The Ultimate Travel Photography Gear Guide: What’s in My Camera Bag
Take a look inside what’s in my camera bag: I’m sharing the ultimate travel photography gear guide as a professional travel photographer of 10+ years!
As a full-time professional travel photographer and travel content creator of 10+ years, I often get asked about what’s in my camera bag (and how heavy it is – don’t ask haha!). I’ve created photographs for some of the top brands and tourism boards, and at various points in my career I’ve shot on every major camera brand from Canon to Nikon to Sony (currently, I shoot with Sony).
While I don’t always pack every single item on this list as it varies depending on the exact trip and shooting scenarios, I’m sharing my travel photography gear guide to help you get a sense for what travel photography gear is best.
In this guide, I’m sharing the top (and my personal favorite) Sony lenses and bodies, drones, action cameras, tripods, and more. I’ve also included some important camera accessories and other necessary pieces of equipment like hard drives, lens cloths, and more.
One important thing to remember though is that taking epic photographs is about more than just gear; composition, lighting, weather, skillset, and more all factor in. Beginner travel photographers often get sucked into “G.A.S”, or Gear Acquisition Syndrome, where they keep buying the latest and greatest, hoping it will improve their photography. The simple truth is that NOTHING can replace PRACTICE and ongoing learning in growing your skillset as a photographer – check out all my photography guides here to get more tips and tricks.
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The Ultimate Travel Photography Gear Guide: What’s in My Camera Bag
The Best Travel Photography Camera Bodies for Sony
Sony a7R v
I shot for years on a Sony a7R iii & recently upgraded to the Sony a7R v. This full-frame, mirrorless camera is hands-down one of the TOP cameras on the market. The Sony camera lines can get confusing, but the “R” here stands for resolution, and with its 62.5 Megapixel sensor you can take top-quality images and print HUGE photos without any blurriness. The dynamic range on this camera is incredible too; capturing an insane amount of detail.
Sony a7 iv
If you are a bit more pressed on your budget, the Sony a7 iv is a full-frame, 34.1 Megapixel camera that has great quality but is more affordable than the Sony a7R v. Some photographers even prefer this model! Either way, you can’t go wrong with either of these cameras; Sony sensors are the best in the market!.
The Best Travel Photography Lenses for Sony
Sony 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM
The 16-35 mm, 24-70 mm, & 70-200 mm lenses are called the “Holy Trinity” of lenses in landscape photography, as their range allows you to capture pretty much any subject well. The Sony 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM is perfect for wide-angle shots, like waterfalls or architecture on your travels, and the G-master Sony lenses are INCREDIBLY fast. This lens is also ideal for astrophotography or capturing the Northern Lights!
Sony 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM
If I could only ever shoot with one lens for travel, it would be the Sony 24-70 mm f/2.8 GM. The G-master lenses are well worth the price for the incredible quality. The 24-70 mm is the perfect mid-zoom; wide-enough for most shots and with enough zoom to capture many subjects. It’s also beautiful for self-portraits!
Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS
The Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 GM OSS is the final of the 3 “essential” zoom lenses; this is fantastic for birds, wildlife, and other fast-moving subjects. As with the 16-35 mm f/2.8 and 24-70 mm f/2.8, this lens is both lightning-fast and has incredible low-light capabilities, which will allow you to shoot high-quality images without much grain.
Sony 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
If you are very into bird and/or wildlife photography on your travels, you might want to consider a bit more of a zoom – I took the Sony 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS on safari in Africa and it was the PERFECT blend of not-too-heavy and yet top-quality. The extra zoom definitely made a huge difference; and I mostly prefer it to the 70-200 mm!
Sony 35 mm f/1.4 GM
While I don’t use prime lenses as often during my travels, the Sony 35 mm f/1.4 GM is pretty much a DREAM lens for portraits and street photography. The bokeh on f/1.4 is just stunning, and 35mm is very close to how our eyes see.
Sony 50 mm f/1.4 GM
The Sony 50 mm f/1.4 GM is another great prime lens. I use this one when I want a bit more zoom and a touch of compression. It is also fantastic for portraits and is a great all-around-lens; not very heavy for travel and is much smaller than a lot of the zoom lenses.
The Best Travel Photography Tripods
Benro Bat Travel Tripod
The Benro Bat Travel Tripod is one of my favorite tripods for travel; it’s extremely stable and yet light enough to take on my travels and on hikes without compromising quality. I’m quite tall so it’s nice that it also both reaches a comfortable height and also stores down to easily fit on the side of my bag as well.
Peak Design Travel Tripod
The Peak Design Travel Tripod is a photographer-favorite for its sleek design; nothing protrudes and its space is used very efficiently. It’s both stable enough for pro-quality cameras and lenses but light enough for travel. There’s also a built-in, stowable phone mount!
The Best Drones for Travel Photography
DJI Mini 4 Pro + DJI RC 2 Controller
I currently travel with the DJI Mini 4 Pro with the RC 2 Controller; it’s incredibly small but takes professional-level photos & videos and is light enough you won’t have to register it in most countries you’d take it to. The RC 2 controller is ESSENTIAL too – don’t waste your precious phone battery flying your drone, & the screen is visible even in full-sun; unlike your phone.
DJI Mavic 3 Pro + DJI RC Controller
If you want a professional-level drone that can withstand wind better than the Mini, has the TOP-quality photo and video capabilities, and you have more space in your bag for a larger drone, you can’t go wrong with the DJI Mavic 3 Pro; and definitely get it with the RC controller! The Mavic was my original drone and its quality cannot be beat.
The Best Action Cameras for Travel Photography
GoPro Hero13 Black
Having an action camera on-hand is great for adventure activities like hiking, biking, scuba diving, and more. The GoPro Hero13 Black is waterproof and CRAZY durable. It’s perfect for adventure travelers or anyone who wants a small yet mighty wide-angle camera to capture content on the go.
Insta 360 x4
I don’t know how I traveled without an 360 camera; it is truly SO helpful for getting content as a solo traveler! I purchased the Insta360 x4 and the quality is INSANE – I also love its timelapse feature for getting BTS footage. Make sure you buy an Insta360-branded tripod (I like this one as it becomes a tripod) so it has the “invisible” effect in your videos.
The Best Travel Photography Gear Accessories
Sony 256GB TOUGH Memory Card
For a memory card, you’ll want to buy a top-quality, FAST memory card with tons of space. There’s nothing worse than getting that “processing, wait” message because the memory card processes faster than you’re taking pictures! My go-to is the this Sony 256GB TOUGH Memory Card for both speed and durability.
Pelican Memory Card Case
My favorite memory card case is this one from Pelican; as it fits both SD and microSD cards. It’s also tough and durable; protecting your priceless SD cards from damage and making it easy to find where they are stored in your bag. Tip: I like to turn an SD card upside down in this case to remind myself I’ve already used it once on that trip.
UV Filter
A UV filter is a clear glass filter that is great for protecting the front glass element of your lens. You will never catch me without some kind of filter on my lens as protection – it can even in some cases protect the lens from a drop (but get your lens checked out regardless). My top tip is to buy a HIGH quality filter – because you don’t want to spend thousands on a top lens and then reduce your image quality from a single bad piece of glass!
Circular Polarizer
A circular polarizer is a filter that helps reduce glare off water and windows, and helps to intensify colors such as deepening blue skies. All you have to do is rotate the ring around the filter to control the effect. When you are buying this filter, just make sure its size (e.g. 85mm) MATCHES the size of your lens.
Peak Design Slide Lite Camera Strap
The Peak Design Slide Lite Camera Strap is the one I use and TRUST on my Sony; it’s extremely high-quality and durable, but a bit less bulky than their other camera strap. The clips on the side make it easy to take the strap on and off – in case you want to swap out a wrist strap or not have the strap at all.
Lens Cloth
I’m always buying lens cloths; they’re great for cleaning your lens off – from dust, water, fingerprints, and more. I’d highly recommend a high-quality microfiber cloth – you really can tell the difference in its cleaning ability. I usually buy a multi-pack too as I inevitably lose one or two on my trip (and find them later in some random pocket haha).
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Lens Cleaning Solution
Cleaning your gear is important in both maintaining it’s integrity and for taking images free of dust spots, smears, and more. Just make sure you buy a proper lens cleaning solution; it’s okay if it’s the same one used for glasses too, you just don’t want to clean your lens glass with just any cleaning solution though.
Rocket Blower
No one likes dust spots in their images, which makes a rocket blower essential! This is great for blowing dust off your lens and CAREFULLY off your image sensor as well. I’ve also used a rocket blower when it is raining to blow water off the lens instead of just wiping it around with an already soaked lens cloth.
Rode Wireless GO II Microphone
As both a photographer and content creator having a high-quality microphone is a must for professional-level sound in my videos. I am currently using the Rode Wireless GO II Microphone; it is small but mighty and has absolutely incredible sound quality. You can use this microphone for both your phone and your DSLR or mirrorless camera as well.
F-Stop Accessory Pouch
For storing all these accessories, I’ve got an F-Stop Accessory Pouch; it’ll fit everything from filters to spare camera batteries and more. Some camera backpacks don’t have a ton of smaller pockets, so this is essential to keeping everything organized, protected, and in one place.
SanDisk 1TB SSD Hard Drive
For my travels, I love using an SSD hard drive as it’s more durable and has no spinning disks internally like a traditional hard drive does. They’re a bit more expensive, but worth it for any travel storage on the go; my favorite is the SanDisk 1TB SSD Hard Drive.
Seagate 4TB External Hard Drive
As a photographer who has THOUSANDS of photos and videos, all huge file sizes, having an external hard drive is a MUST for storage at home. I use the Seagate 4TB external hard drive and my TOP tip is actually to always buy two at a time; one as your main as one as a backup, in case anything happens to the original!
The Best Travel Photography Gear Bags
F-Stop Kashmir 30L Backpack
The F-Stop Kashmir 30L Backpack is ultra-light yet made of durable, water-resistant material along with high-quality zippers. You will need an internal camera unit (ICU) too; I like the F-Stop Shallow Medium ICU, as it fits 1 camera body and 2-3 lenses, along with some space to spare, depending on how you pack it. With this size ICU you’ll have room to store an accessory pouch, hiking layers, & more in the top of the backpack.
Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack
The Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack is a rugged backpack that works both as a travel bag and as a camera bag when you add an ICU; for a similar size to what I use, try the Peak Design Medium Camera Cube. This backpack has high-quality, weatherproof zippers and the bag itself is made of weatherproof material. Peak Design offers a lifetime-guarantee as well!
Shimoda Explore 30 Backpack
The Shimoda Explore was designed for travel and landscape photographers – this Shimoda Explore 30 backpack also already comes with a medium mirrorless core unit and is water-resistant as well. Its size meets most global carry-on regulations, and the backpack has multiple access options.
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Do you have any questions about what’s in my camera bag? Comment below if you want to learn more about my travel photography gear! And make sure to read my full set of photography guides HERE!
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Hey I’m Rebecca!
I’m a travel & outdoors photographer, blogger, and content greator living in the US but you can find me adventuring around the globe! On this blog I share tips to help you improve your photography, inspiration and advice to explore the outdoors, destination guides, travel tips, and more to plan your own adventures!
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