If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I recently spent just over a week in Paris. It’s the first time I’ve been in 13 years so it was nice to see a few places again. I took hundreds of photos and had them all edited and uploaded before I returned home. So in this post, I thought I’d share what’s in my travel bag that I use to capture photos and videos on my travels.
Panasonic Lumix GH5
I bought this camera for the primary use of making videos, but I’ve totally fallen for its photographic capabilities. I took almost all of my recent Paris photos on this. I also shot a holiday blog in 4K 60fps! The video is just for family though but maybe some version of it will be made public.
This is a mirrorless micro four-thirds system, and replaced my APS-C sensor Canon 600D which was a trusty servant for many years.
Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Lens
I opted for the GH5 that came with the Leica lens instead of the Lumix one and I don’t regret it one bit. A super sharp lens and very flexible for both photography and video work.
Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4.0 Ultrawide Lens
This was the second lens I got for this camera. A solid ultra wide lens with surprisingly little distortion. Some of my favourite pictures have been taken with this lens. Good for video blogging, but less so for B-roll unless using a gimbal.
Leica D-Lux Typ 109
My back-up camera or my main camera if I’m not taking the one above. This is a superb camera that also crams in a micro four-thirds sensor. Goes all the way to f/1.7 too, which is astonishing for the price. Could probably do with an update from Leica now though.
I’ve posted some thoughts previously on this blog which you can find here.
GoPro Hero 5
I’ve stuck with this one over the Hero 6 due to the issues reported at the time of release. I wouldn’t mind having 60fps at 4K though. My third camera or main camera if I don’t want to risk any of the above equipment.
Manfrotto PIXI EVO
I don’t like carrying around tripods but this one fits in the back and has extendable legs. A key piece of equipment when I’m using slower shutter speeds at night or im darker places like churches, cathedrals or museums. The ball-head means I can get decent ceiling pictures too.
Rode VideoMicro
My microphone of choice when vlogging. Great size for travel, fairly cheap and sounds decent in my opinion.
Peak Design Cuff Wrist Strap
I hate neck straps. They clog up the bag and get tangled easily. I also find them super uncomfortable. The Peak design system uses plastic discs that clip on to the camera and are left there. This means 1 strap can be used interchangeably between different cameras. Highly recommended for cameras of any size.
iPhone X 256GB
Whatever the latest iPhone is, is what’s also on my bag. I shoot in RAW in Lightroom CC or use the stock camera app for filming if I need a quick clip but can’t be bothered to get a camera out.
iPad Pro 10.5″ 512GB + Cellular
My main editing machine. Editing photos is SO quick. I use Lightroom CC as it’s fantastic (although not perfect). I also edit video using LumaFusion. It handles multiple streams of 150Mbps 8-bit 4K video at 60fps like it’s nothing. It’s insane. Doesn’t even get hot. It’s a ridiculous workhorse and despite obvious file management and app limitations, it’s better than any computer I’ve owned.
Peak Design Everyday Messenger 13
And finally… the bag. Whilst not cheap, this bag from Peak Design holds all of the above and more. I usually go for backpacks for comfort but this is comfortable to wear even at the end of day of travelling.
Read my full review of it here.
That’s it for this roundup. What do you have in your travel bag? Let me know in the comments below, especially if you have any equipment or gear that your recommend.
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Matt Keil 