What photographic and video equipment do we use during our trips?
Traveling is an exhilarating adventure, full of discoveries and memorable moments. To immortalize these precious moments, it is crucial to have the right photo and video equipment. But with so many choices available, how do you know what is truly essential?
In this article, we reveal the secrets of our equipment, from cameras to accessories, and through tips for capturing stunning images. Discover how we selected our equipment to meet our specific needs and inspire you on your own travels.
What cameras to use when traveling?
For our explorations we chose hybrid (APS-C) cameras from Fujifilm.
They have the advantage of being compact (and therefore easily transportable), but also very powerful in photos and video.
The Fujifilm XT-4 for photos and videos on a trip
The Fujifilm X-T4 camera body represents the ideal compromise between photography, video, and battery life.
Thanks to its stabilized sensor (often associated with stabilized lenses), it will be as adept in low-light photography as in video. It's a little larger than the other cameras in the range, but that's also because it houses a larger capacity battery than its smaller siblings. With its two memory card slots, it often allowed us to record numerous photos and videos without ever running out of memory.
You can find all the specifications of the Fujifilm XT-4 camera on the Fujifilm website.
Today, the Fujifilm X-T4 is no longer produced by the brand, but its successor is available on Amazon
The Fujifilm X-S10 for all travel situations
The Fujifilm X-S10 camera body is the compact camera in the series that most closely resembles the X-T4. It also features a stabilized sensor, but its video mode is slightly less powerful than the XT-4's, so we mainly use it for taking photos. Its ideal size for travel, when equipped with a pancake lens, it will easily fit into a handbag or even a pocket.
You can find all the specifications of the Fujifilm XS-10 camera body on the Fujifilm website.
Today, the Fujifilm X-S10 is no longer produced by the brand, but its successor is available on Amazon
What lenses to use for travel photography?
The advantage of having two Fujifilm X-series hybrid bodies is that they are both compatible with the same lenses, which, in addition to reducing luggage size when traveling, allows us to save money.
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 OIS Lens
The XF 10-24mm F4 OIS lens is Fujifilm's wide-angle zoom. It delivers excellent performance in both photography and video, making it an ideal companion for travel or when exploring accommodations where a wide angle is needed.
You can find all the specifications of the Fujifilm XF 10-24mm F4 OIS (Water Resistant version) on the Fujifilm website.
Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD lens
Tamron is a Japanese specialist in the creation and development of quality lenses.
We were truly charmed by their 17-70mm F/2.8 lens, which has now become our favorite.
With its wide aperture, its image stabilization and its high-performance autofocus, the Tamron 17-70 is a highly versatile lens that we use all the time, for photography or video!
Find all the specifications of the Tamron 17-70 on the Tamron website.
Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD Lens
The Tamron 18-300 is the ideal travel zoom lens!
It is very compact (for a telephoto lens) and takes up little space, the quality of its photos is good, but not really comparable to other Fuji X telephoto lenses which are much bulkier.
Its only small drawback is its autofocus, which lacks performance, especially in low light. But this doesn't stop us from taking it on all our adventures!
Find all the specifics of the Tamron 18-300 on the Tamron website
Sigma 16mm F/1.4 DC DN | Contemporary
With its wide aperture of f/1.4 and its very good autofocus, the Sigma 16mm has become our favorite lens for video and night photography. It's quite compact despite being a wide-angle lens with a wide aperture, and accompanies us on all our adventures.
Find all the specifications of the Sigma 16mm on the SIGMA website.
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary
Just like the 16mm, the Sigma 30mm Contemporary has a wide aperture of 1.4, making it ideal for portraits or even a little astrophotography. The sharpness of this lens is simply perfect and offers us magnificent shots during our travels.
It's truly compact and easily fits into a pocket or small bag, and pairs very well with the Fujifilm X-S10 if you don't want to be too bulky.
Find all the specifications of the Sigma 30mm on the SIGMA website.
Which drone do we take on a trip?
The photos seen from the sky made us dream, and we didn't hesitate long before investing in a drone. European drone piloting legislation having been tightened in early 2020, it was to avoid having to pass a practical exam that we decided to opt for the Mavic air 2 by DJI. We bought the drone with the Fly More Combo pack, which allows us to have 2 additional batteries, spare propellers, and the various ND filters.
You can find all the specifics and order the Mavic air 2 on the DJI website.
Drone Pilot Training
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is now in the Open category (drone weighing less than 900 grams). To fly it legally, you must pass the theoretical exam. Once you've passed, you'll need to register as a drone operator. For more information, visit the website of the Belgian Mobility SPF (or the website for your country of residence).
If you are Belgian, here is the link for the theoretical exam and the link to registering as an operator.
Which action camera to choose for a trip?
DJI Osmo Action 4 action camera
The action camera DJI Osmo Action 4 is no slouch compared to GoPro or other action camera manufacturers.
It boasts a superb, highly effective sensor in low light and challenging conditions.
Its stabilization is very effective and its wide-angle videos are very pleasant to watch (little distortion on the edges).
It also includes many innovations that we invite you to discover on the DJI website.
Our camera accessories
UV photo filters
On all our lenses, we've added Hoya UV photo filters. Made of tempered glass, these better protect our lenses from drops or scratches caused by dirt. If the filter becomes too damaged, the cost of replacing it will be much lower than if we had to repair or buy a new lens itself.
Peak Design clips
Peak Design clips have become essential for many photographers, offering a lot of freedom during our explorations. Once attached to our backpack straps, we can walk around safely with our hands free!
In addition to the clips, we also chose to take the straps and buckles from Peak Design to be more versatile.
You can find all the specifications and order Peak Design clips on the Peak Design website.
The DJI RSC 2 Ronin Stabilizer
Even though the camera bodies are already stabilized, we quickly wanted to invest in a stabilizer to improve the quality of our videos, and after a few attempts to get the hang of it, we were very happy with the result!
You can find all the specifications and order the Ronin DJI RSC 2 stabilizer on the DJI website.
Small trick
To be compatible with the Arca-Swiss mount from Peak Design, we bought the Peak Design and RSC 2 compatible plate from SmallRig.
Rollei Allrounder camera tripod
The Rollei Allrounder tripod is an entry-level, very lightweight and compact photo tripod for taking on your explorations.
You can find all the specifications and order the Rollei Allrounder tripod here.
Our storage solutions
For cameras, we have 3 SD Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB cards and 2 SD 64GB cards of the same range.
For the DJI Action 4 action camera, we use a Samsung evo 256GB microSD card.
For the drone we use a Samsung evo 256GB microSD card.
Finally, to never be stuck in the middle of an exploration, we take with us a Sandisk 1TB SSD external hard drive, on which we make our backups at night of our explorations to free up space on our SD cards.
Any other questions?
Do you have questions about our equipment? Do you want advice on some of our gear? Feel free to leave a comment below this article or send us a message via the contact page or our social media.
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