Camera gear is essential when traveling. Those of us who love spectacular photo images, especially those we have worked to capture ourselves, know the value and advantages of good equipment. We also know the importance of a good plan before embarking on any trip. A crucial part of this planning stage is to ensure that all necessary, and possibly needed, equipment is packed in your camera bag ready to go.
Use our camera packup checklist for travel photography to make sure you pack all the equipment you’ll need before embarking on any adventure.
The flash that comes with your DSLR camera is really weak. If you are shooting lot of pictures indoors (for example, taking pictures of kids indoor) in low light environment, you definitely need to get an external flash that can be mounted on top of your DSLR camera. This will make a huge difference in the quality of the pictures that you take in low light conditions.
A high quality DSLR camera bag is essential to protect your camera. Personally I prefer one bag that I can use to carry both my laptop and camera. I recommend that you consider using a backpack style camera bag (or) messenger style camera bag. The bags mentioned here are very low profile, extremely comfortable. These won’t look like a camera bag, which is a huge advantage.
The type of SD card you use makes a huge difference in terms of your Camera’s performance. Especially when you are shooting in burst mode. SanDisk is hands-down the best SD card brand out there in terms of reliability and performance. Don’t take risk with other brands. The last thing you want is a SD card to fail you.
Apart from reducing UV rays, this filter is a small investment that will protect your expensive lens from accidental bumps and breaks. These will protect your lens from dust, dirt and scratches. This is a must have for all your lenses.
When you are shooting outdoors during day time, you definitely need a lens hood. This will help you to avoid the stray light, lens flaring and ghosting. This will avoid the small circle of light in your picture when there a strong light source is present outside of your frame. Sometimes a lens hood can also help you to prevent lens scratches and dings.
When you are on a long trip, you definitely need to have couple of spare batteries in your bag. Get a spare battery and put it in your camera bag now itself as you’ll never know when you’ll need one.
This can act as both a vertical camera grip, and additional battery holder to double to DSLR’s battery capacity. Some of them even take extra AA batteries.
You definitely need a wireless remote control for your camera when you want to take a group picture. It is also helpful when you don’t want vibration, and have the camera mounted on a tripod. With a wireless remote control, you can press the shutter release remotely whenever you are ready.
If you have a 18-55 lens, it is good enough, but you can’t zoom-in enough to take telephoto pictures. If you have a 55-200, you can’t use it indoors, as it is not wide enough. The best solution is to carry only one lens with you on the camera, which can cover both wide angle and telephoto. This way you don’t have to carry multiple lens, and don’t have to worry about switching between different lens.
Your lens can easily attract dirt, and you should clean it frequently. These accessories can help you to keep your Camera and lens clean.
It’s not a good idea to get your camera wet, even when it’s weather sealed. Taking protection for your camera, and for your camera bag is a good idea. Most camera bags will come with some form of wet weather protection.
There could well come a time when this becomes an essential piece of equipment. Those creating footage as opposed to still photos will probably say it already is. The ability to take photos from any angle, and get overhead photos will really boost your portfolio.
Having a plug you can use anywhere in the world is a great thing to have, especially if your trip takes you to multiple countries. These days getting a plug that allows you to charge through USB sockets as well as the main plug is a great idea.