RIGHT GEAR
Pack right and travel light with our space-saving recommendations for a comfortable photo adventure
YOU MAY find space is at a premium when packing, and some compromises will have to be made. If there’s a genre of photography you’re particularly interested in, such as landscapes, portraits or aerial, it’s a good idea to base your kit choices around this. A wide-angle prime could be squeezed in for astro landscapes or swapped out for a telephoto lens for wildlife. If in doubt, an optic such as a 24-70mm f/2.8 is a great jack-of-all-trades lens that is suitable for the majority of situations you’ll come across. You must aim to travel light, so bring a universal wall plug power adapter and load up your smartphone with useful photo apps such as PhotoPills – the good thing is that these useful tools don’t add to your bags you’ll be lugging.
Travel tripod
From £100/$115
KEEPING weight and bulk down is the key to travelling comfortably. Travel tripods are small and compact and carbon fibre models help keep the weight low and usually have respectable specs, too. For example, the Vanguard Vesta TB 235AB (above) can extend to a maximum height of 143cm and can support up to 4.5kg of kit, yet it packs down to just 37.5cm when not in use.
Smaller camera
From £569/$729
IMAGES from a Canon EOS DSLR or mirrorless camera are better than those from a smartphone. For better image quality, creative controls and lenses, a mirrorless camera is ideal for travel photography as they’re often smaller and light. Budget Canon DSLRs, such as the EOS 2000D, start at £439 with a kit lens, while the most affordable mirrorless is the EOS R100 which costs £569 with kit lens.
Backpack
From £119/$145
IF YOU are backpacking, you will need a bag that holds all your day-to-day items, such as clothing, travel guides and a laptop, as well as your camera kit. However, if you’re travelling in a vehicle, you’ll have extra space for an additional, dedicated camera backpack. Lowepro’s Photo Active BP 200 AW is a good budget option, otherwise consider a bag such as the larger Powder BP 500 AW.
Travel lens
From £400/$550
YOU WILL probably only have room to pack two to three lenses, plus any more will add unwanted weight. Choose
