I am just wondering what gear people carry on their travels.
I've been looking to upgrade my camera for ages now, and am drawn to the new dslr cameras. But for whatever reason, I always end up backing away every time. Sometimes I think that carrying such a big camera would just be a nuisance, sometimes I think they are just not worth the cost.
So my question to Travel blog is... which camera do you carry with you on your travels?
I'm not trying to ask which camera is the best to buy, I just want to know if travelbloggers are willing to sacrifice the oh so limited real estate in their travel bag for a hulk of a camera.
Great website by the way. :D
[Edited: 2011 Jun 07 19:56 - Finally Going Places:127454 ]
[Edited: 2011 Jun 07 19:57 - Finally Going Places:127454 ]
Reply to this Hello Juggy and welcome to the forum!
My standard kit is now a Nikon D300 with the 16-85 lens. I used to carry a 18-200 lens, but the newer 16-85 is far superior it in terms of sharpness and lack of distortion. This accounts for 98% of my photographs.
I usually carry a Tokina 12-24 lens for wider shots and large buildings. I rarely use it, but it is very handy when I do. The only time I will not carry it is when I am certain that there are no large buildings - thus it will stay home when travelling to Norfolk Island in a couple of months.
The other lens I travel with is the Tokina 80-400. It only comes with me if on safari to Africa or attending a sporting event (i.e. Olympics) otherwise it stays at home. Though it is the lightest and smallest lens of this size on the market, it is still a bit of a pain to lug around.
I carry all of this in a medium size Crumpler Bag, which fits everything, including my netbook, filters and soft toy mascots (which are great for providing padding for my gear) except the 80-400 which I need to carry separately.
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In response to: Msg #137941
I think I'm about to be surprised at the replies to this post. Thats quite a bit more equipment than I was worrying about. I might be leaning towards getting one now. haha
Just wondering, do you ever feel unsafe carrying a few hundred dollars worth of equipment?
Reply to this It is actually a few thousand dollar of camera equipment, so that makes it worse!
Many others will say that smaller equipment is better and I can understand that viewpoint, but for me photography is an essential and creative part of my travels - and it has been so since I was a boy and used to go for day trips with my parents.
I am very protective of my camera gear when travelling, perhaps too much so, as it never leaves my side. Though the camera/netbook bag weighs about 5 kg, and it is cumbersome to carry around all day, it feels much safer on me than elsewhere. The only time I leave it behind is in a hotel safe or at a friend's place if staying with them.
I never head out to bars or nightclubs (both in Australia and when travelling) and my restaurant visits are always early evenings, thus I never have to deal with darkened streets at unusual hours.
Having said all this, I don't feel any sense of threat in carrying around my gear, but I am acutely aware of my surrounds at all times.
Reply to this I used to carry a Canon EOS, like a beast of burden, in a heavy bag full of lenses and other paraphenalia. For the past couple of years, however, I've had great results with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6. It has a Leica lens, 12x optical zoom, 10 megapixels, and automatic and manual settings. It cost around £200 - and it fits in my pocket!
I read this somewhere:
It's not about your camera.
It's not about my camera.
It's all about you.
It's all about your ability to see.
It's all about your ability to see new things, and to see old things in new ways.
It's all about your vision.
It's never about your camera.
Food for thought 😱
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