Minimal Gear Setup for Outdoor Photography

David takes you into the woods and shows you his own choice of outdoor photography gear, which allows him to move fast as he seeks out his compositions. He suggests not to weigh down your backpack with the biggest and most expensive outdoor photography gear. Since you will be hiking a lot, this calls for a light carry.

First, David packs a small point-and-shoot camera with a 24-megapixel sensor. The point-and-shoot is lightweight and so are the lenses. For his next choice of outdoor photography gear, he chooses an APS-C camera, the Advanced Photo System with its smaller sensor and lightweight body. This camera is ideal for travel photography because it takes up minimal space. For David’s outdoor photography gear, he sometimes packs a full-frame camera. It’s a heavier camera, but it works well for high-resolution images that can be made into huge prints.

For an overall outdoor photography gear setup, David recommends carrying one go-to camera body and a second smaller camera body as your backup. For camera lenses, he believes there are two essential choices for outdoor photography gear.

One choice is a prime wide-angle or a 17 to 28mm zoom lens because they are smaller and easy to carry. His second choice is a telephoto 17-200mm or a 17-300mm zoom lens for wildlife. If your budget is tight, you can always rent a telephoto lens.

For the best outdoor photography gear setup, pack light, but pack smart. In this premium video about packing outdoor photography gear, Outdoor Photography Guide’s professional photographer David Johnston demonstrates how to select the appropriate outdoor photography gear for an enjoyable trip into the outdoors.