Travel Video and Photo Gear: The Definitive Travel Blogging Gear List For Beginners (and experienced bloggers alike!) Updated: January 2021

*Note: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any of the products listed below or pictured. I own these and am basing my opinions solely on my first-hand experience. Any links contained in the article are for reference.

I often get asked, “What cameras and gear do you use to capture your travel shots and videos?”

In this post, I want to share the cameras, accessories and other gear that I use to create all of the videos and photography you’ve seen on my social media platforms and on this blog. There’s also a big misconception that to take great pictures or videos you need incredibly expensive gear. I want to disprove that (the gear I use ranges in price, however, I can probably give some recommendations to choose from when deciding the best camera and vlogging equipment for your own video and travels.)

Since this is the gear I’ll be starting out with I’ll be updating the list frequently as I plan and purchase more gear and grow my blog.

If you want to purchase any of the items below, please use the links to help support my site, thanks!

The Gear

Shooting wildlife in Pennsylvania, Nikon D5500 / Nikon Nikkor 18-55mm Lens

Main Camera: Nikon D5500

Nikon has several cameras aimed at beginners, the 3000 series cameras that are designed for outright novices and the 5000 series (like my D5500) that are aimed at people with a little more experience but not necessarily an expert camera by any means. For someone on a budget, this camera offers a great start. It does pretty much everything, from wide panoramic shots of landscapes to close-ups of food or people’s faces. I actually bought this before I began making videos, as it’s considered one of the best DSLRs for intermediate photographers, and it’s pretty easy to use. You can also change the lens so when you feel ready to step up your game you can just get another lens. Sigma, Tokina, Tamron, Voigtländer, Zeiss, Samyang just to name a few, make lenses for Nikon cameras. Note that some of these may be manual focus only, both at the high end (Zeiss, Voigtländer) and budget end (Samyang). Adding a lens and a tripod can unlock new abilities like long exposure night time photography (like capturing the northern lights in Iceland or getting some really cool pictures of streaking fireworks).

Find it:

Nikon D5500 on Fumfie

Nikon D5500 on Amazon

Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights), Iceland - Shot with the Nikon D5500

Black Eagle Marina, Rincón, Puerto Rico - Shot with iPhone 11 Pro

The Camera in my Hands: iPhone 11 Pro

There’s a saying that goes that the best camera is the one you have with you. Of course, having a DSLR at all times sounds great, but sometimes you need to use the one you have in your hands. Thanks to huge leaps forward in technology, phones now have amazing photo capabilities. Your smartphone can take outstanding pictures that you can make look like a DSLR photo with a few small editing tweaks. I love using my iPhone 11 Pro because of the different lens options that give me the ability to zoom in further, take great macro shots like food shots and now some pretty impressive wide-angle shots.

Find it

iPhone 11 Pro on Apple

iphone 11 (Renewed) on amazon

Sunset, Rincón, Puerto Rico - Shot with iPhone 11 Pro

Action Camera: GoPro Hero 5 Black (Recently upgraded to the GoPro Hero 8 Black)

The GoPro is my action camera, this is the camera I used anytime I don’t want to risk getting my DSLR or iPhone wet, dirty or risk breaking it in rough conditions. I’ve taken my GoPro everywhere, on boats, underwater, paddleboarding in the Caribbean, the frozen cliffs of Dyrhólaey, Iceland, you name it. The GoPro also offers a ton of custom mounts, screws, housings, and accessories which make it a great all-purpose camera. Since the Hero 8 was a recent acquisition (December 2019) I don’t have any content with it yet.

Find it

GoPro Hero 8 Black on Amazon

GoPro hero 8 Bundle from amazon

GoPro Hero 8 Black Official Website

Time-Lapse Sunset at Gradac Park, Dubrovnik, Croatia Shot with a GoPro Hero 5 Black

Drones: DJI Mavic Pro & DJI Mavic Mini

The DJI Mavic Pro has been in my lineup pretty much since they launched it a few years ago. Since then it’s been my absolute favorite piece of equipment. Having the drone allows you to see the places you’re visiting form an entirely different perspective, a birds-eye view of skylines, cityscapes, mountains, beaches, and the list goes on and on, you can check out my drone photo gallery here. The drone also gives you a great way to capture pictures of yourself when you’re on vacation and traveling solo, sometimes when you’re standing on a cliff overlooking the black sand beaches of Iceland it’s a little tough to find someone to capture that amazing shot of you, with the drone you’ll never need to worry again. The Mavic Pro and its successors (The Mavic Pro 2 and the Mavic Zoom)  offer great quality shots and exceptional portability.

The newest member of the family, the DJI Mavic Mini which I recently purchased, takes portability to a whole new level. The drone weighs just 249grams coming in just below the FAA requirement to register the drone (the requirement is 250g). The Mavic Mini doesn’t offer all of the same robust features the larger models offer but if you’re just looking to capture some great photo and video, this drone definitely does the trick. The other huge benefit to the Mavic Mini is the price tag, this drone is less than $400 (and the Fly More Combo, which I definitely recommend buying, is only $499 so you get some added batteries and take your flying time to the next level).

Since I have a huge passion for drones I’ll be writing a separate post all about how to use drones, register with the FAA, best drones on the market and tons more in the coming weeks.

FIND IT

GET $10 OFF ANYTHING AT DJI BY CLICKING THIS LINK

DJI Mavic Mini 2 Bundle on Amazon

DJI Mavic Mini 2 on Amazon

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Zoom on Amazon

DJI Mavic 2 pro on amazon

Check out the video I captured below on my first drone flight with the Mavic Mini:

DJI Mavic Mini Drone test flight in Rincon, Puerto Rico by DRI Media

Travel Blogging Useful Accessories

Extra Batteries and Battery Packs

Whether it’s an extra battery for your DSLR, Drone or your GoPro if you’re planning on making videos, you will need another battery. Especially if you’re out and about all day without chance of recharging, you don’t want to be out filming or at the end of a beautiful trail hike and your camera dies right before snapping that last shot. That’s where extra batteries and battery packs come in.

When it comes to drones I always recommend getting the Fly More Combos from DJI, The fly more combo will typically come with 2 additional batters which will triple your flight time. For the GoPro, I’ve always gotten my additional batteries from amazon, while there’s plenty of third party companies that make batteries and accessories for the GoPro, I prefer using the official GoPro battery.

When it comes to battery packs to charge my phone, table or other devices if I’m a pinch, you can’t go wrong with Anker, they’re a global leader in battery technology and provide a solid product at reasonable prices. I use the Anker PowerCore 26800, it can charge my iPhone battery several times over and boasts three USB ports and 2 rapid recharging ports so you can recharge quickly when you plug it back in.

FIND IT

ANKER POWERCOREW 26800 ON AMAZON

Sunsets & Tulips Shot with the Nikon D5500

Memory Cards

Not all memory cards are created equal and just like having extra batteries you don’t want to get an epic photo opportunity only to find that you need to quickly delete videos and photos from your memory card to accommodate some new shots.

This next part is a little technical but hopefully helps explain why you need a quality card with some high speed writing capability. Firstly, most cameras use a MicroSD card, you can also get an adapter to turn your MicroSD into an SD card(Like the one my Nikon D5500 uses) if you don’t want to spend money on two different types of cards. DJI Drones and GoPro cameras both use MicroSD as their standard format card.

Why Do You Need a High-Speed SD Card?

When you film at 4k@60fps, 1080p@240fps or other demanding video settings, the camera uses the H.256 codec – instead of H.264 – and writes video files at 12MB/s. This requires a fast microSD card known as UHS-1 V30 or U3 (writing speed of 30MB/s). UHS stands for “Ultra High Speed”. Slower microSD card categories like Class 10 (writing speed 10MB/s) or below won’t work with demanding video settings.

Sounds a bit confusing? The chart below can help you figure out what speed class you need for each video format.

Graphic via SD Association

The other important thing to consider is storage space. With GoPro and DJI Drones both taking 4k video and taking having RAW format picture capabilities, having a lot of storage room is important. I recommend getting a card with at least 64GB of space if you can pony up a little more money get a 128GB card and you won’t have to worry about running out space at all.

Below is my list of top memory cards from budget-friendly cards to ultra-high-speed and high-end V90 cards

BUDGET FRIENDLY MEMORY CARDS

SAMSUNG 128GB EVO PLUS UHS-I CLASS 10 MICRO SD ON AMAZON

SANDISK 128GB EXTREME MICROSDXC UHS-I $24 ON AMAZON

HIGH-END MEMORY CARDS

DELKIN DEVICES 64GB POWER MICROSDXC UHS-II (U3/V90) ON AMAZON

LEXAR PROFESSIONAL 2000X 128GB MICROSDXC UHS-II CARD $80 ON AMAZON

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Paddle boarding in Rincón, Puerto Rico. Shot with a GoPro Hero 5 Black

GoPro Floaty

If you’re planning on using your GoPro in water, which is one of the best uses for the GoPro, a floaty is essential. It will ensure that when you drop it, or it detaches itself from wherever it is you have attached it (because it will happen) it doesn’t sink to the bottom of the ocean and you lose it forever. It’s nice and bright and orange too so it’ll be easy to find.

FIND IT

GOPRO HERO 8 FLOATY ON AMAZON

Srđ Mountain overlooking Dubrovnik, Croatia shot with a GoPro Hero 5 Back

Selfie Sticks & Hand Grips

I know what you’re thinking, the selfie stick is the ultimate guilty camera accessory. I’ll be the first to admit, I feel super weird when using the selfie stick, something about holding out a stick and taking a selfie, especially in public, makes me feel like I’m ‘that tourist’. But selfie sticks can come in super handy, especially when there’s nobody around to take a picture of you and you have a great background. There’s all kinds of selfie sticks and handgrips that serve different functions and most of them will come with interchangeable mounts so you can use them for your phone, GoPro and even DSLR’s. They also come in different price points so I’ve made a list of my favorites from budget friendly options up to higher end monopod options.

FIND IT

19” WATERPROOF SELFIE STICK FOR GOPRO $9 ON AMAZON

BRIGHT YELLOW FLOATING HAND GRIP FOR OSMO/GOPRO $7 ON AMAZON

4 IN 1 BLUETOOTH SELFIE STICK WITH REMOTE $26 ON AMAZON

MANFROTTO XPRO MONOPOD FAMILY $160-$230 ON AMAZON

Underwater shot at Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, Rincón, Puerto Rico shot with a GoPro Hero 5 (No Red Filter)

GoPro Filters

Underwater Video has been changing quickly. Divers, adventurers and travelers alike want to share their underwater adventures on social media platforms and there’s no easier way to capture your moment than with a GoPro camera. The GoPro is a serious player due to its small size, great video quality, features for underwater & topside use, low price point, and wide range of accessories. There is a growing number of videographers building amazing portfolios with nothing but GoPro cameras. 

There are many different filters available for the entire line of GoPro Cameras (although with the changes to the auto white balance features and the addition of Global Tone Mapping since the Hero 6, the GoPro does well to compensate for the lack of a filter)that increase the camera’s versatility, allowing for more creative shots on land and underwater. Polar Pro makes an excellent range of glass filters for all GoPro models that I’ve used. The filters snap onto the GoPro securely and easily, and the glass makes them very scratch resistant with higher optical properties than plastic. The range of filters includes:

• Red Filter:  Used in blue water

• Magenta Filter:  Used in green water

• Macro Filter:  Used to shoot small subjects

• Switchblade Filter:  Flip between red filter for a wide-angle and macro lens for small subjects

• Polarizing Filter:  Used topside to control reflected light

• Neutral Density Filter:  Used topside to slow the shutter speed

I’ll make a more in-depth guide in the future for the differences between GoPro filters and accessories.

FIND IT

GOPRO FILTERS FROM POLAR PRO

Budget pack from amazon

Hawksbill Turtle shot with a GoPro using a Red Filter

External Storage Drives

Shooting pictures and videos, especially in 4k and large formats like RAW, takes up a tremendous amount of space and, unless you’ve paid to have your built-in computer storage upgraded, you’re going to end up filling up your hard drive pretty quickly(plus it’s a great way to backup your hard-earned pictures, nothing stinks more than taking dozens of pictures and then losing or damaging your device). I recommend getting a Solid State Drive, they’re more reliable than traditional hard drives, they don’t break as easily and they offer faster read and write speeds which is crucial for large photo and video editing and moving files of size, they are also a little more money but well worth it. I recommend getting at least 2TB of space.

FIND IT

VECTOTECH RAPID EXTERNAL SSD ON AMAZON

The view from the Minčeta Tower, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Rode Mic and Deadcats

Getting an external microphone and deadcat (the synthetic fur covers on microphones in video production are often referred to as a “dead cat” or “wind muff”, these funny-looking covers can block wind from hitting the microphone, therefore reducing the wind noise from being recorded.) is great way of making your audio clear, especially if your planning on doing some vlogging. The new GoPro Hero 8 actually has an awesome new Media Mod that has a built-in Mic, expansion port and HDMI port.

FIND IT

RODE VIDEOMICRO COMPACT ON-CAMERA MICROPHONE WITH RYCOTE LYRE SHOCK MOUNT ON AMAZON

MOVO VXR10 UNIVERSAL VIDEO MICROPHONE WITH SHOCK MOUNT

GOPRO MEDIA MOD

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