In a recent post about photo gear, we talked about what type of camera you should bring on a backpacking trip abroad. But a camera is only half a story when it comes to quality photography – you also need a lens, or ideally, several of those. Therefore, when choosing a photo system to purchase, make sure you take into account not just the qualities of the camera body, but also the kind of lens you will buy with it, and also the range of lenses available for the given system.
All-Around Zoom
Whatever camera brand you choose for your travel photography, you would need a solid all-around zoom. I already mentioned that most “kit” zoom lenses, i.e. the lenses that come with the amateur DSLR or mirrorless body as a package, aren’t usually that great. There are exceptions to that, of course, such as some quite good Olympus or Fuji kit zooms, but as a rule, you should really look at the higher-end lenses to maximize your camera’s potential. Don’t go crazy on the range; anything in the 24-100mm range on the 35-mm film equivalent is good enough. Anything longer or wider, and you are starting to compromise the quality. I rarely need anything longer than 100 mm; in fact, my go-to lens is the simple yet reliable Sony Zeiss 24-70/4 zoom. It’s sturdy, pro quality, lightweight and for most of the daytime photography, you really don’t need an aperture wider than 4. Should you prefer a brighter zoom for more nighttime capacity, you can get a zoom with a 2.8 aperture, such as Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM lens, but be aware that those are going to be significantly heavier not to mention much more expensive. Any lens that goes beyond f4 has to utilize a lot more precision glass, which is why even fixed focal lenses of 1.4, 1.2 or wider f-stops are normally quite heavy.
If you anticipate a lot of wildlife shooting, then you can bring a dedicated telephoto lens, but otherwise, don’t bother as those are the bulkiest of all optics. Similarly, on a wide angle front, you can get lenses as wide as 16mm, and they can be fun to play with, but don’t overdo on the angle, as distortions and optical aberrations would be a pain in the ass to correct later. 24mm should be as wide as you’ll need to go with 90% of the time. But we will talk more about wide-angle photography in one of the future posts.
Fix Focal Lens
One lens I do recommend bringing in addition to your zoom is a medium-range bright fix focal. That lens should be compact and allow for shooting in dark conditions, when your zoom’s aperture simply won’t be enough. That could be anything between 28 and 50 mm lens with the f-stop of at least 2.8. The focal distance depends on your preferences – if you gravitate toward wider angle street shoots as I do, then choose a 28 to 35 mm lens. On my travels, I personally switch between Carl Zeiss 28/2.8, Voigtlander 35/1.4 and Minolta 40/2 that I have with me – all very compact and capable fix focal lenses. The latter one is my personal favourite, although it has been long discontinued and you would have to rummage the second–hand online boards to find one.
Camera Bag
Ideally, your whole system (camera plus lenses plus other accessories) should fit in either a small shoulder bag, your daypack (together with whatever else you pack there) or even a bigger fannypack if it’s a small mirrorless camera. I used to use this Domke bag when I traveled with a rather compact and very decent Pentax K-5 system. It was extremely discreet and durable but had one problem: Velcro. Last thing you want when you try to discreetly get your camera out of a bag is that screeching Velcro sound.
You also don’t want fasteners of any kind on your camera bag – they are too tricky to open sometimes, and easy to forget to close. Neither do you want a magnetic fastener, especially if you, like me, wear a mechanical watch that can be ruined by exposure to magnets, and besides, magnets can be easily opened by thieves. Thus, for camera bags, I am a staunch supporter of heavy duty zipper, much like in my backpacks. I personally use an old Uniqlo soft shoulder bag which, alas, has been discontinued and I cannot find anything closer to it. But really, any small-to-medium messenger bag is okay.
So remember: not only anything bulkier than a small camera shoulder bag would impede your mobility, but it might also make you a target of possible unwanted attention in the streets. For additional discretion, I like to tape the brand logos on my camera and lens covers with black duct tape. After all, none of the camera manufacturers are likely paying you for promoting their equipment, so why should you flaunt their brand names? You don’t want to flash your expensive camera in the streets – be stealthy about it.
Tripod, etc.
Another useful thing to have would be a tripod. I’m not talking about a big one; unless your camera is a heavy, pro-grade DSLR, and you shoot things like wildlife or landscapes professionally, a compact mini-tripod that easily fits into your daypack should suffice. I rarely use a tripod myself – I feel it restricts your mobility when looking for vantage points, but there are situations when you simply can’t do without, like shooting waterfalls, or anything with a long exposure, so I bring this very compact and versatile Joby tripod with me.
Speaking of long exposure, if you ever want to shoot anything with a slo-mo effect at day time, you would also need an ND filter, preferably with variable density such as this one. A lot of photographers use a UV filter to protect their lenses. I personally don’t – why put a cheap piece of glass between your expensive lens and your subject? In 15 years of travelling, only once there was a situation where I managed to slightly scratch the surface of my lens, and it was only because I forgot to put cover on it while climbing a brick wall in Myanmar.
So that’s pretty much it with regards to the basics. Once you start with travel photography, you will quickly learn what you like and what you need. There are plenty of more detailed resources on the web once you start having specific questions. I would be happy to answer any questions via email or comments.