Camera Equipment
If you want advice on what camera and equipment you should take while you are travelling check out our guide below.
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Digital SLR (D-SLR)
Digital SLRs enable you to use a huge range of interchangeable lenses. You also have more scope to use lots of accessories, such as external flashguns and lens filters. They are generally larger than compact cameras, and tend to give you a greater degree of creative control. They can usually be used for point-and-shoot photography, too.
Compact Cameras
These have a built-in lens, usually a zoom. They are usually small and lightweight with lots of point-and-shoot technology for easy image capture. Many also have lots of advanced features to give you more creative control over your imaging.
Basic Lens Kit
For a D-SLR, you can cover off most shooting situations with a couple of zoom lenses. A versatile 18-55mm will handle most photo opportunities. Pair it with a longer focal length zoom, such as a 55-200mm, for a powerful combination that’ll cover everything from close-ups and sweeping wideangle landscapes to portraits and fast action.
Normal (standard) lenses, either a 35mm or a 50mm, are also a good investment. They provide roughly the same perspective as your eye, so images taken with them look very natural. They’re ‘fast’, so you get far brighter images, and they are also relatively cheap.
Bag
Keep your camera protected in a bag. Go for plenty of padding and tough, waterproof material to keep the weather out. If you’re after a larger kit bag, look for multiple compartments with easy access. Check it’s not too big to take onto a plane as hand luggage if you’re a keen traveller.
Tripod
The best way of ensuring sharp shots in low light or with very long exposures is to support your camera on a tripod or monopod, rather than handhold it.
Some types of tripod have short, bendy legs, so you can fix them to virtually anything, from a fence post to a window sill. Beanbags are a cheap, portable alternative for positioning your camera securely on a flattish surface.
Memory Cards
Go for the biggest you can afford, and preferably buy two, so you’ve always got back-up and plenty of space for storing hundreds of pictures.
Lens Cloth
Use a microfibre lens cloth to keep your camera lens dust-free and smear-free for clean, bright pictures. If the lens gets really dirty, apply a couple of drops of lens-cleaning fluid to the cloth and gently buff the lens.
Flashgun
If you’ve got a D-SLR or a top-spec compact camera that can fit a flashgun, it’s well worth buying
one. It’ll give you a softer light and fewer harsh shadows than you’ll get from your on-camera flash.
Go for ‘bounce-head’ models such as the Nikon SB-400 which enable you to angle the beam
for more naturalistic effects.
Filter
It’s well worth protecting the front of your interchangeable lenses with a UV or skylight filter – it’s a lot cheaper than replacing a scratched lens.
Image-editing Software
If you’re interested in manipulating your images over and above the basic adjustments such as
straighten, crop, contrast and brightness, it’s probably worth splashing out on an image-editing program.
There are plenty to choose from, including Adobe Photoshop Elements, the more expensive,
fuller-featured Nikon Capture NX2, Adobe Photoshop and Aperture 2 specifically for Apple Mac users.
Clear plastic bag
It’s cheap and cheerful, takes up virtually no room and makes a handy emergency rain hood for your camera or lens.
