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Must-Have Travel Photography Gear for 2023

Must Have Travel Photography Gear for 2023 image

Photo by stock_colors via iStock

I have some travel photography tips for making your photography easier, more fun, or more likely to get the images you want. I’ll be centering my thoughts on what travel photography gear will help you out. 

This guide focuses on things like the best camera for travel photography, the best lens for travel photography, and some inexpensive accessories you can use as travel photography gear. You may already have some of this gear, so I’ll also give some helpful travel photography tips on how to use it.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents:

Best Camera for Travel Photography Gear

Canon EOS RP with 24 105mm lens image

Canon EOS RP with 24-105mm lens

The best camera for travel photography gear needs to have an excellent quality sensor, durability, and, ideally, be compact. Being very reasonably priced isn’t a bad idea either. I have two recommendations: the Canon EOS RP with 24-105mm lens for a Full Frame mirrorless camera and the Nikon Z50 with 16-50mm and 50-250mm lenses for an APS-C alternative. 

Starting with the Canon EOS RP camera, it’s a Full Frame format interchangeable lens mirrorless camera with a very compact size for Full Frame, a 26.2MP sensor, and 4K video (cropped) capability. It uses the Canon RF lens mount for accessing a wide range of fine lenses. 

There is no built-in flash though there are several very compact alternatives available for it. Additionally, it has very good low-light performance with an extended ISO range of 50-102,400. The kit lens is well-balanced and has a great focal length range, but the maximum aperture varies from f/4.0 to f/7.1, meaning it’s a little slow at the telephoto end.

Nikon Z50 image

Nikon Z50 

For the same price but with 2 lenses, check out the APS-C format Nikon Z50 camera. It has a 20.9MP sensor, built-in or external flash, full sensor width 4K video, and good low light performance with an ISO 100-204,800 range.

This kit has two lenses: a standard range 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens and a 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 telephoto zoom lens. Both lenses are nicely compact and compact, though somewhat low at the longer end of their focal length ranges.

For both cameras, since they are mirrorless, not only can they use the native mount lenses for each brand, but with the proper lens mount adapter, you can tap into their legacy lenses from their DSLR series of cameras, making them both very versatile for other uses besides as travel photography gear.

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Best Lens for Travel Photography Gear

Canon RF 24 240mm image

 Canon RF 24-240mm f/4.0-6.3 IS USM

For travel photography gear, you sometimes want to have just one lens for almost everything you encounter. These all-in-one style lenses are usually larger and heavier than the normal kit lens. Still, they make up for that as travel photography gear because you don’t have to change lenses to go from wide-angle to telephoto, a plus for using your camera on the go.

Sticking with the two cameras I listed above, I’m looking at the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4.0-6.3 IS USM lens and the Nikon Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens. Both lenses are reasonably compact for their focal length ranges, quite sharp, and have image stabilization technology to assist in lower light or at longer focal lengths. 

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 18 140mm image

Nikon Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR 

Of course, any of the all-in-one styles of lenses compromise size and lens speed compared to maximum aperture, but using one of these as travel photography gear allows for a lot of versatility, portability (you’re only carrying the camera and lens), and convenience. 

Other lens choices for your particular shooting style or needs might lean more towards wider angle or more telephoto focal lengths, or faster lens apertures, but as travel photography gear, this type of lens is hard to beat.

Travel photography Gear - Camera Mount

OctoPad Camera Mount image

One of the best accessories for travel photography gear is the low-profile, inexpensive OctoPad Camera Mount. Since your best camera for travel photography also shoots video, has good low-light capability, and is likely mounted with a lens with a moderate maximum aperture, you’ll want to have one of these on hand. 

A great advantage that the OctoPad gives you as travel photography gear is that you can put the camera mount virtually anywhere. It is a heavy disk of slightly flexible material and has a non-slip pad underneath. It can stay put, providing added stability on uneven surfaces and surfaces angled up to 45 degrees. 

As shown in the illustration above, the OctoPad can hold a large camera and lens with the ball on its top. It can also hold a smartphone, video light, external microphone, and other items, making it super versatile for travel photography gear.

Travel Photography Gear - Camera Strap

 BlackRapid RS 4 image

You’ll want to replace that lousy strap that came with the camera with something more comfortable, more usable, and more secure. 

The BlackRapid RS-4 sling-style strap hits a winning shot on all of those counts. It attaches to the tripod mount, has a large padded upper part for comfort and security, and tapers to a thinner profile near the camera for ease of use.

Travel Photography Gear - Camera Bag

Domke F 10 image

Finding the perfect camera is difficult but not impossible. I like the simple and unassuming Domke F-10 medium camera bag for carrying my travel photography gear. It is just big enough to carry my extra travel photography gear while my camera and lens are on a sling strap. Domke bags are rugged, padded, and generously proportioned.

Other Accessories for Travel Photography Gear

Accessories for Travel Photography Gear image

Photo by piola666 via iStock

Other accessories to consider as travel photography gear are polarizer filters, hard lens hoods, battery-powered LED lights, and a journal for writing notes about your photography and your travels. 

Any or all of these items of travel photography gear will make your photography easier, more fun, and make you more likely to get the images you want. 

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