Photography Gear 2017 - 2021 // Gear
As a frequent traveler and petite human who likes minimal fuss, I particularly value three things when choosing gear:
Compact and Lightweight
Easy to use
High quality
The gear's beauty is a bonus.
My husband and I have bought and tested a lot of gear, spending a lot of time refining this gear list. The best part is that it and all fits in one backpack. Our previous gear is listed at the bottom. As of January 2021, this is up-to-date.
Camera Bodies:
We recently switched to Fujifilm cameras, and we couldn't be happier. We love the Fuji's colors straight out of camera, and the lens lineup is unbeatable for APS-C bodies.
This is Fuji's newest and flagship APS-C model. If we're doing a lot of video work or need ultra fast focusing, this is our go-to camera. We really love that it shoots 4k60 10-bit video which lets us slow down the footage and give it the look and feel we want in editing.
For photography, this camera is just as good as the X-T3, and much lighter.
If we don't need to slow down our 4k shots, this is great for filming 4k24. This is also the camera we grab when we go out with friends, just to have a lighter camera that we can take great shots with.
Lenses:
When we travel now, we shoot with this lens 90% of the time. The 16mm (24mm full frame equivalent) is a great travel focal length because it’s wide enough to capture landscapes and scenery, while still being zoomed in enough to emphasize the people in that scene. Many also consider this lens to be Fuji’s best lens, in terms of technical attributes and performance.
This is the classic focal length, perfect for portraits, street and food photography. The f/1.4 gives amazing depth of field, bokeh, and low-light performance. One of my favorite lenses ever.
The perfect all around lens, the 18-55mm allows you to capture a variety of shots. At 18MM you can take nice landscape shots and 55MM still gives you strong portraits, even if the bokeh isn't quite as nice a the 35MM f/1.4.
This lens is also stabilized for video, which is great for handheld videography. If I had to choose only one lens for traveling, this is the lens I'd grab.
Sound:
Shure VP83 LensHopper Microphone
This microphone helps us capture ambient noise, as well as any vlogging we want to do (mostly for our personal use). It's smaller than the Rode Video Mic Pro which most vloggers use and personally I think it sounds better.
Other:
Lightweight and portable, this drone comes with us everywhere. It folds up really small, and shoots HD video at 120 fps, or 4k60. We previously had the DJI Spark, but the Spark doesn't film 4k.
Breakthrough Photography 52mm N2 6-stop ND Filter
We used to use variable ND filters, but variable ND's often discolor footage to the point of ruining your video. These ND's have absolutely zero color distortion and produce amazing results. When it's bright outside, shooting with the ND is the only way to get super cinematic shots with shallow depth of field.
We usually carry 3 SD cards. The X-T3 has 2 slots for cards, and it's always good to have an extra. These are fast and allow us to shoot photos and videos easily.
Like SD cards, we always carry 3 batteries. It's the worst feeling in the world to see the perfect shot and have a dead battery.
This is often how we shoot photos of the two of us together. It's super lightweight, and fits in the side pocket of our Peak Design backpack.
Shaky footage ruins even the best cinematic shots. The Zhiyun Crane V2 is strong enough to balance the gear we shoot with, but still light enough to travel with, and can be purchased for under $500.
We like the 20L because it's not too big, even for me, to carry. It fits all our gear, including an extra water bottle and jacket.
This makes it really easy to add or remove the strap when we are (not) using the gimbal.
Editing:
This computer is super fast and lightweight, and makes editing a breeze.
11-inch iPad Pro (with Apple Pencil and Keyboard)
I love this machine, and use it all the time, to take notes, sketch ideas, and review photos quickly.
This is the main software I use for any kind of photo editing. I usually start with VSCO Presets to do a first pass on my photos, then tweak them to my liking.
This is what we edit all our videos in. It's not the most user friendly, but it's super customizable and a powerful video editor.
Previous Gear (2017-2019):
Sony a5000 and Sony a6500
When we were shooting exclusively Sony, these two bodies were our go-to. The a5000 is extremely lightweight, and the kit lens is great.
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 and Sony 35mm f/1.8
We absolutely loved the Sigma 16mm f/1.4, and it is arguably the best lens ever made for the Sony APS-C lineup. It's super sharp, fast, and produces amazing images. It's only downsides are its weight and that it's not a stabilized lens.
The Sony 35mm is basically the Sony equivalent of our Fuji 35 f/1.4. It's a stop slower, but it has optical image stabilization which is arguably more useful.
In addition to gear, there are a few items I never travel without.
Clothing:
Workout pants with pockets
My favorite jeans: Paige Jeans
Watch: The Horse Watch
I'm also in the market for a good travel jacket that isn't too bulky/heavy, looks cute, and is highly functional. Please let me know if you have recs!
Other:
Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 Expandable Spinner Suiter Suitcase
Passport and boarding passes holder
Water bottle
Medicine: Imodium, Ibuprofen, Zyrtec (equivalent), Zinc, Probiotics
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
Cash (foreign currency and USD)
Universal Adapter
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