Less gear, more adventure!

A little more than a month ago I started on a trip of a life time. A trip around the world. Visiting Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Los Angeles, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and then back home, the Netherlands.

I had a hard time deciding what to bring on this trip so I figured that I needed to bring as little as possible while still being able to get all the shots.

Guess what? I have brought way too much!

Not only do you want to make high quality shots, travelling with a backpack on your back and a daypack on the front also means you want to keep the weight down. So here are my tips for all you travelling photographers out there!

The A6300:

The main reason I chose to take this camera over my A7RII is size and weight. This little monster creates stunning images, the dynamic range is excellent, the resolution is more than enough and the razor fast focus is just great for those quick moments that happen in life.

The E PZ 16-50mm kitlens:

This is quite surprisingly the lens I use the most. 90% of the photos I take can be made with this lens. It's not the sharpest of all lenses but definitely sharp enough. The lens is really tiny, light, versatile and it has beautiful sunstars as a bonus!

A tele-lens:

I use the FE 70-200mm F4, but the E 55-210mm would do just fine. Actually, I wish I had the 55-210mm because of the size and weight! The reason to take a tele-lens with you is because it can give a nice compression of the scene. Mountains for example are a great subject for a tele-lens. Or if you want to grab that little bird up in the tree, perfect with your tele-lens.

An ultra wide:

Sometimes the kitlens just doesn't go wide enough. An ultra wide is perfect for the massive mountain lakes or other landscapes. To even get a more dramatic perspective, you could create a panorama to really get everything in the shot. The E 10-18mm F4 is a great lens for this. But there are also a few ultra wide fast primes available.

If you do feel like you have some spare weight you can also bring a fast prime. I use the FE 28mm F2 sometimes if I want to keep my ISO down and get a little shallower depth of field. But almost all the shots I took with this lens could have been made with the kitlens as well.

Another thing I like to use sometimes is a tripod. But because it is a small camera, you don't have to bring that big hefty tripod. I use quite a small carbon fibre tripod that doesn't go high up, but that makes it easier to carry, cuts some weight and I can still create long exposure shots.

Last but not least, circular polarizing filters. They are on my lenses almost all the time. It's a must for travelling because blue water will actually be blue and it just adds more pop to your photos. Luckily, because the lenses are small, the filters are as well so they are not that expensive.

With this set you should be able to create great shots, without having to carry a lot of weight. Ideal for going on that dream trip of yours. Your back will thank you if you bring a lot less!