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If you’re looking for the best gear to fill your camera bag with for your next adventure, you’ve come to the right place! Our goal with this blog is to give you some insight into our must-haves for the best travel photography.
As travel content creators, bloggers & Instagrammers, having the right gear to get the best shots while still packing light is very important for us. Everything below is the extent of what we use to create our Instagram, Pinterest & blog content!
Best cameras for travel photography
Fujifilm X-T20
We are obsessed with our Fujifilm X-T20! It’s what we shot 90% of our content with for the first 6 months of our blogging journey and it was our best travel companion. Whether you’re full-time travelers or going on a quick trip, this camera is an incredible option to start with!
Fujifilm X-T20 details
It’s a mirrorless camera (instead of a DSLR) that is super lightweight, durable, easy to learn and, of course, takes incredibly quality photos! It has the capability to shoot great 4K video, too, if you want to take video content.
We use the 18-55mm lens that we bought bundled with the camera and it’s the perfect all-purpose lens.
Another HUGE perk of this camera is that it has Wi-Fi connectivity so you can use the Fujifilm app on your phone as a remote, which was a total game changer for us! Since we shoot a lot of couples shots and don’t travel with a 3rd photographer (other than our tripod), being able to set up the camera, then position ourselves in the frame, set the focus box AND take the shot all from our phone is a total luxury.
>> Check out our Online Photography Course for how we take our photos!
This feature saves us from wasting a ton of memory on timer shots and saves a lot of time from running back and forth to the camera. With the app you can also download your photos to your phone right away if you’re shooting in JPG which is great for quick edits and turnaround!
Honestly we shopped around a lot when deciding which first camera to get, and especially for its price-point there’s just nothing like it.
>> All of the details on the Fujifilm X-T20 camera are here!
Tips:
- We highly recommend buying extra batteries and extra memory cards for your camera
- To protect your camera it’s certainly a good idea to get a case – we have this one and it’s been great!
- Don’t forget to protect your screen with screen protectors
Sony A7R iii
Our Sony A7R iii is the latest addition to our camera bag and we can’t imagine life without it now! In our opinion it’s the best camera on the market for travel photography. We upgraded after 6 months of full-time travel and working on our photography because we started to appreciate (and yearn for!) a nicer camera and lens.
For us, nicer meant better image resolution, higher ISO shooting capability, and an overall upgrade on video. With those criteria, we went on another search of online reviews and asking around until we landed on the Sony A7Riii.
So many of our travel photography friends (professional and hobbyists) raved about the Sony Alpha cameras so we were confident this was the camera for us. For us it’s been a very worthwhile upgrade, but if you want to start with a more budget-friendly camera the Fuji XT-20 is a great place to look.
Sony A7R iii details
Similar to the Fuji XT-20, the Sony A7Riii is a mirrorless camera (instead of a DSLR) and has great 4K video built in. It’s definitely a bit heavier and bulkier on trips, but still lightweight compared to DSLR standards.
We predominately use the G-Master 16-35 mm F2.8 lens and it’s the perfect travel lens, especially when we need that extra bit of wide angle to get the whole building, waterfall, etc in the shot. Even though it can’t zoom very far, since the camera has such great resolution (42 mp) we can always use a crop to zoom in post-production.
We also recently bought the Sony FE 70-200 mm F2.8 zoom lens! This lens is quite big & heavy (and quite an investment) but the results are amazing! We predominately purchased it because we have some trips coming up where we want to shoot wildlife from a distance and want to take portraits with mountains using image compression techniques.
Why did we switch cameras?
We upgraded for two main reasons: image resolution and ISO range. For example, on our Fuji we feel comfortable going up to 400 ISO before the picture starts appearing grainy; on the Sony we feel comfortable going past 4,000 ISO. This gives us more creative control over our shots.
Similar to the Fuji, the Sony A7R iii also has a built in interval-timer where you can take shots every X seconds, which is what we’ve been predominately using. There is an app for remote shooting from your phone on the Sony as well!
Also note, we chose the A7Riii over the A7iii for one main reason: image resolution of 42mp vs. 24mp. The ability to zoom in with crops and blow up the photos really large for clients was appealing to us. Other than this, the cameras are very similar and have trade-offs in both directions. We may have bought the A7iii had the A7riii not had a special discount at the time since the A7iii is a good amount cheaper regularly.
>> All of the details on the Sony A7R iii camera are here!
>> Read: 6 bucket-list experiences you can’t miss in the Komodo Islands!
Tips:
- The battery life of the Sony is great, however we’d always recommend extra batteries!
- Since the image resolution is so high, photos take up more space on the memory card. That said, it’s good to keep extra memory cards on you!
>> Did you know?? We have a Photography Course “Love Hard Photo Often” that teaches you everything from composition and posing, to manual camera settings and how to edit in Lightroom! Check it out!
GoPro Hero 7 Black
Our GoPro Hero 7 Black is our go-to for wide-angle, action and underwater shots, as well as video! Of course true to the GoPro brand, it’s small, super lightweight and easy to take on any adventure. Proving to be the true definition of ‘small but mighty’, every time we shoot with the GoPro we’re impressed with the quality – especially in their latest version.
>> All of the details on the GoPro Hero 7 black are here!
Tips:
- We highly recommend buying extra batteries for the GoPro since the battery life is our one concern with this camera
- Be sure to get the correct memory card for your GoPro and enough memory to hold both photos & videos. We recommend 64GB.
- To protect your GoPro it’s a good idea to get screen protectors
GoPro accessories
In order to get the most out of our GoPro (trust us, it can do A LOT!), we love bringing these accessories along with us.
1) For shots that are half-under and half-above water, this dome is a must! One bonus is that even if you’re not using the dome, you can use the handle as a stick to hold the GoPro. Multi-purpose things are our favorite since space is hard to come by in our luggage!
2) In order to get the most stable video content, we love using a gimbal for our GoPro! It can keep the camera steady even with a lot of movement which makes your video quality a lot better!
iPhone
We use our iPhones for our Instagram stories, most video content and whenever we just need a quick shot. It’s honestly pretty wild how much you can do with just a phone camera these days and there are great mobile editing apps out there too!
>> Make sure to read 23 iPhone Photography Tips & the Best Mobile Editing Apps! Also check out our Custom Presets for the FREE Lightroom Mobile App that will make your photos pop in 1 click!
Best drone for travel photography
While you certainly don’t need a drone to get started in travel photography, it can be a great way to get creative and find unique perspectives of places! Here is our favorite drone to travel with:
DJI Mavic Air 2
After we crashed our Mavic 2 Pro (RIP Delilah the Drone), we bought the DJI Mavic Air 2. This drone has incredible capabilities, takes crisp footage and has a slightly longer battery life, all for half the price of the Mavic 2 Pro. It’s also much smaller so it’s even easier to travel with!
We absolutely love our DJI Mavic Air 2 for capturing aerial shots and video content, as well as allowing us to have a higher angle than a tripod would provide for some shots!
>> All of the details on the Mavic Air 2 are here!
Tips:
- The “Fly more kit” comes with extra batteries, a charging hub, car charger, extra wings, and the perfect size carrying case for the drone, controller and batteries. We really contemplated purchasing this and in the end we are SO happy we did. The extra batteries are an absolute must as each battery only gives you about 30 minutes of flight time.
- PolarPro filters help you get the best quality images and videos from your drone
- Make sure you get the correct memory card
Tips for traveling with a drone:
Since each country has different rules and you don’t want to risk your equipment being confiscated at the airport, be sure to look up drone laws in the countries where you’re traveling. You may also need to apply for a drone license to use it in some places.
Also, make sure to research if you are allowed to fly in certain parts of the country. Certain places like UNESCO sites and key points of architecture tend to be off limits, so it’s always good to verify.
Best camera backpack
PolarPro Backpack
Thank goodness everything listed above (except our GoPro gimbal & dome) fits perfectly inside our PolarPro Backpack, because we couldn’t carry all of this gear without a super organized system!
It has compartments with velcro so you can configure it how you want, a padded place for laptops and a spot to attach a tripod! The backpack also opens up while laying flat which is great to see and access all of your gear. It even has nifty side pockets for anything you need immediately accessible, places for a re-useable water bottle and a sneaky top pocket to securely keep your passport. Seriously, we don’t know how we functioned before this bag.
>> All of the details on the PolarPro Backpack are here!
Best travel photography tripod
Bonfoto tripod
Since we’re a travel couple and don’t travel with a third photographer, one of the questions we’re asked most is “how do you take photos of the two of you??” Well the answer is our handy dandy tripod!
Because this Bonfoto tripod has been our personal photographer through all of our travels, we honestly can’t go anywhere without it!. It’s super easy to fold up and carry, folds out to a great height and feels very sturdy holding our Fujifilm X-T20.
>> All of the details on the Bonfoto tripod are here!
Phone tripod
Before we had our camera and wanted to take non-selfie shots of the two of us on a phone, we used this tripod! It has a great phone attachment, comes with a Bluetooth remote for your phone and folds up super tiny. We would not, however, recommend using this one for your camera.
Gorilla Pod
Our Gorilla Pod is our best friend for shooting videos, but it’s also amazing to bring for photos on hikes, etc.. It packs up so small and can be positioned almost anywhere. We even hang it from our tripod to capture behind the scenes! During the pandemic we’ve used it a TON to film TikTok videos and to Facetime with family.
Travel photography accessories
There are a few accessories besides the ones that are mentioned with each item that we can’t travel without.
- iPhone SD Card Reader – this thing is a LIFE SAVER. You can upload raw files from your SD card straight to your phone, import them into Lightroom & edit right there – no computer required!
- Universal travel adapter – so far this one adapter has worked for us in over 40 countries. This is a must-have in our book since we can’t risk not being able to charge our gear wherever we are. We travel with two of them actually!
- External hard drive – it’s super important to frequently back up your content! Especially if you shoot in raw, your local hard drive will fill up really fast. We tried not traveling with this and just relying on cloud storage but with varying quality of Wi-Fi, the external hard drive is a must for us.
- Waterproof dry bag – whenever we get in a boat or near water and can’t risk our gear getting wet, we put it all in a 15L dry bag!
Travel photography editing
Editing is a crucial part of travel photography! We use our MacBook Pro laptops for all of our blogging and most of our photo editing. Our favorite editing software is Adobe Lightroom which has both a desktop version and a free mobile app you can use to edit on the go!
Lightroom Presets
We actually have our own Custom Presets that work with both Lightroom Mobile & Lightroom Desktop. These are the filters we use for all of our shots on our blog & instagram! It makes our editing sooo easy.
Hundreds of people are already using them and you can see what they have to say in all the 5 star reviews. You can check them all out here!
- Around The World Mobile Preset Pack
- Around The World Mobile Desktop Pack
- Around The World Desktop & Mobile Preset Pack
- Fall Vibes Mobile Preset Pack
So there you have it, the full breakdown of what fills our camera bag. We certainly hope some of these items can help you take your best travel pics and capture the best memories!
>> Ready to take your photography to the next level? Check out our Online Photography Course where we teach you everything you need to know!
More Photography Tips
- 23 Game-changing iPhone Photography Tips
- 16 Mobile Editing Apps that will take your photos & vidos to the next level
(Want to know more? Comment below! And make sure to follow along on Instagram @LoveHardTravelOften)
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