Looking for the best travel photography gear to create great visuals during your adventures? You’re at the right place! Since 2011, we have been traveling together to amazing and unique destinations. And we always have our backpack with us to create great memories! We have traveled to over 30 countries and created thousands of photos and videos around the world. If you’re here it’s probably because you follow our adventures on Instagram or Youtube! 😀 We are sharing all our travel photos and videos on our various platforms to inspire you and advise you on your next trips.
For years, we have been able to develop our skills in terms of photo and video creation. Being self-taught having learned by experimenting over the years, then we followed several online training courses in order to improve and professionalize ourselves. Until becoming full-time photographers and videographers with our production agency Gioia Visuals. And above all, we had the opportunity to test a lot of equipment, at all prices and from all brands! Whether pro or semi-pro gear.
We will be able to share our honest feedback with you and give you the best advice. Moreover, know that we are not in collaboration with the brands that we are going to advise you. We have been using Canon than Sony and DJI for years. So we will be able to advise you a lot on these brands but not only! So if you are currently thinking about investing in video and photography equipment or expanding your range, here we go!
The best camera for travel photography and video
Sony Alpha 7III
Our very favorite camera is the Sony Alpha 7III: a full-frame hybrid camera excellent for both photo and video with its crazy autofocus. And an external 5-axis stabilizer. Of course, it offers 4K for video. If you’re not a video specialist and you’re looking for a box that can do both, at a reasonable price…Then go for the Sony Alpha 7III! We’ve had it for years and love it. It’s for us one of the best hybrid cameras on the market. If you are looking to invest in a travel photography gear, we really advise you the Sony A7 III to start.
Sony Alpha 7IV
If you’re looking for a camera that’s exceptional in both stills and video, then go for the Sony Alpha 7 IV instead. This is the last released in this range. It offers even more powerful real-time AF (auto focus). 33 Megapixels for even more precise resolution. A burst at 10 frames per second. And beware friends, video in 4K at 60 frames per second. This allows for great slow motion! The oriental full touch screen is also a new feature unlike its predecessor the Sony Alpha 7III. If you have the budget, opt for this little gem that will not disappoint you! We have recently invested in this gem and we will let you know soon on YouTube how much we like it!
Sony Alpha 7II
The Sony Alpha 7II will be ideal for those who have a small budget and are new to photography. When you start your adventure in photography: you don’t need to invest €4000 all at once to take great shots! What you need is to learn the basics and just go outdoor and try your camera. Angles, light, movements, composition, exposure.. We really advise to beginners to start with a reasonable camera before investing into a more expensive one. Besides, do not hesitate to see our post: start well in photography, everything you need to know. You can also check our post about the Sony Alpha 7 range to understand how the range is built.
The best lens for travel photography and video
16-35mm zoom: the most versatile lens
The 16-35 zoom a must for travel video and photography! Hyper versatile, it allows you to take superb wide-angle landscape photos with its 16mm or 18mm. What to do with photos including subjects in 24 or 35mm. It also offers a very beautiful bokeh (blurred background), since it opens up to f/2.8! With a circular opening with 11 slats. It is quite resistant to humidity, which makes it a great travel companion. In addition, its two DDSSM motors allow fast and precise focusing. We’ve had this little gem for over a year now and it’s truly exceptional for landscape photography and video. For us it is part of the best travel photo equipment to have.
Zoom 24-70 : a must for lifestyle photographers
At the other hyper versatile zoom and allows you to capture different subjects without having to change optics. Whether it’s landscapes or portrait photos, architecture or weddings… It’s a bit like the Swiss army knife to have in your bag. We will say that it adapts completely to any situation. So if you want to be fast and be able to change shots without changing optics; the 24-70 will be your best ally! GM’s 24-70mm is quite exceptional since it opens at f/2.8. The 24-70 are among the brightest zooms on the market. If the light conditions are difficult: indoors, at sunset… It will be easier with this lens.
55mm fixed focal length: the best lens for portraits
The 55mm is really my favorite for portraits. And I can tell you that the 55mm Zeiss (perfect on a Sony) with its f/1.8 aperture is truly a marvel. We’ve had it for 5 years now and I can’t get enough of it! This full-frame lens, known for its high quality, offers a large 9-blade diaphragm as well as an image stabilizer. You really need a 55mm in your travel photography gear. This one is one of our favorites of all times!
28mm fixed focal length: an accessible and basic lens
The 28mm is a great wide-angle lens for beginners in photography because it is not very expensive. Usually around 200€. It’s great because 28mm is the distance that strikes a nice balance between the subject and the background. Maybe not as versatile as a 35mm, but it surpasses it in other areas. Wider than him it brings a better development. Better than 35mm for landscape shots and wide shots. Sony’s offers super Steady shot image stabilization and an aperture of f/2.0.
Focale fixe 35mm : the favorites for fashion / lifestyle shots
The 35mm fixed focal length is generally the darling of portrait, fashion and wedding photographers… It is also the same focal length as those used on film cameras at the time. So it immediately gives a somewhat vintage effect. This very bright focal length opens at f/1.8. There’s also silent and super-reliable AF (auto focus) for both stills and movies. But also an aspherical lens for impeccable resolution throughout the image. It really is one of the best photo and video gear to have on your travels but also for fashion and lifestyle shots.
Gimbal to stabilize your videos
If you want to make smooth and stable videos either for your travels or commercial, you need to invest in a gimbal. We can highly recommend you the DJI RS3 mini because it is really light and professional.
Also, gimbals exert force to negate external movement, they ensure stability during quick movements that would otherwise result in blurry, subpar footage. You will be able to easily roll, tilt, and pan with confidence, which is really important for professional photo and video shoots.
The best camera bags for video and photography gear
Case logic backpack
The Case logic backpack, we’ve had it for 3 years already and I can tell you that it hasn’t moved despite what it has been through! Rain, hiking, water, snow… IT is ultra resistant. This is really the bag you need to protect your video and photography gear during your travels! And above all super practical. With its pocket adapted to the 13-inch Macbook and its customizable Velcro compartments. For us it is the top of the top and term of camera bag. Its 21x43x29 dimensions make it your best friend for flying and taking it with you in the cabin. And in addition it is guaranteed for 25 years, we go for this must trip!
The best tripods for your travels
Befree tripod Manfrotto
So this one, Amazon gave it to us 3 years ago and it has absolutely not moved either, despite all the times it has suffered bad weather! Attached to our backpack, it is super light since it is made of aluminium. It is therefore ideal for travel, and easy to carry. It’s not for nothing that it is the darling of travelers and Youtubers! It is intuitive and very easy and quick to install. Ideal for not missing the right moment! Its standard head mount makes it compatible with most cameras on the market. It is super stable and you can easily change the height depending on the shot you want to have. For us it is the best tripod on the market and it is clearly part of the best travel photo equipment.
The best drones for travel photography and video
We can’t talk about travel photography gear without talking about drones! Aerial views from epic places are always amazing! Let’s review the different drones on the market 😉
Drone DJI Mavic Air 2S
This drone is more accessible than the Mavic Pro but it is equipped with a 1 inch sensor and large 2.4μm pixels. Besides, it records videos of 5.4K/30 fps and 4K/60 fps which is super quality. FocusTrack includes Spotlight 2.0 ActiveTrack 4.0 and Point of Interest 3.0. This drone follows you and stays focused on your subject. The 10-bit Dlog-M color profile can record up to a billion colors and captures the finest details for vibrant, bright shots. Also the improved obstacle avoidance will prevent you from crashing it!
DJI Mavic 3 classic
The Mavic 3 classic from DJI offers a flight time of 45 minutes. Which is huge for a drone. Swedish brand Hasselblad has customized the L2D-20c aerial camera for this drone with professional grade 4/3 CMOS in a truly compact drone. Also, this camera offers 5.1K HD video and therefore professional quality image performance for sharper details. Obstacle avoidance has also been improved to ensure high flight safety for your drone. It is the ideal asset for a professional result and high quality photos and videos.
The best gear for underwater photography and video
Go Pro Hero 10 Black
The Go pro is the best to take with you everywhere on your trip and even underwater! Whether with a pole or attached to you; it will be great for activities like surfing, diving, hiking… Any outdoor activity you want to immortalize! It is very efficient on the video, a little less for the photo.
This Go Pro Hero 10 Black has a super processor: Faster. More fluid. More efficient. The new, super powerful GP2 engine offers exceptional performance. This Go Pro offers responsive touch controls and an incredible frame rate for super smooth footage.
The best SD cards
SanDisk 128GB Card
Memory cards are very important in your photography gear, because it can affect the speed of taking your photos, for example. But also because it is on these precious little cards that your creations will be stored before being on a HDD. So don’t neglect their quality to make sure you have your content safe. But also benefit from better performance!
Enjoy high-speed performance with UHS-II (U3) technology for up to 200MB/s (1667x) read transfer speed. Capture high-quality images and 1080p Full HD, 3D and 4K video more long and incomparable. It also offers expanded capacity options, up to 256GB, so you can shoot more longer videos, without having to change cards.
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The best hard drives for your trips
Extreme SSD San Disk 2TB
This SSD San Disk hard drive is absolutely amazing and super performing. This brand has never disappointed us. This hard rive has a amazing writing and reading speed. It’s perfect to stock your datas, photos, videos and also work on it (premiere pro, Da Vinci, Lightroom). Also, it is really light and ultra portable. It is also water resistant. Perfect to take everywhere with you.
Western digital 5TB
This hard drive is great to stock a huge volume of photos, 4K videos. It can really contains a lot. As pro photographers and filmmakers we have a lot of content to store for our clients, but also from our travels. It is not as quick as the first one but it is less expensive and perfect to store datas. Not really to work on it but more to save your datas also during your travels or after a full work day to creating content.
