Find out what’s in my camera bag!
Below you will find information and links to all the equipment I use – pretty much everything you could need to make epic travel photography and blogging content!
Thank you for all your support and for following my journey through social media and this blog!
travel photography & blogging gear
Note – you do NOT need every single one of these items to make incredible content. I started out with a basic DSLR + one lens and was still able to take photographs I was happy with. Also, I share the majority of this gear with my husband, Matthew Hahnel. Travel photography/content creation is currently our full-time profession and we are very thankful to be able to invest in such awesome photography gear.
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- Lee Filters for longer exposures (e.g. waterfalls). The filters we own are the ND.6 Standard, ND.9 Soft Grad, and the Big Stopper 10 Stop
- This is the filter holder I use, plus I have two different adapter rings
- I mostly shoot with the Sony a7ii. Here you can see the Sony 16-35mm f/4 lens attached. UPDATE – I now shoot predominately with the Sony a7Riii and the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens
- I have the Langly Camera Strap UPDATE – I now use the Peak Designs Leash Camera Strap
- Sony 70-200mm f/4 lens. UPDATE – We now predominately use the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM lens and the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM lens
- For portrait shots we will usually get out the Sony 50mm f/1.4, or the Sony 35mm f/1.4 lens.
- Pixel Wireless Timer Remote Control (TW-283), how Matthew and I get our couple photos. Check out this blog post I made about it
- My go-to lens is the Sony 24-70mm f/4. UPDATE – my new go-to is the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens.
- GoPro floating hand grip
- Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera, just for some fun snaps!
- I will use a Zeiss T* Polarizing Filter (circular) to cut the reflection in images or to allow for a longer exposure
- My second camera body is the Sony a7Rii
- GoPro HERO5 Black, for underwater photography
- Samsung Gear 360° Camera, which we really only use when a client requests 360° images
- Zeiss pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes (a life saver!) and some lens cleaning paper tissue
- A lightweight camera rain cover
- Lots of spare camera batteries!
- Waterproof memory card holder to make sure our SD and micro SD cards stay safe
- I use the Manfrotto 190XProB Tripod with the Really Right Stuff BH-25 Ball Head. UPDATE – I now use the Gitzo Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod GT1545TUS
- OOWA phone lens kit, including a wide angle and telephoto lens – used for Instagram stories
- Lens pen to clean my camera sensor if required
- Rocket blower for removing dust, sand and water from my lenses, sensor etc
- Telesin Dome for our GoPro HERO5
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- DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ Drone, which has the screen display
- Spare batteries (quite a few as they only last 30 minutes each)
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- My Kindle E-Reader is often found in my camera bag, especially when traveling.
- This ChargeTech Portable AC Outlet Battery Pack is a lifesaver for charging my laptop and camera batteries when car camping or traveling.
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, early 2015 model). I use Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop for editing.
- Topo Designs Laptop Sleeve in medium – I love this!
- Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. These have made traveling SO much more comfortable, definitely worth the splurge in my opinion.
- Topo Designs Accessory Bag in small – for my laptop charger, phone charger, hard-drive and cords.
- iPhone 6S 128GB with an OOWA case and pop-socket (the best invention!) UPDATE – I now use the iPhone X (amazing for Instagram Stories)
- LaCie 4TB hard-drive. I own numerous of these to back-up my content
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- Topo Designs Camera Cube. I put this inside the Rover Pack and it can fit my camera and two smaller lenses inside
- Topo Designs Rover Pack in navy. This is my every day go-to bag and I will use it for a camera bag when I only want to take a selection of my gear
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- F-Stop Gear Ajna Bag. This 40L pack fits the pictured ICU (Internal Camera Unit) inside and my tripod strapped to the outside. Though, I do not recommend this bag for females or petite people, as the chest, back and hip straps are definitely not made to accommodation short frames or curviness… I am still on the lookout for the perfect camera bag! UPDATE – I have been recently using the WANDRD PRVKE 21 pack and loving it so far.
- F-Stop Medium Shallow ICU. This padded case fits all my camera gear, keeping in mind that Matthew and I usually share carrying the 70-200mm and 50mm lenses
Not pictured – Our DJI Ronin-S that we just ordered for video stabilization.
PIN THIS!
SHOP MY GEAR!
Disclaimer – Some of the links used above are affiliate links, which essentially means if you place an order through those links, I get a teeny percentage of the order amount (this won’t cost you any extra, it just helps support my blog – thank you!) Also, a small amount of the gear mentioned above was gifted to me to try out, which I am obviously very grateful for. This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.
This post is fantastic! Your collection of gear is truly impressive. I’m curious, do you bring all of it with you every time you go out? And when it comes to hiking, does carrying all this equipment ever become a challenge? I have numerous questions, as I typically opt to leave my bulky DSLR behind due to its weight.
Wow, this is an exceptional post! Your writing style is truly impressive.
Nice post your camera collection has everything, How do you manage blogging, photographing and travelling at the same time.
Nice post your camera collection has everything
I can personally attest to this. It’s annoying. All you could focus on were the amazing images you missed. The good news is that I was in a location with internet access. found a method to recover photos after searching.
Great information, bloggers need such useful stuff nowadays. Because some way or the other quality pictures or videos help the bloggers.
Awesome article !!! It really very helpful.
Thanks for sharing these amazing gear..
Really nice and detailed article!
I’d mostly prefer water proof camera bags rather than those with water proof cases. Your camera bag looks nice by the way. I’ve stumbled upon reviews on F-Stop only a few times, I mostly see LowerPro and Manfrotto. Thank you for sharing.
Hi! nice post 🙂
I have the same lenses as you the GMaster 16-35mm f/2.8 and the 24-70mm f/2.8. I am still not sure when to use which lens?! How do you make your choice when you are in a particular place? I use the 35mm f/1.4 for portraits shots.
And I would like to have your advise for insurance for camera gear! My bank institution only covers 500$ per type of gear that means even if I pay for more coverage if my camera bag is stolen, I will just receive a total of 500$ for all camera gear and accessories.
Thanks!
Karine
Great post!
Steel Structure Company in Bangladesh
Wow! Amazing information!
Sony 70-200mm f/4 lens. you are hoping to also get the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens when it is released in late July?
Then it will be great for us! Waiting to see!
Hi Renee! Thanks for sending me the direct link to this when I asked about a blog post for lenses. This was super helpful! I am constantly renting lenses, but it is always helpful to read more from travel bloggers.
Thanks!
Courtney Abbruzzese
Hi,
Quick question regarding your choice of tripod. I noticed you travel a lot, how come you did not buy a tripod that collapse into a smaller compact? I recently purchased the same tripod but did not realize how long the tripod was. I’m debating if I should return as it is too much to travel with. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Diana. Thanks for your question. The reason I use a non-collapsible tripod is because they can go taller without losing stability. I haven’t found any collapsible ones that go high enough or are stable enough for me. I actually just got a gitzo tripod that is a similar height but quite a bit lighter (but more expensive). I hope that helped, it’s really just a personal choice!
Thanks for the info, Renee!!
xo
lianne mac
Thanks for reading!!
Hi ! I just discovered your blog and it’s amazing ! Makes me really want to travel.
Since I’m found of photography and I’m planning on going to Canada soon, I wonder what is the lens you guys use the most to shoot such stunning landscapes ?
Thank you for sharing your gear by the way, it’s really helpful and inspiring !
Love from France
I’m looking to change my camera soon from Nikon to Sony. I heard great things about the a7 but what’s the difference between a7rii and the a7ii? And is it worth paying more to get the a7rii? Thanks Renee!
Thanks so much for posting this Renee, so helpful. A GoPro dome is definitely next up on our list of things to buy…
Would love to see a blog post about your favorite clothes to hike.
I plan to post something like that soon!
Are you not afraid of getting robbed? This looks very expensive 🙂
We have everything fully insured, but yes it can get scary sometimes!
I’d love to get into travel photography eventually and these are great suggestions
I am glad you found it helpful 🙂
Thanks for sharing this list, Renee! Always interesting to see what other photographers use. I’ve never tried Sony and now have quite a collection of Canon lenses, so it’d be tough to part with what I’ve already got/what I’m used to. Are there advantages to mirrorless cameras other than being super lightweight?
Thanks Leah! My favorite aspect is definitely the fact that they are lighter in weight. I do also love how Sony are bringing out some of the latest technology and innovation compared to the other leading brands.
Thank you for sharing, Renee! I love your pictures cos they seem ‘natural’ to me, I don’t necessarily realize that you guys have to carry all this gear haha… Which one(s) do you usually take with you when you go on a hike or just want to travel light? xx
Thanks Audrey! My go-to camera body and lens is my Sony a7ii and 24-70mm lens, but it definitely depends on the situation! I don’t take every item of my gear on each trip!
Love this post!! You have so much gear. Do you pack it all every time? How about when you go hiking, does this present a problem. I have so many questions. I usually leave my bulky DSLR at home because of the weight.
Thanks Nicole! No I definitely do not pack all of this every trip or hike. I will take the items that are most appropriate to what I will be shooting. My go-to lens if I can only take one is the 27-70mm but I also use the 16-35mm a ton. I love the Sony mirrorless cameras because they are lighter for hiking and traveling – suits me much better than a heavy/bulky set-up!
After years of shooting with my DSLR, I am planning to switch to the mirrorless a7RII, so this post is really super useful. I have bookmarked your post for purchasing using your affiliate links:-)
Thank you so much Paroma, that really means a lot to me! You won’t be disappointed in the a7ii – it’s a winner!
Ugh. Serious camera gear envy! I would love to have my photography skills at a level where I could justify buying some of these, but full credit to those of you talented enough to make a living from it!
Thanks Jill! Like I said, you definitely don’t NEED all this gear but my husband and I find it to be a great kit for our businesses 🙂
What a detailed list of photo gear. I just started documenting with a new, older version DSLR. As a beginner it has been great! Thanks for sharing this list!
Thanks so much Tracy!
I totally agree that one doesn’t need all these gear unless you use them to make a living/professionally. I used to only shoot photos with my iPhone, and I use the same photos for both my blog and Instagram until my husband got me a Sony a6000 two years ago. It came with the kit lens + telephoto lens, but I got myself a “nifty-fifty” last year. Much to my friends’ (and blog readers’) surprise, I’ve never owned a dSLR, but my iPhone photos then weren’t so bad either!
I’m so happy that I stumbled upon bloggers who are Sony Alpha users, too! I don’t follow a lot of bloggers who do, so I feel like I could relate to you more! I’m saving up for the Sony a7Rii, but isn’t the Sony a9 sexy??
Yay for Sony Alpha bloggers! The a7Rii is definitely worth saving up for in my opinion. The a9 looks a little overboard for my needs at the moment!
Silly question… Does the remote you linked work from a more or less long range? I have a remote right now, but I swear if I get more than 5 ft away it only *kind of* works. Drives me crazy! If I got one that could at least work from 10-15 ft away that would be so much better than what I currently have.
We haven’t tested the remote to its full range BUT it has worked for us every time, including when we have been a good 20 or so metres away!
very helpful thks Renee
Thanks for reading 🙂
You guys have a lot of great camera gear! Though, I think I would go crazy if I brought this much gear with me when travelling. I think one camera including 1 or 2 lenses as well as a compact system camera is enough, depending on if I’m flying, driving, or going hiking. But I’m not making money out of my travel photography, so I absolutely understand why you guys bring so much gear when travelling. Your photos are incredible!
We don’t always have every item of our gear with us – it is definitely trip dependent!
Lots of interesting info. Thanks Renee.
Thank you!