Traveling Photographer Equipment

What's the best equipment for a Traveling Photographer? You can imagine my own list of travel camera gear is long.  Fortunately, the list of what you really will need is quite short. Jump down to my favorite gear here.

The only two pieces of equipment you really need for travel photography are a quality compact camera, capable of high image quality,  and a wide angle to telephoto zooming lens. If you are traveling for an extended time, you may also need a spare battery and a 2nd memory card for your camera.

My clients often inquire about the camera equipment I use. My answer is different for shooting local portraits compared to the gear I take for photography when I travel. This post will help you figure out what to consider for your own travel photography

My list of past and present camera bodies, and lenses, and accessories is long. Cameras in particular become "outdated" so fast. I reluctantly force myself into buying new camera equipment all the time. ...NOT!

I have more camera gear than I need but I enjoy experimenting with photography gadgets, even when I am not shooting professionally.

Traveling Photographer Equipment History

The four cameras shown below were all my firsts in my photographic life. There were several other film cameras I used too, but I got the most use out of these 4 cameras, early on. This is long before digital cameras were even an idea in the mind of a scientist. Only the two SLRs pictured in the middle would be acceptable as travel cameras.

Nowadays, you have  far superior technology available in a large variety of sizes to quench your thirst for the type of camera you want to get.

Most of the cameras I used listed below would not be considered as travel cameras, but remember the best camera you can take with you as you travel is the one you have with you.

I think just about everybody remembers their first car and their first kiss. Photographers always remember their first camera. I can still hear as a kid the kerplunk sound of the mechanical shutter on my 35mm Topcon and I can still smell the odor of the chemicals in my basement darkroom.

My Current List Of Favorite Camera Gear

1. Up until I retired I still used a Canon 5D Mark III for almost all of my location portrait sessions. I know it like the back of my hand and, despite its age, still gives my the image quality I need.  
2. I use my Canon R6 Mark II is the 3rd mirrorless camera I've used and by far, the best. Amazing technology! It's for   shooting landscape and travel photography when  I want to go a little smaller and lighter.  I use the R6 Mark II as my travel camera and is my current back-up for paid portrait jobs. It's my third  mirrorless camera and my favorite.
3. My G1X Mark II, is great for travel and personal social events. It fits in a pocket  or in a small waist-level camera bag and has a big 1 inch sensor
4. The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 is my go to lens now. It's the most versatile lens I have. It replaces the smaller , lighter, and cheaper, RF 24-105 f/4-f/7.1 kit lens. 

I had been shooting a lot with MILCs. That's Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras, like the Canon EOS R and R7.

As a camera geek, I've owned a lot of Canon DSLR Accessories. I've got 8 terrific tripods,  7 leaping lenses, 6 fantastic filters, 5 bags and cases, 4 flash guns, 3 DSLRs, 2 perfect powerpacks, and 1 Traveling Photographer minivan. 

My Newest Lens Purchases

Unlikely that I'd use it very often for portraits, I had purchased a 150-600mm zoom lens from Tamron. Reluctantly, I sold my Canon 400mm f/5.6 prime lens for the 4x zoom versatility of the Tamron.

I wasn't thrilled with its sharpness and I sold it and purchase a Canon EF 100-400mm II and it's great for bird , wildlife, and sports photography.

There might be a few instances where I'll only be able to shoot a portrait from a great distance, but for now it's most likely going to be used for wildlife and bird photography.

I've also added 4 RF lenses: an RF 100mm f/2.8 macro, an RF-S 18-150mm, and an RF 24-104mm f/4-7.1 kit lens and my now go-to lens, the RF 24-105 f/4.0 L IS USM.

Recommended Equipment For Travel Photography

Canon R6 M2 Camera	Full Frame	Smaller than "Pro" camera bodies, but same image quality and advanced technology
Canon R100 Camera	APS-C Crop	Even smaller than mirrorless digital camera bodies and a solid choice for those on a budget
Canon 24-105mm Lens	Full Frame	A solid all-purpose lens, covering wide angle and medium telephoto, and good for travel photography. For full-frame sensor digital SLR cameras
Canon RF-S 18-150mm Lens	APS-C Crop	A solid all-purpose lens, covering wide angle and medium telephoto, and great for travel photography. For crop sensor digital mirrorless cameras

How I Choose My Travel Photography Gear

I have a confession. I sometimes suffer from a relatively common disease that infects many pro photographers like me. It's  known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or humorously referred to as G.A.S.

Sometimes it's spurred on by the frequent release of updated versions of cameras, lenses, and other newly marketed gizmos, thingamajigs, and related accessories to use in pursuit of creating breathtaking photographs and having tons of fun doing it. 

It's the buying of more camera equipment than I can possibly use at once. Technically speaking G.A.S. is impulsive purchases. My version of G.A.S. is less spontaneous, but rather more heavily researched and analyzed. 

Where I Buy My Photography GEar

My wife and I are Amazon junkies, so much of my camera equipment is purchased there. Sometimes there are specialty items that are only available at dedicated camera retailers like BHPhotoVideo or Adorama. More than any other source, the reviews on Amazon are the most useful. Read the positives and negatives, but above all, look for the longest most detailed reviews. They are the most valuable. 

As an Amazon affiliate The Traveling Photographer receives a small commission from qualifying purchases, at NO added cost to you.

Camera + Lens Reviews and Prices on Amazon

I hope you found this post on recommended camera gear helpful.   It's such a great time to have an interest in photography!

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Pick a Favorite Travel Photography Pin

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