Optimal travel photography gear!

D

demonicangelz

Suspended / Banned
Messages
63
Edit My Images
No
Hi guys,

I am preparing for a trip to Rome and Morocco this Easter break. I was just wondering what you guys feel is the best travel setup that works for you? Prime lenses or a full set of zooms? Perhaps a all-in-one zoom lens?

I've been traveling with way too much equipment and it is killing by back! :thumbsdown: I do however, use all of them. Or try to at least.

My equipment list:

Nikon D300s
Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 AF-S
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 AF-S
Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S VRI
Spare battery
B+W ND10
B+W CPL
Carbon Fibre tripod
SB600 (this however is not as well used)

Potentially want to bring my 50mm f1.8 + Nikon FE that I got off eBay recently with me as well.

Going to grab a new camera bag though, mine's almost ruined. Thinking of the Lowepro Flipside 400 for its size and lack of laptop compartment which I don't use. Any other recommendations (has to be able to incorporate a tripod).
 
Just to add, I started this thread in a search of a compromise for carrying too many things! Add the above added up is 11kg (incl bag, charger, batteries, etc.) !
 
Depends how you like to shoot.

If the trip isn't just for photography, I would just take the body and 24-70. Not a lot you can't shoot with that. When I went back to Europe 18 months ago, I took my 1D, 24-70 and a fisheye. Shot 99% of the time on the 24-70. I had a tripod with me for part of the trip for specific shots I knew I wanted. Next time I go overseas for a holiday I'll probably just take one body and the 24-70 (and maybe the 85 1.2, it's hard to leave that at home these days. ;) ).

If it's for photography and you want a wide range of images/styles then take as much as you can/want.
 
Fuji x100, Gitzo Traveller, MacBok Air.

About 2.5 kilos including editing suite.
 
I'd agree with the 24-70
Do you have a decent compact camera too?
That would take up no more space than an additional lens and be less conspicuous in some street situations.
 
demonicangelz said:
Just to add, I started this thread in a search of a compromise for carrying too many things! Add the above added up is 11kg (incl bag, charger, batteries, etc.) !
Click to expand...

I hiked the Salkantay trail last year.

Spare clothes + spare shoes+ cold weather gear + waterproofs + sleeping bag + pack + 2 l water + tripod + all my camera gear weighed in at a shade over 10 kilos.

Srsly, I wouldn't enjoy Morocco or Rome with that much gear. Compact zoom or M43 are great for travel.
 
When I was on crop, my D90+17-55 was all I needed. The 24mm end of the 24-70 starts getting a little long for a walkaround type lens.
 
Last edited:
Been to Rome. You will want Wide for most buildings. Probably a 30/35/50 with low f# for portrait shots and for stitch shots.... Lots of those!

Basically its up to you.

Last trip to France and to Scotland I took the d300, tokina 11-16, 35mm f1.8, 50mm 1.8, 105mm macro, archos 250gb 5 series (portable hd with leads and adapter for camera directly linking).

Only thing I left was the 300 mm, and used the space in the 400 aw flipside for other things. Leads went in the outside pocket along with plug adapters.

Still around the 10kg mark...


I was lucky at the flight in the titchy plane on the way up I could put the bags under the seats. On the way back they were going to insist on the bag in the metal thing, but a lady managed to jam her bag in and they didn't check the rest... they didn't assist her neither.

I'd take the littlest you think you can get away with. But taking the lots :D might be better. You may need to practice a few weekends before hand though - shoulders and legs hurt a lot after climbing lots of steps :) (Paris Arc de Triomphe 270 steps up (and down) plus the heavy bag = one wicked workout

:lol:

Enjoy your hols!
Rome trip


Oh and plan out a few places you really want to get to!! Rome is amazing for photos - but there is soooooooo much!
 
For me its a 5DmkII, 17-40 and 70-200 with a 50mm 1.4 as an optional fill in. I also bring a CPL, 3 stop and Gitzo Explorer tripod. If you can find a better travel setup for landscape photography (performance/weight) I'm all ears!
 
Id take body + 24-70mm. Maybe some extra batteries and other little things. When I went to Rome I took my 7D + 50mm 1.4 + 17-50 F.28 Tamron. Rest of the bag consisted of Ipad and other little things.
 
how's about:-
  • body
  • wide angle, sigma 8-16
  • standard zoom tamron 17 - 50
  • carbon tripod
  • batteries
  • filters

the weight of the above lenses is less than a kilo, and would be a good walk around kit.

ps the sigma 8-16 gets very good reviews. http://SPAM/2cj64fm
 
In my opinion - you're incurring a MASSIVE weight penalty by shooting the best Nikon FX lens with a DX body. You're lugging about lots of weight and not really getting the benefits of those lenses. They really should be used with a FX body to justify their weight. Otherwise other lenses may give you similar or nearly as good as results for a fraction of the weight.

If I recall correctly those lenses are nearly 1kg each (or more!). You could quite easily use a 17-55 2.8 (or similar) and a 10-20 save a lot of weight.

On my recent trips I've been to South America, Rome, Hong Kong and took a D300s, 10-20, 18-200 and 50mm 1.4. And my conclusion?? Even DX is the wrong kit for travel. It's too heavy (as you've found), your back is killing, and it gets in the way. My solution? Micro 4/3rds. A brought this alongside my D300s to Hong Kong, and the D300s was probably out only for an hour. Olympus EPL2,14-42 lens and 20mm 1.7 was all I needed. Possibly will add a 9-18 to that collection to get an ultra wide. But IMO that's all is needed now!
 
I'm currently looking into a nex system. As you can tell image quality is a priority. What do u guys think about complementing the Sony nex with my current setup? Probably can only afford the nex5n with 17-55 lens which Jessop is selling for a good price ATM.
 
Im currently doing an 8 month trip with the following:

D7000
Nikon 18-200mm
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Sigma 10-20mm.
72+52mm Hoya HD Circ-Pl
Spare Battery
Gorrillapod SLR
Netbook

It covers me from Ultra wide through to tele-zoom and I have the 50mm for low light and bokeh shots. While I am missing some lenses I realise it is all I need for travel. It is more than enough weight to be burdensome so to take all the f2.8's would be a killer. My photography gear accounts for more than half the weight I am carrying and it is becoming slightly tiresome but I would be so frustrated to not have it with me.

My trip is Japan, China, HK, Austrailia, NZ, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal and India. I would like to have some of my other lenses with me but really this is all I need. I primarily am interested in Architecture and people shooting but i am covered for almost anything with the kit I have brought. I would absolutely leave the flash at home as it would not get enough use for the use/weight ratio.

I carry it all in a leather travel bag with a camera insert in the bottom. It hides to value of the contents and doesnt scream CAMERA...

Hope this helps a little.
 
My travel kit, and what I took to my visit to Rome last year, is;

D300S
Nikon 16-85mm VR
Nikon 70-300mm VR
Tripod
Various memory cards up to 40GB
Remote Control
Filters
Canon S95
Laptop

I also take a D200 as a spare body which is just left in the case where I'm staying, unless I'm doing a timelapse, when it is the workhorse taking the strain of all those frames. ;)

The 70-300mm was hardly used. I did find the 16-85mm was only not wide enough on one occasion, in the Pantheon, when I wanted the people on the ground and the Oculus in the ceiling in the frame together and the lens just wasn't wide enough. :shake: But otherwise that lens did everything. :)

The Tripod was used to good effect for night shots of the Colosseum and on the Tiber.
 
I'm currently in India and have been carting around the following for 6 weeks

5D MKII
24-105
100-400
35 F2
Couple of filters
Benro Travel Angel
Netbook

The Netbook stays in the hotel when out and about.

I've managed the weight ok, but wouldn't want to carry anymore weight.
 
For me you have a rather weird selection of lenses given the camera body you have... Are you planning on moving FX in the near future? I would have though the 14-24mm is not that useful on crop as it is not all that wide. The 12-24 Nikkor would have been great and probably only a fraction of the price/weight. Same goes for your 24-70 compared to the 17-55 Nikkor or 17-50 Tamron.

In any case if it is a trip for photography take as much of what you have as you can. Definitely cover your 14-70 with the two lenses really. If it is not I'd hate to try and enjoy holidays with 3-4 kilos /£3k worth of equipment hanging around my neck.

I'd get a m4/3 (GX1 + 20mm + 14-42X) but if that is not an option I'd try to make due with the 24-70.
 
vrapan said:
For me you have a rather weird selection of lenses given the camera body you have... Are you planning on moving FX in the near future? I would have though the 14-24mm is not that useful on crop as it is not all that wide. The 12-24 Nikkor would have been great and probably only a fraction of the price/weight. Same goes for your 24-70 compared to the 17-55 Nikkor or 17-50 Tamron.

In any case if it is a trip for photography take as much of what you have as you can. Definitely cover your 14-70 with the two lenses really. If it is not I'd hate to try and enjoy holidays with 3-4 kilos /£3k worth of equipment hanging around my neck.

I'd get a m4/3 (GX1 + 20mm + 14-42X) but if that is not an option I'd try to make due with the 24-70.
Click to expand...
I bought the D300s waiting for D800 to come out, but its unlikely that I will be able to get it before I travel. :bonk: I intend to sell my D300s and 70-200mm for the D800.

My next trip would be with D800 + 14-24mm + 24-70mm which will make more sense, also the reason why I'm reluctant to buy a new DX lens at this point.
 
Either go all digital or go all film (with a digital PnS if you like). You'll end up using one over the other for the entire trip, so cut out any unnecessary weight. If I were you I'd take just the 24-70, if you need something wider just stitch a pano, plus 70mm is long enough for most general travel stuff. I've gone on trips for a week or two across Europe with just a 35mm lens (on DX), and I never felt limited by it. Of course it all depends on what you like to shoot though!
 
I think it all comes down to what you want to do, and how important photography is, in the context of the trip. If you're planning 'serious' photography, and don't mind carrying the gear, take whatever you think you'll need. You can always park some of it in the hotel - assuming you're comfortable with the security - if you want to.

Personally, I just carry a compact for travel and used a TZ9 on our last trip to Rome. I'd have preferred an S90/S95 but my wife wanted the Panasonic. I was quite satisfied with the results, given the camera's limitations, and never missed my DSLR. Others will have different priorities.
 
Travelling alone - whatever gear you want to play with

Travelling as a couple/family - whatever you think you will be able to use quickly and without getting "the look" that says "can't you leave that behind just for once, what's more important to you, me/us or that bloody camera" from either your partner or children. I recommend either a good compact (preferred) or DSLR and one fast prime in the 28-35mm range (crop sensor).
 
I've just got back from travelling around Costa Rica, I took:
Body
Wide zoom
Fast prime
Lightweight tele zoom (ditched my 70-200f2.8)
GorillaPod SLR
CPL filters

I hardly used the GorillaPod (bought for this trip) and missed having a tripod. Lens wise I felt I had everything covered. If I had my tripod I would have wanted my set of filters.
 
I used only a tamron 17-50mm for a 2 week trip at morocco. Regret not bringing a tripod though, if not I would have some nice star shots at the sahara desert.

Equipment wise i think 14-24 and your 24-70 lens with your tripod plus your filters would be sufficient enough.

Prefer to travel light :)
 
Just invested in a Luimix GX1 M43 camera as a travel setup - so far I'm very impressed. If I'm going specifically to photograph, I'll take nearly everything, but on a holiday or business trip, light and inconspicuous but still with good quality is what I'm after.
 
Last summer I did an extended holiday in spain and then to Lebanon and back to England. It was just a holiday but I happened to like photography and my gear was

Canon 60d
Sigma 17-50
Tamron 70-300 vc
Canon 60mm

Lowepro 400 flip side
2x16 gb sd cards
Spare battery
Battery grip
Canon 580ex Ii
Cleaning kit
Charger
All necessary cables and adapters
Loads of aaa batteries
Compass
Torch
Notepad
Manuals

Yep all in the lowe pro bag. It did not feel heavy on my back but then I am slightly over 6 foot with a bud to go with it -:).

Even then I found out that I needed an extra short reach. Something like canon 10-20 and I would have been complete. I took loads of photo in different situations and setup and I needed all the lenses. They were all used. The bag was fantastic glad I bought it.

Hth
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top