TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

The mirrorless camera has won. DSLR bodies are heavier, louder, and increasingly unsupported by new lens development. The leading travel mirrorless systems — Sony α7 series, Fujifilm X series, OM System (Olympus) — all produce images that would have required medium format equipment a decade ago. For travel photography specifically, the Fujifilm X100VI is the camera most working travel photographers are carrying in 2024: a fixed 35mm-equivalent lens, a built-in ND filter, in-body stabilization, and a form factor that fits in a jacket pocket and attracts zero attention. The Sony α6700 is the alternative: smaller sensor but a full ecosystem of lenses and exceptional video capabilities.

If you are shooting on an interchangeable lens system, the two lenses that cover 90% of travel photography are a wide prime (24-35mm equivalent) and a short telephoto (85-90mm equivalent). The wide prime handles architecture, interior, street, and environmental portraiture. The telephoto compresses backgrounds, works in low light, and produces the isolation that makes landscape and architectural photography feel cinematic. Everything between 35mm and 85mm can be handled by stepping forward or back. Zoom lenses are convenient but the quality ceiling is lower and the aperture usually too slow for interior and low-light work.

The single most important equipment decision for travel photography is the bag. Checked luggage loses cameras. The correct approach is carry-on only, always. The Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L is the benchmark: TSA checkpoint friendly (lays flat, all cables accessible), camera cube system that converts any configuration, and enough space for 10 days of clothing alongside a full camera kit. The Wandrd PRVKE 31 is the smaller alternative for lighter kits. Neither is cheap. Both pay for themselves the first time an airline loses a bag that isn't yours.

A polarizing filter cuts glare on water and intensifies blue skies in a way that no post-processing can replicate. Extra batteries — always two per body, minimum. A small Joby GorillaPod tripod for low-light work without drawing attention. A fast memory card (Sandisk Extreme Pro or equivalent) — the buffer fills slower than you expect and an inadequate card loses shots in burst mode. A laptop sleeve and hard drive for backup — the 3-2-1 rule (three copies, two media types, one offsite) applies to travel photography more than any other context because the originals are irreplaceable.