What’s in My Camera Bag?
I bought my first DSLR camera 6 years ago and have since upgraded the camera twice, and have gradually purchased more travel photography equipment. Don’t feel like you have to purchase a lot of items when you’re just starting out. Just upgrade when you need to.
It’s fine if you start out with more basic camera equipment. My first DSLR camera was a Nikon D90 and I absolutely loved it. You can still create amazing content with a cheaper camera, and upgrade when you feel like you need to – e.g., if you want to improve the quality of your photos. Same with lenses – the kit lens initially was completely sufficient for me, but as I started getting more into photography, I realised exactly what was missing in the lens and started buying new lenses and other camera equipment that is suitable for frequent travelers to improve my travel photos.
Camera
Let’s start with the camera, shall we?
As I mentioned in the introduction, my first camera was a Nikon D90 that I had for a few years before moving on to a Nikon D7000. I then had the Nikon D7000 for a few years until it was time to get a full frame camera. I now own a Nikon D750, and I love it.
Nikon D750 is an excellent 24.3MP full-frame camera. Some of my favourite features include the Wi-Fi, which is perfect for taking photos of yourself and quickly uploading photos onto your phone, and the tilting screen.
I captured the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall in Iceland using my Nikon D750.
Lenses
Lenses make a huge difference when it comes to travel photography or any other type of photography that you may enjoy. I used the kit lens – 18-105mm lens – that came with the Nikon D90 for years before getting the 50mm f/1.8 as my second lens. The 50mm f/1.8 lens is perfect for portraits as well as close-up shots of items like these ones I had in my hotel room in Eilat.
Some delicious fruit at the Dan Eilat Hotel in Israel shot using 50mm f/1.8 lens.
I eventually felt the need for a lens that would allow me to zoom in on distant objects, and animals in particular, so that’s when I got the 70-300mm lens.
My current bucket list for lenses includes a wide angle lens and a good zoom lens. A Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens or another wide angle lens will be the next one that I get. And, hopefully, a 70-200mm lens or a similar one. So if you fancy buying me an expensive gift, there’s your ideas. No? Well, it was worth a shot.
Filters
ND filters are the filters used for long exposure photos. They are dark filters that can be attached to the lens that allow you to take longer shots. The ones that I currently use are Cokin ND filters.
I took this long exposure photo in Howth, Ireland, using Cokin ND filters.
Remote
As I mentioned in my post about taking photos of yourself, I love using remotes for that exact reason. If I travel on my own, using a tripod and a remote is all you need for taking beautiful self-portraits. I own this remote, which is perfect for beginners and this one which has more settings, including bulb mode with a timer which is perfect for long exposure photos.
Tripod
Tripods are essential for long exposure photos and when taking photos of yourself. I currently own a tripod similar to this Velbon one, and I currently don’t feel the need to upgrade.
Long exposure photo of the National Library in Riga, Latvia.
Camera bag
I have several bags that are essential for carrying all my travel photography equipment. The one that I use most frequently is my Gandys backpack. While it’s not technically a camera bag, it fits all my equipment nicely. My actual camera bag is from Lowepro and has a separate compartment for the camera, lenses and filters.
Using my Gandys backpack in Kaliningrad, Russia.
Other accessories
Cleaning kit – keep your camera equipment clean with a cleaning set.
SD cards – I currently have 2 SD cards – Sandisk 128GB.
Spare batteries – It’s always smart to take a spare battery with you. There have been too many times I have forgotten to charge my battery and then had to limit the amout of photos I could take. Silly me.
Photographing the amazing landscapes in Iceland.
And that’s it! OK, let’s face it, it took me years to actually purchase all this equipment, and there are still a million more items that I would love to own – more lenses, new ND filters, so that I can take even longer shots, camera stabilizers etc, but, hey, maybe in a few years I will be able to do an update post and have even more amazing equipment for travel photography.
What do you take your travel photos with? I’m always curious to learn what equipment other people use!
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5 Comments
Audrey
I am currently in the hunt for a good camera bag, I have the Lo & Son Claremont, which is the swankiest camera bag out there, but also the smallest, constantly torn between weight, space, plane restrictions and so forth, I find it’s not easy to find the perfect camera bag (first world problem)
Elīna Kalniņa
Ha, true! I find that if I travel with an actual camera bag, I can’t fit much else in it (clothes, etc), so I’ve started using the Gandys bag as my camera and everything else bag. But I’d love to have a smaller bag like the Lo & Son Claremont one for when I’m just popping out for a few quick photos. We just can’t have it all haha
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