 
Studio488commercial said:
That was the idea, as a photography forum, you expect to get photography advice, not sure why people would assume someone thinking of doing some landscape photography for the first time would be going mountaineering. Anyway thanks to the posters regarding lenses that was what i was aiming at.
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Well this is the net so you can't even assume common sense and I don't know you from Adam.

If you want strictly lens advice then as has been said no one can really say what you prefer, something between 12 and 600mm maybe? Aperture wise I suppose something between f1.2 and f32 could come in useful.

Personally I sometimes like a wide shot, sometimes a "standard" and sometimes a longer lens, it's shot dependant really. Overriding all of this for me are size and weight considerations as I don't like bulky heavy kit.

If you're the sort of person who isn't going to shoot landscape at f1.x but does like some flexibility on focal length and can work around any light issues then the cheap 28-300mm I had years ago could be one to consider as any distortions at either end weren't noticeable in landscape shots, the relatively poor performance wide open wasn't an issue as I usually stopped down a bit so that left the aperture range as only real limitation but there are work arounds for that such as upping the ISO or using a tripod as long as shutter speeds aren't an issue. That cheap lens was possibly the most flexible and useful lens I've ever used and I still look at pictures I took with that lens today. In fact that lens and a fast 35 or 50mm would suit me for just about anything. I think you'll have to think about the sort of pictures you want to take, the look you're after and the circumstances and light in which you'll be taking pictures.

Good luck choosing.
 
With landscapes you can either go with the "I'll take everything just in case" or the "I'll take minimal gear to lighten my load".
If I don't know what I'm going to shoot, then a general purpose zoom (24-70 or 24-105) will be enough because you don't know what you're shooting and might need to trek a fair bit to find a composition and therefore a lighter bag is better.
For landscapes (on ff) 24mm is pretty wide and 105 is short telephoto. If you need wider you can always do a stitched panorama. If you use a wide angle lens it can have the effect of flattening out a landscape and making hills and mountains smaller. So I'd only use it for situations where you want to emphasise the foreground.
Hence I'd only bother taking a 16-35/17-40 if you know what you're going to shoot.
Also if it's something that's a bit different for you, simplifying the kit will make it easier at least for the first trip or two, that way you don't get carried away with constantly changing lenses.
My thought would be:
Body + 24-70 or 24-105
Tripod
Polariser - ideal for cutting the glare off water and at this time of year it cuts the glare off wet leaves and gives more intense autumn colours (when adjusted right)

Later, add a telephoto (70-200/70-300/100-400) and a wide angle.
 
Body
24-70/24-105
ND filters (3,6,10 stop)
CPol
Tripod
 
Studio488commercial said:
That was the idea, as a photography forum, you expect to get photography advice, not sure why people would assume someone thinking of doing some landscape photography for the first time would be going mountaineering. Anyway thanks to the posters regarding lenses that was what i was aiming at.
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You don’t need to be going mountaineering where taking additional kit with you whilst doing landscape photography in winter. If you were planning on going anywhere who you could gain a little height (even 300-500m in the lakes is enough) an hour or so away from a car in the lakes, peaks, snowdonia or parts of Scotland a reminder on additional non photography kit is quite useful as it’s probably something most photographers don’t think about compared to what photography gear they should take. You only have to follow MRT’s on Facebook to see evidence of people being unprepared. If you are planning to visit low land areas or some costal places it’s not really required but you didn’t mention locations so people had to assume anywhere.

On camera kit any lens can take a landscape image- what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for others and can be dependent on location. For me I try to keep it simple- camera, 24-105 (maybe 70-200 depending where I’m going,) tripod and a bag. Other items like filters etc aren’t needed for a landscape beginner. An UWA lens could be useful but it depends on the location/subject. Personally I don’t think a UWA lens is a necessity. As a pro you probably already have all the standard kit you need to try out landscapes without getting something extra. Only thing that could be useful is a hiking specific bag and padded camera insert. They are often used by landscape photographers in favour of a camera specific bag. Most camera bags are actually quite poor for walking long distances and hiking bags are more comfortable.
 
hunnymonster said:
Body
24-70/24-105
ND filters (3,6,10 stop)
CPol
Tripod
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This is what I've settle on effectively. My Fuji, 16-55mm, 50-140mm and 2xTC with the rest of the gear listed.

A wider angle would be a luxury and rarely used (by me at least).

The above pretty much covers me from 16mm right through to 300mm in just two lenses (the TC weighs sod all in comparison but not strictly necessary anyway).
 
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How hard can it be? Two landscape trips I've been on spring to mind: Scottish west coast; Iceland Eyjafjallajökull. On the former I took a Canon 7d, 10-18, 15-85 and 70-200 F4. Got some nice pics and easy on the shoulders but on a rainy stretch managed to slip on the rocks and fell on my arse with the camera kit in the rucksack taking a bit of an impact. Broke the corner of the 7d case and put the 70-200 out of alignment (the overall fix was a few hundred pounds, thanks to Fixation UK).

The Eyjafjallajökull trip was less eventful (but, after the event, more dangerous) and my youngest son and I hiked up the Fimmvorduhals trail from the southern point at the end of May 2017. Again, I took the kit as outlined above plus a lightweight Manfrotto tripod, youngest took his iPhone. We got to the top of the trail and, with the hikers huts in sight, had lunch (pot noodles and beer) on a rocky spot above the glacier. The weather was largely rubbish, the summit being about 3,000' and the cloud cover felt like it was about 3,001' but we lit the Trangia and put the beer in the ice. On the way up and down I took about half a dozen shots, Nick took dozens on his phone. The snow at the top was quite deep and the waymark posts were invisible in places but, despite that, we met several fearless hikers en route. Had a chat with the folks in the hikers hut and we all agreed it was still quite challenging given the time of year.

On giving back our hire car at the end of the week we realised with some astonishment that Fimmvorduhals was still shut as it was too dangerous to cross and wouldn't be cleared until the middle of June. We picked the right day to do it, had provisions and appropriate kit (which included orange bags, foil blankets, 1st aid and shelter) so, for us it was doable. At the base of the climb by the waterfall there were coachloads of foreign tourists dressed in casual clothes and flipflops who thought it would be fun to walk to the top. Thank goodness they didn't!

So, long story short, if anyone's got other ideas for additional safety when out there please bring it on.
 
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