What Camera Do I Use? Best Budget Camera Gear For Travel

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One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, by far, “what camera do you use?” So, I’ve finally compiled a complete list with all of my favorite camera gear for travel.

Here, you will find all of the camera bodies, lenses, drone equipment, lighting equipment, sound gear, batteries and storage that I use on every trip!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If a product is purchased using one of the following links, I may earn a small commission from the brand at no cost to you.

1. Canon EOS Rebel SL3 DSLR Camera

Pros of the Canon Rebel SL3 DSLR:

1. Fantastic beginner camera body.
2. Low price range.
3. Excellent quality photos when you have the right lens and manual settings.
4. Interchangeable lens option.
5. Comes with a 18-55mm lens (perfect for beginners).
6. Flip screen for vlogging and taking selfies.
7. I purchased the SL2 camera body as a beginner and still use it to produce 90% of my professional content today, three years later.

2. Sony Alpha a6100 Mirrorless Camera

Pros of the Sony Alpha a6100 Mirrorless Camera:

1. Stellar photo and video quality.
2. 4K video shooting capabilites.
3. Great for low-light environments.
4. Built-in lens has a great depth of field.
5. Built-in lens is wide enough for vlogging and selfies.
6. Flip screen for vlogging and selfies.
7. Mirrorless feature makes it safer for travel.
8. Impressively lightweight and small in size (again, great for vlogging).

3. DJI Mavic Air Drone (Fly More Combo)

Pros of the DJI Mavic Air Drone (Fly More Combo):

1. Takes amazing aerial photos and video footage.
2. Small, compact size is perfect for travel.
3. Easy to learn.
4. Quick to set-up.
5. Fly More Combo comes with extra batteries, propellers, propeller guards and more.
6. DJI is the leading drone company.

4. Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 Art DC HSM Lens For Canon (Camera gear for travel)

Pros of the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens for Canon:

1. The best and fastest way to make your travel photos look 100x better.
2. Wide angle for landscape photos.
3. More bokeh (background blur) with lower f-stop.
4. Great in low-light environments.
5. Excellent for portrait and macro (close-up) photography.
6. Cheaper than the Canon version without losing the quality.
7. Fits perfectly for the Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and SL3 lens mounts (EF/EF-S lens mounts).

5. Canon EF 75-300mm F/4-5.6 Telephoto Lens

Pros of the Canon EF 75-300mm F/4-5.6 Telephoto Lens:

1. One of the cheapest telephoto lenses on the market, without losing quality.
2. Perfect for photos and environments where you need to zoom in.
3. Great bokeh (background blur) for this particular f-stop.
4. Built-in image stabilization.
5. Fits Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and SL3 DSLR camera bodies.
6. Grade-A background compression when you want the background of a photo or video to appear larger or closer.

6. BAGSMART Camera Backpack (Camera gear for travel)

Pros of the BAGSMART Camera Backpack:

1. Fits all of my camera equipment and laptop at once (everything listed here — drone included)!
2. High quality for a low price.
3. Side zipper for easy access to cameras.
4. Anti-theft latching system for travel.
5. Water resistant material and comes with a waterproof rain cover.
6. Trendy style (looks good in photos).
7. Laptop pouch on the back side.
8. Holds a tripod on one side and a water bottle on the other.
9. Adjustable padded inserts to fit all of your own camera gear.
10. One of the best camera gear purchases I’ve ever made.

7. Neewer Ring Light

Pros of the 18”/43cm Neewer LED Ring Light:

1. Professional quality lighting at a lower price.
2. Gives you the perfect lighting for indoor photos, YouTube videos, IGTV videos, Instagram Reels, TikToks and virtual meetings.
3. Comes with smartphone and camera tripod attachments.
4. Quick set-up once you learn.
5. Comes with a remote shutter release, white/orange lighting adjusters and a carrying case.

8. QIAYA Clip-On Ring Light (Camera gear for travel)

Pros of the QIAYA Clip-On Ring Light:

1. Pocket-size and convenient for travel.
2. You can clip it on a smartphone camera or the flip screen of a DSLR/mirrorless camera.
3. Ideal for vlogging, Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels and TikTok recording in dark or poorly lit environments.
4. Several brightness levels.
5. Rechargeable.
6. Extremely affordable.

9. Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone

Pros of the Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone:

1. Compact size is perfect for travel.
2. Industry standard travel vlogging microphone.
3. Comes with a fur windsock to prevent unwanted wind-sound.
4. Easy camera connection.

10. Camera Tripod (Camera gear for travel)

Pros of a camera tripod:

1. Perfect for taking group travel photos or your own solo travel photos (using a remote shutter release).
2. Keeps camera still for long exposure shots.
3. Keeps camera in the same spot for different shots in the same location.

11. SanDisk 128GB Memory Card

Pros of the SanDisk 128GB Memory Card:

1. Will hold hundreds of photos in RAW file format.
2. Reasonably priced.
3. I’ve personally never had an issue with losing files on SanDisk memory cards.

12. SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD External Hard Drive (Camera gear for travel)

Pros of the SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD External Hard Drive:

1. Remarkably small size that is ideal for travel (pocket/wallet-size).
2. Extremely easy to dump photos off of memory cards while on the road.

13. Canon Back-Up Batteries (Homesuit LP E17 2-Battery and Charger Pack)

Pros of the Homesuit LP E17 2-Battery and Charger Pack for Canon Cameras:

1. Back-up batteries are a necessity when you’re traveling. You definitely don’t want to run out of battery in the middle of a travel shoot!
2. These are way cheaper than on-brand back-up batteries, without losing the quality.

14. Sony Back-Up Batteries (NP-FW50 LP 2-Battery and Charger Pack)

Pros of the NP-FW50 LP 2-Battery and Charger Pack for Sony Cameras:

1. Comes with a car charger for when you’re on the road.
2. Like the Canon back-up batteries, these Sony back-up batteries are a must-have for travel photo and video shoots.
3. Again, these are way cheaper than purchasing back-up batteries through Sony.

15. Underwater Smartphone Case

Pros of these underwater smartphone cases:

1. Allows you to take crystal clear underwater photos without a GoPro.
2. A lot cheaper than a GoPro.
3. Keeps water, sand and dirt away from your smartphone.
4. Brightly colored so that you don’t lose your phone underwater.
5. Comes with neck strap for extra safety.
6. Floats in water.

16. KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Printer

Pros of the KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Printer:

1. Print any photo from your smartphone anywhere by connecting to the app.
2. It uses Zink (zero ink), so you don’t ever have to worry about refilling ink cartridges.
3. Pocket-sized for easy transportation.

17. DJI Osmo Mobile 3 (Combo)

Pros of the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 (Combo):

1. Gives all smartphone video footage a smooth, buttery, stabilized look.
2. Compatible with all smartphones.
3. Allows you to take professionally produced-looking video footage for YouTube, IGTV, TikTok, Reels, Stories, etc. using your smartphone camera.
4. Comes with a mini tripod and protective case.

18. Adobe Photography Plan (Photoshop and Lightroom bundle)

Pros of the Adobe Photography Plan (Photoshop and Lightroom bundle):

1. Both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop are the industry standard photo editing softwares.
2. You receive a discounted price for the 12-month subscription bundle (less than $10 per month)!
3. Both are absolutely non-negotiable if you truly want to produce better visual content.
4. Both softwares are accessible on desktop devices. Access to the Adobe Lightroom app is also included in the bundle.

A Few Examples:

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(Shot on Canon body with Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 wide angle lens; edited in Adobe Lightroom)

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(Shot on Canon body with Canon 75-300mm F/4-5.6 telephoto lens; edited in Adobe Lightroom)

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(Shot on DJI Mavic Air drone; edited in Adobe Lightroom)

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