BEST CAMERA GEAR + EQUIPMENT FOR TRAVEL IN 2018
We have been travel vlogging, and for the most part daily travel vlogging, for the last 2 and a half years straight. We have learnt a lot from producing, directing and editing an online show, especially when it comes down to which equipment to use.
The key difference we find with travel vlogging is that size and weight plays a major factor into what is the best equipment to buy. In some cases you want to go out of your way to buy the most powerful device, but if that comes at the cost of your back from lugging it around or missing a shot due to the inconvenience of set up, was it even worth it?
Below is a summary of the equipment that we use, make sure you check out the full video to see the reasons behind our purchases.
Gigabyte Aero 15
It's not until you sit down with your days footage that you realise a lot more work goes into the editing side of producing a video than the actual filming. So having a laptop that is powerful enough to edit both 4K footage and is future proofed for the latest video formats is vital.
Up until 2017 I was an Apple fanboy, but as the years go on, I am finding less and less reasons to fork out money to have that light up Apple on the back of my laptop. Thankfully I edited all my videos in Adobe Premiere Pro which means I am able to easily make the switch from Mac OS to Windows without a hiccup.
When upgrading my laptop this year I was looking for 4 main features, 1) it must be powerful, 2) it must be light, 3) the screen needs to be atleast 15 inches and 4) it needs a big battery. After searching online I came across the Gigabye Aero 15, a laptop that is almost half the price of the maxed out Macbook Pro 15' ($5059 vs $2899) and was very comparative with weight and was only slightly heavier. (1.83kg vs 2.1kg).
Quick Specs:
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ (2.8GHz-3.8GHz)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 GDDR5 6GB
16GB DDR4 2400 2 slots (Max 32GB)
94Wh battery (Up to 10 hours)
I have been using this laptop for the last 3 months and I have to say, this is the laptop to use in 2017/2018 for travel video editing!
Sony A7SII
We continue the trend of "upgrading through learning". Up until last year we were strict Canon photographers, using a 5DMK3 and 6D as our main cameras. This all changed when Sony released the A7SII: sporting an in built image stabilizer in the body, 4K video and slow motion. As soon as we could, we sold all our Canon gear and switched over to Sony.
1080p/60fps
1080p/120fps (Cropped)
4K/30fps
In built image stabilizer
Mirror-less (Compact & light)
Continuous autofocus
Great in low light
One bad point is that you will need to purchase Additional Sony Batteries to allow you to film for longer as the battery life kinda sucks on the camera.
Canon G7X
Perfect for a cheap first vlogging camera
Flip out screen to allow for "selfie mode" so you can see yourself whilst filming
1080p/30fps
DJI Mavic Pro Fly More
This has by far been my most favourite purchase of recent times. In the 9 months that I have had this in my possession I have flown it 20x more than when I had a DJI Phantom. This is the perfect example of convenience over quality. Yes the Phantom 4 pro has a slightly better image but honestly I am more than happy with the 4K video quality that the Mavic Pro produces.
Aerial footage
4K/30fps
1080/60fps - once you see the quality in 4K you won't go back to 1080p
Light, compact and a very quick set up time.
If you have some extra money, pick up the fly more package as you get 2 extra batteries, a bag and some additional bonuses like a 4 way battery charging port. If you do pick up some extra batteries make sure you get a Mavic Pro Battery Bag so you can easily store them.
Rode Video Mic Pro
Increase your audio quality
Focus audio on yourself, cutting out most of the surrounding sound (cars driving past, crowds talking)
Not vital - we don't personally use this when vlogging outside.
MicroMuffs
Aka my "Koala ears"
Removes wind from your audio
Sony 16-35mm FE F/4 Wide Angle Lens
Perfect for travel video as it lets in a lot more of your surroundings
You want to show off as much of your surroundings when travel vlogging
There is newer version that is higher quality but is twice the price
128GB SD Card
Try and get the biggest card for the most affordable price, in 2017 this is the best option
Also allows for your footage to stay longer on the SD card so you have that extra back up source for your footage
2TB HDD
Buy 2 of these, one as your main HDD and one as a backup for if the first HDD fails. You do not want to lose your footage, it happened to us and it was the worst thing ever
As soon as 4TB HDD come down in price I will be picking them up, but in the meantime go for a 2TB solution
Sony FE 24-240mm F/3.5-6.3mm
Great & cheap zoom lens solution - great all rounder - we used this lens primarily for about 11 months.
My go to lens for timelapses
Sony FE 50mm f/1.8mm
Perfect for portrait photos
If you are looking for those beautiful cinematic shots where everything is blurry behind you
Very cheap and super light
GoPro HD Hero 5
Only used for action shots and underwater shots
Best solution for the above
Samsung Gear 360
360 degree 4K camera that is cheap
Great to add that additional dynamic to your trip
V1 only works with the Samsung S7 and newer, however a new 2017 V2 works with your iPhone
Joby GorrilaPod
Small and compact tripod
Can adapt to any environment, so if you are looking at attaching your tripod to a tree or a surface that is not flat, pick up one of these
Leave your favourite camera gear picks in the comments - we would love to know what you use!
Thanks to Gigabyte for providing us the Aero 15 for review purposes, however as always, our opinions are our own.